Taking the LSAT.

[Gan]

Its still about 18 months out for me. :(

Will post a thread to discuss LSAT test taking tips and techniques when I get closer to taking it.

Its time to start preparations for the LSAT. I want to take it next spring in preparation for Spring 10 admission. I would say Fall 09 but thats my wife's last semester of clinicals and its shaping up to be a rough semester for her. So I'll not add to the burden of not being able to pick up the kiddo, keep him occupied while she's studying or at the hospital (working or school) and so forth with my evening law classes.

My goal is to gain admission into the part time program at South Texas College of Law. Part-time program being the key here since I have no desire to quit working unless its because I have won a lottery and decide to turn a golf course into my office.

So the question is two part:

1. What are the best prep courses/materials?

2. What strategies will be helpful in taking the test?

That is all.

[AnticorRifling]

1. Get running shoes.
2. Chase ambulances.
3. ???????
4. Profit.

[NocturnalRob]

We gotta get jobs. Then we get the khakis. Then we get the chicks.

[Keller]

You don't need a prep class if that is your goal.

What type of law do you want to go into? What are your eventual goals?

[Gan]

You don't need a prep class if that is your goal.

What type of law do you want to go into? What are your eventual goals?

I'm looking at 3 areas of law right now. Not that it might change during the course of my studies.
1. Real Estate
2. Contract
3. Petrolium

Eventual goals are to work as general council (or on the staff of the general council) of a large corporation, possibly even the one I work for now.

I have no desire to go out and hang my shingle as a private practice attorney. Nor do I wish to join up with a large firm and work the next 7 years at 70+hours a week racking in billable hours in hopes of making partner.

The primary reason for my acquisition of a law license is personal. Its something I've always wanted to do, its something I've always been interested in, and now I have the means to accomplish it.

My immediate goal is to do well on the LSAT in order to gain admission to my school of choice. I dont understand why you're saying I dont need a prep class if thats my goal?

[Keller]

I'm looking at 3 areas of law right now. Not that it might change during the course of my studies.
1. Real Estate
2. Contract
3. Petrolium

Eventual goals are to work as general council (or on the staff of the general council) of a large corporation, possibly even the one I work for now.

I have no desire to go out and hang my shingle as a private practice attorney.

The primary reason for my acquisition of a law license is personal. Its something I've always wanted to do, its something I've always been interested in, and now I have the means to accomplish it.

My immediate goal is to do well on the LSAT in order to gain admission to my school of choice. I dont understand why you're saying I dont need a prep class if thats my goal?

Median LSAT score for South Texas College of Law is 153. Backlash could score a 153 after reading the Logic Games Bible.

MAYBE you get a tutor for the logic games; but if you just take enough practice tests to become familiar with the test you'll be in the low 160s. If you perfect your logic games with a tutor you'll be in the mid to high 160s.

[Gan]

Median LSAT score for South Texas College of Law is 153. Backlash could score a 153 after reading the Logic Games Bible.

ROFL

[Keller]

Keep in mind: If you think you'll need the organization of a class to make you work hard it could be worth it in the long run. You'll likely wind up a few points higher than you would with self-study. If that's the case, I highly recommend PowerScore.

But so long as you think you have the discipline to commit to doing 15+ FULL exams and a handful more of games sections, I am very confident you'll be more than fine.

[Gan]

Great advice.

Thanks.

[DeV]

I dont understand why you're saying I dont need a prep class if thats my goal?I didn't utilize a prep coach or class and I did well on the LSAT with intensive study and practice of my own. Lots of practice testing helped to formulate strategy. You'll do fine with or without and probably a little better if you receive professional assistance.

Preparation basically consists of learning the game rules. Logic Games Bible, ftmfw.

The test is going to measure your critical reading, reading accuracy, inferential thinking, ability to distinguish fact from opinion and the relevant from the irrelevant under pressure. It also tests how quickly you adapt to the unfamiliar.

