Take it from Me – the LSAT is Beatable!

     About a year ago to this day I questioned whether I would be walking down the halls of Quinnipiac Law with books in hand or mopping its floors because of my low LSAT score. I took my first LSAT in June of 2008 with the full expectation that I would never have to take it again. The day came to take the test, and I felt as confident as one could feel pending a potentially life-altering test. I left the testing center feeling relieved that the worst was over, unaware that the worst was yet to come. Needless to say my score was less than stellar, and I immediately began preparing my studies to take yet another LSAT.
     I kept going over where I went wrong… the illustrious logic games! After studying this section relentlessly, I went into my second attempt at the LSAT with even more confidence. Yet again, when I expected the worst to be over, an e-mail swooped in to shatter my dreams. The result? After all that studying, planning, haggling over 100 questions to be put on one bubble sheet… I was left with same exact score as my first attempt! I collapsed in fear that I would never be able to attend any law school, let alone Quinnipiac. Luckily, almost every aspect of my life at this point helped me to remember why I so desperately wanted to go to law school, and one quotation literally drove me to study harder than I had ever studied before: “He who knows the why to live can bear almost any how” –Nietzsche
      I employed numerous books to yet again work on the logic games section, perfected my analytical reasoning section with hundreds of fresh examples, and finally began to understand that some reading comprehension sections were beyond my comprehension! I walked back into the exact same testing center for my last possible attempt to conquer this test… that’s right, I said conquer! The proctor of the test even recognized me and asked “how many times are you allowed to take this thing any way?” Talk about Pressure!
     I can tell you that I have never felt more uneasy as I looked at the email marked “Urgent: December LSAT Score Enclosed!” I was working at the front desk of Home Depot, and I decided to open the e-mail when the coast was clear (so no one at work would see me cry if it came down to it). I opened it and saw that I had made a TWELVE POINT GAIN in all of my efforts. Not the difference of twelve questions mind you… twelve converted points! I jumped from the 40th percentile to the 75th percentile in two months! I freaked out, started running around, hugged one of my managers (who I found out was not a man that really appreciated the situation), and I’m fairly sure I scared the heck out of a few customers that walked by!
     I conquered the LSAT! When statistics said that it was “incredibly rare” for an individual to change their score more than 3 points, I showed them that their statistics were no match for determination and a bit of soul searching. I did this while maintaining my spot on the Dean’s list, writing my thesis in my psychology program, leading an LSAT study group at my University, and working 30+ hours per week at my job.
     I tell you this not to brag, but to give you a bit of hope if you are about to give up. If you are going to settle with an LSAT score that isn’t up to your standards, if you can’t figure out what you’re doing wrong, or if you simply don’t think it can be done… it can be done! To this day, I could not be happier with myself, and my family and friends could not be happier for me.

Tyler Raymond 1L