LSAT Test

This is part of our “Intro to the LSAT” series. Our regular readers who are far along in their studies can probably skip it, but if you are starting your LSAT prep we hope this post is helpful! ~ Next Step Test Preparation

The Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) is a half-day standardized exam required by all students attending American Bar Association accredited law schools. (You should not attend a non-accredited school if you want to have a serious career as an attorney).

While college graduates have taken tests before, they have likely not faced a standardized exam as challenging as the LSAT. Keep in mind that the LSAT is designed to rate and sort the nation’s most accomplished college grads. The curve is much steeper than in most college classes and certainly steeper than the ACT or SAT.

It’s hard to overemphasize the importance of the LSAT. Most estimates suggest that the LSAT and GPA are together by far the most impotent components of your application. Together they are referred to as law school “hard factors” as opposed to “soft factors” like recommendations, personal statements, and work experience. Although it’s hard to estimate exactly, hard factors are thought to be worth perhaps 90% of an admissions decision.

Students often overestimate their chances of admission based on good letters of recommendation, extra-curricular activities, or work experience. Good hard numbers qualify students to get into the “maybe” file of any given law school. Everything else in your application helps you get into the “yes” pile. Law schools can then look to soft factors to shape their class.

While you will no doubt read about outliers who were accepted to schools despite below-average numbers, these cases are rare and you should not bank on being one of them. (Schools also routinely reject applicants with above-average numbers if the other parts of the application are not excellent).

LSAT LSAT LSAT! What’s on the test?

On the day of your test, you’ll take an exam with 6 sections. Each section is 35 minutes long.

• 2 sections of Logical Reasoning (LR)
• 1 section of Analytical Reasoning (everyone but the LSAC calls this “Logic Games,” and we will do so going forward) (LG)
• 1 section of Reading Comprehension (RC)
• 1 unscored experimental section. This section will be either LR, LG, or RC. The LSAC uses this section to test questions for use on future exams. While it won’t be scored, the section will not be identified to you and, most importantly, will not be identifiable – there won’t be crazy question types or weird formats. That means you’ll have to give your best effort on all 5 sections on test day.
• 1 writing sample. The writing sample can’t be ignored, but as it is not formally scored it deserves very little preparation time.

Logical Reasoning

Logical reasoning, 2 of your scored sections, is made of 24-26 paragraph-length arguments followed by a specific task such as:

• Strengthen the argument
• Weaken the argument
• Find the flaw
• Identify the conclusion

While many of the first questions will seem elementary, the difficulty curve quickly increases, and the hardest LR questions involve complex formal logic. Here’s an example of a more straightforward question:

John never does the dishes. He always ignores them or waits for someone else to do them. This may represent self-involvement or mere laziness, but in either case I don’t think John will make a good husband for Susan.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the argument depends?

As you prepare, you will learn strategies for each question type. Assumption questions can often be solved by asking, “What entity exists in the conclusion that did not exist previously in the argument?” Here, the concept of “good husband” is never really defined. The assumption must make a link between John’s laziness and his status as a bad husband (which is the conclusion).

Logic Games

The Logic Games section includes 4 logic puzzles followed by 23-24 questions divided among them. This is the section that worries students the most initially, but it’s also the section in which Next Step students have shown the most improvement. Smart students draw a diagram for each puzzle and work through the questions efficiently using inference and rapid process of elimination. Students sometimes make the mistake of over-studying for this section; just remember that LR actually counts twice as much in your final score.

Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension looks a lot like the reading comp from the ACT or SAT, but you will find it to be much harder. There are 4 passages in each section with a total of 26-28 questions divided among them. Passages come from the social sciences, natural sciences, law, and the arts. The challenge will not be the topics, but rather how the passages are structured. Read our guide to RC in Part 2 to understand how to deal with this.

Next Step Test Preparation provides complete courses of one-on-one tutoring with an LSAT expert for about the price of a crowded lecture-style prep course. Email us or call 888-530-NEXT (6398) for a complimentary consultation.

In the next few weeks, students studying for the June LSAT will have to face the music and consider whether they are fully prepared to take the test (or whether they should wait for October). This can be a hard decision, but there are a couple of signs to lead the way.

1) Have you spent at least a month of focused LSAT study? Some students have successfully reached their top scores with under 4 weeks of study, but they are few and far between. Additionally, if you started with plenty of time but let your study taper off as Dancing With The Stars heated up, you might want to refocus. Another metric to consider is that if you haven’t done at least 10 timed LSAT practice tests, you’re probably not where you should be.

2) Have your LSAT scores leveled off? The goal is always to get the very best score possible; if you’re still seeing significant increases as you put in more work, it might be beneficial to hold off until you’ve started to plateau.

