LSAT Prep

[twoprincesses]

This is for all those who are in, have attended, or have family who are in law school... How did you prepare for the LSAT??? When did you take it??? I'll be graduating in May of '07 and it seems like college has slipped through my fingers... in a blink of an eye I'll be finished. In a nutshell, I do not feel confident about the LSAT and am considering extending college for one more year just told hold off on the LSAT.

 

[AllyandJack]

Practice. Buy books and practice the questions. That's really the best you can do. You can obviously spend $1,000 for one of the classes. I didn't and I did fine. I just set aside 2 hours a night to practice the questions in various books I got at Barnes & Noble.

There is no way to teach that crap.

Get the books, do some practice tests and see how you do. If you do OK, then go for the test. You never know until you give it a shot.

I took the LSAT twice....each time was a comedy of errors. I had the flu for one. The second one, the proctor fell.

Bring ear plugs. You WILL sit next to The Pencil Tapper.

 

[Sandy V.]

I took the LSAT back in the Stone Ages (over 20 years ago), and didn't crack a book to prepare for it back then.

I would probably do as AllyandJack recommended - buy a practice book and work on the questions to get a feel for how they're worded, type, etc.

In my opinion, delaying your graduation would have virtually no effect on your LSAT result. The key is to go in there rested and relaxed whenever you take it.

I also agree with the earplugs!!

Best of luck to you in your studies.

 

[mickeyboat]

I did the practice tests and prep books.

Our school offered a prep course, too. It was free and helpful - especially all the practice questions. So check to see if your school offers something like that.

Good Luck!

Denae

 

[dennis99ss]

I took it back in the 80's, so, take it for what it is....

But, i would recommend taking a class. Why are you thinking about saving $1000 when you are going to spend $75,000. The LSAT goes a long, long way on getting into school. Where you get into school goes a long, long way as to where you get a job. Where you get a job goes a long, long way as to what area you practice in, what your goals are, meeting them, etc.

I took a class from a guy at Trinity. I would guess that UH or Rice has a similar course. There is always the national prep courses. But, do your homework on them, and their success rate. If the course has a low success rate, there is a reason for it. The LSAT is not a knowledge based test (At least it wasn't) It was, if I recall, a logic based test. There are different types of questions, and different types of methods which are used to address each question. That is why it is a tool for law school. It tests you using different methods for different issues. It asks you to apply a certain set of logic rules to a set of facts. Not law based, but somewhat similar to the logic problems you find in puzzle books. The course can help you identify the type of problem, and can help you identify the appropriate method to use to address the problem. For me the course worked. It allowed me to pick between schools for the school I wanted to attend, instead of having to settle for one.

Take the test seriously. Go to the classes. Read your own books. Take practice tests under circumstances that are similar to the test. i.e. time segments, etc. Grade them. Do over.
Sleep well the night before

The people I knew who took the test as a whim, or thought they could go in and do well because of their grades, etc. did not do well, either in the test, or in law school.

You will spend 10-12 hours a day studying in law school. May as well start now.

One more thing.....If you are afraid of the LSAT, GOOD. Use that fear to make yourself study. But, if you let the fear of the LSAT stops you from moving forward, you will absolutely die in law school.

Good luck

 

[RadioFanatic]

I didn't study other than the example book they gave us when we signed up to take the LSAT - and i didn't really look at that one much either. I agree with AllyandJack.

But I don't agree with being scared about it. Have confidence in yourself and do the best you can - that's all you can ask of yourself.

good luck!

 

[buddy&wooz]

But, i would recommend taking a class. Why are you thinking about saving $1000 when you are going to spend $75,000.

That's exactly what one of the professors at a school we were visiting with my son said (they were talking about the pre-law program.) He said he recommended that all his students take a prep class to get used to the types of questions and what the test is like, but he also said the college itself doesn't offer a class (like they do for the MCATs) because it's the kind of stuff that just can't be taught.

Good luck!

 

[padams]

Don't extend college for another year just because you are afraid of the LSAT! What will law schools think about your "extension year"?

You obviously survived the SAT or ACT to get into the college. The LSAT isn't that much different, and in fact, is arguably easier because there's no math to learn. Go the Barnes & Noble and buy a couple of practice books. I bought one practice book and did the book that the LSAT testing service sends you when you sign up for the test. If you think it will help your confidence, take one of the prep courses or hire a tutor.

 

[Darth Cupcake]

First of all, I wish you all the best and hope you do well. I agree with previous posters: Take the LSAT very seriously and study. I did not take a prep course but I did study "day and night." I entered the U of IA College of Law in 1995 and quickly found out that I'd have to continue that intensity of study if I wanted to succeed.

I'd go for it and not put off taking the test. With good preparation you will do well --- attack the test with confidence.

 

[twoprincesses]

Don't extend college for another year just because you are afraid of the LSAT! What will law schools think about your "extension year"?

You obviously survived the SAT or ACT to get into the college. The LSAT isn't that much different, and in fact, is arguably easier because there's no math to learn. Go the Barnes & Noble and buy a couple of practice books. I bought one practice book and did the book that the LSAT testing service sends you when you sign up for the test. If you think it will help your confidence, take one of the prep courses or hire a tutor.

