How many points can you "expect" to be bumped up on your LSAT score w/ prep?

Graduate School Law School
1

<p>In light that LSAT prep courses are aimed to help you “better” your score, how many points can you expect in terms of increase after one of this in comparison to a pre-LSAT?</p>

<p>I know it’s a huge generality and the variables are many, but I guess my question is:</p>

<p>Can you really improve your LSAT score dramatically with preparation or is there a certain limit dictated by your mental capability? I mean, if you take preparation course after preparation course, year after year, will you only get to a certain point and will not be able to excel beyond that point because of your mental capabalities?</p>

2

<p>If you don’t get 25 more points, then I don’t think it was too good of a prep course.</p>

3

<p>It will depend on where you score on the first few tests you take. As a generality, the lower your initial score the more improvement you might expect if you really apply yourself. For instance, I think you would find that improving 20 points from a 145 to 165 to be easier than improving 10 points from a 170 to a 180.</p>

4

<p>Taking a prep course (and taking it seriously) should help you achieve a score at the top of your personal range, but no higher.</p>

5

<p>tyr makes a good point. The higher your initial scores, the harder it will be to gain points.</p>

<p>Expecting a gain of 25, no matter what your initial score, is very, very, very generous. If you start out with a baseline of 150, which is about the 50th percentile, then this number assumes you’ll come out with at least a 175, which is well in to the 99th percentile. Sure, it might happen to some, but most people will not experience this dramatic of a gain, regardless of prep course. Just so as not to mislead you.</p>

6

<p>Another thing to keep in mind is that if you are disciplined and have good study habits, you could probably improve you score by the same margin by self-study. Purchasing a couple of reference books and a number of the old tests is a lot less expensive than one of these courses. </p>

<p>As Greybeard implied, there is probably a score that you would not be able to exceed, no matterwhat you do. If everyone could score a 180 with practice, the test would have little validity. Preparation will simply help you find that limit and do as well as you personal capabilities allow.</p>