Social comparison shopping in the context of becoming a Licensed Professional Responsibility Counsel (LPRC) is the act of comparing, in one or more areas, the characteristics of another person with your own. For example, let’s say that you’re interested in becoming an LPRC. You make two lists: one list of all LPRC course hours that will be required, and one list of all college courses that will be required to graduate. Then you make a general assessment of all of the characteristics of each person on the list. Some factors on the list may seem very obvious, like whether or not the person smokes, drinks, has ever been arrested, etc., whereas other attributes on the list could be less clear, like whether or not the person takes good care of himself physically.
Based upon your assessment, you’ll typically go to one of three places. One would be to take the GRE. Most people do, because they want to maximize their GRE scores. However, GRE scores are not particularly useful for licensing purposes, and that is why most people choose to take the PSAT instead. In this way, you are comparing your own academic strengths with the attributes of another individual, and if you do well enough, you may end up scoring just as high, if not higher.
Another way to use your understanding of the factors that make up the GRE is to use the information to make social comparisons. It turns out that GRE’s main factor that shapes scores is indeed the n-effect studies, which refers to the relationship between how much an individual learns from the prior experience and the subsequent performance on standardized tests. In other words, the more you have studied, the better you’ll do on the test. GRE’s in-effect studies show that individuals who learn more also tend to do better on the GRE.
So what does this have to do with motivation? Well, if you ask me, I think motivation comes in many forms, including the ability to do difficult tasks, the ability to focus, and the ability to organize your time and complete tasks that you set before you. In this case, the relationship between the ability to do the GRE’s difficult questions and the subsequent performance on the test is again the n-effect. If you have the motivation to complete the questions, you have the additional benefit of being able to successfully apply the information learned in those tests to your real world situation.
Now then, what can you do to increase your competitiveness in your life and preparing for the Legal Board exam? Well, one way that I have seen students improve their competitiveness is to increase their knowledge through study, but not to the extent where they go over their top notch class notes. In other words, rather than spending too many hours studying for the LSAT, focus on understanding the content of the test rather than the format. Understand that there will still be multiple choice answers, but rather than worry about how you scored, focus on understanding the main points and focus on answering the questions you know the correct answer to.
Another way to improve your study and your chances of doing well is through using the LSAT power calculator. This is a tool that allow you to plug in your data, and it will tell you how likely you are to do well on each section. In addition to the obvious benefits of studying for the test, the LSAT power calculator gives you a great way to compare your results against those of others in your class. This helps you see what your strengths are and where you might need some help.
The last, and most important point I want to discuss with you today is the point in your life that you will have to take the LSAT in order to pass. In my experience, the best way to study is during your “first years away from work” or your Formative Years. During these formative years, you will have many papers due, many students completing, and many people in your life having to learn and mold you as they transition from childhood to adulthood. It’s during this time that you will have a chance to observe and mimic the patterns of excellence that worked for your parents, teachers, mentors, and contemporary peers. After all, everyone has made a few mistakes along the way, right?
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