If you’re planning on taking the June LSAT, which is somewhat likely considering you’re reading an LSAT blog, it’s time to get going if you haven’t already. Unfortunately, there’s more to this bad boy than just showing up hungover on test day. There’s a whole lot of studying and general tomfoolery that must take place before you can even take the test. Here’s a handy checklist of things you should be doing in the weeks and months preceding the June administration of the LSAT.

Sign up for the test– I can’t stress this enough. In case you haven’t noticed, the economy is kinda in the crap-house right now. Tons of people have lost their jobs, and this has triggered a flood of people wanting to wait out the storm in the sheltered halls of law school. More people took the LSAT in 2009 than in any other year in the history of the LSAT, and that record could very well be broken in 2010. A couple hundred fewer people took the LSAT last month than in February 2009, so hopefully the flood is dying down or at least plateauing, but testing centers are still filling at an alarming rate. Lots of the most desirable centers are already full, and in New York City everything is totally booked. So sign up now, or get on a waiting list if you have to. If for some reason you’re not fully prepared, you can always pull out three weeks before the test and get a partial refund and clean record. But if you keep delaying and then ultimately decide to take the test, you might not be able to secure a spot.

Come up with a plan of attack, and start studying – If you’re thinking of taking an LSAT class, you’d really better sign up soon. Most classes are starting to fill up by this time of year, and ones that haven’t are probably going to begin soon. If you wait a month, your options will be severely limited. Even if you’re taking an online class or doing self-study, you should think about starting soon if you haven’t already. LSAT study is going to take up hundreds of hours of your life (hours that you will never, under any circumstances, get back), so don’t try to cram it into the last four weeks before the test.

Clear your schedule – Many students in my classes have said that it’s one of the hardest classes they’ve ever taken. No matter how you approach it, studying for the LSAT is rough, and takes a ton of time. You can certainly do it while working and/or being a student, but the more free time you have for study, the happier you’re going to be (and we’re talking happiness in a relative sense). So this might not be the best time to take that origami class, or start that internship.

Don’t worry about the rest of your applications too much – If you’re taking the June LSAT, you’ll have plenty of time to make up something for your personal statement, cobble together something resembling a legitimate resume, and put together the rest of your so-called application after the test, so now will be the time for LSAT study. The one exception to this is letters of recommendation. Those involve a bit more of a process, so keep granting “favors” to those professors.

Don’t quit smoking – Now is not the time. Believe me.