3) Are there areas where you fundamentally don’t understand what’s going on? Nearly everyone misses a few problems, but if there re particular issues that you can identify holding you back, you want to address those before sitting for the test. While you might have been able to stumble through algebra without knowing how to factor, if you don’t understand formal logic you really just aren’t ready to take the LSAT.

4) Is one section significantly weaker than the rest? While some variance is normal, if you routinely get 25/26 in LR but only 12/23 in LG, you probably have the aptitude to do a lot better on the games.

If you just didn’t devote enough time to the LSAT, re-committing might be all that’s required. If you’re still missing some basic concepts, it might be time to consider a different set of books or an LSAT tutor.

Next Step Test Preparation provides complete courses of one-on-one tutoring with an LSAT expert for less than the price of a commercial prep course. Email us or call 888-530-NEXT (6398) for a complimentary consultation.

I was inspired to write this post by a discussion I had with some non-LSAT folks. The subject was things you do for money versus things you do because they’re great for the people you serve.

LSAT weekend courses are things prep companies do because they make money.

For those of you unfamiliar, for roughly $500, many companies would be glad to teach you the entire LSAT in 2 working days. Some are generous enough to do a 2-weekend course.

Here’s why you shouldn’t consider taking a weekend LSAT class (ever).

• It takes longer than 2 days to teach you anything non-elementary on the LSAT. Sure, you’ll learn things starting with how many sections are on the LSAT, that logic games are hard, etc. The value of having great instruction increases the more you know about the test. Just get a book to learn the basics.
• You need time to practice between sessions. It’s critical that students have time to practice what they’ve learned before advancing to more complicated concepts. If your class meets every week you can do this; if the advanced lesson is 5 minutes after the basics, you won’t get much out of it.
• Your brain cannot process LSAT for 10 straight hours. Or maybe I’m just dumb. But LSAT material is really complicated, and it’s going to melt your brain to be try to learn for 10 straight hours. Anyone who has ever been in even a 3-hour LSAT course knows that it’s pretty taxing towards the end (yes, often more wearing than taking the 5-hour exam because adrenaline doesn’t kick in).
• There are better online options. 10 years ago, companies would send instructors out from the big city, and often this was the only live instruction available in smaller markets. Now this is not the case. While online options vary significantly in quality, if there’s nothing in your area an online option is better than a weekend LSAT course. Like our online LSAT tutoring that guarantees a 3+ year LSAT prep veteran for the same price as a prep course.
• Please don’t tell me you are just trying to cram. If you’re taking this course because the test is in a week or 2 days is all you have allotted to study, just move your test date back. You’re not going to get your best score unless you’re already an LSAT genius, in which case you should be teaching the class.

Please — the LSAT is important. It deserves more than a weekend cram session.

Next Step Test Preparation provides complete courses of one-on-one tutoring with an LSAT expert for less than the price of a commercial prep course. Email us or call 888-530-NEXT (6398) for a complimentary consultation.

Attention June 2011 test-takers and beyond: LSAC has chagned their admissions policy. Starting in June, students must bring along a passport-sized photo of themselves. Here’s the official policy from the LSAC site:

In addition, all candidates must attach to their ticket a recent photograph (taken within the last six months) showing only the face and shoulders. The photograph must be clear enough so there is no doubt about the test taker’s identity, and must be no larger than 2 x 2 inches (5 x 5 cm) and no smaller than 1 x 1 inch (3 x 3 cm). Your face in the photo must show you as you look on the day of the test (for example, with or without a beard). The photograph will be retained by LSAC only as long as needed to assure the authenticity of test scores and to protect the integrity of the testing process.

Yet another item to be taken care of well in advance of the test date. Note, however, that you should not shave your study beard the morning of the test.

Next Step Test Preparation provides complete courses of one-on-one tutoring with an LSAT expert for around the price of a commercial prep course. Email us or call 888-530-NEXT (6398) for a complimentary consultation.

Image credit: fe

A question we get frequently is “what college courses will help me on the LSAT?” The most obvious choice is an introductory or advanced course in logic, often offered through university philosophy departments (but if not almost always offered somewhere else, like in mathematics or computer science). If you’re serious about learning logic, you should take the most challenging course offered; at my alma mater, there was Phil 103 and Phil 303; 103 was a bit of a joke while 303 was hard but doable. I really enjoyed this course and was glad I took it. However, it’s far from required. Let’s go to the map:

Pros

• Logic courses will help you adapt to strict formal reasoning, a key skill on the LSAT. Many students have a hard time adjusting from “common sense” to LSAT formal logic. A logic course can give you an extra semester to learn this new form of thinking.
• You’ll learn some concepts you’ll need on the LSAT. Symbolic logic and basic conditionality can be hard to understand for newbies, and a course will help you understand them.
• Logic courses can be a very challenging but enjoyable class. Yes, whether you like the class matters, and students who enjoy logic puzzles will probably love diving into the depths of their homework and, later, LSAT formal logic.

