How I studied for the LSAT and My REAL LSAT Experience

Yes, I finally took the LSAT.

After nine months and a traumatic first attempt at the LSAT a week before, I am finally done.

Banana Republic blue button down | J.Crew navy puffer vest | American Eagle green jeggings | J.Crew cheetah belt | Birdies slides | kerchief from Dijon, France | RayBan tortoise shell Wayfarers

How I studied for the LSAT:

From June-October 2019, I studied using “Self-Paced” from Kaplan. It was videos and workbooks. I liked it, but I felt like I was teaching myself the material. It was hard. I took a diagnostic test, a midpoint test and a final test to see how much I had learned, and my score did not go up at all.

I intended to take the LSAT in November, but that clearly did not happen because I was not at all prepared.

In October, I found a local tutor, Anna. If you want her contact information, please reach out to me!
She went to Wake Law and practiced law for years before starting her own tutoring company.

I started working with her in October and signed up to take the LSAT in February 2020.

We met twice a week from October to February.

Every session we would learn a new section of the test and then for homework, every night I would go home and practice what I had learned on old LSAT tests. Through four months, I went through about 40 tests. There are about 80 tests released in total.

Once I was getting a hang of a section, I would do timed sections. Most sections are 25-27 questions and you only have 35 minutes to do them.

Once I got the timing down, I worked on my stamina. I would do two sections back to back.

My favorite section to practice was logic games. 

And then two months out from my test, twice a week, I would take practice tests. Every Thursday morning and every Sunday morning.

I took the pen and paper versions, but I also took the 3 released tablet tests, because all the LSATs now are on a tablet.

The test is only three hours long, but it is hard and hurts your brain after a while.

My stamina was really low during the first two tests and then it got better.

Every test though, my score went up by at least one point!
AMAZING!
Every week, after I took my practice tests, Anna and I would meet to go over them.

Anna raised my score dramatically! (Let’s wait to see what I got on the real thing, but on all the practice tests leading up to the real deal, I went up by nine points from my diagnostic!)

My Real LSAT:

Friday night, there was no fire alarm, the first time in weeks we did not have one.

I slept really well. I had about 12 hours of sleep, but I also slept well because I was not nervous.

I thought I was confident the week before, but I clearly was not. I was so nervous last week; I could not stop crying. But Saturday when I took it, I felt so confident and relaxed.

The night before and the morning of the test, I just kept reminding myself that it was just like taking a practice test, my 9^thone…

After LSAC royally screwed up my LSAT the week before on a tablet, we took my LSAT the old fashion way: pencil and paper!

The test went really well, and I still feel good about it! There were no tears before the test and I really was not anxious, at all.

As we finally reached the last section of the test, I gained some more steam because I felt so good about the test and I felt confident in my all my hard work! I was also super excited to be done!

Now, I can finally say I AM DONE!

I ran home to my suitemates and we all jumped up and down screaming “I’m done, I’m done!!!”
You no longer have to hear about the LSAT from me!

My score will come out in two weeks, and I’m sure I did great on it!

Sunday night, I submitted all my law school applications and I am ready to GO!