People Who Did Exceptionally Well on the LSATChai_166I haven't posted here before, but this thread was very helpful to me as I prepared for the LSAT so I wanted to share my experience.

1) What score did you get? 179

2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc) Princeton Review: I used this when I first started prep--good for a quick overview of the LSAT, but I think most of their methods were more detrimental than helpful. Powerscore Bibles! If you want to get a score above 170 I highly recommend these. I did a couple weeks of prep before I started to go through them. All available Preptests (but I didn't end up using 1-10 very much)

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?None. Thought about taking one, but decided to use the money I had to get all the prep tests, and the powerscore bibles. In my area the only available course was Kaplan, so I might have chosen different if Testmasters was near.

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc) 2 months, while working full time

5) How many preptests did you do? Hmmm.. I think I did around 40. Many have said this, but preptest are really the key to the LSAT. Make sure you make a schedule for the prep tests so you are doing the newest ones leading up to the test. I started taking the tests untimed, and then moved to timed tests. I also would do sections if I didn't have enough time for a whole test. Other people have said this before, but make sure that you take at least some tests in distracting situations. I took a couple at the book store. I also had a friend time me on couple of times. Having someone else there made my adrenalin rush a bit, so simulated test day a little better.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again? I wouldn't change much--I'm very happy with my score. I might skip the PR Book.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions. The week leading up to the test i took it pretty easy with LSAT prep--maybe did two tests. The day before the test I took the day off work and just relaxed. The day of the test I got up around six and went out to breakfast. I did a few problems to warm up, and then got to the test center in plenty of time. I really think this made a difference on test day.

Although it might have been overkill, I kept a careful record of each preptest I took. I would record my score and the number wrong in each section. I would then focus more on the section/question type I was doing poorly on (do an untimed section from an older test, or review the specific section in the Powerscore Bible). It was good to see what areas I needed help in, but it also felt good to see my improvement over time.

I also always tried to understand why I got questions wrong. If I messed up a game, I would erase everything and do it again untimed. If I messed up a LR question I would cut it out and write out why I got the question wrong. I kept a bunch of LR questions I had gotten wrong and would periodically review them. It's important that you don't just do preptests over and over again. You have to understand why you got questions wrong and make adjustments so you are always improving.bcjets2121) What score did you get?first diagnostic, 153. then got 171 on June 08 and 180 on Oct 08

2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc)Downloaded all the tests from each book

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?had a private tutor for a couple months before june

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)i would study for 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week leading up to june (was taking a practice test every day and going back over it after). I would mix up the conditions that i took the practice tests under, a lot of times intentionally putting myself in tough/loud environments for practice

5) How many preptests did you do?40+

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?not much

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions. The key for me was going back over the answers i got wrong and the ones i thought were hard (i would circle them when i while i was testing). Eventually you start to think like the testers think and can sniff out the "trick" answers.

Also, the second time around, i barely studied (took 3 practices in the 3 months leading up to the test), but i scored decently on them so i was very confident and relaxed going into the Oct test. The lack of stress just made it much much easier.[unknown LSAT tutor]a) First, I got this advice from an LSAT tutor who has scored 180 4 times in a row, she is brilliant, and her strategy is incredible. DONT TAKE PRACTICE TESTS WITH ONLY 4 SECTIONS. Better yet, she recommended, take practice tests with more sections than the acutal LSAT, take them with 6 sections!!!!!!! If you practice with 5 sections, you get semi fatigued around the 5th section. If you practice with 6, you will train your brain for a hard six and you'll get fatigued around the 6th section, so you will NOT BE FATIGUED DURING THE 5 SCORED SECTIONS OF THE TEST!!! This is the absolute best tip anyone had given me for LSAT prep, IT WORKS, DO IT!!b) So incase no one else has told you, the older tests are very different from the new ones. With this in mind, what I did is take my tests with using the newer tests, but used the older tests (starting with the oldest #7) as my unscored experimental sections. This way, every question your answering is a real lsat question, DONT USE ANYTHING BUT OFFICIAL LSATS, the "similar" or "like official" tests, dont require you to use the exact same train of thought and deduction process. Let me also state that I got a few "free b's" on my actual LSAT by taking every official preptest because some questions are essentially repeated with a minor tweek or two.SoberHobo1) What score did you get?179 - Oct. 08

2) What books did you use?Kaplan Comprehensive LSAT and LSAT 180 (I didn't like these too much. I would rather figure out my own methods without getting caught up in their terminology).Every practice test available on LSDAS

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?None.

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)I started about a year ago before the Oct 07 exam with the Kaplan books and a couple practice tests, but didn't feel confident about my score so I canceled. About a month and a half before the Oct 08 test I began taking a practice test every night after work. Sometimes I would take two tests a day on weekends to build up stamina. After the first few tests, I would be sure to stay within the time limits. Also, I didn't watch any TV for the entire 4 months prior to the test (never watch much anyway but I had just moved and was too poor to buy a TV). Instead, I would read a lot, especially dense material, like Supreme Court cases and political philosophy. This really helped get my brain in shape.

5) How many preptests did you do?About 40

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?Not much. I'm very happy with my score, but I was very nervous at the beginning of the test. Luckily the first section was experimental. It seemed so hard that I almost gave up, but just kept going, hoping that it was the experimental. I missed a couple easy questions that I shouldn't have. I feel like I rushed through each section. I had at least five minutes to spare in each one but didn't bother to review too much. Could have saved that extra point.

nsd230Read A Rulebook for Arguments (short paperback book) and A Concise Introduction to Logic by Patrick Hurley (an intro to logic textbook) then get to work on questions. Forming the base understanding of logic was the way I went from a 159 on my first test to a 180. As stupid as it sounds, if you become a student of the LSAT you will do well on it.Roo1) What score did you get?

178

2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc)

The Bibles (which I went through 2 times a piece), Superprep, the two most recent LSAT books containing 10 tests, all other released practice tests.

I did the logic games in LSAT180 but skipped the rest - its crap.

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?

None

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)

Four and half months, while working and in graduate school.

5) How many preptests did you do?

25

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?

Try to relax the morning of the test. I was too stressed and I think it probably lost me a point. Also, I would have started off with Superprep so I could get in the mind of LSAC to begin with. As it happened I used it towards the end and it was not a lot of help.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.

1. Get obsessed. I researched everything I could about the LSAT, including reading journal articles about the test itself and standardized testing in general. I got obsessed with every little detail ( i.e. How well do I work in a too-cold room as opposed to a too-hot room? What about a noisy room versus a quiet room?). Cover every detail, figure out how many cups of coffee put you at your prime, and what kind of pencil eraser works best. Ridiculous, yes. This isn't a shuttle launch, after all. But treat it like one and you're less likely to have unexpected little things throw you off on test day.

2. You need a cheerleader or two. Get someone important in your life - friend, sig other, parent, whatever, and make sure they know how important this test is to you. This is someone to report your progress to on a regular basis, who understands the difference between getting a 171 on a PT and a 175 and will help you celebrate.

3. Logic games were my Achilles heel and I knew it. When I started, I couldnt finish one in under 12 minutes. I put aside everything else and did logic games only for about a month. I made photocopies and did the same games over and over. Focusing intensely on my weakness helped a lot.

4. On LR - cut out the questions you have trouble with and lightly pencil the right answers on the back. Keep them all together and once you have a good stack go over them. Make sure you can explain out loud why the right answers are the right answers, if you can't, you have to find someone who can explain it to you. This board used to be a good resource for that but now that LSAT questions cannot be posted I'm not sure what to do.

5. Reading comp. Forget the nonsense about reading the economist, etc. If you have reading comp issues then by the time you reach test day you should have completed every single released LSAT reading comprehension section under the sun, and should understand all of your mistakes on questions perfectly. That's the best prep, IMHO.

6. If you're taking the LSAT in the morning, make sure you wake up early for a week or so to put your mind on the right schedule. For seven days before the test I woke up at 6 am and took an LSAT around the same time that I would be taking it on test day. Especially important for non-morning people.

7. To motivate myself I would imagine opening my email some day in July and seeing a 165. All of my dreams of top schools would vanish at that point (thanks to a not so stellar UGPA). This provided me with enough motivation to get out of bed early to study and do practice tests, etc. Especially if you are a self-studier, you need to come up with some similar motivational imagery/mantra to keep you going.

