LSAT Advice
 

Hey everyone this is completely random I know, hence the off topic section. For anyone who has taken the LSAT, do you have any advice for test day? I recently graduated with my Master's and plan on starting law school next August, and will be taking the LSAT on October 3rd.

I have only had a month to prep but have been going over some of the practice material and seem to be doing great. The logic games seem to be the toughest for me in regards to timing. So, I am trying to focus on them mainly until test day.

Anyway, does anyone have advice in regards to the test or test day itself? I have taken the GRE and it went great, the layout of the LSAT seems similar although the material is obviously different. I'm just seeing if anyone has any pointers or advice that may help or might have worked for them.

Thanks guys/gals!

LSAT was a bitch a did only a touch over average and dropped out of law school before even attending

Basically any standardized test ... learn the test get good sleep and chug a bunch of coffee

Study the test: learn scoring, timing, and question formats. This should be priority one. Getting better at the stuff you're bad at is important, but for short term study I'd try to make sure that for the stuff that you think you know, you're 100% on. For the logic games, make sure you write down or map out every bit of information they give you on scratch paper. It's way easier if you're looking at your own diagrams.

I definitely think the LSAT can be a little harder to feel confident about when compared to the GRE, but it's still a standardized test and still is fairly predictable.

I used to teach test prep for a living.

Practice your but off. Take full tests, several per week. I took an entire week off right before the exam and I think that did wonders to allow me to recover. Keep exercising through the process and hitting the gym if you do that regularly, it helps with the stress.

This is one test where you can learn to beat it with strategies and practice. Don't regret not preparing later. Every point gets you lots of extra scholarship money at each school.

As for the test itself, timing is everything. Practice your tests beforehand under the time limit. Find a strategy that works for you on marking questions you need to skip. I like to mark my best guess before I move on, incase I don't have time later to reread the question. That way with 60 seconds left, you can fully mark those you guessed on, better than a random guess. Always eliminate answers before guessing. If you can eliminate anything, answering will improve your score statistically. Get a lot of sleep beforehand, and make sure you are fully hydrated the last few days leading up to it. It can even help to drive to your test center at the time you will do it on test day, practice the whole procedure. It will remove some of the nervousness on test day, which if you are taking this seriously, will be substantial.

Good luck.

Oh and last bit of advice... Take a long hard look at law school before you decide to attend. Not only are the chances of landing a biglaw job small... the job is grueling if you make it. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions or details.

I'd suggest moving the test date, unless you're scoring at a spot that will actually get you a job you should retake.


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You don't have a whole lot of time to prep, but you can't really do much prep for the LSAT in the first place. I did a weekend prep course (I think powerscore? dunno, it was 2006) and thought it was worthwhile, if only for logic game techniques. After that, i just did practice tests all day erry day for a month or so.

Maybe do some research on the logic games to see if there are faster methods you can use. You don't want to be pressed for time on those. I screwed up question 2 on one logic game because I was rushing. Consequently, I got like the next 3 wrong as well. I coulda had a 174 but had to settle for 169 :cry:

Oh, and before I forget, the obligatory: "Don't go to law school unless someone else is paying for it." I'm in the hole to the tune of $90k and it hurts.

Edit: more advice. Take a few days off before the test to relax. Don't change any of your routines for the test day. That is, if you don't normally drink coffee, then don't drink coffee on test day, etc. And you can PM if you have any further questions.

Thanks everyone seriously I appreciate any advice I can get!

Drop out, the legal path is so difficult and has few rewards.

Computer Science is always a great idea, couple that with a business degree and you are good to go!

Thanks! I have been using a Kaplan prep book and another logic game book which I honestly felt more helpful than the kaplan one. Timing is what I have been focusing on the most. The logical reasoning sections come naturally to me as it is what you tend to do regularly in grad school, and at least for me on an everyday basis.

The writing comprehension is similar the timing just adds too the difficulty, and the logic games some I'm great at (sequencing, grouping) but a few of the hybrids I can waste too much time on. So the focus has been on timing with the writing comp questions and the working on the logic game types that give me the most trouble.

Thanks man! A lot of your advice correlates with what kaplan has been saying in their books. I will be using all of it ha ha.

