The LSATs

[Alidar Jarok]

If Alidar Jarok is studying for the LSATs, he is depressed
If he is not depressed, he is not studying for the LSATs.

This horrible monstrosity of a test is next week for me. That means lots and lots of studying when I have free time (which I don't anyway, but let's pretend I do). Does anyone have any last minute advice for this test that you think might be helpful? I'm not completely panicking because I've been studying for a little while now and the non-logic games section is fairly manageable. But, at the same time, it is a big test, so I'm always going to have some anxiety.

 

[Misfit Toy]

No matter the outcome, just remember that here at TrekBBS, we'll still love you. Even if you're a lawyer.

 

[abeardall]

Don't stress...I had forgotten about them until the night before...

Needless to say, I walked in with a "who cares" attitude and did far better than a lot of the other test takers.

Should you want to talk law, law school, or being a lawyer, let me know...I would be glad to discuss with you.

-Andrew

 

[Docbrown777]

Why does it seem on this forum there are always people taking the LSAT or in law school etc?

No one ever comes on and talked about the MCATs or being in med school.

and we wonder what is wrong with society...



We have too many lawyers people and the pay is not that good anymore. Find something else to do that helps society a little more. Please!!!

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

When in doubt pick "C".

 

[StolenThunder]

TBH, there's probably a similar number of lawyers/law students and medics/medical students here. It's a karma thing.

I have a great dislike of this sort of test, though reading the wiki article suggests it is a little more suited to law than other fields. Can't give you much advice other than being calm and organised with your answers on the day.

 

[T'Baio]

Why does it seem on this forum there are always people taking the LSAT or in law school etc?

No one ever comes on and talked about the MCATs or being in med school.

and we wonder what is wrong with society...



We have too many lawyers people and the pay is not that good anymore. Find something else to do that helps society a little more. Please!!!

I'm currently pre-med and was just looking up information on the MCAT this afternoon. Does that help?

 

[Holdfast]

TBH, there's probably a similar number of lawyers/law students and medics/medical students here. It's a karma thing.

Yeah the reason the medics don't pop up and ask for advice as often is that the lawyers think that more intense case preparation will make them better, whereas medics have the natural arrogance to just get on and do it and sod the consequences.

Seriously though, I do agree that the proportions are likely to be fairly representative. I do think it's a bit harsh to say that lawyers don't help society though, as someone else said upthread. While I dislike paying them, there's no doubt that without them, society would seize up within hours. Law is basically applied epistemology and applied ethics and that's essential to any society.

Doctors keep people alive.
Lawyers let them earn a salary.
Teachers tell them how to earn it.
Accountants minimise how much they give to others.
Philosophers show them why their jobs and lives are fundamentally pointless.
And then it's down to us psychiatrists to remind people that if that's so, there's no point worrying about it, so you might as well be happy.

Apex of the professional pyramid, people.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Don't stress...I had forgotten about them until the night before...

Needless to say, I walked in with a "who cares" attitude and did far better than a lot of the other test takers.

Should you want to talk law, law school, or being a lawyer, let me know...I would be glad to discuss with you.

-Andrew

Def will I think the "who cares" attitude helped me with the practice test, but I don't know if I can transfer it to the real thing. My friend got a 179 with a who cares attitude, though.

We have too many lawyers people and the pay is not that good anymore. Find something else to do that helps society a little more. Please!!!

My goals are law fields that pay very little, but have a bit more of an impact on society (places that would be cool to work for would be a district attorney's office, a public defender's office, or some kind of broad picture defense of civil rights like the ACLU). Either way, I have no interest in corporate or transaction law beyond what it takes to pass the Bar Exam unless I have no other choice to pay bills.

 

[Lookingglassman]

I have a buddy who failed this test three times. He is considering coming back into the Army.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Well, I know I won't fail it, but that's not the advice I'm looking for, damnit

 

[KeepOnTrekking]

I don't know if this helps, but when I was back in high school and took the pSAT's I did WELL above the state average to the point that my school counsellor and parents tried to keep how well my scores were compared to the big picture so I wouldn't feel the pressure. The bubble was burst when a major university sent me a recruitment letter trying to get me to go there. Something about my score was in the top 14% of over 1 million students in the country who took the pSAT at that time. Needless to say, I felt the pressure and choked on the SAT when I finally took it. So I agree with abeardall about study your best and then just chill out the last half day or so before taking the test so you don't stress out and can actually remember what you do know.

 

[TheBrew]

Best advice?

Practice the timing of the logic games. I got a near perfect on the logical reasoning sections (and did really well at the reading section), but I didn't practice the timing of the logic games and it pushed my score down to 161.

The upside was that I took it for shits and giggles and had no intention of even applying to lawschool.

 

[Galactus]

Don't stress...I had forgotten about them until the night before...

Needless to say, I walked in with a "who cares" attitude and did far better than a lot of the other test takers.

Should you want to talk law, law school, or being a lawyer, let me know...I would be glad to discuss with you.

-Andrew

You know what. I did the same thing. Completely forgot about it until the night before. Just walked in and aced it no problem. It was funny cause people keep asking me, you scored a what? I took X study prep class and I didn't do anywhere close to that well.

Look at it this way. This is the easiest part. Everything else is way, way harder than the LSAT. You think attorney's are bad, just try having a couple as instructors. You might even get lucky and have a few judges too.

Important thing to remember is that once in law school no one cares. You will be too busy watching out for all those knives everyone is trying to put in your back.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Yeah, that's a whole other animal, but I'll worry about people being dicks at law school when I get to it. Gotta get through this first, since I'm setting my goals high (so when they fail, my backup will still be pretty nice).

 

[SmoothieX]

Good luck, I'm studying for the GMAT right now and not liking it. Standardized tests are such a drag. They're such a different animal than most tests you have to study for, because they aren't just testing for whether you know your technical material or not. They really get inside your head.

When I took the PE (professional engineer) exam, it was awful, but I could just study my way through it until I had the material down cold. No tricks really, just that you need a minimal level of technical competency.

When I took the GRE, it wasn't that I was suddenly going to get smarter, I just had to figure out the ways they could trick me into giving the wrong answer.

 

[Tomato]

^

Oh I did the GMAT too!!! See you at HBS SmoothieX!! Ha ha I did well in my GMAT so all the studying paid off! Now B-school apps.. **shudder**

 

[SmoothieX]

I'm going to go part time at night through UMass. They've got a pretty good program in this neck of the woods.

It's been a few years since I got my M.S. in engineering, so I'm looking forward to kick starting that part of my brain again. Work is challenging, but not quite the same as going to class and actively learning. It will be tough, but I'm looking forward to it.

Good luck.

 

[propita]

I had been acing the logic practice problems and doing very well on the reading portions, but when the real one came...I totally fucked the logic ones!! For me, they were harder than the practice ones.

My second portion was logic AND I COULDN'T ANSWER A THING!!! So I filled in randomly and tried to do what I could, changing answer to "correct" ones. My last section was also logic, so I figured, "Hey! 50-50 chance that this is the one that counts" cause there are only 4 portions that count. Again...nada.

So I figure I got my grade on the three reading portions--which means that I was near perfect on them. It wouldn't've gotten me into Berkeley or Stanford, but I was intending to go to a small local school anyway. Graduated 7/47 and waiting for Bar results--and NOT freaking about them, due to other priorities (health concerns).

 

[Kestra]

Why does it seem on this forum there are always people taking the LSAT or in law school etc?

No one ever comes on and talked about the MCATs or being in med school.

They're all too busy being crazy on the Student Doctor Network to waste time on Trek forums.

I took the MCAT. What a horrible, horrible test.