Last thought on LR and RC - doing well on these sections involves really knowing the nuances of the meanings of certain words and phrases. Focus on that fact in your prep. I found that certain words did not really mean exactly what I thought they meant, and this made a big difference.

bgc1) What score did you get?179 - June 08 [bgc ended up going to YLS]

2) What books did you use?Princeton Review, Powerscore Bibles, Master the LSAT (only RC), and GetPrepped's Ace the Logic Games (Mostly for practice games).

Like most people, I highly recommend the bibles. The PR book was the first I read and was useful to get an overview of the test but not groundbreaking. Ace the Logic Games has a large number of good games sections on which to practice without spoiling real tests.

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?None

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)Three Months. I work but didn't have many other obligations in that time.

5) How many preptests did you do?All of them, in one form or another. I probably did 30 as actual timed tests and used others to provide the fifth section or section practice. I did every games and RC section but left some LRs untouched.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?Apart from not making a stupid mistake on the LG and missing a 180, not much. I would start making notes about my physical state and eating patterns sooner so as to have a larger sample size when trying to regulate my body with sleep and food.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.For me, volume of practice tests was key. My diagnostic was a timed 164 (June '07) and my second PT, after going through the PR book, was an untimed 180. I didn't have major problems with the concepts so getting my timing down and getting used to taking the test was very useful.

One thing I started doing towards the end was taking detailed notes about my sleeping and eating patterns, my physical feeling during each test, and whatever other factors seemed significant. When on my game, I was pretty consistent between 177 and 180. I have never been so aware of my own mental state as when studying for the test and found that awareness to be valuable on test day. I was able to figure out, for instance, that taking a day off before the test was NOT the right move for me. My practice results were better when I was on a roll.

Until one is solid on the concepts, taking a large volume of practice tests might not be useful. Once you have it figured out, however, it really is all about practice. I was able to try a few different strategies for RC and LG with enough time to get a sense of how they work.

[]RC was also my hardest section but I only missed one this time around. The thing that helped the most was practice. It enabled me to experiment with different amounts and types of note taking and figure out what would help the most without getting me in trouble with time.180Splitter1) What score did you get?

180.

2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc)

I started with Kaplan Complete (very incomplete, but simple and a decent introduction to the lsat) and the Kaplan logic games book (an OK book). I then studied the Kaplan 180 book (the logical reasoning section is a total waste but the games are good practice and the reading comp is OK). After that, I took ~25 practice tests and reviewed every problem I missed at *great* length but my score was fluctuating wildly all over the 170's so I buckled down and took Blueprint. Blueprint helped me by giving me methods to more quickly answer questions I was already getting right so I had lots of time for hard questions. It also helped me focus and kept me doing a lot of practice problems.

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend?

Blueprint full length.

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc)

I studied during the summer on my own and then took blueprint full time, doing most of the homework.

5) How many preptests did you do?

Around 30 total, ~25 on my own and ~5 with Blueprint.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again?

I would have taken blueprint from the beginning and added a fake experimental section before every practice test to replicate real conditions. I only did that occasionally. On some practice tests, I checked my answers after every section (giving myself a small break). Not surprisingly, I did better than average on those! Practice tests really ought to resemble the real thing in every way.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions.

Preparing for the LSAT tests not just your intelligence, but your character. Do you have the integrity to never, ever stop reviewing every question you missed until you understand why you missed it and will never miss a similar question again? Will you be honest with yourself and take practice tests under realistic conditions, with three sections in a row, followed by a short break and two sections? Do you take the time to bubble in the answers as part of your 35 minutes per section? You aren't giving yourself extra time, right? Right!

The week before the test, I got up at the same time I would on test day and ate breakfast.

The day before the test, I drove the route to the testing center as if it were the day of the test. I went to a room at the center and sat down in a chair, and thought about coming in the next day and getting a 180.

I don't drink caffeine and didn't before the test. I did pack a survival kit with many pencils, sharpeners, Powerade, and Snickers marathon bars.

You too can do well on the LSAT. Take it seriously, as your best score will get you into a better school than your mediocre score or get you scholarships where you were already planning on going.GygesRing1) What score did you get? 170; 180 (I retook)

2) What books did you use? 10 Actual, Official LSATs; 10 More Actual, Official LSATs.

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend? None.

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc) Took a prep test every few days leading up to the test, would review the answers that I got wrong or had marked as difficult while going through the test (didn't want to miss understanding a question type just because I got lucky during a practice test.)

5) How many preptests did you do? ~17. (12/5)

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions. Stay. Calm.

I was lucky enough to have a father who was able to explain any logic game to me quickly and helpfully, so I didn't buy any review books, but the review books I did look at were much less helpful than an actual person.

Based on that, I'd have to recommend taking a class, or at least going with one of those options where you can spend time at the test center and get questions you got wrong explained to you. I didn't take one (no time or money), but I've heard the best things about Kaplan and not the Princeton reviews.

letylyf

1) 180

2) I used a Kaplan review book that was a year old and bought one of those 10 practice test books. I also spent hours searching online for practice tests (even just individual questions) and explanations.

3) I didn't take any courses, so obviously it's possible to score perfect without them, but I do recommend them if you have the leisure (time/money are always problems).

4) I took last year's December LSAT and probably studied at least an hour every day from mid-September and solidly through November. I was lucky enough to have a job in a relatively quiet environment with enough time on my hands to study, so that was a big factor in motivating me to study sufficiently.

5) The 4-5 that were in my book, about 8 in the ten actual tests book, and maybe 5 or so I found from random sources (Kaplan and Princeton both sponsored practice tests at my university, looking online, asking friends who've taken it for their old tests, etc).

6) Not a whole lot.

7) Actually I don't recommend taking time off from work or school solely for the LSAT. A lot of people get burned out, and then you're almost worse than when you started.

I was lucky enough to find an amazing guy and we started dating the week before the LSAT, and I went from extremely stressed and freaked out to relaxed and even semi-confident. I know there's not a magic formula for everyone, but it helps an awful lot not to be stressed and constantly worrying taking the test itself. I actually had time to check my work - twice - on every section because I was so focused. (I'd never even approached a 180 on practice tests, funnily enough. A 177 was the best I'd previously done.)

I guess my advice here is don't push it. Study hard, discipline yourself, but create for yourself the best test conditions you can... for me, that meant not taking any practice tests in the few days leading up to the real test.[from another thread]

Reading fast helps enormously. My best advice on RC has always been to read the passage first - once, quickly, and efficiently. If the class can actually teach you to read faster and comprehend what you're reading, it is without a doubt worth it.

The more time you save on reading the passages, the more time you can afford to spend on the question and re-reading a couple lines. Also, the RC sections seem to be getting denser and longer, so any investment in improving this section is a wise one.

Depending on just how good you think the class is, I'd recommend it.

About the word/minute reading thing, I have no idea! I don't measure it like that. But if you can read (and understand) a passage in a minute, you're set for the whole section.

lightIt(not useful)

1) What score did you get? 180

2) What books did you use? (Kaplan, Powerscore LRB, Powerscore LGB, etc) Kaplan

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend? Kaplan Night Course Weekly

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc) I studied while at school. I did a few problems a night about three nights a week for a few months

5) How many preptests did you do? Maybe four or five

6) What would you change if you were to do it again? I would Not take the course I would just get help on the logic games

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions. I started at a 169 with absolutely no prep...I would say if you score at least 165 or thereabouts without studying then a prep course is a waste of your time unless you are just too unmotivated to study on your own. The only area it was remotely helpful was the logic games, and you could learn the Kaplan logic games strategy, or any other Kaplan strategy, from a book just as well and much faster.

LyrradFigured I should post here. Hopefully it's helpful.

1) What score did you get? 180 (PrepTest Average: 175, 176 in the few days running up to the test)

2) What books did you use? Regular Kaplan Book (Premiere), Powerscore LR/LG/LGSetups, Kaplan 180

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend? None

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? (during school, during the summer, etc) 1 Month. Nothing else to do that month except study.

