How long should you start studying for the LSAT?

Asked by: Hailie Mayert  |  Last update: October 18, 2023
Score: 4.7/5 (40 votes)

We recommend that most students look to spend 150–300 hours on LSAT prep; that's a healthy range over a two or three-month period at around 20–25 hours per week, which is a standard amount for most students. Keep in mind that those hours include any classes or private LSAT tutoring sessions you might be using.

How long before taking the LSAT should I start studying?

Our response is like most responses you will likely encounter in the legal profession: it depends. But the general advice we give to those who ask this question is that you should start studying for the LSAT around five to six months before you intend to actually take it.

Is 1 year enough to study for LSAT?

If you have other responsibilities and can only dedicate three to four hours a day to the LSAT, you should give yourself five to six months to study. In total, you should study around 300–400 hours for this exam. This amount of time is generally enough to gain a thorough understanding of how to ace the LSAT.

Is 2 months enough to study for LSAT?

While three months will be great for some students who have very busy schedules, it can be hard to sustain your focus for that length of time. So, two months hits the sweet spot for many individual preppers. Once you've taken a full-length practice test under timed conditions, compare your score to your goal score.

Is 7 months enough to study for the LSAT?

7 months is more than enough time if you stick with a regular, but moderate, schedule. I've reviewed all books and PrepTests mentioned below in my best LSAT prep books post. This 28-week schedule is intense.

How Long Should You Study For The LSAT?

27 related questions found

How hard is it to get 173 on the LSAT?

So let's all stop day-dreaming and get into the 173-180 review! First off, if you're in this score range, congratulations: you're officially above the mean, median, and mode (you're welcome, stats fans). In fact, you're besting 99.4 to 99.9 percent of your peers – not bad at all.

How hard is a 175 LSAT?

A 175+LSAT test taker will be able to identify specifically what word, idea, or phrase makes an answer choice incorrect. For most questions, there will be multiple problems with each answer choice.

Can anyone score a 170 on the LSAT?

A 170 represents a percentile of 97.4%, meaning that test takers with a score of 170 have a score higher than 97.4% of all LSAT takers. So, that's pretty good! But what does it take to achieve that score? On the most recent LSAT, you would have to answer at least 89 out of 101 questions to receive a 170.

How do you get a 170 on the LSAT?

Despite what many people believe, there is no trick or shortcut to getting a 170 or more on an LSAT score. Very few people can walk into the room on test day with very little or no practice and be able to score that highly. It takes a lot of hard work to be able to score up to 170 or higher.

What is the easiest month for LSAT?

Since the difficulty of the LSAT is carefully calibrated and curved, no test date is easier than another. Popular times like June and September may fill up early, but that is merely a reflection of the academic calendar since many test-takers are in school and have the most time to focus on the test during the summer.

How hard is LSAT?

The LSAT Is A Very Challenging Exam

The reality is that the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is extremely difficult. It's designed to predict how well the brightest students across the world will fare in law school.

Does your first LSAT score matter?

Law schools do not average the scores for admission, but we always look at performance if you've taken the test more than once. Ideally, it would be best if every applicant could secure their ideal LSAT score on the first attempt, but that is often not the case. Law schools will report the highest LSAT score.

How much is too much studying for LSAT?

The second tip is to aim for 250–300 hours of LSAT preparation. They say that 20 hours per week over a three-month period is a great goal for most students. Ben and Nathan both respond that 20 hours per week is too much—that's 3 hours per day, every day of the week, with no days off for three months.

How early is too early for LSAT?

The LSAT is offered 9 times a year (generally once a month except May, July, and December). You should take the LSAT no later than the summer or fall of the year in which you intend to apply, a full year (or more) before you intend to begin law school.

How many times can you take LSAT?

How many times may I take the LSAT? Three times in a single testing year (the next testing cycle begins with the August 2022 test). Five times within the current and five past testing years (the period in which LSAC reports scores to law schools). A total of seven times over a lifetime.

How long is LSAT valid?

How Long Do LSAT Scores Last? If you're worried about losing your LSAT scores, don't sweat it. That LSAT score from the exam you crushed a few months ago will be kept by LSAC for five years after your test date. So, if your test date is June 8, 2023, your score will be removed from LSAC on June 8, 2028.

Has anyone got a 180 on the LSAT?

Remember, the LSAT is one component of the application, and the definition of a good LSAT score depends upon your specific goals. While only 0.1% of test-takers get a 180, many more get accepted into law school each year.

Is 165 a bad LSAT score?

We've already developed a general sense of LSAT score percentiles from some of the common score thresholds above (160: 80th percentile; 165: 90th percentile; 170: 97-98th percentile, and 174: 99th percentile).

Is 169 a bad LSAT score?

On average, T-14 schools require an LSAT that is in the range between 166 (25th percentile) and 172 (75th percentile score). The 25th percentile numbers suggest that there some wiggle room within T-14 schools. However, keep in mind that if you're boasting a 25th percentile score, your GPA will have to be stellar.

What is the average LSAT score for Harvard?

Harvard Law is tied for #1 in terms of the median LSAT score (173) among those applicants granted admission who enrolled as full-time students.

What LSAT score do you need for Harvard?

As you can see from these numbers, an LSAT score of 170 or higher and a GPA above 3.75 will give you a chance of gaining admission to Harvard Law School. If you have a GPA of 3.94 or higher and above a 175, you are pretty much a lock for admission, particularly given the class size of ~560.

Can I get into Harvard Law with a 165 LSAT?

Top-five law schools: 170 to 180. Schools like Harvard and Yale, which are the top two, rarely accept applicants with less than 172 on the LSAT.

Is the LSAT stressful?

The length of the exam is similar to the SAT and ACT; however, because of the amount of reasoning that goes into answering each question, students typically find the LSAT to be much more stressful than any tests they've taken previously.

Can you get a high score on LSAT without studying?

The LSAT ( law school admission test) exam is scored between 120-180; on average, students sitting in the exam can score 145-153 without studying based on various statistics. LSAT is an exam based on the performance of the test takers, which directly means it is a scalar exam.

How many hours of studying for 170 on LSAT?

We recommend that most students look to spend 150–300 hours on LSAT prep; that's a healthy range over a two or three-month period at around 20–25 hours per week, which is a standard amount for most students.