You need to prepare for immediate, intense, and steady concentration with every section. Throw your own opinions and prejudices out the door and deal only with what's directly in front of you. These are just some of the values you need to utilize in preparation.

Another thing to remember is to keep track of time, but don't become obsessed with it. Though timing is important, learning the games and having your own strategy should help significantly with this.

[Gan]

I'm good about leaving my opinion at the door when necessary.

HOWEVER, I'm fucked timewise if they ask for my opinion.

:whistle:

[AnticorRifling]

I thought your opinions would be easy, just hand them the republican manifesto amirite?

[Gan]

...

[g++]

Heres a practice question.

You come to a crossroad. One road leads to salvation and the other damnation. Theres three guards that all know the way at the crossroad. One guard always tells the truth, one guard always lies, and one guard beats the ever loving shit out of people who ask ridiculous questions. How do you find the correct road?

[DeV]

HOWEVER, I'm fucked timewise if they ask for my opinion.

:whistle:Well, the writing portion isn't scored so you're in luck! :)

Oh! One last thing and I'll stfu. You might find that taking a diagnostic before you begin preparation may help you understand areas where you may want to devote extra time and attention. Just a thought.

[Keller]

Here is my advice in one post:

A) The Test

Unless it's changed since I last looked, there are 3 components to the LSAT. Reading Comprehension, Logical Reasoning, and Logic Games. There is a fourth section, the written portion, but that's really inconsequential as it is not part of your "120-180" score and you provide a writing sample to any school you apply to.

(1) Reading Comp: Standard reading comprehension. Practice is important, but not as important as the logical reasoning section. This is the most straight-forward section of the exam.

(2) Logical Reasoning: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!!! They have only a dozen and a half types of questions and once you do enough of them, they become intuitive. You know what you're looking for before you finish the question. The first 20 secionts you do, you might not believe me. But once you've finished a full 30+, you'll understand.

(3) Logic Games: First thing: Buy a Logic Games Bible (http://www.powerscore.com/lsat/content_publications_lgb.cfm?source=google&Campaign=LSAT&adgrp=LSAT4-LSATprep&gclid=CMar3IX9mpYCFQMQswodxyyn5w). Read it. Use it. Practice the games. By the time I took the test, I'd miss one question every 5-6 SECTIONS. That means that 80%+ of the time I was getting a perfect score on the games section. This is BY FAR the easiest place to improve your score. At the same time, it's also usually most people's downfall. It's all about being open to the methods in the Bible and using them without fail. I did every games section I could get my hands on because I loved them. But I'd say you should get at least 20 under your belt before the exam.

Other Shit:

(1) Prep Course: I took mine because I knew I wanted to go to either USC or UCLA and I needed a high 160s score. Added to that I am not super self-motivated and I needed the structure of the class. If you're going to try for a top 20 school or want/need a full ride I don't think it's a bad idea to do a prep course. If you're dumb and want to get into a school you're not supposed to get into based on an extraordinarily high LSAT, it's not a bad idea. But if you're decently intelligent and need only a low 160s, then it's not necessary at all. I think my first full test on the first day of my prep class (before any prep at all) I scored a 159. I ended up with a 175 when the class was done. I think I could have gotten to a 168-170 without a class.

(2) Routine: You're training for a competition. You need your brain to be in tip-top shape. You need to have the mental stamina to take this test and not be mentally exhausted at the end. What that means is that past your first week of prep, you should NEVER do less than a full section at a time. Further, once you've done a few sections in each category, you NEED to be doing at least 3 sections at a time. Before you take the exam, you NEED to have at least 8 FULL tests under your belt. I was waiting tables when I was doing my prep, so I went the extra mile and simulated all my exams at the exact time I would be taking the real one. I even went so far as to do my last full mock exam in the actual lecture hall I took my exam. Everything needs to be 100% comfortable on test day. You need to as little added stress as possible.