5) How many preptests did you do? 27

6) What would you change if you were to do it again? I wouldn't buy the LG Setups or Kaplan 180. I didn't use the LG Setups at all, and only looked at the tips in the Kaplan 180 book.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions. a) Get the LSAT Proctor DVD. It's helpful. b) Don't worry about not getting much sleep the night before. Just make sure you get rest the few days before. c) Never be satisfied with an almost perfect score when Practising. Look carefully at all mistakes you make on a PrepTest. d) Don't over-study. I got burned out a couple weeks in. e) Slow down studying the final week. f) Understanding the Logic Games is more important than diagramming it the same way they do it in the PowerScore book. If you know you can remember a key rule, you may not need to write it out. g) If there's an either-or in a Logic Game, consider two diagrams, one for each case and its implications. This was necessary to breeze through the Sept 07 LGs.

rucoach

1) What score did you get? 180

2) What books did you use? Both Powerscore Bibles and Princeton Review's LSAT Workout

3) Prepcourses? None

4) How long did you study for, under what conditions? 3 months, but not too much in the last month because of work. 6-8 hours per week, a little less the month before the test. I try to study in quiet areas and always in timed conditions.

5) How many preptests? 18

6) What would I change? I would travel in a time machine and beat my undergrad self for shackling me to a 2.94 GPA.

7) Comments? Go through the tests after you are done. Figure out why your right answers are right and wrong answers are wrong. I would do every choice of every LG question to see why they were right or wrong. Practice doing whole tests under timed conditions. Eat well on test morning, drink juice or water (no coffee), and get in a rhythm on tests. I was taking a test every 4 days (spending the 3 days in between to fix whatever section posed the most problem) by the end, so the real one just felt like part of that routine.

HariboYay I've always wanted to post in this thread, and now I can!

1) What score did you get? 180

2) What books did you use? LSAC practice exams (obviously recommended) Kaplan 180 (not recommended) Kaplan Games guide (I used this mostly for distracting myself from doing another set of boring LR/RC questions, because I really like the games. It didn't help me much as I never had problems with games, but their diagramming suggestions for sequencing games are excellent.)

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend? None.

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? I took my first diagnostic in early September, and had a 175. At this point my biggest concern was my score not dropping [from an email]First of all, a caveat: I didn't use Penny Press puzzles to prepare, but rather see a number of similarities between the LG section and some of the PP logic games puzzles. Also, I've always enjoyed the PP games and played them quite a bit at various times in my life (for example, to keep me awake in boring lecture classes.) The specific puzzles I would recommend arethe actual logic games puzzles - very similar to the LG section. I'm trying to find a sample but about to run out of time on the internet cafe... I'll look for it later. As far as chess puzzles and mathematics, I don't think it wouldhurt, but is probably not the most time-effective way of working on things. If you're genuinely interested in chess or math, go for it. Otherwise, I'd not bother.

[from a post]

The biggest difference I made to move from 177 to 180 was how I approached LR problems. I was like you, missing one or two in each section, and there seemed to rhyme or reason to which type I was having trouble with. It was just two hard questions (or sometimes, 1 hard question and 1 easy question that I misread and turned into a hard question.) For these, I would be stuck deciding between two similarly correct answers, and end up guessing.

My turning point was when I realized that I should never, ever guess on an LSAT question. They are designed so that there are 4 wrong answers and 1 right answer - not 1 right answer and 4 almost right answers. If you cannot come up with a reason for every answer choice you cross you, you don't understand the problem. Try going back, looking it over, rethinking it, diagramming it, restating it, whatever will help you (for me, I found rewriting it in simple English helped, removing extraneous words and helping me see the patterns more clearly. I would also spend up to 5 minutes on a single LR question if it took me that long to determine the single correct answer, and not give up when I didn't figure it out immediately. YMMV.)

Anyway switching my attitude was what got me those last 3 points. Promising myself that I wouldn't guess on any more problems, realizing the mistake didn't lie in the test or the questions but with my understanding - it sounds simple and stupid but I saw results immediately. It sounds like this is a problem you're having, so hopefully attacking those LR questions a different way will help you.

Also, just to add my own experience to what other people are saying - I did zero 5 section practice tests before the LSAT, and I also tended to split the sections up and work on them individually. I wasn't strict about timing, for the most part, but I do admit to using the dull pencils trick - it's so much more satisfying to fill in the circle that way!

Framboise1) What score did you get? 180 (Sept 07)

2) What books did you use? LSAC practice exams (the single most useful study aid out there) Kaplan 180 (highly recommended) Princeton Review (not at all recommended - read about 10 pages, realized it was a waste of time and never looked at it again)

3) What prep courses did you take (if any)? Full length, weekend? None

4) How long did you study for, and under what conditions? I took a diagnostic test at the beginning of July and scored a 168. Then I didn't study for the next 2 months. I began studying in the beginning of September. I spent about 4-6 hours a day studying Mon-Fri for three weeks. (I go to a semester school, so classes hadn't started yet and I was done with my summer job.) On weekends, I either rested or spent at most 2 hours studying. The week before the test, I took two 2 practice tests, but other than that, tried not to think about the LSAT at all. Taking this break helped me significantly reduce my stress level.

5) How many preptests did you do? Between 10-12. I tried to take all of my preptests under conditions as close to those of the actual test as possible. Always doing all the sections in one sitting, timing myself with a non-digital watch, etc.

6) What would you change if you were to do it again? I would not spend 2 months of the summer worrying about not having started to study yet. Either start studying early or accept the fact that you're prone to procrastination and won't start studying until the last possible minute.

7) Any other misc comments/suggestions. Make sure you know about all of the weird LSAT regulations, e.g. no cell phones, no digital watches, no pens, no hoods, etc. etc. And put together your clear plastic bag two or three days before the test, so you're not worrying about what you need to have with you the night before or the morning of.

If there are many test centers in your area, ask people who've already taken the test about the conditions at the various centers. My test center had great conditions - lots of table room, comfortable chairs. But I've heard horror stories from people who went to other centers in my area.

JDeweyThought I would give my bit of advice. I took a more holistic than most people I think.

Here are my top three bits of advice.

1) Read all different kinds of information. I would read The Economist, The Smithsonian, and Scientific American, daily. I think this is what helped the most, and reading should be a top priority. You can re-wire the neurons in your brain to better handle written words if you read all the time. Most people's brains are probably set in "T.V. Mode" and unfortunately there is no video section on the LSAT. Turn off the television, start reading dense material, this will help you across the board not just on the reading comprehension section.

2) Pick up a good book on INFORMAL logic. I hear people saying that formal logic important, believe me, for this test INFORMAL logic is actually what you want to study. I think people are confusing the two. I am particularly fond of "Informal Logic: A handbook for critical argument" by Douglas N. Walton.

3) When you are studying, figure out why each answer choice was wrong, as well as why the correct one was in fact correct. This is kind of common sense but the tediousness of doing this causes it to be often ignored.

Cheers

Unstoppable1. 180

2. No books, except for those from the LSAC containing just prep tests.

3. None.

4. I began studying in August and took the test in December. I did not work or go to school during this time, and I had to move home with my parents to allow that. For some, that might not be possible, and for many more, it would be undesireable. For the latter among you, I suggest you take the time to assess what is really important: a test that can and will contribute significantly to determining the career opportunities you will have for the rest of your life, or your personal lifestyle for the next few months? If you lean towards the latter, I suggest you re-evaluate your commitment to law school to begin with...

My preparation consisted almost entirely of prep tests, mostly under very strict conditions. Because four sections does not really prepare you for the six you will face on test day, I usually did them in pairs: four sections (a full prep test), then a 15 minute break, then four sections (another full prep test). This is more extreme than the actual test, so if you can master that level of endurance, then the actual thing will be a piece of cake. I also used the same equipment I would be using on test day, down to the same pencils, sharpener, watch, et cetera. This is important because you do not want anything to be different on test day so that it might throw you off. Some people advise taking prep tests in a public area where there are other people around such as a library. This may be a good idea if you are prone to being distracted by that sort of thing, but I just took my tests at my desk at home and did not find the change in environment at all distracting on test day.

