Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) Study Guide and Prep Material -- Worried About the LSAT? Read this blog to learn what to expect!

2006-08-03T21:56:00.000-07:00

The Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) is a very challenging exam, in fact, it is considered the 2nd hardest exam in the nation. The hardest standardized test is the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT). That being said, everyone taking the LSAT in hopes of achieving a great score, must be very well prepared for it. This is achieved by preparing in advance and taking this exam seriously. For college students pursuing undergraduate degrees, the best time to prepare is during the second half of your sophomore year. Although you might believe you are not ready because you have not had "a lot of courses," you will soon find out the nothing you could ever study in college will prepare you for the material presented on the LSAT. The LSAT is considered by some as a "triathlon for the mind," and only well prepared "athletes" will take home the gold. If you are a working professional or possess an advanced degree you should also prepare well in advance because the work-force will not prepare you for the material on the LSAT, and if you hold an advanced degree, this also does not qualify as extensive "LSAT prep." An advance degree simply means you possess esoteric knowledge and can be considered an expert whatever field you mastered to obtain an advanced degree.

After reading this, you're probably wondering if I'm kidding or maybe exaggerating a bit for portraying university degrees essentially worthless in terms of preparing you to master the concepts on a standardized test such as the LSAT, right? The sad news is that I'm being truthful. Standardized test are constructed by Psychometricians, and these people use various techniques to predict how groups of people will behave in situations like the LSAT or other standardized exams. They create standardized test for a living so this means they have the benefit of time, relaxation, and knowledge on their side. You and me, the ambitious individual who wants a law degree or wants to become a practicing attorney or Supreme Court Justice, we don't have any benefits on our side except our training, tenacity, and ambition -- these characteristics can be harnessed and sharpened with extensive LSAT preparation. Think about it, a good score on the LSAT will land you into a good law school, somewhere along the lines of "Tier 1" possibly a top ten school. These schools lead to well paid employment positions that either pay you with large amounts of money, or "pay you" with large amounts of power and prestige. A good LSAT score can help you achieve this and a good LSAT prep course can help you achieve a top score. On the basis of this reasoning, you can conclude that LSAT scores determine how much you will make after law school. If you don't believe this conclusion, go to this website and read it yourself.

A top LSAT score can do many things for an individual, that is why it is a difficult exam. Imagine if everyone had the luxury of getting a high score on the LSAT, then what would happen? There would be no Harvard Law, Yale Law, or Standford Law. No Ivy League circles and no "knocking on doors" to get ahead, unfortunately, that is not the case. Harvard Law does exist! Yale Law also exist! Standford Law definitely exist! These are just some of the top schools that demand high LSAT scores to gain admission. So what do you do? What are your options? Who do you trust? You can pretend your undergraduate degree, advanced degree, or employment position will prepare you for the LSAT, and get you into a good law school. You can put trust into your university professors and presume their knowlede and "expertise" will help you prepare for the LSAT. In reality, their "know-how" is only valuable if you are being tested on whatever subject they teach. Keep in mind, LSAT testing is not similar to undergraduate test, and do not make the mistake of presupposing that just because you take multiple choice exams in college, you will do well on the LSAT multiple choice section. Oh yes, college education is no match for the material you will be tested on in order to gain admission into Law School. Who do you trust? Instead of trusting your professors who are not qualified to teach you how to succeed on the LSAT, why don't you take an LSAT prep course, where your trust will guarantee that you achieve a top score. Moreover, you will gain admission regardless of what type of job you do or what degree you possess as long as you gain a top score. Law school admissions is a number game, and if will improve a schools ranking, chances are that they will grant you admission. Personally, I'd prefer to prepare for the LSAT with a prep course. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of a cure, does that sound familiar? This is what LSAT prep is...preventing the loss of power -- your loss of future power, prestige, and money.

Those reading this might disagree with me and say that they got into law school or know people who got into a good law school with a "pathetic LSAT score," but had strong letters of recommendation or they studied a "unique discipline." Chances are, these people lied to you to justify their inability to sit down and prepare for the exam and to give you an excuse to not study.