I will and I appreciate your time. I am ultimately wanting to work in Federal law enforcement specifically in counter terrorism. I got my master's in criminal justice, and bachelors in criminal justice with a double major in psychology and am now working on finishing up my bachelors in arabic at the moment. But if that doesn't pan out being a lawyer is the backup.
I took my first practice test last night through kaplan and scored a 167. It allowed me to see what question types I scored the worst on and what I need to focus on most these last couple of weeks.
It is rather crazy how big of a difference a point or two can make in not only the test score but what school you get into, the funding you may get, and your future. Thanks for the advice bud!

ha ha thanks but it's too late for that. I have already invested a good portion of my life into my future plans. I want to feel like I am making a difference in people's lives and this is the route that I am most passionate about and where I feel I will truly have the biggest impact. I was in business before switching majors and hated it, I was also a store manager for 6 years and it got old quick.

That's awesome to hear, you are in the right place then. I don't think there are any secrets outside of those practice tests then. I have taken my share of standardized tests and I know the practice exams help greatly. I would highly recommend an LSAT app if you can find one. Instead of opening the phone to check social media, fire up a few practice questions.

And to top it off, the damned question was about clowns and their fancy-colored pants.

Clowns.

Those assholes.

Kaplan is not a good source, but if you're with them already and scoring well that is a good sign.
The test you took was a timed 5 section test?

I'd suggest checking out top law school forums and lawschooltransparency (look specific at employment rates)

A word of hope... I scored 10 points higher on the real test than my practice test average. It did seem that I was the only one though. I attributed it to my week off before the exam.

oh god that place is a shithole

That would be awesome. I picked up some cheap flash cards but they aren't the best, basically just break down questions over like eight cards each.
Yes timed 5 section test and their practice tests are old lsat tests (the last 4). I got a different book for the logic games and it's much better than kaplan so I agree. Kaplan tends to over explain things that are already intuitive, thus overcomplicating and already complicated question.
That's great to hear man! Hell if I get anywhere in this ball park in regards to my score I'll be pretty happy.
I can see it now...I wonder is they have fights like car forums do... Civil vs. Criminal lol

Nope, just a bunch of people shitting on schools, firms, jobs, everything. If you're not summa from HYS then you're doomed to work in garbagelaw for the rest of your life.

Edit: so pretty much like car forums.

But tbh, can we prove otherwise? I believe they give a great insight and reality check to those looking at the toilet-tier

I suppose it really comes down to your goals. I would agree that if you plan on working for a top law firm that you likely need to get into one of the ivy leagues or at the very least be top of your class at a somewhat lesser school.

That's the problem -- those forums are purely focused on V15 elite firms (and, if we're honest, really only Wachtell/Cravath/etc.). And in that case, then yes, you want to be summa from a T14. But (A) that's not all that's out there; and (B) you can totally make it into elite firms (if that's your thing) without being from a T14 school.

Yep, results and performance speaks louder than where you attended. It really does come down to what you want, and what you have to offer.

Can you guys expand on this? I'd love to hear more or find some place where there is information regarding this.
Between this and abovethelaw things seem bleak if you're not killin t14

It's all going to be anecdotal. For instance, I went to a regional state school ranked by USN around 50-60, located in a major market (ok fine, it was UHouston). Many of us on law review ended up in biglaw. Maybe not V15, but biglaw nonetheless. Several landed clerkships, even on federal circuit courts. One of my classmates and I are at a top-tier litigation boutique. Several of our classmates have already left biglaw for in-house positions with Shell, etc.

So yes, it's possible to succeed if you go to a law school ranked 50 or lower. Going to a T14 school will of course open up more doors, but going to a lower-ranked school isn't a death sentence.

Another thing to note... assuming you will do well in law school cuz you did well in undergrad, is a very poor assumption to make. It is a whole nother ball game. The way your are tested is different (at least it was in regards to my engineering undergrad). Also, people can be fiercely competitive.

Thanks everyone for the advice and help. I will be taking the test on Saturday so wish me luck ha ha.

Hey guys sorry if I'm asking for more, but if you could give some first hand experience on things or even stuff you'd do differently please do share!

Good luck bud, I'm taking December!


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It's really hard to explain, but hard work alone isn't always enough in law school. It's all about knowing the test--that is, being able to read a hypo and figure out what concepts the prof is really asking about. You can't write a good essay if you miss the little clues.

Most profs, especially in 1L year, will be pretty good at telling you in advance what their tests are like. The day they explain the exam is probably the most important single day of class. See if you can find exams from previous years to review. Share them with some of your friends, make outlines of your answer, and compare responses. (On a side note, while some people try to be super-competitive in 1L year, they're usually dbags who won't do as well as they expected. Don't be afraid to share notes or essays with your study group).

Some schools will have unofficial, student-made collections of outlines and notes from prior years. Definitely check them out, but don't rely on them--you have no idea how good or bad their notes are. Also, I found commercial outlines to be largely useless. I think the only thing I ended up using was a set of flashcards for 1L contracts.