The other important thing, and this is echoed in the posts of a few other top-scorers, is you don't just take the prep tests, but you have to review them thoroughly. I would say that I spent about twice as much time reviewing each test as I did taking them. Any question I got wrong would get exhaustive attention in this review; I would analyze exactly how I approached the question, why that approach failed, and what approach would have allowed me to select the credited response. I would similarly pay great attention to each question that I had marked as 'unsure' during the test. It is important to see how you got it right, and how you avoided getting it wrong (perhaps narrowly) rather than just be content that you got the correct answer. That said, there may be questions for which the answer does not seem as cut-and-dried, even after extensive consideration, as perhaps it ought to be. Do not dwell extensively on these; whether the problem lies in you or in the test (neither is perfect, I assure you), there should not be so many of these as to seriously affect your score on test day. In fact, I would say I only encountered a question which I could not reconcile about once every four prep tests. If it is happening a lot more frequently for you, then you may be missing some important rule or concept which is essential to understanding those questions. Try to look at them as a group and see if they have common elements, and perhaps discuss them on a forum like this one where other people may be able to illuminate the issue that is causing you problems.

5. In the end, I did between 30 and 40 prep tests. If you are going to leave some out, then leave out the older ones, since it tends to be the case that the more recent the test, the more relevant it is to the one you will have on test day.

6. I would have investigated my test center a little more thoroughly. As it turned out, my center was fine (except for the fact that they did not get started remotely on time,) but it was one area that could have caused trouble and I essentially just "lucked out" in that regard. Other than that, as I am completely satisfied with the outcome, I would not change anything.

7. I was worried about taking the test in the morning, especially with a 1 hour plus drive to the test center, so I switched to a sleeping schedule whereby I would sleep from about 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. about two weeks before the test. This allowed me to take the test in "my afternoon," and worked quite well as I never felt remotely tired or unfocused during the test. However, I don't suggest doing this unless you know how your body will react. That said, if you are really not a morning person it is something to consider, though I'd suggest that you start experimenting with adjusting your circadian rythm months ahead of time to get a feel for what you can expect.Shadyb[from a post]

Endurance is really important - I took two practice tests on many days leading up to the exam so that I wouldn't get that tired burned out feeling at the exam.

I didn't run out of materials though, so I'm not sure what to tell you about that.

When you say you ran out, do you mean just of PTs? Because reading and working through some prep books might be helpful - you might find the strategy that *clicks* and will gain you some points. My first diagnostic was a 160 until I worked through a prep book and learned the strategies. Then try using them on the PTs; and as others have said, make sure you understand why every wrong answer was wrong. If it's a LG, do it over from scratch to drive the lesson home.

Since you've been studying so much, you've probably already done all this stuff, sorry![from another post]

Re Endurance, I would recommend taking 2 4-section tests in a day several times before the real thing. One in the morning, break for lunch, then another full one. When your afternoon score is as good as your morning score, you have enough endurance. The real exam is more tiring because you care so much about doing well, and you want to feel as fresh on the last section as on the first.

[from another post]

go through a different brand of prep book. Do all the exercises. You might find a different strategy that works well for you. Also, you need to take a lot of timed tests, as time is the biggest challenge. Your timing will improve if you do. Don't worry that your first full length test wasn't as good as you wanted it to be. You need to build up your stamina and speed. Some days I took two full length tests - it was horrible, but helped with my stamina. Good luck!

[from a PM]

I only studied for a month (because I decided late to apply to law school, 2008 cycle in Canada - I went there for a year then came to HLS as a first year...it's a bit odd). I wasn't in school or doing anything, so I studied 6-7 hours a day. On my first diagnostic which I did without any studying and untimed, I got a 160. I then carefully worked through the Master the LSAT book - I read it cover to cover, doing every exercise and every section, timed as recommended. I found that the strategies really worked for me (especially for LG) and that learning the tricks was amazingly helpful. I did pretty well on RC from the start, but it was the section I had the hardest time improving on.

After that, I started doing timed practice tests. I went over them and studied every question I got wrong. After I had worked through the book, my scores jumped to the 170s - I didn't get below a 170 after completing it. By doing practice tests I gained exposure to the different types of games and LR questions, as I'm sure you have. I already mentioned what I did to build endurance.

Honestly, I really don't have a magic bullet...I took a couple of days off before the exam because I was getting so sick of it. I just did a few sections of RC, which I was having some trouble with (at that point I was hardly ever getting any wrong in LG or LR because they are essentially formulaic). I will note that I never got a 180 on a practice test - I scored consistently in the high 170s.

I don't get nervous for exams, so I just focused on test day and did my best. I felt like a had a bad section (must have been the experimental one!) but put it out of my mind and focused on what I was doing. I had no trouble with time because of doing so many timed practice exams, and didn't get a headache or get worn out.

I feel like that was a big lot of useless drivel, sorry!!! Feel free to ask more specific questions if you want, about the LSAT or HLS.

A 180 vs. high 170s really comes down to luck, so good luck!!!

[another PM]

I think working through another strategy book will really help you. I found that the strategies in Master the LSAT worked great for LG and LR - they were quick and very accurate.

I took 2 practice tests a day for a couple of weeks - most days but not every day.

[another PM]

When I was working through Master the LSAT, it was my first look at the test, so I usually got a few of the test problems wrong. I tried to figure out why, and what type of question it was. Usually I could see my mistake from the answer explanations, but sometimes I also went back and looked at the section addressing that type of question and figured out where I had deviated from their strategy. I did read every answer in LR, but not carefully. Whether you should or not probably depends on whether you have time. I just couldn't get my head around not reading some of the answers, it felt like walking into a trap.

dannyI scored a 178 on the September 2009 LSAT and hopefully have a few helpful suggestions on how to score well.

The books I used were all the available past tests which I think are the best resources and probably all that most people need as far as materials go.

[Redacted.]

I also recommend taking a practice test every week. I took a practice test every Saturday at 8:00 am which prepared me for the real thing and took away a lot of the anxiety on the day of the actual test.

During the week, I studied by drilling particular question types and game types, as well as practicing whole sections, but saved the practice tests for the weekend.

I hope this helps, and good luck on the LSAT.

WoozyI will record what I did here in the hopes that it may help some, but I would like to preface this by saying my study plan would have been insufficient for the majority of takers. I had a great advantage in that my initial diagnostic (after looking at the LG section of a prep book for 1-2 hrs) was already >170.

1) 180

2) A friend had taken the Testmasters course and I had access to the complete set of their books, which contain all LSAT questions from mid 90s to about 2005 or so, organized by question type.

3) None

4) I studied for 2-3 months, about 5-10 hours per week. I was also working full time.

5) 5-7 PTs, 2 of those were crappy fake tests. Use only real LSATs! The fake tests made by test prep companies do more harm than good.

6) Take more PTs. I made a mistake in having too few PTs to work with. Also, I should have been taking 5 section PTs.

7) I have a few thoughts about test taking and test prep. Many are not new, some are:

A) Try to be in decent physical shape. Sound body, sound mind. Don't go crazy, but at a minimum do 30 min of physical activity a few times per week.B) Take PTs honestly. Time strictly, use bubble sheets, etc. If you are dishonest here you only hurt yourself.C) Think efficiency and speed. Every second needs to be spent productively. Try to move as quickly as you can from question to question and from answer sheet to test booklet. It sounds simple and obvious, but it is not so easy in practice to identify every wasted second. A few examples of things I did:i) Practice turning pages and beginning immediately. Attack the questions. Feel a sense of urgency during practice and the test. In LG practice setting games up as quickly as possible; often you can just skim the opening paragraph. You should be able to immediately identify what type of setup to use.ii) Late in practice when you have internalized your sense of timing, stop looking at a watch. Every second spent looking at a watch is a second not spent on the LSAT.iii) Use dull pencils - they fill an oval quicker.D) Practice is the time to develop your focus! When you go through problems, try to move with a sense of urgency and do not let your mind wander. Whether you are doing practice tests or just random problems, if at any time you find yourself thinking about anything other than the problem in front of you, give yourself a mental slap and bring your focus back to the test. If you are constantly thinking about random crap during practice you will be thinking about random crap during the test. If you learn to do this properly you will be less stressed during the test because you will not be worried about failure, nerves, stress, etc. since you will not be able to think about anything other than the problem in front of you. I was very stressed out/nervous during the 12 hours leading up to the test, but once the proctor said "begin" the LSAT was the only thing going through my mind.E) Be flexible in your thinking. I have been tutoring a friend and he gets many wrong because he fights the test, often deciding he likes some answer more than another because of something in his head, not on the paper.

Hope this helps someone out there. Best of luck.

[from another post where he copied most of the above information:]

5) Make sure you don't drink too much the morning of the test and bring a snack for the break.

