﻿LSAT Prep Are you planning your LSAT prep? How
to study for the LSAT is a challenge for any law school applicant as this is one of the toughest,
most difficult to prepare for admissions exams you can take. Getting into law school is no easy
task and the LSAT is one of the biggest hurdles in your way. You’ll need to work hard and smart,
prepare well in advance, and follow the right LSAT prep strategies to ensure you maximize
your chances of getting a good LSAT score. In this video, we’ll provide a step-by-step
LSAT prep guide, with some expert tips to help you make the most of your prep time.
Hi! My name is Chris and I’m an admissions associate here at BeMo. Before we get started,
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Here’s what we are going to cover: Why Prep for the LSAT?
LSAT Prep Strategy #1: Take the Right Courses in Your Undergrad
LSAT Prep Strategy #2: Research and Review Key Test Info
LSAT Prep Strategy #3: Take an LSAT Diagnostic Test
Preparing for the LSAT Step #4: Create an Effective LSAT Study Schedule
LSAT Prep Strategy #5: Go Through Preparation Materials
LSAT Prep Strategy #6: Practice Sample Questions in Untimed Sessions
LSAT Prep Strategy #7: Complete Timed Practice of Each Section
LSAT Prep Strategy #8: Review and Analyze your Results
LSAT Prep Strategy #9: Complete Timed Practice of Sample Exams
LSAT Prep Strategy #10: Relax the Week Before the Exam
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Now let’s get started! Why Prep for the LSAT?
The LSAT is designed to measure the skills you need to study law and excel in law school.
It tests aptitudes and abilities rather than knowledge of any specific content.
The LSAT tests your Analytical reasoning, Reading comprehension, and Logical reasoning. The LSAT
isn’t a test of your pre-existing knowledge of any specific area. Rather, it tests you on your
ability to process complex information, apply logic, analyze data, use reasoning to arrive at
solutions, and perform under high-pressure, timed situations. So, to ace your LSAT,
you need to spend enough time developing the required skills, get familiar with the questions,
and get extremely comfortable with the test format so you can complete the test in the given time.
The maximum score for the LSAT is 180, and a score of 170 or above is essential if
you want admission into the top law schools. So how can you get this score? By following the
LSAT prep strategies we outline in this video. LSAT Prep Strategy #1:
Take the Right Courses in Your Undergrad It’s never too early to begin preparing for
your LSAT, and if you really want to get ahead on developing the required skills for this exam,
consider taking relevant coursework in your undergrad. For instance,
you could take courses such as Logic, Critical Writing, Philosophy, Advanced English Literature,
etc., to help you sharpen crucial skills such as the ability to parse dense information,
understand complicated texts, analyze important data, and reason out a solution, all of which
you need to answer the Reading Comprehension and Logical Reasoning sections of the LSAT.
Note that these aren’t mandatory courses for law school, nor do they offer specific instruction
on LSAT test-taking strategies. Essentially, the courses we suggest above help you get comfortable
with reading dense passages on new topics, which would make your transition into LSAT preparation
that much easier. LSAT Prep Strategy #2:
Research and Review Key Test Info Before you actually start studying
for the LSAT, it’s very important that you take the time to thoroughly research
everything you can about the LSAT, including the test format, the key skills being tested,
and the test-taking instructions. The LSAT is all about quick turnaround as you get just 35 minutes
to answer each section and you simply won’t have any time to ponder over every question,
understand what’s being asked of you, and read through the instructions during the actual exam.
Instead, you should come into the test already knowing exactly how to answer each section,
what types of questions to expect in each section, the key skills to apply to arrive at the answer,
and how you will be scored. For instance, the Analytical Reasoning section of the LSAT poses
“logic games” that require students to analyze the data given, decipher the
complex relationships between multiple objects, and use critical analysis to arrive at an answer.
Hence, you need to develop specific strategies to tackle these questions without wasting too much
time trying to “understand” them, which is bound to happen if you’re not familiar with the skills
being tested on the question! LSAT Prep Strategy #3:
Take an LSAT Diagnostic Test After getting familiar with the LSAT test
format and understanding the skills required, the next step is to take a diagnostic LSAT test. The
Law School Admission Council or LSAC free practice test, from the official LSAT administrating body,
is ideal for this purpose – since it’s an official source, you can get a reliable diagnosis of your
performance. This initial diagnostic test is taken “cold” i.e., without any prep,
so you can get a clear idea of where you stand, what are your key areas for improvement,
and therefore, which sections of the LSAT you should be focusing on. The data you
gather in this step will help you create a more personalized and effective LSAT study schedule.
