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Studying for the LSAT and applying to Law School can be a lonely and frustrating experience. Hearing stories from others about what worked (and what didn’t) can make the process better, though.

Today, we chat with an Anonymous Student who figured out how to go from a 144 to a 171 - an incredible feat.

Stats:
LSAT 171
GPA 3.95 at large state university

Congratulations on the 171 – are you done with the LSAT or do you think you’ll retake?
I don’t know. I’m thinking about it. I might apply and see what happens. 

Walk me through your timeline with the LSAT
I started in May, right after I graduated. I was putting in like 20 hours a week. I started with 7sage and completed one of their syllabuses. I took another diagnostic but wasn’t happy and then was confused about what to do because I did everything I was supposed to. 

Then I did some tutoring. That was the main thing. I also did some of the powerscore bible and I liked the Loophole book from Ellen Cassidy.

What was your diagnostic score?
I got a 144. After 7sage it was a 160. 

27-point increase – wow that’s serious. How many practice tests did you take?
I took 23 practice tests. 

That’s actually pretty efficient. You felt stuck, though, along the way?
Yeah, I think that’s pretty common to feel like you have to switch gears after the 160’s. Being forced to examine my thought process, especially around LR, was critical. Having someone to prompt you with questions about your approach forces you to understand your shortcomings. It’s not just, like this one question type is giving me trouble, it can be deeper than that. 

Being able to pinpoint weaknesses like with conditional logic or quantitative issues was super helpful. There are themes beyond question types that are difficult to get at, if that makes sense. 

Okay, so if someone comes to you and asks what to do?
As a high stress person, it’s really helpful to have a tutor or a coach who has seen a bunch of people go through this before. There were moments when I was really worried – like when I couldn’t take the September test. Having some reassurance that this all kind of just works out was nice. 

Also, I had a really specific test day routine that I had been doing for a couple weeks during practice tests. So that helped me score in the upper band of my PT scores. I felt calm – when I got stuck, I just imagined us talking through the problem together. 

I wish I would have started reading denser material sooner and read more widely. There’s a shock factor with some of the passages, like the science ones, that takes some time to get over. 

Larkin Robson Commentary:
This student improved quite a bit. 27 points is massive. I think 7sage is pretty good - a lot better than other options, but it’s very difficult to get to the 170’s just doing this on your own. I mean people do it all the time, but it’s easier to improve a skill with dialogue or through conversation. 

Dialogue is how philosophy is taught - dating all the way back to Socrates. It’s how law school works. It’s the gold standard for building skill. So, trying to master the LSAT through watching videos or just absorbing a monologue, it’s difficult.

I really appreciated that when she got stuck on the actual test, she recreated conversations in her head. 

There’s an old approach to programming - where your code isn’t behaving as you expected - that you explain the code to a rubber duck. I bought a bunch of rubber ducks for students. I would give them to students as a tool. When they got stuck, I would have them explain the question to the duck. Having to articulate what’s going on to someone else forces you to see stuff you might have missed originally.

About Larkin

While other tutors and test prep companies try to force students to approach the LSAT using a generic one-size-fits-all schemata, Larkin focuses on each student as an individual, building on the skills and modes of thought they already have. His collaborative and unique approach has yielded big results over the last decade and a half as he routinely helps students get into Harvard, Stanford, Yale and the rest of the T-14 (often with big scholarships).

If you’re feeling stuck or don’t know where to start, reach out.
[email protected]

About Morgan

Morgan Barrett has apprenticed under Larkin since 2018. Since starting as a tutor, Morgan has used Larkin's methods and approach to help students get into Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Chicago, Penn, and numerous other top schools, often with large scholarships.

While Morgan has helped students of all experience levels achieve their goals, he specializes in helping students who have a decent grasp of the basics but are feeling stuck. If you've taken a course or self-studied but are struggling to break into the mid 160's or 170's, often Morgan's individualized skill-based approach to the test can provide the catalyst to break through to the next level.