(3) Timing: DeV reminded me. Buy a digital (silent) timer. Abuse it. I kept a spreadsheet of how long it took me to do each section of each exam and how I scored on those sections. It will keep you honest and help you recognize where you need to improve. I found that doing 10 reasoning question, 1 game, 1 reading comp section ("The Section") at a time, writing the letter of the correct answer at the side of the page of the test booklet, and then moving those answers to the answer sheet after The Section was done saved a lot of time. You just have to stop doing that if you're in the last few minutes of the exam.

I'll edit this post as I think of more to add, but that's about it for now.

[TheEschaton]

I scored a 158 with a 105 degree temperature, acute respitory pneumonia, after having hitchhiked 2k kilometers in Africa in the back of pickup truck, with only the knowledge of the format of the test emailed to me by a friend. I'm pretty sure you'll do fine.

(coincidentally, I took it again under the same conditions, but not sick, and scored a 168 - if I had actually taken a course, I might be at NYU or Columbia. Stupid Africa.)

[Daniel]

I thought your opinions would be easy, just hand them the republican manifesto amirite?

zing!!

If it's anything like the GRE's just do what I did...have your hungover buddies quiz you as you do a cross country road trip. Skim through a kaplan book. Take a couple quiz sections half heartedly and then forget you have the test the day of.

It got me into the 85+ percentile so there has to be some hidden logic there.

[Daniel]

zing!!

If it's anything like the GRE's just do what I did...have your hungover buddies quiz you as you do a cross country road trip. Skim through a kaplan book. Take a couple quiz sections half heartedly and then forget you have the test the day of.

It got me into the 85+ percentile so there has to be some hidden logic there.

Then again, I was only doing it because I figured @ some point I may actually want to go to grad school and wanted to knock it out. I don't really want to go to grad school and I'll only go when they fucking make me.

[Drew2]

Hay Gan be my lawyer when you finish. Give me the PC Forums Buddy discount.

[Gan]

Hay Gan be my lawyer when you finish. Give me the PC Forums Buddy discount.

Sure!

I dont know if I'm going into criminal defense though.

:whistle:

[Gan]

Here is my advice in one post:

A) The Test

Unless it's changed since I last looked, there are 3 components to the LSAT. Reading Comprehension, Logical Reasoning, and Logic Games. There is a fourth section, the written portion, but that's really inconsequential as it is not part of your "120-180" score and you provide a writing sample to any school you apply to.

(1) Reading Comp: Standard reading comprehension. Practice is important, but not as important as the logical reasoning section. This is the most straight-forward section of the exam.

(2) Logical Reasoning: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!!! They have only a dozen and a half types of questions and once you do enough of them, they become intuitive. You know what you're looking for before you finish the question. The first 20 secionts you do, you might not believe me. But once you've finished a full 30+, you'll understand.

(3) Logic Games: First thing: Buy a Logic Games Bible (http://www.powerscore.com/lsat/content_publications_lgb.cfm?source=google&Campaign=LSAT&adgrp=LSAT4-LSATprep&gclid=CMar3IX9mpYCFQMQswodxyyn5w). Read it. Use it. Practice the games. By the time I took the test, I'd miss one question every 5-6 SECTIONS. That means that 80%+ of the time I was getting a perfect score on the games section. This is BY FAR the easiest place to improve your score. At the same time, it's also usually most people's downfall. It's all about being open to the methods in the Bible and using them without fail. I did every games section I could get my hands on because I loved them. But I'd say you should get at least 20 under your belt before the exam.

Other Shit:

(1) Prep Course: I took mine because I knew I wanted to go to either USC or UCLA and I needed a high 160s score. Added to that I am not super self-motivated and I needed the structure of the class. If you're going to try for a top 20 school or want/need a full ride I don't think it's a bad idea to do a prep course. If you're dumb and want to get into a school you're not supposed to get into based on an extraordinarily high LSAT, it's not a bad idea. But if you're decently intelligent and need only a low 160s, then it's not necessary at all. I think my first full test on the first day of my prep class (before any prep at all) I scored a 159. I ended up with a 175 when the class was done. I think I could have gotten to a 168-170 without a class.