Preparing for the LSAT Step #4: Create an Effective LSAT Study Schedule
Once you are thoroughly familiar with the LSAT format and have at least a basic idea of what
you need to do to prepare for the test, you can focus on creating a comprehensive, effective
study schedule that meets your specific needs. Here are some tips to help you at this stage:
Firstly, you should spend at least 250-300 hours studying for the LSAT,
over a period of 3-4 months, at a rate of 20-25 hours per week. Anything less and you’re risking
being under-prepared for one of the most important exams of your life. What is the point of writing
an excellent law school personal statement and taking challenging pre-law coursework
if you end up with pitiful LSAT scores because you didn’t give yourself enough time to prep?
Make sure you create a plan that gives you plenty of time to prepare and practice for the LSAT.
Secondly, Divide your plan into three broad stages:
Learning: This is the stage when you spend time going into further detail to learn all about
the exam. At this stage, you can utilize LSAT study materials to get familiar with the test
and key test-taking strategies. Prepping: In this stage, you simply
practice answering as many questions as possible, from every section. The key here is to get
familiar with the question types and figure out how to tackle the different questions.
Practicing: In this crucial stage, you can focus on taking timed sample LSAT exams,
that will test the all-important ability to complete the LSAT in the given time.
We will discuss what to do in each of these stages in further detail later in this video, when we go
over the next few steps of this LSAT prep guide. Next, make sure the study plan includes
consistent, evenly spread-out study and practice sessions, as opposed to frantic cramming sessions
on weekends and in between classes. Remember that the LSAT doesn’t require you to memorize set texts
about law or any other topic. Rather, it tests specific skills and the only way to develop those
skills is to consistently practice, practice, and practice. This is a matter of slow and steady wins
the race. There is absolutely no scope for last minute cramming when preparing for the LSAT!
Finally, figure out how much time you need to study, and an effective study plan that
works with your schedule and other commitments, and only then book the date of your LSAT exam.
That way, you can ensure that you’ll be fully ready when you take the exam.
LSAT Prep Strategy #5: Go Through Preparation Materials
Next, gather LSAT preparation materials and go over the required concepts you need to know for
the exam. The LSAC offers previously administered official exam bundles and prep materials, that
are essential study materials for every student. Start by going over these to get a more in-depth
understanding of each section of the test as well as the key test-taking strategies
you need to develop, such as: • Correctly identifying reasoning
structure in dense passages of text and using the knowledge to find the answer
• Accurately differentiating between words used to describe reasoning relationships in logic games,
such as “if”, “but” “only” etc., so as to properly understand the data being presented
• Using diagramming as a technique to visualize scenarios, rules, and
structures pertaining to logic-based questions • Learning to eliminate incorrect answers by
evaluating reasoning relationships and identifying the options that
do not justify the point of the question Many of the LSAT prep guidebooks provide
not only strategies but also exercises to help you sharpen the skills required for the exams,
such as logic games to help you improve your performance in the Analytical Reasoning section.
Additionally, you can also choose to take on external help via a course or tutoring. From
guidebooks with detailed explanations of each question and recorded courses
covering each section to live classroom training and individualized LSAT tutoring,
there’s a lot of preparation options available for you to choose from, depending on your needs.
When you’re making this decision, consider your own study style and decide accordingly what you
think is the best way to study to maximize your chances of getting a good score. For instance,
if you prefer one-on-one coaching and want intensive help with a specific area of the test,
hiring an LSAT tutor would be a good idea. On the other hand, if you’re a self-sufficient learner
and you prefer audio-visual learning, you can consider taking a pre-recorded video or audio
course series for LSAT prep. LSAT Prep Strategy #6: Practice
Sample Questions in Untimed Sessions Once you’re thoroughly comfortable with
the test format, and you have understood the basic test-taking strategies required,
you can move on to actually practicing sample questions. At this stage, it’s best to focus on
answering the questions correctly rather than trying too hard to keep within the time limit.
You will work up the speed with more practice. Remember that these questions are designed to
be challenging and difficult to grasp, and it will take you time to get really comfortable with them.
Initially, you may take a long time to answer each question and that’s perfectly okay.
The LSAT is one of those exams where students show a great deal of improvement with consistent,
targeted practice. They key to success is to just keep practicing until you get the hang of it.
As you practice, you should identify the question types, game types, and skills that
are most challenging for you. Focus on isolating and practicing these types of questions over and
over until you see your performance improving. Completing the same types of questions again and
again consecutively can help you identify the common patterns between questions and build on
your previous experience to quickly consolidate the skill required to tackle those questions.
The focus at this stage should be on applying all the test-taking strategies you learnt
about in the previous stage to answer the actual questions. At first, it will be a struggle, as for
every question you have to pause, think, apply the right strategy, and then find the answer. However,
the more you practice, the more these theoretical strategies will become part of your pattern of
thinking, aka a “habit”. Soon, you’ll find that you don’t need to spend as much time understanding
the question or figuring out HOW to answer it – you can quickly move on to parsing the information
given and arriving at the answers thanks to the strategies that are now embedded in your brain.
