Just the usual stuff. Don't party the night before, take it easy, get a good night's rest. Try to arrive with a clear mind and stay calm.

Since you've already prepped, you should do fine. It's no different from any other standardized test.

Except that they can behead you at any time without warning.

The advice about not worrying about finishing sections is good. I didn't finish the analytical section and still did extremely well overall. More test security has been added since I took it, so that's new, but would just be cumbersome.

One thing about prepping for athletic events might apply here: it's not so big a deal if you don't get a good night's sleep the night before the test as long as you're well rested for the few days prior to that. This doesn't apply to hangovers, however.

Don't sweat it too much; second-guessing and freakouts never help.

Remember that being a lawyer pretty much sucks anyway. This will relax you.

Any chance of finding out what Plan A is?

*This is important advice.* I have a J.D... and don't want to use it, so I'm one of those underemployed J.D.'s out there. The more time I spent in law school, the less I wanted to be a lawyer, with the hours and the work. I *didn't* know what sort of life I was buying into before I was so far along that there was nothing to do but finish, with the requisite load of debt and grey hairs. The only fortunate thing to come of my experience was, besides for the wisdom to know better, that a J.D. does afford you the opportunity to understand how the law functions, which is important knowledge in a whole host of fields.

About the LSAT, just what others have said. Try to be relaxed, get good sleep, eat a decent breakfast. Also, if you don't know where you test site is, go find it this week ahead of time, so you're not frazzled looking for it the day of the test. Don't stress about all the fingerprinting crap. Just do what the directions tell you to and you'll be fine.

Well, I suppose I should take this advice to heart, with the whole wanting to become a lawyer after saving up some money doing Mechanical Engineering.

Some people make poor decisions about law school. I go to a pretty highly ranked state school that isn't going to bankrupt me for the rest of my life. I might be morally bankrupt, but at least I'll be able to pay my loans.

Just make sure you do your research before you slap down your seat deposits.

Some of the lower-ranked law schools use dubious methods to screw people out of scholarship money, inflate employment placement data, and skew salary medians. Add that to the 30-40k per year some pay for these schools, and it's just downright criminal.

I also agree that patent law can be super lucrative. I'd suggest knocking out the patent bar before law school.

Edit: Style stuff.

Not necessarily. With the engineering undergrad you can do patent work, which pays a lot of dough and is a highly sought after specialty. You have leverage as a patent lawyer and can do a better job of negotiating good working conditions. I find the work boring as sh*t and could never do it but if you have an engineering brain you might enjoy it. Pretty much none of the rules about competitive job markets apply to people who have passed the patent bar.

Ten years out of law school, I don't know anyone who is truly HAPPY at their lawyer job. The closest I've found are people who've convinced themselves that it's impossible to have a job that makes you happy (which I reject entirely) and that the best you can do is be content. This is maybe with the exception of hyper competitive guys who were picked on in junior high and never got over it and just like to attack everyone they see. But even those people aren't happy, I'm just giving them the benefit of the doubt because I think for the emotional spectrum they're capable of (asshole to slightly more tolerable asshole), they're doing okay for themselves.

Another thing to look out for is that even if you like the job, everyone around you in the firm more than two years out of school is probably depressed and compensating in all the classic ways: being an asshole, drinking too much, adultery, all of that, which makes for unpleasant work environments.

At a poker game last year, something like 8 of the 12 lawyers at the game said they wouldn't go through law school if they could do it over. I left active practice last fall for a different sort of law-related job and can happily state that my day-to-day mood is now better than it's been since 1997. I really thought I had lost the capacity to enjoy life like I do now.

So think about all that before you get your score back and found you did really well.

Have you thought about going into the FBI and then seeing if you can get tuition reimbursement for law school? Not sure if such a program exists. Also JAG Corps is a good way to get free school and early courtroom experience.

I took the LSAT back in 1996. I got a 154, which put me around the 75th percentile of the time. Not too shabby, but just close enough for a wide gap. A friend got a 161 and he leaped to the 91st percentile.

Bring a candy bar or something to much on during breaks, like a snickers bar. The key to remember in the essay portion is issue spotting and that you present fair arguments for both sides/options. My stupid essay question was about whether to replace an antiquated heating system in an fixer-upper hotel. Lame.

With the logic questions, (e.g., Mike needs to sit next to Sally, but can't sit next to Jane), I hope you've been doing practice questions becuase practice questions are key! Just like for the Bar exam eventually. With logic, it's all about knowing which picture you have to draw in order to help you answer the question. If you've done practice questions, then you'll quickly be able to say to yourself, "oh, this is the concentric circle question," or "this is the double triangle question." Draw the picture, and quickly answer the question.

Good luck!

You're right. Oops! I edited my advice. But I saved my answer in a text file for him 4 years down the road.

Oh, and Elliottx, being a lawyer doesn't have to destroy your soul. I've been in public service for 7 years and the soul is intact! (2 years as a judical clerk and 5 as a prosecutor). The new loan forgivess laws passed by congress make goverment service a much more viable long-term option these days.

Also, looking back, I shouldn't have fretted so much about which school I went to. I went to a private school, DePaul College of Law in Chicago, and it was pricey. At the time, I turned my nose up at what I thought was a "lesser" school (Northern Illinois University) becuase the law school had only been in existence for about 25 years at the time. I realized at the end of my third year that what really matters is to get into a program and kick ass. Smart employers will look at the top ranked students at all schools.

I entered DePaul interested in alternative dispute resolution, and left wanting to be a prosecutor. I spent 18 months (summer after 2d year and all of my 3d year) volunteering with the Cook County arson prosecutions unit and I loved it. I was also involved in the moot court society my second and third year and that made law school a lot of fun (hanging out in the moot court office). We networked all 4 of the computers in the office at the time and regularly had Age of Kings battles when we should have been at anti-trust law class!

I notice you're in St. Pete, Mookie. You go to law school in our great state?

Indeed I do (I graduate in December), at the lousy but expensive Stetson--I would've gone to UF, but I would've had to live in Gainesville while my wife stayed here and worked. The more I think about it, I should have, though...how about you?

UF.

If you're into Halo, we do law students from around the country big team battle - you should join in and eff up some Harvard kids! How about them apples!