[later post]

The main point of the dull pencil thing is not the few seconds it might shave off in a section but to illustrate the mindset you need to have that every fraction of every second is important, and that during your practice you should try to figure out the mechanics of moving fast, both mentally and physically.

It sounds like you need to set aside some time to do some serious dry runs. There are potential mental fatigue issues with 5 sections done back to back that you need to work out before the test. This is separate from tired/sleepy sort of fatigue, so you can't assume that being awake is enough. If you haven't been doing 3 sections back to back, 15 min break, then 2 more back to back you need to start now.

[later post]

I made absolutely no marks on RC or LR passages. I only cross out answers I think are wrong and circle ones I think are correct - the little letter next to the answer, not the whole thing.

That's not to say you should do the same. I did end up doing plenty of rereading, so I'm open to the possibility that some strategic markers could have helped. Do whatever works for you.

[later post]For all the LSAT discussion around here, I see surprisingly little about mechanics. Stuff like keeping the scantron as close as possible to the booklet, using a dull pencil, flipping pages quickly, not looking at stuff other than the test, etc. never gets discussed. People are rightly concerned with understanding the test, but they should still spend some time thinking about taking the test.

Sure, saving every single second will probably only net a couple of raw points, but why leave them on the table?

[later post]

I started off with a terrible Mcgraw Hill LSAT book where I did a diagnostic and went through their logic games section. It at least taught me the rudiments of game diagramming. After that I got the TM books and immediately recognized that I should dump the stupid book I had and work only with these.

I would have taken more PTs but I didn't have many - I hadn't found this site yet, I didn't even know what was out there. I tried to take one PT per week, but couldn't get enough tests. I managed to get my hands on one from the LSAC website and a couple from my friend near the end, which was a big help. Most of my time in between running out of tests and getting my last few was spent doing games.

Basically, I'd say I spent about 65% of my time doing LGs from the TM books, 10% doing LR from the TM books, and 25% doing PTs. I think it did help to have so many questions organized by type. I did a mix of timed and untimed for the LG and LR, I did only strictly timed PTs. After each PT I would review questions I got wrong and questions I wasn't 100% sure of. Not to toot my own horn, but it was usually not that many so it didn't take much time. I probably spent 10-20 minutes reviewing each PT near the end, maybe 30-45 in the beginning. However, I'm lucky enough to learn very quickly from my mistakes.

I thought about your bubbling strategy but it felt unnatural to me. It is definitely worth exploring, but I think many people dare not try it because they fear running out of time with no answers bubbled. If you are quick and disciplined it may work well for you.[later post]

Anecdotal evidence and polls on this forum indicate more people score below their PT averages than above. While many chalk this up to test day nerves, I have a different view. I noticed during practice that my PT results and those of a friend I PTed with were not normally distributed. Although I did not have too many data points, it seemed that the distribution of our test scores were not symmetrical about the mean, rather they had short tales on the higher end and longer tails on the lower end. The results of the poll above mesh well with this view. For me this realization meant one thing: I had a higher than expected chance of getting a significantly lower score than I wanted. Most of my work in the last month (after I formed this theory) was done with the goal of shortening this long low tail. One conjecture guided me: the long low tail would not exist if the test were untimed.

That's why I'm so big on identifying wasted seconds. It is not enough to get to the point where you usually have enough time to answer the questions, you need to get to the point where you have excess time even in a worst case scenario. If you are essentially taking the test untimed, there is a very low probability that you will score significantly below your PT average.

I'm convinced that a motivated and highly gifted person could get fast enough that he would have a decent shot at a perfect score with 1/2 the time per section, so there is no reason you can't do the same in 30 min, and then use the extra 5 minutes to hopefully move from decent shot to even better shot.

PoorOrpheusDiagnostic: 160September 2009 LSAT: 177

I studied for exactly two months. The first two weeks I went through a few chapters in each PowerScore Bible, but quickly realized my score would improve quicker if I just went through a whole lot of tests. I took nearly 30 in that span of time and went over my wrong answers and questions I got right but had doubts about. My PTs were always timed. I felt burnout coming on, so I only took a section or two each day the week before the actual LSAT. My main points of advice:

1) Set aside 1 or 2 hours every day to study. It doesn't have to be in one chunk but get those hours in. Some people can "cram" for the LSAT, but I think slow and steady works very well.2) Chill out the week before. If you see you've reached a peak and are scoring lower than normal, back off for a few days. You're probably just tired of taking so many PTs.3) Take your PTs timed...4) ...and take many. You want to walk into your testing center feeling like you've done this a million times before...because you have. It's just another test, then. I immediately recognized the experimental on my actual LSAT because it did not have the rhythm I had become accustomed to for that section. That's how attuned you should try to be.

Good luck!

samsonyte16Diagnostic: Low 160's June '09: 176

I began studying in September of '08, took the LSAT in February, was dissatisfied with a 167, began studying again and retook in June. In total, I probably studied for about 7.5 months. I used: the Powerscore Logic Games and Logical Reasoning Bibles, the Powerscore Logic Games supplement, copies of every modern LSAT up through PT56, and the book put out by LSAC that has three LSATs with explanations for every problem (I forget the name now).

In the beginning, my worst section by far was logic games. On my first test I missed twelve on games and around three on each LR and one or two on RC. I spent the first two months of my studying doing nothing but games. I did the harder old games over and over again and eventually got to the point where I could do easy sequencing games in about four minutes. Those two months took my score from the low 160's to the high 160's.

At that point, I began doing full practice tests. I averaged about two tests per week. I took them in fairly strict testing conditions and spent my days off going over the problems I missed and redoing old games. Around January, my LR scores suddenly jumped from around -2 per section to -0/1 per section, and I started averaging in the mid-170s. I'm not entirely sure what happened on the February test as it was undisclosed, but I suspect that nerves (and a cold/flu) got to me and caused me to mess up a game setup. At any rate, I knew right away that I had to do it again.

I stayed away from LSAT for the rest of February and most of March. When it came time to start studying again, I'd already used most of the practice tests so I began redoing the tests and again doing huge sets of games on the off days. The only change I made compared to my pre-February studying was that I began giving myself 34 minutes instead of 35 for each section. Two nights before the June test I took my last new practice test and got a 179.

In my opinion, the most important skill needed for self-studying is the ability to ferret out your own weaknesses. It can be really hard to pick out trends in your own performance and hammer out your weaknesses.

sayandiag: 165sept 09: 176PT average: 175-176

LR: bought kaplan mastery, read powerscore LRB (usually skimming), did kaplan mastery LR questions ONLY by type to master each individually. in actual PTs, I aimed for 10 q's in 10min and hoped for 15 in 15. If I did 15 in 15 I could usually finish in sub-30 minutes.

LG: went to a thread where T14 broke down every logic game by type (similar to powerscore LGB) and photocopied each game 3 times. I stapled all game types together (3 stapled piles of each type) and started with linear basic and moved to grouping/advanced linear. I did each type over a couple of days and after at least 24-48hrs, did the same game types again. I horribly sucked at LG thinking I would never do good but this strategy worked flawlessly. I dominated LGs after a while and it was my easiest section. I only photocopied up until PT 42 or so.

RC: the hardest by far to improve in. I just practiced it as part of my PTs.

overall: I did every single PT from 9 to 57. i gave myself 40 minutes for the first 10 PT. I then went down to 35 for the next 10-15 or so. I then went even further trying to finish in sub-32 (or even sub-30). That was possible for LR and LG but seldom the case for RC which was stubbornly stuck at 33-35 throughout my practice. finally, I took timed tests in noisy cafes and quiet libraries. I did at least 20 PTs in different environments. By PT 35 or so, I began using past PT sections as a 5th section. Usually it was RC because that was the most exhausting section for me. I had a 2nd RC section on the actual test so I think it was a good decision.

The above regimen was done over a 3-3.5 month period with about 1-2hr/day average.

oneforshipFirst Diag (cold): 163Feb '09: 175

I used the Logic Games Bible and the Logic Reasoning Bible. Luckily, time was never an issue for me, so all I really used the LGB for was to get a consistent method of approach, and I was able to whittle that down to a -1/0 consistently, and then -0 consistently the week leading up to the test.