(2) Routine: You're training for a competition. You need your brain to be in tip-top shape. You need to have the mental stamina to take this test and not be mentally exhausted at the end. What that means is that past your first week of prep, you should NEVER do less than a full section at a time. Further, once you've done a few sections in each category, you NEED to be doing at least 3 sections at a time. Before you take the exam, you NEED to have at least 8 FULL tests under your belt. I was waiting tables when I was doing my prep, so I went the extra mile and simulated all my exams at the exact time I would be taking the real one. I even went so far as to do my last full mock exam in the actual lecture hall I took my exam. Everything needs to be 100% comfortable on test day. You need to as little added stress as possible.

(3) Timing: DeV reminded me. Buy a digital (silent) timer. Abuse it. I kept a spreadsheet of how long it took me to do each section of each exam and how I scored on those sections. It will keep you honest and help you recognize where you need to improve. I found that doing 10 reasoning question, 1 game, 1 reading comp section ("The Section") at a time, writing the letter of the correct answer at the side of the page of the test booklet, and then moving those answers to the answer sheet after The Section was done saved a lot of time. You just have to stop doing that if you're in the last few minutes of the exam.

I'll edit this post as I think of more to add, but that's about it for now.



Thanks for the info guys. I like the silent timer idea too.

[Daniel]

Seriously speaking, it all depends.

Don't stress about it too much. Do as much practice as possible. The books\stuff are helpful forcing mechanisms but it's the practice that will get you.

[Gan]

Yea, its a mental training/conditioning as Keller described it in his first post.

I'll set up a study plan. I do intend to take a review course - that way I can see what others use as a strategy. No sense in recreating the wheel, so to speak.

And I'm also going to order the book Keller recommends today on Amazon. I have to log in anyways since I sold another nursing textbook that my wife doesnt want to keep around anymore.

[Clove]

The test is going to measure your critical reading, reading accuracy, inferential thinking, ability to distinguish fact from opinion and the relevant from the irrelevant under pressure. It also tests how quickly you adapt to the unfamiliar.

You need to prepare for immediate, intense, and steady concentration with every section. Throw your own opinions and prejudices out the door and deal only with what's directly in front of you. These are just some of the values you need to utilize in preparation.So in otherwords Backlash couldn't score a 153.

[LOL BRIELUS]

dont take the LSAT, don't go to law school unless you think you can get into a top 20 elite school. Or if you can go for free. Its just not worth it anymore. Much more jobs in accounting.

[Keller]

dont take the LSAT, don't go to law school unless you think you can get into a top 20 elite school. Or if you can go for free. Its just not worth it anymore. Much more jobs in accounting.

I agree with this.

My buddy was in the top 10% of a top 20 school. He got a BIGLAW job out of a summer internship.

Unfortunately that firm is now in the process of imploding and he's silently on the market for a new job (his start date was pushed back from Sept to December). He's studied in Hong Kong, is functional in Mandrin, is willing to locate in Asia or in the US (any city, really).

He's not even gotten a bite after over a month.

It used to be that I would say unless you can go Tier-1, don't do it. And even then, you've got to be in the top 1/3 of your class.

With the current market I'd say that unless you can be top-10 OR have a job out of school (like I think Gan might w/ his current firm) then don't do it. It's a pretty big investment with a diminishing upside at this point.

[Gan]

dont take the LSAT, don't go to law school unless you think you can get into a top 20 elite school. Or if you can go for free. Its just not worth it anymore. Much more jobs in accounting.
See below (previous post in the thread)

Eventual goals are to work as general council (or on the staff of the general council) of a large corporation, possibly even the one I work for now.

I have no desire to go out and hang my shingle as a private practice attorney. Nor do I wish to join up with a large firm and work the next 7 years at 70+hours a week racking in billable hours in hopes of making partner.

