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So, you’ve decided to take the LSAT! First things first—are you in the right place? Let’s do a quick check:
Are you planning to apply to law school in the next two or three cycles?
Do you want to be a lawyer? (There are other legal disciplines that you might be interested in, but they don't require the LSAT.)
Have you completed, or are you on track to complete, a bachelor's degree or the equivalent?
If you answered yes to all of those, then keep reading. Welcome, future attorney!⚖️🎉
So you've decided to take the LSAT, and you're feeling like it's the first day of school. Nervous, excited, and you're not sure what to expect. No worries! Let's talk LSAT.
I won't bore you with the details of the LSAT—you can read all about it here and come back when you're ready. I would also highly recommend creating your free LSAC account, which you can do here.
For now, these are the basics: The LSAT is accepted by most, if not all, accredited law schools in the United States (and Canada). It consists of two sections: Logical Reasoning (LR) and Reading Comprehension (RC). (Yes--Logic Games, or Analytical Reasoning, is no longer on the test.)
So you're ready to stat studying. Should you log in to Amazon, and buy all the study materials you can find? Should you go on Reddit and buy all the recommended materials you see on there?
No, and no! LSAT prep is not one-size-fits-all.
To start, you can do one of two things:
Take a Full-Length Practice Test: Many recommend this approach. However, if you get test fatigue, it may not be an accurate picture of where you're starting. Plus, it can be a daunting first step for some.
Answer Some Sample Questions: Check out Manhattan Review, or simply Google "free LSAT questions" and see how you do. See if the explanations make sense to you. Check if you get most of the easy questions and some of the medium ones. Determine if RC feels better than LR, or vice versa.
If your practice test score is below 160, I highly recommend learning the foundations. In fact, I recommend this either way, but definitely if it's below 160. And if you're more than 10 points from your goal score, don't sign up for the LSAT next month. You're going to need more time!
Here are some top recommendations I've seen (and used) for LSAT prep materials:
General Material: PowerScore, The LSAT Trainer
Logical Reasoning: Loophole, LSAT Lab
Reading Comprehension: Manhattan Review, RC Hero, LSAT Lab
Drills: 7Sage
Free Materials: Brad Barbay's website
To be frank, I would not recommend anything outside of these resources (except for materials from other reputable tutors). Don't let the allure of endless Amazon options entice you into building a library of materials that will be overwhelming at best, and counterproductive at worst.
If you want to pick one thing here to start with, I would say, pick The LSAT Trainer, by Mike Kim. Get the foundation together. Write a reasonable schedule and stick to it. Figure out what keeps you going and visualize it when you go off track. Some prep is always better than no prep, so if all you do is answer a few questions in a day, or read a few pages, you've done more than enough.
I believe in you, we believe in you, and you've got this.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions, or if there is anything we can do to help. Happy studying!👍