The LRB I had to go through once completely, and then back to sections that were giving me problems. Every LR section that I took and scored, I cut out the questions that I missed from the booklet, erased any marks, and kept them together, and write the test/section I pulled them from. When I had 20-25 of those, I would run through them as a "section" of only questions that had previously given me trouble. Typically, a second glance would yield the correct response, although when I did have a repeat miss, I tried to really dig down and see where I was missing. I think this was key for me to bringing my scores down from -4/-5 to the -1/-2 range consistently.

For RC, I bounced around a bunch of methods before finally just settling on reading and answering, no markups. I didn't really focus on RC until 1.5 weeks out, although I wish I had because I think I could have picked up 2 or 3 more points here if I had tried. It was definitely what held down most of my PTs, I would be cruising in every section and then out of nowhere a -6 or -7 in RC would just really bring down my score. It wasn't until I realized the only way to fix that was to just do every RC section I had until I was consistent in pulling out the answers and anticipating the questions. It didn't really click for me until 2 or 3 days before the test, and I wish I had had more time for these, so definitely don't neglect them.

That said, for self-studiers, knock out the games first, it is by far the easiest section to pick up points in, IMO, and it really is the most learnable.

AlexandriaI spent 7 weeks studying (but very diligently) and ended up with a 177. I'm not really sure what my diagnostic score was, bc the first couple tests I took weren't official ones (got like in the high 150s)... they were from a study guide (Barron's or something) that I eventually started to think was not very good. The first official prep test (free one off the website) I took I got about a 172, but that was a couple weeks into studying, and I'm sure I wouldn't have gotten that score right away.

I definitely liked the Bibles, like most people, especially LGB. For LG, learning to diagram in a consistent way was key to getting fast. I didn't exactly use the LGB's method... I made some adjustments where their method was counterintuitive for me.

LR was never hard for me (the way LSAC words things just made sense to me right away, so I didn't need to categorize questions the way the LRB teaches you, in order to know what they wanted). So the LRB didn't have as much of an impact, but it did help me on the two types of questions that sometimes tripped me up... parallel reasoning and formal logic questions.

For reading, the things that helped me most were the book Kaplan 180 and just taking as many prep tests as possible. I just had to get used to reading the boring passages and figuring out what they meant by the different types of questions (sort of the opposite of my experience with LR... here I really did need to decipher what they wanted from me).

The one thing I would have done differently is to have sprung for tons of recent prep tests, even though they're more expensive than the books of older ones. I got a lot of 180s on the old ones, but they were harder to come by on the recent ones (and I even got a 174 on one of the recent ones, which, frankly after having taken a lot of the old ones and done so well, really freaked me out). The difference was definitely that reading comprehension is harder on the more recent ones, and since that was my weakest section, I could have used more practice on the newer RC sections. (On my actual test, all the questions I missed were RC.)

kajosaCold diagnostic: 147June '09: 175

I studied for three weeks, starting with Princeton Review's Cracking the LSAT. I decided I needed more work on logic games, but I didn't have much time, so I stupidly avoided the LG Bible and chose a less costly LG book from McGraw Hill (I think). Terrible idea--I would never recommend that book. I also took some PTs--maybe 7 or 8 over the three weeks. I did about half of them untimed, just working on fully understanding each question. And of course, I thoroughly reviewed every question I got wrong until I knew why.

Someone else: 147 to 175 in three weeks? Sick! You forgot to mention which steroids you used though.

Ha! What I forgot to mention was how lucky I got. Dinos made LG a big blur of guessing, and a 175 was seriously shocking.

?I scored a 180 on the LSAT, and it was due in large part to advice I found on this site. In this article I hope I can give a little back to the site and help others to reach their goals on the test.

If you are looking to strengthen your law school application, know that huge gains on the LSAT are possible, and that your LSAT score is probably the main determinant of which school youll go to and what kind of financial aid youll get. Some people mistake the LSAT for a test of intelligence, and thus assume that their score wont budge through studying. Never mind that new research suggests that what we understand as intelligence can be improved through study. Some TLS users have reported a score jump of 20 points. Did they suddenly jump from average intelligence to the top 2% of college graduates?

I took a diagnostic a while back and I was pleased to see a 168. I thought, All right! Ill study for a couple weeks and take a couple preptests to raise that to 170+, and Ill be set! Fortunately, I fell short of my goal, because I was forced to realize how nave Id been and also how much more I could improve if I worked at it. I came back later after a solid three months of filling my head with nothing but flaws in reasoning, the status of women in medieval English law, and Abdul, Becky, Charm, Don Juan, Eiji, and Francines seating arrangements. The effort paid off.

In TLSs LSAT preparation forum you will find a wide variety of opinions about the best study methods. Some posters insist that LSAT courses from the major test prep companies are worthless, and others say that they really do help. At the very least, I can tell you that they are not necessary to score at the highest level on the test, because I never took one. In my personal opinion, they may be a bad idea depending on how high you hope to score. My own improvements on the test came from finding what worked best for me, rather than following a method devised to work for thousands of students.

Much of what you need to know can be distilled to this:-Though exceptional, plenty of TLS users raised their score by as many as 20 points over their initial diagnostic.-This generally involves at least three months of hardcore study.-To do the same, you want to take at least 30 official PrepTests timed properly and with a bubble sheet.-You must thoroughly review your mistakes.-Help your brain switch to text processing mode by reading in your free time.-Find methods of attack that work best for you.

Create a Study Plan

TLS poster pithypike wrote up a very detailed post outlining a plan to assault the LSAT with special attention paid to the Logic Games (LG) section. You should consider following it because many TLS users swear by it. At the very least, you should create a similar study plan and stick to it.

Look to do at least 30 official PrepTests over at least three months. Some people do more PrepTests over a longer period of time, but I would say 30 tests and three months are the minimums. Each week I would do a full length PrepTest on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. After about three weeks, I started doing four games sections that I'd seen before on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

When deciding which PrepTests to use, the more recent they are, the better. At some point around June 2001, LSAC stopped writing the test themselves and handed the job over to ACT, Inc. Many people believe that the test has gone through subtle but significant changes as a result. Not everyone agrees on what the effects of these changes are. Since most people go through the tests in chronological order, I think there is some bias toward thinking the new tests are easier, when in fact the person preparing is becoming more skilled. Nevertheless, I found the Logical Reasoning and Logic Games sections to be easier on the newer tests, which Reading Comprehension probably became more difficult.

If youre on a budget, the earlier books of 10 PrepTests will be very attractive, but you should also purchase a healthy number of the later tests. You might think that theyre overpriced, but they may literally be worth their weight in gold if you get into the school of your dreams or if youre offered a full scholarship because of your LSAT score. I strongly recommend using newer PrepTests close to gameday so that you are accustomed to them.

Its easy to lose time or points because of errors on the bubble sheet. Practice with one! It took a long time before I found a bubbling strategy that worked best for me in each section. I settled on page by page in LR and LG, and question by question in RC. Youll need to find what works best for you. Bubbling takes time out of your 35 minutes per section, so you should practice with a bubble sheet if only for that reason. If you get to the point where you can finish sections with time to spare, quickly checking your bubbling is an excellent idea.

In the next three sections Ill tell you a little about what worked for me. What worked for me may not necessarily work for you, but this should give you an idea of the kinds of things you need to be thinking about when youre reviewing your finished PrepTests. My advice may also be old news for you, but this is what I felt would have been very beneficial to know. If you havent done a PrepTest or two yet, you can stop reading here and come back when youve seen the test.

Specific advice for Logic Games (LG)

If youre like most people, LG will be the most foreign section type for you. The good news is that a decent number of TLS users eventually manage achieve consistently perfect scores in this section. As with most everything in life (and other LSAT sections), repetition is the key to improving in LG.

Most people will probably want some system to give their thinking structure. Games were certainly my weakness and it took forever for me to get them down. I originally looked at one of the Kaplan books, but eventually settled on the Powerscore Games Bible. Its not important to follow a system religiously, even if it calls itself the Bible.

Although, repetition will do a lot of the work for you if you let it, you also need to think of general strategies to improve. The broad instructions in the Games Bible should work for everyone. Start by diagramming the game and fixing its rules and variables in your mind for a couple minutes. Then attack the questions. How you do this is, in the end, up to you. As you gain more experience in games, youll find the wisdom in your books system, but also what you can throw out or adapt. For instance, for the sake of clarity, a system may suggest you represent a rule like this:M ND/A A/D

I found this to be too complicated both to write and read. It was easier for me to write it this way:M NDA DA

Find what works best for you!

