My friend is thinking about taking the LSAT and applying to law school this upcoming fall. I never took a LSAT prep course, so I was wondering if anyone had thoughts on how they studied for the LSAT.
I borrowed my friend's Kaplan materials after he scored a cool 169. Unfortunately, I didn't do as well.
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I happened to be on my ug campus in the summer of '03, and on a whim(inspiration?) dropped by the pre-law advisement center to see what they would say about someone going back to school after so long out. Much to my surprise, I was greeted enthusiastically and given excellent information and advice... you'd have thought I was a Junior still in school, rather than a 17-year out graduate.
The LSAT counsel they gave me was:
1) Take the June administration, use the summer after the LSAT prepare your PS/Resume, then apply that fall (apps in by October/November) for matriculation the year following.
2) To study for the LSAT without a course (which is what I did) here's the plan - Obtain every previously administered test - Start Studying 6 months before the test, devoting 2 hours a day, 6 days per week (aside from the obvious religious implications associated with my undergrad... the mental break is an important part of the study process) - in the following cycle: Day 1, an Entire Prep-test, Day 2 Score it and carefully try to figure out why WRONG answers are WRONG, Day 3 Try to figure out why your RIGHT answers are RIGHT, Day 4 do Logic Problems (from a grocery-store type magazine), Day 5 Repeat Day 1, etc.
I'd probably add to Day 4 work through the Powerscore "Logic Games Bible" but other than that I think the advise is sound (ie, it worked for me).
I forgot to add that there's a sequence to timing the practice tests... on your first fifteen practice tests, time yourself with 35 minutes per section. Then on the sixteenth practice test, give yourself unlimited time (to show you what you "could" do if time didn't matter). Then on the next twelve tests or so, starting at 35 minutes per section, begin reducing the time by one minute every other test, so that you finish up with 30 minute sections.
The average of the last series (after and including the untimed test) should be within the score band for your actual score (also true for me, unfortunately, my actual was at the bottom of that score band... bummer).
I found Kaplan to be useless. That said, I did most of it on video, as I was travelling a lot at the time, and the cities I was in didn't have a class pegged to the same schedule as the Kaplan center at home base. But overall, I think I would have been better off without it.
CL: I'm thinking about obtaining a catheter for the rest of my law school exams, the bar and general life. I have this genetic defect in my bladder (its small) that really messes with me during protracted things like exams. I blame my father, as he pees at least 5x a morning after drinking a couple cups of coffee.
Thanks to everyone for the LSAT suggestions. In hindsight, I think one benefit of the Kaplan/Princeton Review classes is that they put you through realistic test taking conditions. I remember scoring well on all the practice tests, getting to my test site in London (yes, London) and freaking out with so many people around me. Plus, we took the test on top of this felt tablecloth, so any mark you made on your test booklet would go through the paper. It was miserable and my score was devastating!
Wow! You have a fan following.
I took the LSAT in Muentzinger (sp?) Hall... teeny weeny desks (barely room for the answer sheet, let alone the test booklet!) that squeaked every time the pencil moved. I kept hearing this squeaking, and I'd look to see who it was, but I didn't figure out until more than half-way through the test that it was ME!
uh...i registered for it and showed up...
If money is not really a concern, take the prep class (esp if that gives you a piece of mind).
However, enrolling in prep class doesn't automatically guarantee success in acing the exam.
If you want to make the prep class worth your while, do:
1. Read about LSAT & its format beforehand.
2. Take practice exam by downloading a sample online.
3. Buy a few REAL LSAT books released by LSAC (in my experience, buying it from Amazon was cheaper than buying from the LSAC website).
4. Sign up for prep class based on your availability.
5. Show up to every class. Participate actively. Do the homework and exercises on a timely manner.
6. Take practice exams on a regular basis. First start with sectioned practices (e.g. games, logical reasoning/analysis, or reading comp). Time yourself on these exercises before moving onto the taking the complete LSAT practice exam.
7. It's better if you take the REAL LSAT practice tests than get the ones that were completely made up (e.g. Barron's guide). There's a difference - not sure why.
8. You don't need to take a logic class to ace the LSAT. Practice, practice, practice. Devote time to it. If you don't live by yourself, find a quiet place where you won't be interrupted.
9. Believe you will succeed. If you think you're going to fail, chances are, you just might.
10. Do other things besides from just studying. If you over-study, you're going to be burnt-out.
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