When preparing for class (and you have to--don't skip your reading, kids), make sure you can always answer the "why." Particularly for civpro, get in the habit of always citing your authority for your answers in class. By that I mean if the prof is asking about choice of law, make sure you can point directly to § 1652, Erie, Byrd, Gasperini, etc., as appropriate. This is good practice for the exam and beyond.

As far as college performance vs. law school...that's tough to answer. I know there were a lot of very smart people with great undergrad GPAs who came into 1L year expecting to kick ass. Many of them didn't, and it was a huge blow to their egos. It's not that they weren't smart, though, and I can't identify a particular reason why they sucked at law school. Meanwhile, I failed out of undergrad twice and had a crappy GPA (undiagnosed ADHD), but was top 10% and on law review. *shrug*

First. Good luck on test day.

Second I mirror the comments above. I however found commercial outlines somewhat helpful. Old tests are immensely important as well as friends to study with. As for class readings, I would argue time could be better spent outlining the whole year and focusing on what the prof focuses on, which I'd say mirrors the exam more often than not (some professors like to surprise you). Don't wait to yhe end to outline... you will not have enough time. At least for me, unlike u Der grad where I could pick up concepts extremely quickly, law school requires an exceptional time commitment to master the material.

Finally, as discussed above, exams are not only about mastering material, but also spotting issues and the process of analyzing those issues thoroughly. The mastery of the material only gives you the tools to spot those issues, you have to take it to the next level.

Oh... and unless the prof grades you on cold calling (which exactly zero of mine did) do not worry about being called on. Worst thing can happen is a bruised ego. Focus on the exams, that's what matters. Lots of students would prep so much each day just cuz they might get called on, and we're then overwhelmed at the end of the year because they didn't begin outlining g at the expense of class prep. The ability to say "I am not fully prepared enough to intelligrntly Contribute to this discussion" is more valuable than you think.

There's some truth in that for sure. But my class prep was generally outlining anyway, so it didn't slow me down. I also found that I was better able to follow along in class if I had done the reading.

That being said, I did almost no reading in 2L/3L years. I got super lazy. I only read for classes with a particular prof who was aggressive, fast-moving, and did frequent cold-calls. They were also particularly difficult classes (busorgs and securities reg). Most of my time was either dedicated to LR or spent playing pingpong in the basement.

I see you're in San Diego, did you go to LS in so cal?
How hard was it to find a job in the area? Would love to hear more about this because this is most likely where i'd like to practice eventually.

I went to Duke in North Carolina. Then I ended up in Irvine at a larger firm focusing on patent law. After a year I finally escaped and landed an awesome gig in-house doing patent prosecution. I can't comment on general legal jobs, but the opportunities in IP aren't bad in this area.

Thanks man, IP is of interest to me as I'm working for a tech firm currently / they've got some serious issues that are being dealt with.

How'd it go? Have your score yet?

Won't have the scores until the 28th I believe, at least according to LSAC. The test itself went pretty well. Started getting hard to stay vigilant towards the end though and of course that's when the logic games appeared for me. Nonetheless I fell pretty confident. Thanks for all your advice guys!

Got my score emailed last night, log into LSAC and check.

I remember the day my score was released. I had a browser add on that would refresh the lsac page every 10 seconds and had it next to me while doing work. Yea...

Oh geez I was bad about my bar results. I swore I wouldn't be that guy who constantly refreshes the state bar results page. Unfortunately, there was a hit counter at the bottom of the page. Consequently, I refreshed it a couple of times to see how many other people were refreshing the page. And then I kept refreshing. And then I couldn't stop. :(

Too late to help the OP, but I found Minesweeper to be a great way to prep for the logic section, and a good break from questions. Also totally agree with the suggestion to take a break for a week before the exam. Hell, make sure you take enough of a break each day to get your mind off of the exam. Same thing goes for the bar exam. Being mentally rested is better than doing another couple (hundred) practice questions.

Oh, and for those contemplating law school, don't go unless you want to actually practice law and have a good idea what you want to do. And, since you probably won't know the answer to that question until you've got some real experience with the legal profession and the world, live life, try different things, and figure out if its right for you. Get an internship, work as a paralegal, whatever. The downside of being wrong is a pretty massive debt burden that will lock you into a certain life, for a long time, just to repay it. And, the economics are just getting poorer and poorer.

On the other hand, I never ever thought I would be a lawyer. But, after working for 7 yrs, and experiencing the world, I found something I was truly fascinated by, and now I love what I do.