Aram Shah - LSAT NECESSARY: An LSAT prep test guide for the non-logical thinker

LSAT

NECESSARY

AN LSAT PREP TEST GUIDE FOR THE

NON-LOGICAL THINKER

2016 by Aarambh Shah. All rights reserved.

First Edition, 2016.

Published by 99 Pages or Less Publishing, LLC Miami, FL

For bulk discounts email:

Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Cover Design: 2 Faced Design

Copy Editor: Rachael Price

Index: Rosie Wood

Typesetting: Mandi Cofer

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this title. Library of Congress Control Number: 2016904536

ISBN: 978-1-943684-04-5 (hc); ISBN: 978-1-943684-03-8 (sc);
ISBN: 978-1-943684-05-2 (e)

Disclaimer: This publication is designed to educate and provide some general information on studying and preparing for the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). It is sold with the understanding that neither the publisher nor the author is engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. Further, the advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. Therefore, if you need legal advice or expert assistance then seek services of a competent professional.

Every effort has been made to make this manual as complete as possible and as accurate as possible. However, there may be some typographical mistakes and errors in content. Neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility for any errors or omissions. Furthermore, the author and the publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by the information contained in this book.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission.

Dedication

To my brother, who taught me how to think about thinking without thinking.

Education is the best provision for the journey to old age.

Aristotle

LSAT

NECESSARY

AN LSAT PREP TEST GUIDE FOR THE

NON-LOGICAL THINKER

ARAM SHAH

Contents

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to the University of Miami Friends of the Library Organization for allowing me to spend countless hours in the library, studying and preparing to write for the LSAT. The Otto G. Richter Library is an excellent resource for anyone who wants solitude to prep for this beast of a test, and always has a friendly and fantastic staff.

FOREWORD

When I was twenty-seven years old, I had just completed my higher-education degree and had missed my acceptance into professional school by a mere three points on a nationally standardized exam. I was horrified of having a precarious and unpredictable future ahead and that my path, and my dreams were all closing in. I had done so well in my master's program and maintained a full-time clinical position at my university that was also paying for my program. I was sure that I was one step closer towards fulfilling the "American dream."

The day when I found out that I missed the passing score on the national exam was probably one of the most humbling days of my life. After several days of grieving, I turned my anger and frustration into opportunity and focused on what I could do to help students to avoid the same challenges I had faced. Therefore, my lifelong mission was to teach students from an early age how to take standardized exams and think critically. In 2010, I launched Sapneil Tutoring Inc., a test- preparation company focused on helping the average-scoring student obtain success on all standardized exams.

I started training students, from those who desired to attend prestigious high schools across the nation to achieve high scores on high-school placement exams all the way to students who wanted to attend their dream undergraduate university. So naturally when I read this book, Arams story and connection hit home, and I understood his vision not only to help the average-scoring student understand how to think logically through test prep, but also to provide the best tips/secrets that work when applied.

This book provides students who dont feel they were born with the intelligence or naturally acquired skills of being a good test-taker with the adequate skills and proper perception to outperform on the LSAT exam. There are a lot of good LSAT prep books out there, but Aram takes a bottom-up approach to understanding, analyzing, and mastering the LSAT. No doubt there will be long hours of preparation, but the choice to spend long hours preparing without any direction and individual goals are common pitfalls that students preparing for standardized exams fall into immediately. Aram provides long-term strategies that work to improve learning skills and achieve long-term success as a future law student.

As an education entrepreneur and full-time practicing dentist, I realized that testing was a rite of passage in my profession, so I decided not to take a laborious approach to achieving and beating standardized tests. During dental school, I had to take over seven long exams, ranging from the state law exam, which was one eight-hour test, to the state board exams, which involved three consecutive days of testing (for at least eight hours each day). Like the practical study habits I implemented, the fundamental test-taking strategies to do well on your LSAT are all concisely presented in this book and will help the non-logical thinker understand, interpret, analyze, and evaluate the steps to think logically.

In sum, I would advise setting measurable goals, studying efficiently, and staying determined. Most importantly, let Aram be your coach through this long journey. I wish you all the best, and hope to hear that each one of you cross that finish line and achieve that Juris Doctorate!

Sapneil Parikh, DMD, MS, MPH
Founder of Sapneil Tutoring Inc.

www.sapneiltutoring.com

INTRODUCTION: RELEARNING HOW TO THINK

The first time I opened up a study guide for the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), I was petrified. It was like I was reading a textbook in a foreign language. Coming from a business and marketing/sales background, I knew very little about logic. In fact, I would now argue that I was an expert in logical fallacies. This was proven by my failed attempts at answering LSAT questions correctly over and over again. After starting, scaling, and selling several small businesses, I realized that the LSAT was the most challenging (and humbling) experience I had ever faced. At times I wanted to quit. However, my desire to move on from my current career path was so great that it overrode my fear of failing.

In 2015 I sold my successful real-estate brokerage firm to pursue my dream of becoming an attorney. Passing the age-30 milestone I knew I had one more run, a chance at a second career, and the first step to gaining a seat in law school was conquering the LSAT. Plus, with law-school application rates at nearly all-time lows, it was now or never.

I took my first real LSAT on October 3, 2015. I remember that day as if it were yesterday. There were about 150 students at the test center, of which groups of about 50 were broken up into different classes. The silence just prior to the test was frightening and the anxiety levels were high. The proctor, prior to beginning, tried to lighten up the mood with a joke, but it was to no avail. I remember that, as soon as the proctor said, Start, I opened up my first section and saw that it was logical reasoning. I was like, Okay, I got this; prior to testing I had taken approximately eight full-length practice tests.