The primary reason for my acquisition of a law license is personal. Its something I've always wanted to do, its something I've always been interested in, and now I have the means to accomplish it.

I have many friends who are CPA's, CFO, Controllers, and auditors. The same rule applies for accountants if you want to land the big jobs. You need to have worked initially at a big firm (used to be the big 5 before the AA implosion - I dont know all the major players now). No thanks. I'll stick to my original plan - especially since I've got networks out the ass for a legal spot once I graduate.

[Jahira]

I took the LSAT and got a 162 (87th percentile for that test). I bought the Logic Games and Logic Reasoning bible and then some full length practice tests.

The LSAC website sells the exact tests that were given as early as 1 year ago. Those tests are awesome. The other books and practice tests from Kaplan and other places are not the "real" tests that the LSAC website will sell you.

I did the books first, and then each test I took under timed conditions. Worked really well.

[Soulpieced]

See below (previous post in the thread)


I have many friends who are CPA's, CFO, Controllers, and auditors. The same rule applies for accountants if you want to land the big jobs. You need to have worked initially at a big firm (used to be the big 5 before the AA implosion - I dont know all the major players now). No thanks. I'll stick to my original plan - especially since I've got networks out the ass for a legal spot once I graduate.

Deloitte, KPMG, PWC, E&Y. And you will see on a lot of job postings something along the lines of, "must have Big 4 experience".

[TheEschaton]

I agree with this.

My buddy was in the top 10% of a top 20 school. He got a BIGLAW job out of a summer internship.

Unfortunately that firm is now in the process of imploding and he's silently on the market for a new job (his start date was pushed back from Sept to December). He's studied in Hong Kong, is functional in Mandrin, is willing to locate in Asia or in the US (any city, really).

He's not even gotten a bite after over a month.

It used to be that I would say unless you can go Tier-1, don't do it. And even then, you've got to be in the top 1/3 of your class.

With the current market I'd say that unless you can be top-10 OR have a job out of school (like I think Gan might w/ his current firm) then don't do it. It's a pretty big investment with a diminishing upside at this point.

Eh, my school is only #26, and I think we do pretty well. And I'm in line to possibly work for the best DA's office in the country (interview on the 24th, cross your fingers!)

[Keller]

Eh, my school is only #26, and I think we do pretty well. And I'm in line to possibly work for the best DA's office in the country (interview on the 24th, cross your fingers!)

BC law places around 1/5 of their class in BIGLAW.

And that was before the hiring slowdown.

[Gan]

The difference is in utility.

I'm more inline with TheE in that making BIGLAW salary right out of lawschool is not a priority - its practicing law thats the priority.

That being said, I could never work as a DA or even criminal defense because of my history of working in prisons and law enforcement. I'm way too jaded to be objective enough for that.

[TheEschaton]

You're not supposed to be objective in criminal law, it's under the same zealous advocate umbrella as the rest of the law.

Although I somewhat disagree with that.

Edit: And yeah, about the top 20% goes to BigLaw, if they want it. I don't want it, but it allows me to possibly go to the best public interest jobs in the country, cause they're like, "holy shit, this guy could be wherever he wants, but he wants to work here..."

[Keller]

I was wrong. About 1/6th of BC goes to BIGLAW.

http://www.leiterrankings.com/jobs/2008job_biglaw.shtml

[Gan]

You're not supposed to be objective in criminal law, it's under the same zealous advocate umbrella as the rest of the law.

Although I somewhat disagree with that.

I am in agreement with your disagreement. Its the loss of objectivity that punishes innocent people. That objectivity needs to be seen from the investigation through the trial. Unfortunately its not always seen or even heard from.

[Keller]

For those considering law school:

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202425360862&rsslj

Synapsis: Too much debt, not enough jobs. Stay away.

I am soooo grateful that I got out of school when I did. I feel for Alok's class and even moreso for WB's class.