Cons

• Most courses will teach you a lot more than you need to know for the LSAT. If you’re only taking the course to improve your LSAT score, you’d probably be better off devoting all of that time to specific LSAT study and take Intro to Quidditch instead.
• Conversely, logic courses usually also leave few concepts out that turn out to be important on the LSAT. Conditionality is probably the number one logic skill on the LSAT; while you’ll learn formal conditionality in a logic course, it will look a bit different on the LSAT. Formal logic courses also often skimp on the kind of story-based examples you’ll see in logical reasoning.
• Logic courses can be hard. Make sure you understand that this will likely be a challenging course involving lots of study. If you’re the type more willing to skip lectures, advanced logic courses might be a strike against the all-important GPA. (However, if you’re not willing to commit to hard classes now, law school might not be the right path).

Bottom Line
If you have some extra credits to fill and you definitely want to take the LSAT, formal logic is a great course to take. However, everything you need to know about formal logic for the purposes of excelling on the LSAT can be learned by specifically studying LSAT material. If you are planning on self-study, logic might be a good course to take. However, if you’re planning on taking a reputable LSAT course or working with a good tutor, you’ll learn all you need to know on the test.

Next Step Test Preparation provides complete courses of one-on-one tutoring with an LSAT expert for less than the price of a commercial prep course. Email us or call 888-530-NEXT (6398) for a complimentary consultation.

Image credit J Skilling

I’ve been tutoring the LSAT for many years, and like all LSAT tutors I’ve had the following conversation hundreds of times:

Student: Oh, yeah, I only got to question 18 on this section.
Me: What went wrong?
Student: Well, I spent like 5 minutes on question 9… Which I ultimately got wrong…
Me: But why would you do that? Why?! It’s only one question! You could have skipped it!

Over the years, I think I’ve finally come to understand what’s going on here. Most of my students are pretty smart, and they’re used to getting As on tests– they’re used to getting 90% of the questions right. Just skipping a question feels like a failure to them: it feels like admitting defeat. So they stick with the questions they find tough, even when they know it won’t pay off. They haven’t come to terms with the Fundamental Principle of Time Management: You will get some questions wrong on the LSAT, because EVERYONE gets some questions wrong on the LSAT. Odds are you’ll get many questions wrong! But you can still go to Yale! So: If you encounter a question you can’t answer, for God’s sake skip it and move on!

Once you’ve come to terms with this, you’re left with an easier problem: Which questions to skip? In general, there are two principles here:

1. If you have no clue how to approach it, move on. Oddly enough, students spend the most time on questions when they don’t even know how to start working on them. You know the feeling: You’re facing a find-the-flaw question, but you don’t see a flaw in the prompt. So you reread it once, or twice, or eight times, but you still don’t see. So you stop, close your eyes, open them, reread it again, and still don’t see. You can’t even begin to eliminate answers in this situation– there’s no work to be done. So move on!

Or maybe it’s an LG question that you have no idea how to begin diagramming. You can’t imagine what inference you’d have to make, so you look back at your main diagram and try to figure out what you’ve missed. But that doesn’t help either. Don’t bother! Just move on to a question where you know how to start.

2. If you’ve narrowed it down to two answers but they seem indistinguishable to you, move on. Some of the toughest questions on RC and LR are questions with two answer choices both of which are almost identical and pretty much correct. You have to choose the best– but you just don’t see the difference. Remember, when you’ve narrowed it down to this point you have a 50/50 shot at getting the right answer by guessing. It’s not worth spending the time arguing back and forth if you don’t see the difference– so guess and move on.

Lastly, it’s extremely important to incorporate time management into your practice! Most students taking practice tests figure, “Well, I’ll try on every question in practice and then start skipping the tough ones on the actual test.” It doesn’t work that way! Knowing when to skip is an acquired skill just like everything else on the LSAT; if you don’t practice it, you’ll either do it badly or not do it at all on the actual test. You should certainly review the questions you skipped to figure out which you could have gotten, but you should try to do your best on every practice section, and that means skipping the questions you can’t get.

Next Step Test Preparation provides complete courses of one-on-one tutoring with an LSAT expert for less than the price of a commercial prep course. Email us or call 888-530-NEXT (6398) for a complimentary consultation.

Image via RBerteig under CC license.

Your home for 4 hours

Before every test, I like to subtly update my advice for test-takers.

