[nabs-l] Have any of you taken the LSATS

[Sean Whalen]

Justin,

I am currently preparing to take the LSAT. I was initially scheduled to take
the October administration of the test, but ran into certain points of
disagreement with the LSAC regarding accommodations. As Joe alluded to, I
have found the use of MS Excel to "diagram" logic games extremely helpful. I
also purchased the Kaplan books, and was provided reasonably accessible pdf
and html files. LSAC approved the use of Excel on the test, so that is
something you may want to explore as an option. I have, thus far, been
unsuccessful in getting LSAC to approve the use of JAWS and an e-text to
read the reading comprehension and logical reasoning portions of the test.
As Dennis said, it is crucial to get the score you are capable of on the
first crack. My top score on practice tests with a human reader is 168, and
my top score using JAWS is 173. This is a very significant difference when
applying to top schools, so I am continuing to fight LSAC on this point. I
know of at least one case in the past where a blind student was permitted to
use JAWS and an e-text version of the exam, so I hope to be granted the same
accommodation when all is said and done.

Ideally you will take the LSAT in the June or October in the year prior to
the fall in which you wish to enroll in law school. If you can't dish out
the $$$ for a prep course, try to read some test prep books from Powerscore
or Kaplan or the like, and take practice test after practice test. Over
multiple practice tests, your score will level off, and, assuming that you
have been studying hard and practicing, the score you level off at is the
score you can expect to get on test day. And, while it is a very high stakes
test, don't kill yourself over it too much. You don't necessarily have to
score in the 160s to get into a respectable law school. And, as has been
mentioned, you don't necessarily have to attend a premier law school to have
a very successful legal career. Just walk away knowing that you gave your
best effort to studying and preparation and got a score that reflects your
ability.

If you ever have any questions, or if there is any way in which I might be
helpful to you, please let me know. I could send you some logic games
set-ups and Excel sheets with the "diagrams," if you would be interested to
see those.

Good luck to you,

Sean