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.

The real truth? Maybe Harvard isn't right for you.

Survey says no.

A fascinating article was just released that should help 0L’s as they think through their law school choices. In short, the paper argues that it’s rarely a good idea to attend a law school to which you just barely got in. The reason is that grades are of relatively more importance than prestige in predicting future career outcomes.

This makes sense intuitively as long as the spread between schools isn’t too wide; no one would recommend choosing a third-tier over Harvard. But a student who just barely got into the #10 school might be well-advised to consider that financial aid offer from the #20 school. Top students from nearly all law schools will have interesting options for their first job; much better to be top 10% at Boston College than bottom 10% at Georgetown, according to this research.

In order to accept this advice, potential law students will have to let go of one misconception I see all the time–that they are virtually guaranteed to be in the top 10% of their class. As you think through your school decision, just remember that at the best school you were admitted to, most of the students will have higher GPA’s and LSAT scores, and most will be just as hardworking.

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 recently interviewed Ann Levine, a law school admissions consultant, via email.  Her book is The Law School Admissions Game (link to amazon). You can read more of Ann at her blog, The Law School Expert.

1. With the 2010-2011 admissions cycle about to begin, when do you recommend students take the LSAT?

June is ideal because it gives you another chance to take it just in case (in October) and still apply early in the cycle. However, since it’s already April, it’s really not enough time for you to take the June LSAT and reach your aptitude on the exam unless that’s all you will be doing for the next two months.  If your schedule is crazy then I definitely recommend studying over the summer and taking the October LSAT.

2. Law school applications are way up in the wake of the recession. What should students do to stand out from the crowd in the admissions process?

Submit quality application materials and choose schools wisely. I’m always amazed at the number of students who set themselves up for failure. This generally happens when people are hurrying and applying at the last minute. I urge people to apply early and to put thought into each piece of the application –  think of everything you submit as your opportunity to demonstrate your strengths. Don’t blow anything off.

Questions 3-6 after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ann Levine has collected some good information on transferring law schools after 1L year.

Transferring is a real option for some students.  However, it’s more difficult than most imagine.  To transfer successfully (to a higher tier) you really have to be one of the top students in your class.  Many students tend to think that they will be in this rare company in their class, but of course the odds are against you.

Law school is not like college where you might be able to take a few courses at community college before transferring to State U. It’s difficult to do, not only because most students do not have the credentials but, as some of Ann’s links point out, law schools try hard to get you to stay.  It’s far better to go to the best school you can at the outset than to hope to transfer later.

The Wall Street Journal’s Law Blog posted an interesting study of how the US News rankings impact law school behavior.  The short answer is: a lot.  Readers will be interested in browsing the whole thing, but what stood out to me is the contention that law schools, in order to raise their rankings, are offering more merit-based aid to attract students with outstanding LSAT scores.

This goes to a point that I sometimes have trouble communicating to students.  Even if you know what law school you’d like to attend, and even if you have a score good enough to give you a high chance of admission, you should still work very hard to maximize your LSAT score.  Getting in is only Step 1.  Step 2 is to bargain for the best possible deal you can get.

Especially as the legal hiring market falters, it’s incredibly important to minimize your debt load going into law school.  Merit-based aid can go a long way.

Image is used under a Creative Commons license.

While this blog tries to stay focused on LSAT-related material, I couldn’t help but pass along this post from the ABA Journal.  It crunches some numbers on the rate of return for a legal education in terms of salary.  While the post itself is interesting, take a minute to read the comments.

The legal field is just beginning to come to terms with the problems of the job market.  Short take: a law degree is no guarantee of riches.

The Wall Street Journal Law Blog has a thought piece up about the impact on law schools if the current downturn in legal hiring continues.  It’s worth reading, but in short, there will be fewer law schools and increased focus on practical legal training.