Taking the LSAT Without Studying
If you came across this article because you’re thinking about taking the LSAT without studying, let me be the first to advise you: Please don’t!
If You’re Thinking of Taking the LSAT Without Studying
My students appreciate that I’m an upfront, tell-it-like-it-is kind of person. In other words, I’m blunt, but it comes from a good place. I want you to end up with an LSAT score that propels you to the school of your dreams, with scholarship money, too. In service of that goal, I absolutely beg you to reconsider taking the LSAT without studying.
To convince you, let me tell you a bit of my story.
Why Studying for the LSAT is Crucial
The first time I took the LSAT was unofficial. In other words, it was a practice test. As any good test prep tutor will tell you, the best thing to do when you’re thinking about taking an exam–any exam, not just the LSAT–is to take what’s called a “diagnostic test.” A diagnostic exam is a “cold” test, taken before you’ve gained any knowledge or done any studying. This way, you know where you’re starting, and how much work you need to put in to get to your goal.
Some people are scared of taking a diagnostic test because they think it will be discouraging. On the contrary, diagnostics can be incredibly helpful! By starting with a diagnostic, you’ll be able to track your progress and see how much you’ve grown thanks to your studies. You only get to take a diagnostic once, so don’t waste the opportunity.
… But that’s a diagnostic. We’re here to discuss taking the LSAT without studying. So let’s talk about my diagnostic test, and what would have happened if that was my official exam, instead of an unofficial practice run.
LSAT Scores Get You Scholarships
My first ever practice LSAT score was in the high 150s. In the scheme of things, that’s a pretty good first test. However, here are a few things that a high 150s score would not earn me, based on research into past law school admissions statistics.
My diagnostic would likely have not earned me admission into a T14 school (T14 stands for “Top 14” in the Law School Admissions world).
Nor would it have earned me scholarship at any of the T50 schools.
To increase your chances of admission at your goal school, you should try to score “above the median,” aka above the middle score for all of a school’s accepted applications.
If you score above the median, you’re in the top 50% of that school’s applicants. If you’re in the top 50%, there’s a likely chance that you will have a strong application.
Yet if you want to be admitted and earn scholarship money, the top quartile (25%) is your goal. How do you find out if your LSAT score will earn admission to your dream school? A simple search will provide the info you need. All of these statistics are available publicly, because schools have to report them each year.
My diagnostic score was good. The high 150s would earn admission at plenty of T50 schools, albeit without scholarship. But because my diagnostic was taken cold, without any studying, it was not a good representation of my abilities. Our LSAT score should show us at our maximum potential. If I had applied with a high 150s score, I would not have shown what I can do at the peak of my abilities.
Similarly, taking the LSAT without studying would not be a good representation of your peak abilities. After all, you plan on studying in Law School, right? Show schools what you’re made of. Show what you’re capable of when you study hard. Start with a diagnostic, study for the exam, and then see what happens when you raise your score.
What Happens When You Score a 180 on the LSAT
I may have started with a diagnostic in the high 150s, but after some hard studying, and after reverse engineering the test into fundamental principles, I was able to score in the top 00.1% of all LSAT test takers, with a perfect 180 score.
That score earned me admission to every school I applied to, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarship offers. Now, I chose not to go to law school right away, because I love teaching the LSAT and helping others reach their goals. Also, it’s worth noting that not everyone can score a 180–in fact, very few people do (let me tell you, it takes a lot of effort).
But the 180 isn’t the point. The point is: what would have happened if I took the LSAT without studying, and put a 150-something on my transcript? I would not have reflected the best version of myself, and I definitely would not have earned the admissions offers and scholarships that I received after scoring my absolute best.
Whatever your diagnostic score, whatever your goal score, whatever your goal school, you should put the best version of yourself on your law school transcript. Don’t take the test until you’re ready. Instead, take a diagnostic, build a study timeline, and prepare with the same intensity that you plan to use in law school. In fact, consider the LSAT your first “law” course. If you’re anything like my students, you’re bound to pick up lifelong skills that you never expected to gain.
More questions about studying for the LSAT? Schedule a free consultation, or even sign up for my highly popular “Study and Focus” course.
Keep in mind: self-study resources are typically designed to help the most people possible. That means they’re designed for those who have never seen the LSAT, or those who start with average diagnostic scores (in the 130s-140s). Therefore, the “max score” of self-study resources tends to cap out at 155-160.
If you’re looking for help surpassing these scores, and moving into the top 10%, you will have to push your understanding beyond what mainstream self-study methods have to offer. Many students can push into the 170s via careful self-study. If you think you’d like a guide along the way, take a look at how I can help you.