For a long time, I was spending too much time writing out useless information that wasn't necessary to answer the questions. Make sure you read and understand the entire question before you begin working on it. Lets look at a linear game to illustrate this. Linear games often have you placing people in order from 1 to 7, or factory visits in chronological order on a schedule. Heres a simple one:

A, B, C, D, E, F, and G must be inspected once each, once per day on consecutive days of a week.E will be inspected directly before F. [EF]B will be inspected before C. B EM , EN -> CN)If the Greek rides in the Nissan, Ziggy rides in the Mercedes. ( GN -> ZM, ZN -> GM )

We can start diagramming, but the only rule that always appears is D -> A.

ABCDEFGZM ND/A A/D____ ________ ________ ____

Should our setup phase end there? I dont think so, because we have almost no useful information to use for the questions. The rules are probably not fixed in our minds at this point either. Take a minute or two to explore the effects of the other rules through a hypothetical or two.

If CM, then, EM. Remember to cross of the letters as you place them in your hypothetical.

ABCDEFGZM ND/A A/DC ____E ________ ____

Only one space remains in the Mercedes. Z and G cant ride together in the Nissan, so one of them occupies the remaining space in the Mercedes, and the other rides in the Nissan. Our random variables B and F have no choice but to ride in the Nissan.

ABCDEFGZM ND/A A/DC G/ZE BZ/G FWeve filled in every square! This information should prove very useful. (If you want to write it like I would, it looks something like this:M NDA DAC ZGE BZG FDiagramming this way only works if its clear in your mind that each spot can only be taken up by one letter. If you find this style confusing, then dont do it. It helped me, but you should find what works best for you.)

Grouping games are often light on rules and heavy on the implications of those rules. During your setup time in a grouping game, it can be very beneficial to work out some of those implications. It will save time if a question asks, for instance, If Cedric rides in the Mercedes, where does Frank ride? Also importantly, doing this will help you keep the rules in your mind.

I have sloppy writing. Writing out your diagram sloppily will continue to hurt you throughout the entire game. After much pain and confusion on the PrepTests, I eventually discovered that my main diagram needed to be organized.

Review your mistakes and identify pitfalls to avoid. Write down those conclusions and review them prior to your next tests.

Specific advice for Logical Reasoning (LR)

Improvement in LR kind of took care of itself just by virtue of the fact that I did 35 PrepTests and thus 70 unique LR sections. If you do a similar number of PrepTests while reviewing and learning from your mistakes, you should make some nice gains.

My strategy for improvement on this section was to do the first 10 problems in 10 minutes. I struggled with that for a little while, but it gradually became second nature. Then I moved on to doing the first 15 in 15 minutes. By the end of my three month plan, I could do 20 in 20 and even 25 in 25 if I was lucky. You should definitely try to save time on the earlier questions since they tend to be much easier than the later ones. The early questions can still throw you a curveball, however, so be careful.

Dont be afraid to skip around, but make sure you do it intelligently. I would draw a big box around the questions where I wasn't confident in my answer. I drew the box with a light line if it was a small doubt, and a dark line if it was a big doubt. I would circle questions that I didn't answer. In general I circled parallel reasoning without even looking at them because theyre best to answer last, in my opinion.

When Id finished the last question in the section, I would go back and answer the circled questions, then look at the dark box questions until satisfied, then the light box ones. Doing this will make sure you dont get bogged down during the section. You need to avoid spending 3 minutes agonizing over a difficult question and then losing your opportunity to answer the easier ones.

Wrong answer choices on the LR section very often contain language that is too broad or (less often) too narrow. Very commonly, if I was trying to decide between two answer choices, I could remind myself to check the scope and immediately eliminate one.

10. A greater proportion of high school students these days are lazy compared with earlier generations. Industriousness is both necessary and sufficient for academic success, and lazy students are never industrious.

Which of the following can be properly concluded, assuming the statements above are true:(A) Blah blah blah(B) Yada yada yada(C) A greater proportion of high school students these days will find it impossible to succeed academically.(D) A smaller proportion of students are industrious these days than in earlier generations.(E) More high school students these days will not succeed in life.

Since this is question number 10 its still relatively easy, so we were able to quickly narrow the choices down to two. Yet, because its question 10, and were trying to finish the first ten in ten minutes, were moving quickly and may miss a key word or two. At first glance, D may actually appear more correct than C because its language isnt as strong and it requires fewer logical steps, but I hope you noticed that D is talking about all students. C correctly limits itself to high school students.

Normally, noticing this would be enough to eliminate D, but if you want to think further, realize that there might be more industrious elementary and junior high students than in previous generations. If this was the case, it might outweigh the increase in lazy high schoolers. The moral is, pay very close attention to language indicating scope.

I do think its a good idea to prephrase the answers on LR questions. Prephrasing is guessing the answer before youve even seen the answer choices. This can be a great way to save time, especially on the earlier, easier questions. Still, even if you think of a perfect prephrased answer, you should be prepared to throw it away. Here is an example:

16. The only reason Dons wife would leave him is her learning his secret identity, but she will definitely leave him if she learns it. Don values protecting his secret identity above all else, and he would never intentionally reveal it to her. Therefore, his wife will not leave him.

(At this point, perhaps youre thinking to yourself, What if she discovers it on her own? Youre ready to look for that answer among the choices.)

This argument is vulnerable to the criticism that it assumes:(A) Don will not tell his wife his secret(B) Don is a good husband and provider(C) His wife can find his secret on her own(D) Don will not accidentally reveal his secret(E) Don will not act in a suspicious manner

Excellent! Our prephrased answer was among the answer choices. Lets select C and move on This is the danger of prephrasing. If we find an obvious prephrased answer, we might pay less attention to the question stem, and also ignore the correct answer. C is actually the opposite of what wed hope to find. The argument assumes Dons wife CANNOT find his secret on her own. LR questions will often try to fool you like this.

Prephrasing is useful because, if youd prephrased D instead, youd have saved time and the question would have seemed extremely easy. Someone with D in mind might be able to look at C and quickly see that its incorrect. Prephrasing is very powerful, but you still need to be cautious when doing it.

Review your mistakes and identify pitfalls to avoid. Write down those conclusions somewhere and review them prior to your next test.

Specific advice for Reading Comprehension (RC)

RC will ask you the same types of things about the passages each time. Youll need to know the main point, the authors attitude, statements the author would agree with, understanding a metaphor the author used, and so on. These questions will come up again and again so experience will help you find what to look for in the passage while youre reading it.

What helped me was realizing that all the answers should match each other. I refer to this as the puzzle theory of RC. If you feel confident in your "main point" answer, you can use it to answer other questions that give you difficulty. It works the other way around too. Maybe the main point is tough but you are confident in some others about "the purpose of the passage" or "author would agree with." Consider this example:

4. The author would be most likely to agree that Billy Mumphreys downfall was primarily caused by:(A) love(B) deception(C) his support of the conservative party(D) his abandonment by key political allies(E) his unbridled enthusiasm

You very confidently select E. Then later, you encounter this question that you find much more difficult to answer.

7. Which of the following most accurately restates the authors conclusion:(A) The main characters politics were more important than his attitude(B) The main characters politics and attitude were equally important(C) The main characters politics were less important than his attitude(D) The main characters politics and attitude were equally unimportant(E) The dirty game of world diplomacy and international intrigue is unwinnable regardless of politics or attitude

You know the main character refers to Billy Mumphrey, and that this phrasing is simply meant to confuse you. You remember an earlier question where you had to decide between politics and attitude. You look back at number 4 see that unbridled enthusiasm had definitely been the cause of Billy Mumphreys downfall, and this helps you to be reasonably confident in selecting C.

I often lost points on RC in PrepTests because of boredom. You'll be ruined if you get bored. You'll also be ruined if you try to speed up, because if you feel like youre reading very quickly, youre probably missing important information. If I get interested in the passage and read to understand everything in it at my own pace, I can do well on it. This may vary from person to person though.

The TLS LSAT forum is quick to recommend The Economist for reading comprehension skills. This likely stems from the perception that The Economist is written using more difficult language than many other magazines. I dont think any one magazine or book will prepare you for the reading comprehension section. Its a good idea to read a variety of magazines like The Economist, Scientific American, Foreign Policy, The New Yorker, and others that seem like graduate degree holders subscribe to.

