Deena Shanker - General Advice For LSAT Test Prep

So who am I and why should you listen to me? I am a former Big Law attorney, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Barnard College, and a survivor of not one, but two LSATs. The advice I written here is mostly based on my own experiences, with an emphasis on what I learned the second time around. My score went up 8 points between LSAT No. 1 and LSAT No. 2, so I am writing as a person who once wanted very badly to go to law school, and was concentrated on the LSAT as a tool to getting there. In addition to my own voice, Ive added those of lawyer friends who also once studied for this exam, and remember the experience well. Lets get started.

You want to go to law school and now youre starting to think about the actual application process, and inevitably, the LSAT. Before you make this very significant and expensive decision, I would feel that I was a bdicating my duty, as a former lawyer and as a compassionate human being, if I didnt take a few minutes to make sure you have fully evaluated this major life choice. Ask yourself why you want to go to law school.

Prior to endeavoring to take this very annoying, very single purpose exam, you need to figure out the answer to that question. Watch this video . Read the comments on Above The Law and think about whether you want to work with people like that. Check out The Peoples Therapist , a blog written by an attorney turned therapist, lamenting the interminable slog that is a legal career. Read the comments on his blog too. And of course, talk to lawyers that you know. Law school is a very serious financial and time commitment, and no longer the ticket to a life of prosperity as it was once thought to be.

All of that being said, if you still want to go law school, youre going to have to take the LSAT. Law schools for the most part look at two things: your GPA and your LSAT score. (Sure they read your essays and recommendations, but if you dont have the numbers, youre almost definitely out of luck.) A lot of people dread this test, thinking of it as an obstacle instead of a potential credential. But really, this is great news for those of you who may have slacked off in college and dont feel like your GPA is a good representation of your potential. If you do well on your LSAT, you can balance it out.

So how do you well on the LSAT? At this point you have taken at least one major standardized test in your life, and so you know the way it works: learn the test and then practice, practice, practice. Like the SAT, the LSAT doesnt spend as much time testing your knowledge as it does your ability to take this one specific test.

It is going to be up to you to figure out the best way you can learn the test. You can buy some practice books and try to teach it to yourself, you can take a course from a company like The Princeton Review or Kaplan , or you can go as far as to hire a tutor (also through Princeton Review and the like). Taking a course can be expensive, but companies now offer a range of options, from $500 for an online course to over $2,400 for a small class. A tutor will run you about 3,000 big ones.

You will also need to decide for yourself where and how long you are going to study. Some people suggest putting your life on hold while preparing for the LSAT, but I dont think that is necessary for everyone. This is another decision that you should make based on your own preferences, and not just what other people tell you worked for them. Personally, I think its important that you make sure to keep the fun stuff, like seeing your friends, enjoying your hobbies etc., in your life so that the LSAT doesnt take over your mind at all hours.

Like all tests, the LSAT is not a particularly fun experience. But if you spend the time getting ready both academically and mentally you will find that its just like every other annoying test youve ever taken and no worse. (I put academically in quotes because the LSAT doesnt test knowledge, it tests your ability to take the LSAT. Doing well on this test, unfortunately, doesnt help you in any other areas of life as far as I can tell.)

The unfortunate truth is that the LSAT is not the kind of test you can cram for at the last minute. Sometime between five and six months before the test date, you should start planning your strategy. (No idea when the next test is? Look up the test dates and registration deadlines on LSAC .) Live courses, with scheduled dates and times and real, breathing, 3-D instructors, usually take about three months, and some may fill up well in advance. So make sure youre giving yourself enough time to find a conveniently located course, well-suited to your needs and schedule, by looking into it early. Keep in mind that while I have never heard anybody say they started studying too early, Ive heard multiple complaints about diving in too late.

Via Richard Lawrence Cohen

Prep Courses

Once you know when your test is, you can start to decide how youre going to get ready for it. I highly recommend taking a prep course of some kind. These days, there are a lot of options when it comes to taking these classes. You will be paying good money for this, so its important that you pick the one that is best suited for your needs and habits.

The biggest reason to pay the money for a prep course is that it will teach you to take the test systematically, to recognize question types and understand how to answer them, and it will provide you with the resource of an instructor. Though you shouldnt think of an instructor as a personal tutor, you can spend a few minutes before or after class, or during the breaks, to speak with your instructor about specific questions something you will never be able to do with a book.

You will need to spend some time researching the different options available to you while you evaluate which will be most beneficial and most cost effective. The big companies to look into are:

• Princeton Review
• Kaplan
• Testmasters
• Testmasters 180 (yes, this has a confusingly similar name to the company above)
• Blueprint
• Powerscore
• Outside LSAT

At publication, Princeton Review alone offered seven different class-type options, each with their own price and advantages. It is very important to think about what will work best for you . For example, for a live class in a physical location, there will be a set time and place for each session. There will be homework with deadlines. There will be annoying people raising their hands and asking both over-thought and under-thought questions. If youre not the type to make it to class, do your work on time, or put up with competitive overachievers, this may not be the best option. On the other hand, if you wont do your homework without a set deadline, and wont listen to a lecture you watch on a computer screen, the live classroom might be your best option.

How do you know which is the best prep course for you? I recommend using a site like Yelp to answer this question because it boils down to the best instructors, and that will vary from city to city. (Personally, I had a great experience with Princeton Review.)

Hiring A Tutor

There are several reasons that one may decide to hire a tutor for the LSAT. You may be doing relatively well on the practice exams, but want to nudge your score up a few more stubborn points. Or you may be doing terribly on your practice exams, and you just dont know what youre doing wrong.

If you are in the second group, I highly recommend that you again reconsider your decision to take the test and go to law school. It is what it is, but the LSAT is generally a good indicator of how well a person does in law school. If you are really struggling with this test, you should evaluate whether law is the profession for you. There is nothing wrong with not being a lawyer! The logical reasoning is not particularly fun or better than any other type of thinking, and if you discover early on that your brain doesnt work that way, embrace the message the universe is sending you and figure out how your brain does work.