Studying for the LSAT
It is impossible to overemphasize the importance of the LSAT. The score plays an integral part in each and every law school acceptance (or denial). Below you will find our tried and true LSAT prep advice, used successfully by thousands of prospective law students.
Materials
Regardless of your natural aptitude, the LSAT requires practice. Before you begin, you will need the following things:
Prep books – Working through a few prep books is the perfect place to start. These books break the test up into sections and demonstrate the optimum techniques for approaching different kinds of questions. We recommend the following:
o The PowerScore LSAT Logic Games Bible
o The PowerScore LSAT Logical Reasoning Bible
Prep Tests – After you get through your prep books, you should begin running through prep tests. Purchase as many as possible:
o 10 Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests
o 10 More Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests
o The Next 10 Actual, Official LSAT PrepTest
The test-sets above offer a lower per-test price compared to the cost of individual tests. Unfortunately, because the test has evolved over time, the most recent tests are the most accurate.
Timer – LSAC has banned all timers with the exception of analog watches. Find an analog watch that you are comfortable with and use it to time your tests.
Pencils, pencils, and more pencils.
Do I need to take a prep course?
Prep courses are not for everyone, but they could be beneficial for you. Before you make a decision, consider a few things:
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Prep courses are expensive. While a higher LSAT score can be priceless, prep courses do not bring automatic score increases. If you find yourself with the extra time and money to take a prep course, do it. We do NOT, however, recommend putting yourself in a stressful financial situation in order to take any prep course.
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Your prep course will be made up of any student who could afford to attend. Not everyone in your prep class will be functioning at the same level. As a result, the time in class may or may not be spent covering the material that you want to cover. It is easy, though, to find a private tutor instead if you would prefer to spend your time focusing on the areas you need to improve.
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If you perform above or below the average score range, prep courses may not be for you. We recommend taking a couple of practice tests before signing up. If you find yourself performing at or above the 164-165 level, it is likely that you will be better off on your own. If your scores are generally at or below 150, you might find you need more personal attention than most prep courses can give you.
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Prep courses can be difficult to schedule, especially if you work or are in involved in extracurricular activities with irregular hours. If you live in a smaller town, you may have to commute to attend.
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The methods taught at your prep course may or may not be right for you. You know yourself best. If you are thinking about enrolling in a prep course, find out their LSAT strategy and ask yourself whether the course’s approach will be effective for you.
There are several reputable institutions to that offer LSAT prep courses (Kaplan, Powerscore, TestMasters, and The Princeton Review) Just remember: There is no reason you will not succeed on the LSAT without a prep course.
Tips for Studying on Your Own
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Give yourself plenty of time to prep. Starting the day, week, or even month before the test will not give you the time to maximize your results. But…
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Do not burn yourself out. It’s great if you can prep some everyday, but there will come a time when you find yourself worn out. It’s okay to take a break for a day or two. The last thing you want to do is spend time prepping when you are too drained to focus on your preparation.
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Before you get started, take a full, timed preptest – this will give you a baseline. Do not, for example, work one test over a week and then use your total score as an accurate indicator of your abilities. Endurance is a factor in this test and your score will be unrealistically inflated if you take it in piecemeal.
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Work through the Nova and Powerscore books first in whichever order you like. Then move onto Superprep.
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Next work through the preptests. While it is important to take many full, timed tests, it is impractical to take them all that way. Break them up to make them manageable. You may want to work on some untimed to focus on accuracy.
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Time your preptests precisely unless you are purposely working untimed. Take them sitting at a desk or table as if it were the real thing.
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Do not waste your time bubbling in your answer after every question. We recommend that you work a page or two, transfer answers, and repeat, but it’s best to try several different methods and pick what works for you. Make sure you note questions you skip because getting mixed up on your bubbling could ruin an entire section for you.
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If you cannot come up with an answer in a reasonable amount of time then move on and come back later. You can’t afford to get bogged down. Also, the break will give you a fresh perspective and may let you see something you had previously missed.
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You may find it helpful to mark the questions that you find difficult even if you come up with an answer (make sure to mark them differently from the ones you skip of course). If you end up with extra time, these are the ones you should re-check. Don’t change your answers to these at the last minute in a panic though; make sure the change is justified.
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It has been said that there are always three answers that are so obviously wrong you can eliminate them immediately. That’s not entirely true, especially in the games section. You should put a slash through wrong answers as soon as you identify them, but be careful because the right answer can be subtle and if you move too fast.
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It has also been said that you should work the easy games or reading comp passages first. We discourage this method because you need to get through all the questions to have a chance at an excellent score and every second you spend assessing which ones are easy or hard is a second not spent coming up with a right answer. If you come to a game or passage that you just can’t figure out you should of course skip it and come back later, but otherwise try to work through each section in an order that will maximize the use of your time.
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Review every question you end up missing on the preptests. It’s also useful to look back over the ones you found difficult or were unsure of, even if you got them right. Make sure you understand WHY each answer is right, do not simply look in the back of the book to see WHAT the answer is.
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Be aware that while you may improve dramatically at first, your progress may slow as you continue. Just because you went from a 155 on your first test to a 160 on the next does not mean that you will have a perfect score in four more tests.
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The last week or two before the actual test should be reserved for prep test practice and review. Do not make a last ditch effort at new methods. Relax. If you have applied yourself to prepping then you will be fine.
Which test should I sign up for?
Timing is important. While most law schools claim to utilize rolling admissions, early applications see more success. The following assumes that you are applying to law school the same admissions cycle in which you take the test:
- The June test will allow you to submit your applications at the beginning of the admissions cycle.
- The October test is the last test you can take if you hope to apply early decision.
- The December test will still allow you to apply to every law school, but your admissions results will suffer.
- Some law schools will accept the February test, but it will severely limit your options.
Take the earliest LSAT possible. Not only does this give you the opportunity to submit early applications, but it also gives you the opportunity to retake if your score disappoints.
Law schools will see each of your LSAT scores; but most give preference to the highest score. Check with each school for their LSAT policy.
Pre-Test Day and Test Day Tips
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Figure out what time you need to wake on test day and get into the habit of waking up at that time for the week before the test. Allow yourself enough time to eat a relaxed breakfast.
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Drive the route to your test center before the test day.
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Get everything (pencils, id, admission ticket, medication, etc.) together and put it all in one place the night before the test. You may want to throw in a snack or two and a bottle of water for the break (some proctors will even let you drink your water during the test).
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Do not prep the day before the test. Instead, have a fun, relaxing day: hang out by the pool, get a pedicure, etc.
Good Luck!