[Warriorbird]

Yeah. I'm not going to delude myself into thinking I'm getting some Biglaw job. Sadly a lot of my classmates are.

[Keller]

Yeah. I'm not going to delude myself into thinking I'm getting some Biglaw job. Sadly a lot of my classmates are.

Ya. It sucks.

I'm worried about my job. Thankfully I summered here last summer and there have been a few fresh-hires that didn't summer here. I think I'd have "seniority" and I know that I do better work.

At least I've got that layer of attrition before I go.

[Necromancer]

Hrm, I just now saw this thread. I'm actually an LSAT instructor- so I've got some perspective on this test.

Despite what people have said, you need to take a prep course. There are good reasons for this. 1. We don't know how you're scoring. Yeah, a 153 isn't exactly the 90%, but it's above the 50% mark. Which means, that statistically you've got a 1:2 shot of making it to that score. This test is NOT easy, and it's far more common to start out in the 130's or 140's and to be struggling to hit the 150s than it is to start out find and ace your way to the top.

The other reason is purely financial. The LSAT is worth over half of your application in terms of admissions. That also means that for lower tier schools, it's often the biggest factor in determining who gets scholarships and who doesn't. If the medium score for a school you're looking into is a 153, then a 160+ is likely to swing you scholarship money.

LSAT medians are the coin of the realm when it comes to law schools- they'll do anything to get those medians up. It increases their standing, and it also directly relates to bar passage rates. (The LSAT is the single best predictor of first year law school grades AND bar passage)

In terms of which program to use, stay away from Blueprint and The Princeton Review. The two best programs out there are Test Masters and Kaplan. Since I work for Kaplan, I'm biased. But, I think that they're ideal for someone in your situation. You've got some time before you need to take the exam. Any Kaplan student who goes through their class doing all of the required work can retake the class for free afterwards. You don't have to take the exam first to qualify.

This is ideal for people who have extra time- it gives them twice the time to study for the exam, letting them improve their score even further. Every point on the LSAT counts- big time. So even if your second class only improves your score by 3 points, it's well worth it.

Feel free to ask me any other questions about how to study, how to approach the sections, etc. Oh, and DO NOT BRING A DIGITAL TIMER. They're not longer allowed by LSAC.

[Keller]

Kaplan > PowerScore?

Wow. I can see comparing Test Masters to PowerScore, but even then I'd say PowerScore is significantly better.

Kaplan is a solid second tier prep program, but I think you're overstating it's standing.

Good advice on the digital timer though, I wasn't aware of that change.

[Gan]

Hrm, I just now saw this thread. I'm actually an LSAT instructor- so I've got some perspective on this test.

Despite what people have said, you need to take a prep course. There are good reasons for this. 1. We don't know how you're scoring. Yeah, a 153 isn't exactly the 90%, but it's above the 50% mark. Which means, that statistically you've got a 1:2 shot of making it to that score. This test is NOT easy, and it's far more common to start out in the 130's or 140's and to be struggling to hit the 150s than it is to start out find and ace your way to the top.

The other reason is purely financial. The LSAT is worth over half of your application in terms of admissions. That also means that for lower tier schools, it's often the biggest factor in determining who gets scholarships and who doesn't. If the medium score for a school you're looking into is a 153, then a 160+ is likely to swing you scholarship money.

LSAT medians are the coin of the realm when it comes to law schools- they'll do anything to get those medians up. It increases their standing, and it also directly relates to bar passage rates. (The LSAT is the single best predictor of first year law school grades AND bar passage)

In terms of which program to use, stay away from Blueprint and The Princeton Review. The two best programs out there are Test Masters and Kaplan. Since I work for Kaplan, I'm biased. But, I think that they're ideal for someone in your situation. You've got some time before you need to take the exam. Any Kaplan student who goes through their class doing all of the required work can retake the class for free afterwards. You don't have to take the exam first to qualify.

This is ideal for people who have extra time- it gives them twice the time to study for the exam, letting them improve their score even further. Every point on the LSAT counts- big time. So even if your second class only improves your score by 3 points, it's well worth it.

