Julia

A 141. That was my diagnostic score. When I first saw this number, I knew I had a long road ahead of me, but I was determined to study as much as I needed to in order to get the score I wanted. I studied using mainstream LSAT materials and was progressing into the high 150s, but I ultimately hit a ceiling I couldn't break through on my own.

When I started with Ellen Cassidy and Elemental Prep, the transformation began immediately. The early months were intensive and foundational -- Translation, CLIR, Mini-Cycles, Inside Out RC, Party Trick. Ellen taught me to think of each section as a "performance" and to record myself to build that mindset. She had me build "Unshakeable Truths" to combat the test anxiety and negative self-talk that had plagued me throughout my prep.

I had a voice in my head telling me I wasn't a good test taker. Ellen helped me identify that voice, name it, and shut it down. She introduced intervention measures: asking myself "Is this good pain or bad pain?" and reframing difficulty as a challenge rather than a threat. My core motivation became clear -- I was going to change the way I think and prove wrong a lifelong narrative.

Through the summer, I progressed to advanced methodology: Hyperskipping, Null vs. Void answer choice strategy, and full PT practice. I achieved a 162 on a November exam after roughly a year of study. But Ellen and I both knew more was possible. The coaching continued -- keeping standards and energy high through every question, maintaining a stubborn refusal to quit.

The result was a 172 -- 98th percentile. A 31-point gain from where I started. If you had told me when I first began studying that I had the potential to score in the 98th percentile on the LSAT, I would have thought you were crazy. Ellen saw it before I did.

-- Julia, 172 (enrolled at Berkeley)