Unless you're employed by the president of the U.S. or any other high powered politician, or received a Nobel Prize for discovering "The" cure for AIDS, or possess a truly unique talent that will benefit your future law school, you will not be granted admission if your numbers are not high. Law schools examine your LSAT and GPA first, then once you're granted admission, they examine your letters of recommendation to assess the types of student they just granted admission to. That's it. "Letters of Rec" are not the key into law school and neither are special personality traits -- LSAT prep is the key into a good law school. Prepare for it as soon as possible.

The LSAT contains five sections, all of which are designed to test skills that are deemed essential for success once you begin law school. The sections are timed and last for 35 minutes each. The section making up 50% of your score is the logical reasoning section because there are two of these to complete. The analytical or logical games section makes up 25% of your score because there is only one section, and the reading comprehension section makes up the remainding 25% of the score. The fifth and final section is the experimental section and it is not graded. Caution: you will not be able to distinguish the experimental section from any other section, and even though it is not a graded section, it is in your best interest to prepare for all of the sections of the LSAT as if they were all being graded.

The LSAT is not without controversy because the process of learning, studying, and mastering difficult concepts involves more mechanisms than the LSAT can measure. This is why many law schools have from time to time been "reminded" to not always form an admissions decision based on "numbers" alone meaning a student gains acceptance because of their LSAT score and undergraduate grade point average (GPA); rather, law schools should assess all the qualifications that a candidate posseses, as each person holds unique qualifications that may contribute to the law school academic environment. Nonetheless, many law schools fall back on the LSAT score and GPA to form their admissions decisions. Other qualifications are taken into consideration once a pupil has been granted admissions and only then, do they consider how the individual will contribute to the legal setting. Letters of recommendation that explain how talented you are, your community or volunteer service to deliver medication to kids in a foreign country, or your latest achievement will not hold as much weight as a high LSAT score coupled with a strong GPA. Focus on the LSAT and focus on becoming an intellectual and academic giant, rather than becoming an academic wimp. Law school is for the strong and those who can overcome obstacles that have been placed in their paths through no fault of their own or as a result of their actions. The LSAT is a grueling exam which will test your faculties utilizing Logical Reasoning, Analytical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, and your Writing Skills. Fortunately, for many of us, the writing sample of the Law School Admissions Test is not scored, but it is mandatory to complete. If you want your LSAT scored and counted towards law school admissions, you must complete the LSAT Writing Sample. Each section of the LSAT is 35 minutes long and the proctor will keep official time, but you are allowed to take a noiseless watch or timer to help keep track of time. The LSAT is conducted four times a year, with each exam differing in questions, difficulty, and topics covered. No two LSATs are the same and no LSATs that have not been administered, are available before their release by Law Services. The LSAT is a very controlled exam, it is very grueling, and it paves the way for a magnificient or average legal career. It all depends on how much money you want to make. Personally, I'd prefer making $100k a year with the option to receive a raise, instead of $50,000 a year because I didn't study for the LSAT. Sign up for a prep course, or get your hands on study material as soon as possible. Remember, beging your LSAT prep at least 6 months before taking the actual exam. You will need the practice. Good luck and you're welcome.

Take this advice and the LSAT will be an easy exam for you!
Follow the advice I give you and you will approach the exam with confidence because you will know every "corner to cut" on the LSAT. Take the short-cuts, improve your score, and get into a top Law School!

Here are some useful links to various law schools, all of which demand a high LSAT score. These schools are among some of the best in the nation, and you can be assured that yours truly will definitely be applying to them. The last link is for the law school admissions council, and every student planning to study law in America, definitely needs to familiarize themselves with the LSAC.

University of Southern California Law School

UCLA School of Law

Harvard Law School

Loyola Law School, Los Angeles

Stanford Law School

UC Davis School of Law

University of San Diego School Of Law

Columbia University School of Law

University of Virginia School of Law

New York Law School

Boston University School of Law

Yale Law School

UC Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law

Law School Admissions Council

Admissions information at its finest baby!

Law School Admissions Council Information & Law School Admissions Test Study Guide

Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) Study Guide and Prep Material -- Worried About the LSAT? Read this blog to learn what to expect!