The RC section can cover, in any one test, topics as disparate as a 1950s German poetry movement, the evolution of birds in a small corner of the Amazon, womens landholding rights in the Magna Carta, and the origins of Law & Wine Tasting as an academic field. Chances are youll find at least one of those hard to get through due to boredom, convoluted language, or unfamiliarity with the topic. Reading more in your spare time can only help. This may also have some benefit for unfamiliar topics in the LR section.

Review your mistakes and identify pitfalls to avoid . Write down those conclusions somewhere and review them prior to your next test.

More on that underlined advice

This may be the most important advice I have to offer. Doing a lot of PrepTests is an obvious method to prepare, but many people fail to review them sufficiently. I was guilty of it as well. When I sat down and thought a little more deeply about some of my mistakes in LG, for instance, I was able to identify some serious flaws in my method of attack. Here are the notes I wrote to myself over the course of those three months:

-Never take ANY section for granted-Always make sure the answer choice fits PERFECTLY-Be interested in every passage, game, and question-Don't skip around on games questions if you want a -0Instead, make a full hypothetical if stumped-Read everything slowly enough that you don't miss anything-5 question passages and games aren't any easier-Grouping games, track categories on diagramWrite out letters for each problem, cross off placed ones-One answer is 100% correct, others are 100% wrong.If you can't see them that way, you're overlooking something.Reread a tough problem critically if there's time. Don't rely on your memory.-Wrong answers (esp. assumption) are often too broad. Watch scope-GUESS INTELLIGENTLY - Letter used least within the section-Explaining a discrepancy between two groups should show how something affects the two groups differently-PAY ATTENTION WHEN BUBBLING! DON'T RUSH IT! BE CAREFUL!

I looked at this before I did each of my PrepTests. I also printed it out and brought it with me for test day. You might find it helpful. I definitely recommend starting with a blank page (or text file on your computer) and writing your own instructions to yourself.

Less obvious ways to prepare

Its common sense that you would study the LSAT itself in order to prepare, but you may be able to improve your score before youve even seen the test, or when youre trying to relax after a PrepTest.

Many people say that studying philosophy is good preparation for the LSAT. Thats probably true. A well rounded college education will prepare you for the reading comprehension section, at the very least. Ive studied a bit of computer science, and I felt that was very relevant. Several of my classes were devoted to manipulating logical expressions and games, and I have no doubt that this helped me.

The classes I felt were most helpful were Discrete Mathematics (read: formal logic), Computer Architecture, Theory of Computation, and Logic Design. This list is by no means exhaustive. All of these were in the engineering department. Even within it, some were notorious for their difficulty. As such, I wouldnt recommend taking these classes solely to improve your LSAT ability, because they may well drag your GPA down. On the other hand, if theyre already required or optional for your major, dont blow them off if youre entertaining the thought of law school.

In terms of your attitude, you need balance when approaching the LSAT. You won't do well if you're intimidated by the test, a section type, or question type. At the same time, you won't do well if you start to get cocky and think that the test, a section type, or question type are easy. Each and every question needs to be treated as a bomb squad member would treat a live explosive. Whether it's a hand grenade (LR question #1) or a nuclear bomb (LR question #19 parallel reasoning), they can both blow up and kill you if you're not careful. I found that I would miss questions if I fell into either extreme. Through practice you should be able to get yourself into the correct mindset.

Some people recommend studying in a place with other people such as a library. Its definitely wise to practice somewhere with some background noise. It was inconvenient for me to go to the library, but I did practice with the window open along a noisy street. One aspect of the test you cant control is the noise and distractions in the room, so you might as well be prepared for that.

Most administrations of the test will begin early in the morning. If youre a night owl like me, then you should train yourself to be up and functioning at this time of day prior to the test. Start waking up early and do a PrepTest properly timed.

A psychology PhD may disagree, but its my understanding that it can be beneficial to study before going to sleep. If you can study before bed, I read (in Scientific American!) that your brain will reprocess and digest the information while youre asleep. I didnt do this, but I tried to take advantage of it the night before gameday by doing problems from each section before hitting the hay. If you start having nightmares about logic games then I would advise you to study earlier in the day.

Some people also find doing a warm up to be helpful. On test day I woke up bright and early and did about 8.5 minutes of fresh, never-before-seen problems from each section type. That meant 1 game, 1 reading passage, and every fourth LR question in a section. You can do this pretty quickly and it should help your brain switch into LSAT mode.

It goes without saying, but you need to take care of your physical well-being. Get plenty of sleep. I started going to the gym while I was studying and I honestly think it helped. Exercise is supposed to be good for your brain. If you normally eat nothing but junk food and drink soda by the case, consider investing in some healthier fuel for yourself.

Retaking

LSAC keeps track of retakers and reports that most people only improve by a few points at best. They also show that the higher your original score, the more likely you become to go down upon a retake. This means you need to be cautious when approaching a retake. If you prepare for 3 months as best you can, take the test, and score at your practice average, you should probably call it quits. Yet, if you score above 175 very consistently, and then are shocked to find a 174 on your results page, then it may actually be wise to retake even with such a high score.

If you dont improve upon a retake, then youve shot yourself in the foot. On the other hand, if you can improve by even one point, then youve helped your application considerably. Admissions personnel expect you to improve simply through familiarity with the test, but since your highest score is the one that becomes part of the schools statistics, the candidate with a 165 and a 166 will probably fare better than the candidate with a 165, all else being equal. I recommend reading TLSs interviews with admissions deans for more perspective on how they view retaking.

Its incredibly important that you use your months of practice to establish what your real ability is on the test. If youre paying attention, you should learn your strengths, weaknesses, and strategies to score higher. You will also learn what score you can expect when you take the real thing. Using this knowledge, you can evaluate why you didnt score as well as you expected. Was the test center noisy? Did you cut yourself some slack on practice tests without necessarily realizing it? (For instance, some people take long breaks between sections, dont use a bubble sheet, fudge the section timing, or never practice with an experimental section.) Perhaps most importantly, did you put in as much practice as you should have?

Depending on the answers to questions like these, you can decide if and when you should retake and what you can do to ensure you do better next time. I was unlucky is not the right answer, because it excuses you from taking any corrective action.

Cancelling

Some proctors and testing centers can be truly atrocious. Your proctor may call time five minutes early, or chat on the phone with a microphone left on, or some other nonsense. You might also have some unimaginable personal problem. Having been kept awake with anticipation, maybe you slept through your alarm and showed up late. One TLS user claimed to have drunk two gallons of water the night before the test and severely disrupted his bowels. In these cases, the option to cancel your score may be attractive.

The decision whether to cancel or not cancel is an exercise of your judgment, and admissions staff are well aware of this. Thanks in part to US News, they have a strong incentive to look only at your highest score. Still, I think its only natural to view Candidate A with a 155 and a 170 in a different light from Candidate B with a cancel and a 170. When someone reads Candidate As file, theyd have to wonder why he didnt cancel that first score.

The other point to consider is that Candidate A with 155, 170 likely looks better than Candidate C with 155, cancel, 170. Some schools (the top 3, for instance) state outright that they will look at your full testing record. Its your job to make sure it reflects well on you.

If youve prepared properly, I believe youll be able to make the right decision. When I took the LSAT for the second time, an unbelievably loud protest was going on right outside the building, and it definitely affected my concentration. I felt Id performed well and didnt consider cancelling, though I would have had a legitimate reason to.

What they dont tell you

Here youll find little bits and pieces of information that may calm your nerves or give you slightly more knowledge about the test.

I hope that you are familiar with the concept of the experimental section. You may know that its impossible to distinguish which section is experimental while youre taking it. Test prep companies report, however, that the experimental section has always appeared in the first half of the test. This information is not likely to help you much, but it may demystify the test a little. On my second LSAT, RC came first, and in my morning mental fog I felt like I may have gotten a couple questions wrong. I was very relieved when RC came again in the second half of the test.

The LSATs last section is a writing sample. This section is unscored, but you should still try your best on it. Even if it counts for very little (or nothing) in your application package, admissions staff do have access to it and reserve the right to waitlist or reject you if you dont take it seriously. Since its at the end of the test, spending your remaining energy here cannot adversely affect your score, so give it an honest go. That being said, very few people practice for it, and I certainly didnt.

T