|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
About the LSAT
The LSAT is short for the Law School Admission Test. The LSAT test is the official test offered by the law school admission council (LSAC). Once a student takes the LSAT test, they’re given an LSAT score. The LSAT score is used by the admissions committees at each law school to determine whether an applicant should be admitted.
Of course, the LSAT score is not the only criteria that law school admissions look at. The other half of the equation is GPA. Together, the LSAT score and the GPA of an applicant are the best indicators of whether someone will be admitted to a particular law school.
The LSAT consists of a four-section multiple-choice reasoning test and a written essay. The official LSAT is offered multiple times throughout the year. Because the LSAT is the single best predictor of law school success in the first year, it is a crucial part of the law school admission process. Therefore, test takers should prepare for the LSAT as if it is the most important test of their life–because it just might be if they want to become a lawyer!
Why to take the LSAT
The reason to take the LSAT is because it is the official test of the law school admission council and the primary indicator of whether a student will be admitted to a particular law school. While some schools will accept test scores besides the LSAT such as the GRE, this is not common.
Scoring high on the official LSAT is the best way to ensure you are admitted to law schools. For example, if you have a decent undergraduate GPA and have a scaled score between 170-180 on test day, you can almost guarantee you’ll attend a top 20 law school if you wish.
What is tested on the LSAT
The LSAT test is two sections: the multiple-choice and the writing section.
LSAT Multiple-Choice Section
The multiple-choice section is four sections that test reading comprehension, analytical reasoning, and logical reasoning questions. The multiple-choice section is administered in an online, live remote-proctored format.
LSAT Writing Section
The LSAT written section is a brief prompt that requires test takers to respond using an online secure proctoring software on the test takers computer. The LSAT writing can be completed as early as eight days prior to the multiple-choice test.
How to study for the LSAT
There are many ways to prepare for the LSAT. Once you begin law school, you’ll find many students that did self-study, online LSAT prep courses, or in-person LSAT prep. The key to studying is to determine what type of LSAT prep works best for you.
Some people prefer LSAT prep at their own pace so they like self-study or online LSAT prep courses. Others need the structure and motivation of a live course. Remember, there is no best LSAT prep method. What truly matters is that you stay on a consistent class schedule and do enough practice exams before test day.
Should you do practice tests for the LSAT?
Yes! This is the single most important thing you can do. No matter what LSAT prep method you take, you must do many practice tests. The reason for this is because every time you complete a practice exam, you become more familiar with the format of the official LSAT.
As you complete practice exams, you will notice patterns. These patterns will become engrained in your mind with each of the practice questions you see. When test day arrives, you will quickly recognize what you saw on your prior practice tests.
Should I do timed practice tests for my LSAT prep?
Remember, the LSAT test is a timed test. Time is certainly of the essence. So, the quicker you can pick up on questions types, the better you will do. That is why we recommend timed practice test as well. In fact, no matter what your learning style, the biggest factor in improving your LSAT score is your familiarity with the practice questions.
Are there LSAT prep courses?
Yes, there are many LSAT prep courses. There are in-person courses and also online LSAT prep courses. We highly recommend finding an LSAT prep course that fits your learning style. If you want a self-paced option then an online course may be best for you. However, if you need the structure of an in-person LSAT course, then you may want to find something with LSAT prep personalized homework assignments that are given out live.
Some examples of LSAT test prep courses are Princeton review LSAT prep, Kaplan LSAT prep, Magoosh LSAT prep, or other free practice tests.
What are the advantages of doing An LSAT prep course?
The advantages of LSAT prep courses are many. They will give structure to your LSAT prep. Often times, LSAT prep courses have practice tests ready for you. This is true of both in-person lsat prep courses and an online course.
Another advantage to signing up for one of the well-recognized LSAT prep courses is that you will have the opportunity to ask questions and watch instructional videos. These video explanations that are offered for official practice questions provide good LSAT study materials and speed up your learning. Then, when you take a practice exam you will see your studies at your LSAT prep course pay off.
What are the disadvantages of an LSAT prep course?
There is only really one disadvantage of signing up for an LSAT prep course. That is money. Often times these LSAT prep courses can be fairly expensive. That is why some students choose an online course over one that is in-person or offers proctored practice exams. However, this may be the most important test you take in your legal lifetime, so it is best to consider that even with the higher cost, a lot of LSAT prep courses are worth it.
How should I choose which LSAT prep course to sign up for?
As mentioned above, LSAT prep is very individualized. You need to consider many factors when deciding on the best LSAT prep courses. Here are some common questions to ask yourself when decided on LSAT prep.
What is your learning style?
Would you prefer an online course or in-person?
Does the LSAT prep course offer practice exams?
Does the LSAT course provide LSAT prep books?
How large is the bank of LSAT course practice questions?
Do they offer a higher score guarantee?
Do they offer video explanations or video lessons?
Do you have to pay extra for LSAT study materials?
Is it simply online drills or do they provide live online classes?
As you can see, there are many things to consider when searching for the best LSAT prep course for you! We recommend focusing first on your style of learning and then on how much emphasis the lsat course places on full length practice tests. Full length practice exams under testing conditions will give you the best LSAT practice possible.
It doesn’t matter how many live online classes you attend or video explanations you watch. Your reading comprehension section score is only going to increase if you can do full length practice exams and then translate that test prep to your actual exam test day.
Is the LSAT hard?
The official LSAT is designed to be both easy and hard. Every official LSAT is carefully curated to include a number certain number of question of varying difficulty. This is done to achieve a bell curve distribution of test scores among LSAT takers on the same day. In order to achieve this score distribution, there has to be harder questions and easier questions. This is why finding the best LSAT prep courses available in your area is so key.
The expectation is that students who score higher will get more of the difficult questions right than students that fall in the middle, for example. Moreover, the law school admission test even includes a test section on the multiple-choice portion. One out of the four sections of multiple choice is actually test questions that won’t be scored because the law school admissions council is seeing whether the questions are good candidates for later LSAT tests.
How long is the LSAT test?
The official LSAT is composed of four 35-minute sections. There is an approximately 10 minus break between the second and third sections. Overall, the official LSAT takes approximately thee hours.
How much does the LSAT cost?
For the testing year 2022-2023, the basic fees for the LSAT are $215 for the test, $195 for the Credential Assembly Service (CAS), and $45 for the CAS Report.
What is a good LSAT score?
The LSAT score range is scored from a 120 (lowest) to a 180 (highest). The LSAT scores are distributed on a bell curve. This means that a median score can be around a 153. A top 25% score can be around a 159. A top 10% score can be around a 166. Basically, you want to be above the midline at the very least. If you have an LSAT score of 144, you should likely retake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Although this is not the best LSAT prep method unless you are very self-motivated and highly intelligent. We personally know a handful of lawyers that got perfect scores simply by doing free practice tests. These people are highly exceptional and this test prep method likely won’t work for 99% of the population.
The number of practice tests that result in the best score increase varies. However, generally about 8-10 practice exams will get you the best score for you on the official LSAT without overdoing the preparation.
Generally the best lsat prep courses include prep materials and full length practice tests. For example, Kaplan LSAT prep and Princeton Review LSAT pre course include prep materials.