L.S.A.T. Preparation

By Ifeanyi Onwumah

L.S.A.T. Preparation

Since I’ve conclusively decided that I’m going to attend law school, it’s time to start doing everything necessary to get into the best school that I can. Of course there’s the usual maintaining a good GPA and making sure your transcript looks as good and can be, vetting schools you can afford, having a school-oriented resume or CV that highlights your educational achievements in and out of class, and getting good recommendations from professionals who have good things to say about you (it’d be unwise to ask for a recommendation from a professor whose class you flunked!) Then there’s the thing I consider more important than all these other factors: The LSAT

For those who don’t know, LSAT stands for Law School Admission Test (Who would’ve thought it?) and is taken by those who want admission into law school. (Who knew?!) The LSAT consists of six 35 minute sections, four scored, and two unscored sections; the score range is from 120 to 180. To get into the top – tier schools, while maintaining a GPA in the ballpark of 3.5, you should be aiming for an LSAT score of about 160 – 175. It’s near impossible and somewhat unrealistic to get a score of 180.

So why all this mumbo jumbo about the LSAT? Well I’ve recently started practicing for it and it’s been giving perspective on my strengths and weaknesses and where I need to be if I want to get into a choice school. I’ve been taking practice tests and been testing around the 150 level which is definitely not going to cut it! It’s still early in the game so there is still a lot of time to salvage that score. In the meantime, I need to do other things to boost my status in case I can’t get my score where I want it to be such as maintaining my GPA and impressing professors in my major so I can get good letters of recommendation.

One good thing that I have done is network with friends who want to and who have taken the test already. I have gotten lots of materials and advice on how to prepare for and take the test. People have lent me books and practice tests they found helpful in preparation. All these things put together make me confident that when I do take the real test, I should be able to get the score that I want because I have been putting in the effort to do as well as I can. It hasn’t been easy making time for the test while taking demanding full-time classes. But I have made the proper adjustments to accommodate a test which will ultimately decide exactly what path I will take in my chosen career. Wish me luck!

Ifeanyi Onwumah is a senior double-majoring in Philosophy and Computer Studies. He is a commuter student from South Holland, IL. Ifeanyi’s goal is to attend Law School after he graduates from SXU.