LSAT Study Plans

LSAT Study Plans
What should I use to study for the LSAT's?

I'm planning on taking the LSAT's in the spring.

First, go to LSAC.org and download one of the free practice LSATs and take it as a timed test. Getting a starting score will help you make some decisions on what method to use when you start studying.

If you are scoring low, or if a particular section is killing you, either take a prep course or get personal tutoring. The prep course is going to be relatively cheaper than tutoring, but tutoring is more focused.

The main benefits of a class are that:

A. They lay out the strategies for you so you don't have to figure them out on your own. You also have a source to go to when you have questions or need help.

B. They provide plenty of study material, and that material is directed in a particular way.

C. They structure your preparation in a way that self-studying cannot.

D. You meet other people in the same position you are in, and it helps to have friends who can motivate you to study.

Do the classes help? Like a lot of things, part of it hinges on whether you put the time in. I took Powerscore and I ended up scoring well. I do know that I worked pretty hard, though. Whatever class you choose, find a class that uses a lot of real LSAT's and find out who your instructor will be. Try to get someone with a lot of teaching experience and a high score. Having a good instructor makes a big difference.

If you are scoring well, or if you are pretty close to having a score that would get you into a school you want to attend, then try studying on your own with prep books. These were the best books I used:

1. Powerscore Logic Games Bible
2. Powerscore Logical Reasoning Bible
3. Kaplan LSAT 180

You will need to practice what you are learning, so get actual tests from Law Services, the people who make the test:

4. The Next 10 Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests
5. 10 More Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests
6. 10 Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests
7. LSAT Prep tests, individually numbered

If you work through the first three books on the list, you would be in pretty good shape in terms of strategies, and then do a ten or twenty tests from the second group of books. After that, the following books give explanations for test questions:

8. LSAT Superprep
9. Get Prepped LSAT Explained
10. Powerscore Games Setup Guide

Good luck!

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