Will an extension year look THAT bad??? I have a 3.59 GPA, but I really want a 3.7-3.8...or even better, a 4.0... maybe I do no want a whole year... but what about an extra semester?? The average GPA at the law school I am applying to is 3.55, so I'm really cutting it close. If this last semester before graduation does not go well my GPA will go downhill. Sooooo.... I either need a really good GPA or a really good LSAT score...or both, which would be awesome. The GPA seems easier and less stressful to achieve, rather than a high LSAT score. Someone told me that the LSAT is probably the easiest thing about law school. Is that true?

 

[wide awake]

How do you usually do on standardized tests ? I haven't taken it, but have toyed w/ the idea of going to law school...but from what PPs have said you can't study for it...so sounds like the old SATs, or analytical portion of the GREs...can you take the GRE and see how you do ? If I hired a lawyer I'd want one that could think on their feet, not someone who put tons of time in memorizing stuff...so I hope it isn't like the ACTs or new SATs.

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

I gave up my dream of becoming a lawyer over the LSAT.

I recommend a Kaplan course. They helped my brother raise his score significantly...and he got in without problems.

 

[rigs32]

With Law School admissions these days, extending to try and raise a GPA or put off grad school WILL look bad. Schools prefer to see a year in the real world with real job experience to another year of the same old stuff.

Take a practice exam cold - Kaplan typically offers them on campuses. That way you'll get an idea of where your baseline score is.

 

[chobie]

Take a sample test. If you do especially bad on the analytical reasoning (Games) section, like I did, a prep course can teach you how to do that. Also the prep course will help with nerves and timing. It's worth the money. You only really have one shot at this. You can take the test again but they will average your scores.

 

[skuttle]

I didn't take a prep course. I did like others have said... bought a bunch of books with practice tests and just did those practice tests over and over again, both timed and untimed. My GPA was high so my LSAT score didn't need to be outstanding to get into my school of choice based on the formula they used at the time. I think my LSAT score ended up being about average.

I never found law school to be too bad. Sure, it was a lot more work than college and it took a lot more time and effort, but it wasn't that painful except for the week before finals and then the actual two weeks of finals. The bar...now that's another story...that was REALLY bad!!

 

[twoprincesses]

With Law School admissions these days, extending to try and raise a GPA or put off grad school WILL look bad. Schools prefer to see a year in the real world with real job experience to another year of the same old stuff.

Take a practice exam cold - Kaplan typically offers them on campuses. That way you'll get an idea of where your baseline score is.

Ughhh! That's another downer on my part... I've had zero work experience. I never had to work in high school or college, my parents never wanted me to. So I was pretty much pampered, which I know, isn't the greatest thing for me. I've basically done tons of volunteer work which probably isn't as helpful as real job experience is. Now that law school is in the near future, they do not want me to have a job during that as well. My law school advisor suggested only 15 hrs of work for a full time student who HAD to work. My parents do not think I have to work, so therefore, that's out of the question. Am I doomed?

 

[skuttle]

You should definitely at least try to clerk during the summers during law school. Clerking experience DOES help you find a job after law school. I didn'tn work the first year of law school as it wasn't allowed. After that, I always had a law clerk job at different firms. I had to work. I know some people that didn't have to work, but still did for the experience which does make a difference when you're looking for a job.

Your lack of work experience prior to law school shouldn't matter much. If I didn't have to work during college, I wouldn't have worked! And I know I went to law school with a lot of "pampered" students. I was always jealous!

 

[laura001]

Here in Canada there are a couple of different courses that you can take. My DD is taking her LSAT's in June, with a prep course that starts the beginning of May. She took the least expensive course $1200.00, but there is another one around 1600.00 I believe.

Everyone she has spoken with says that the course is a good idea.

 

[rigs32]

Your lack of work experience will hurt you a lot more when you go for that first job more than admissions.

If you look at the top students at my school, the ones with prior work experience were snapped up by employers very quickly. Others still haven't found anything - even with great grades. You need to use your summers from now on. Even if you have to volunteer - do it. Try local judges, DAs, or public interest offices.

 

[dennis99ss]

This may sound a little harsh, but, do you really want to go to law school. It sounds like you may need a little convincing. Maybe it is just something I am reading into your couple of posts.

A few more thoughts.

Don't work the first year of school. Dedicate yourself to study, study, study. Plan on 10-12 hours a day with the books. There are no shortcuts. You can worry about working after your first year. If you are in the top quarter of your class, get a job. If not, spend more time in the library.

There are so many people going to law school, and so many new lawyers, that the job market is a buyers/employers market. We do not even look at resumes which are lower than the top 25%. We don't have to, and we are small. Plus, the starting wages for firms outside the V&E's are just about the same as what it was 10 years ago, or somewhere between 75-100. If you fall out of the top 25%, you could be looking at the 50k range, if you get something in the private sector, and in the 30's if in the public sector.

Grades are everything in law school.

So, before you jump into it, you need to be sure you want to dedicate yourself to the 3 years, otherwise you may end up disappointed that there is no golden goose at the end of the process.