LSAT Prep Strategy #7: Complete Timed Practice of Each Section
Once you’re confident in your ability to answer the different types of questions in each section
of the LSAT, you can move on to completing timed practice of each section. Remember that your goal
at this stage should just be to complete each individual section within the 35-minute limit,
trying to get as many correct answers as possible. In the final exam, you’ll get 35 minutes for each
of the sections, and you won’t have the option to adjust the time between sections. This means
that you have to complete each section in the allotted 35 minutes without the option of taking
extra time for a particularly difficult section. Rather than focusing on one section at a time,
try to cycle through each section, to ensure that the skills you’ve developed for each LSAT section
stay fresh in your mind throughout this preparatory period. Of course, if you find that
you’re performing particularly poorly in one LSAT section, you can always choose to schedule a few
extra practice untimed sessions for that section. As you attempt to do this, you’ll contend with
one of the most difficult aspects of taking the LSAT – time vs questions.
The nature of the LSAT exam is such that you can easily spend way too much time dwelling
on one question, before you even realize what you’re doing! You need to consciously
practice going through questions quickly and sticking to the time limit. The problem is,
always considering that ticking clock can actually be very stressful and can negatively impact your
ability to think logically and answer the questions. That is why it is so crucial to
drill down on practicing completing each section within the given time limit. You need to develop
the extremely important skill of being aware of the ticking clock without being distracted by it.
LSAT Prep Strategy #8: Review and Analyze your Results
When preparing for the LSAT, it’s not enough to just practice answering questions.
You also need to thoroughly review your answers and understand why and how you incorrectly
answered the ones you got wrong. This is the best way to identify your areas for improvement
so you can then move on to targeted practice to help drill down further on those questions.
To help you at this stage, there are plenty of guidebooks with sample questions and detailed
explanations for each question available, which could provide sufficient practice if you’re good
at self-analysis. Remember, the LSAT is not a test of what you know – it’s a test of how
you think. To correctly identify what went wrong with your answers, don’t be afraid to
dissect your thought process and go over each step of your reasoning to identify the error. Did you
read the question wrong? Did you incorrectly think through the reasoning argument in the question?
Or did you apply an illogical inference to arrive at the wrong answer?
You will have to spend time breaking down your thought process for each question, so that you
can figure out how to do better next time. Some students find prep courses or personal
tutoring particularly beneficial at this stage. Often, with questions
based on logic or reasoning skills, personalized feedback from professionals or experts can be
crucial to help you fine-tune these skills and quickly improve your performance.
LSAT Prep Strategy #9: Complete Timed Practice of Sample Exams
Ideally, you should complete at least 5 full-length sample tests in realistic
test-taking conditions. You may take a few complete practice tests throughout your LSAT prep,
for instance, a diagnostic test at the beginning and an additional test mid-way through prep to
review your readiness. However, our recommendation is that you complete majority of your timed
sample LSAT exams in the last month or month and a half before your LSAT. This is a great
way to build momentum and stamina and be in the right state of mind just before your exam.
At this stage, you need to practice sustaining your focus and alertness throughout the different
sections of the exam and managing your time between each section. The LSAT is a very
mentally taxing exam and despite all your previous preparation, it might take you a
couple of tries before you get comfortable with answering all the sections one after the other.
Try to practice the LSAT in conditions as close to the final test conditions as possible.
For instance, recently, the LSAT transitioned from a pen-and-paper exam to a digital exam
that is conducted on a tablet. Make sure you practice answering in this format otherwise
you might waste some time getting used to the gizmo during the final exam.
LSAT Prep Strategy #10: Relax the Week Before the Exam
Finally, make sure you take it easy in the week leading up to your LSAT exam.
Of course, keep up with your scheduled practice and prep tests, but don’t try to cram too much
last-minute prep into this week. There’s really no point – as I explained before, the skills
you need to ace the LSAT cannot be crammed into your brain via last minute preparation.
If at this stage you really feel you’re not ready,
then it’s better to postpone the test. You will have to pay a small fee, but it’s better than
the alternative of taking the test before you’re ready and receiving a poor result.
Ensure that you get a good night’s sleep the day before the exam and get to the exam destination
with plenty of time to spare. The LSAT takes every bit of focus and determination you have, so make
sure you’re mentally focused and physically fit when you sit down to take the test.
Check out our blog to learn more about LSAT prep. I have included a link in the description of this
video so you can find the blog easily. If you would like us to help you with your law school
application, click on the link above or below this video to schedule your free initial consultation.
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