The week before

• Resolve any stresses to the extent that you can early in the week. Pay bills, vow not to go to bed mad, avoid aggravating frenemies
• Drive by your test site. You want to know exactly how to get there, how long it will take, and how you’ll find parking. If you’re on public transportation, figure out your route, and plan to take the bus/train before the absolute last one to get you there on time. If you can, go inside the test center and see what it’s like.
• Take practice tests the weekend before — 5 sections, starting at 8:30. You should have been doing this already, but if not, now is the time to practice early-morning endurance. Here’s how to make the most of a full practice exam.
• If your score goes down slightly, please do not freak out. I’ve seen many students meeting all their score goals, who drop a few points on a practice test the week before, and it totally throws them off.  Your actual LSAT score is not likely to match your very highest prep test, but if you’re trending up you should feel prepared.
• Practice waking up at the time you’ll need to be up on test day. Especially if you’re not a morning person, it’s time to start establishing this routine. When you get up, read the paper or some substantive blogs to get your mind going.

The Day Before

• Don’t plan on doing any LSAT prep the day before. It will only add stress, and if you haven’t internalized the right methodologies by now, no amount of cramming will help.
• See if you can take the afternoon off — see a movie, take a walk, etc. The last thing you want is a late night of work stress.
• And, of course, get plenty of sleep and avoid alcohol.
• Pack your snack — if chocolate will help reduce stress, go for it, but make sure to include something nutritious too.
• Make sure you have everything together before you go to bed. Pencils, highlighters, admissions ticket, snack, and analog watch.

The Day Of

• Important: the #1 thing that surprises students on test day is the wait. Depending on your test center you should expect to wait between 30 minutes and 2 hours from your report time to the start of your first question. It’s not unheard of to wait longer than that. This has really thrown students off of their game in the past. There’s nothing you can do about this – just be ready to wait.
• Dress in layers. Obvious but true — it will likely not be your ideal temperature at the test center and you want to be ready to adjust.
• When you arrive at the test center, have something to do to get your mind going. Many people recommend doing a logic game that you’ve done before — if that works for you, give it a try, but I suspect reading a newspaper or magazine article that will get your brain moving is just as good.
• As you are seated, if there is any problem whatsoever with your location, ask to change. As they say on reality TV, you aren’t there to make friends with the proctors. If you are under a vent, in the sunlight, in a corner that’s too dark, next to someone who smells bad, whatever — now is the time to change your seat.

Next Step Test Preparation provides complete courses of one-on-one tutoring with an LSAT expert for less than the price of a commercial prep course. Email us or call 888-530-NEXT (6398) for a complimentary consultation.

Ryan, a reader over at the LSAT Blog, has created an LSAT proctor app which is currently free to download via the iTunes store. The app prompts test-takers on when to start sections and end them, gives a five-minute warning and even builds in a break. Where this app differentiates itself from the stopwatch on your phone is its building in distractions so you can practice in test-day conditions in the comfort of your own home or a library. We wholeheartedly recommend this app to all of our students and anyone else planning to take the LSAT.

Download LSAT Proctor here.

[News via LSAT Blog photo via iTunes Store]

LSAT burnout is a serious disease with any combination of the following symptoms:

• Pure hatred of the test and everything associated with it
• Dropping preptest scores
• Practice that doesn’t seem to go anywhere — you don’t feel yourself improving, and there’s no upward movement in scores

It’s important to distinguish burnout from two other distinct phenomenon: plateauing and laziness. Every student has a natural ceiling past which no amount of studying will move his/her score. This is why the world isn’t full of 180 scorers that started in the 140′s. This is natural; if you’re feeling very good in practice and scores just aren’t going up, you may be reaching this point. Congratulations – reaching your maximum score on a regular basis is the goal of studying. Laziness is what it sounds like — you’re just not working hard enough.

Students who are suffering burnout are usually doing so because they are working on the LSAT too much. A past student of ours was working a demanding full-time job, coming home, exercising, working on the LSAT for several hours, and then going to bed, each and every night. However, he took Saturdays off, and did a full preptest on Sunday. His Sunday scores were significantly higher than any of his other tests. See the pattern?

The lesson is that each person only has so many high quality hours in the day. Burnout is hard to avoid if you are working on the LSAT during low-quality hours. Students that have full-time jobs should consider taking every few nights off.

This is also why it’s so critical to start studying early. Students that try to cram a complete course of studying into 6 weeks or less simply won’t have enough high-quality hours in the day to make it work.

Hear that, October test-takers?

Next Step Test Preparation provides complete courses of one-on-one tutoring with an LSAT expert for less than the price of a commercial prep course. Email us or call 888-530-NEXT (6398) for a complimentary consultation.