Feel free to ask me any other questions about how to study, how to approach the sections, etc. Oh, and DO NOT BRING A DIGITAL TIMER. They're not longer allowed by LSAC.

Thanks! :)

I'll send you more questions as I move forward.

I have a discount with Kaplan so thats who I am going to use for the prep-course.

[Necromancer]

Kaplan > PowerScore?

Wow. I can see comparing Test Masters to PowerScore, but even then I'd say PowerScore is significantly better.

Kaplan is a solid second tier prep program, but I think you're overstating it's standing.

Good advice on the digital timer though, I wasn't aware of that change.

People do love to trash Kaplan, but I'm curious as to what you're basing your judgement off of. I'm guessing word of mouth- which is mostly perpetuated by test prep companies and internet boards.

For what it's worth, Test Masters stole its curriculum from Kaplan (though it has been many years, so they obviously altered their materials since then).

Kaplan is the original test prep company (a dubious distinction, as I still have moral qualms about test prep), and it's LSAT strategies are still the foundation for virtually every test prep company out there. Don't get me wrong- there are things I'd like to improve (and I've applied to be a content reviewer)- but it's a very well done curriculum.

People love to talk about how great Test Masters is, and I do agree that they have a very strong course, but a lot of that is just based on their (amazing) marketing. For example, take a look at their success stories. The vast majority of them are students who started out above the average score and who later hit the 90%+. Well of course anyone who naturally starts out beating out 70% of the prepared test takers is going to skyrocket to great scores. To be honest, that's fairly independent of the test prep company they just happen to sign up with. Test Masters also have a reputation for packing 50+ people into a classroom. They run classes far less frequently, and because of that they have to have bigger classes. How much do you learn in a class of 50 where the instructor doesn't know your name? Kaplan caps their classes at 25, and honestly to have an LSAT class above 15 is fairly infrequent. Your instructor actually knows your name as well as your progress in the class.


Glad to hear the OP is taking Kaplan. As such, if you want advice on your progress, you can feel free to let me know how things are going. I can look up your online syllabus and check out Smart Reports to view your scoring trends. Good luck on that diagnostic!

[Keller]

People do love to trash Kaplan, but I'm curious as to what you're basing your judgement off of. I'm guessing word of mouth- which is mostly perpetuated by test prep companies and internet boards.

I taught SAT for Kaplan. I do not "love to trash Kaplan." I did a considerable amount of research before signing up for an LSAT prep class.

From the quality of the instructors, the class size, and community reputation, and the cost per class-hour -- Powerscore was a clear winner.

[Necromancer]

The only thing I'll give you on Powerscore is that the price is better per hour (and only for the regular classroom course and assuming you don't plan to use the Higher Score Guarantee at Kaplan to take the class twice). But you can't really just factor in the per classroom hour assessment. The big question is, what about the rest of the time OUTSIDE of class? What does this company offer me to help me then? Let's face it- that's where most of the learning happens. Classes introduce you to concepts, but it's up to you to make yourself follow up afterwards. And different companies make that time more productive than others through their course materials.

To the OP, btw, take the LSAT Extreme course if you can. It's not much more in price, but it's a LOT more in classroom time.

[TheEschaton]

Man, I wish I had taken a prep course, maybe I coulda improved on my 168. Damn it!

[Warriorbird]

Alok and Keller both did a lot better than me. I got a 160. With that said....I think your degree of outside stress during the program effects your results greatly. I was in the middle of my marriage breaking up and didn't take full advantage of it.

[Gan]

Glad to hear the OP is taking Kaplan. As such, if you want advice on your progress, you can feel free to let me know how things are going. I can look up your online syllabus and check out Smart Reports to view your scoring trends. Good luck on that diagnostic!
Check



To the OP, btw, take the LSAT Extreme course if you can. It's not much more in price, but it's a LOT more in classroom time.
and check.