Getting accepted into their preferred law school is a dream come true for many aspiring lawyers. Many Law School Admission Test (LSAT) takers are able to do this by carefully following a study plan that’s appropriate for their schedule and learning style.
With the way societies are changing all around the world, law schools have made it a point to adjust their student training to fit with the current times. Hence, if you’re planning to take up law anytime soon, it’s important that you choose an LSAT prep course that makes use of the latest available materials.
What Are The Contents of The LSAT?
The LSAT assesses your critical reading abilities and analytical thinking skills, instead of a simple memorized knowledge. These skills are regarded as the bread and butter of a successful law school journey.
For those who need to prepare for the LSAT, here’s what you can expect from the exam:
- Logical Reasoning (2 Parts): 50% of the total score tests your skills in examining and assessing arguments.
- Reading Comprehension: 27% of the total score tests your skills in digesting loaded and unfamiliar texts.
- Logic Games: 23% of the total score tests your analytical reasoning skills by asking you to deduce answers from a single passage.
- Experimental Section: This portion is an unscored wild card. This is simply the test maker’s way of assessing how certain questions will perform should they decide to include it in future tests.
- Writing Sample: Although this is an unscored portion, don’t take this lightly. This can serve as a law school’s deciding factor for choosing you over a candidate with similar abilities.
Studying for the LSAT: How to Pick a Prep Course
Now that you’ve made up your mind and decided that law school is for you, listed below are the 5 factors that can help you pick the best prep course according to your specific study needs.
- Method of Instruction
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to studying for the LSAT. It all depends on what works for you.
Here’s a list of study options that you can check out:
- Self-study: Great for people who are capable of studying various materials on their own.
- Live Classroom: Recommended for people who learn best through in-person lessons and find the venue convenient to go to.
- Live Online: Recommended for people who find it inconvenient to go to the classroom, but would prefer to have the instructor available for questions and feedback.
- Self-paced or On Demand: If you want the quality content of live online courses but cannot make it to the set schedule, the self-paced option is for you. You can access the live lessons’ recordings anytime, anywhere.
- Private Tutor: Best for people who are able to focus more in a one-on-one setting.
Each of these options will have their pros and cons, but as long as you’re able to maximize the pros, it becomes easier to make up for what they lack.
- Availability and Accessibility
If you’ve decided to go for any of the live prep courses, go for the one that fits neatly into your daily schedule and wouldn’t mess up your time for your other responsibilities.
As for the online version, it should be something that you can access via your preferred device—be it a laptop, a tablet, or a mobile phone.
- Price
Enrolling in LSAT prep courses isn’t exactly a cheap expense. While expensive courses are bound to be comprehensive—complete with adequate expert support, sometimes mid-range options can be enough depending on the types of skills that you want to improve on.
- Study Materials
Study materials usually come in both analogue (books) and digital formats (PDFs, online tests, video presentations). Some courses will require you to get books to get the full lecture experience, which can be of great help if you want to broaden your understanding of certain exam portions.
- Practice Tests
The overall test score that test-takers can get ranges from 120 to 180. Many LSAT prep courses are geared towards helping their students get a certain score.
If a particular prep course specializes in your target test score, it may be a good match. However, if you’re aiming for a higher score, you’ll need to look for courses that are specially designed for high achievers.
Conclusion: Great Scores Come from the Best Preparations
The LSAT may be a difficult test, but it’s something that you can pass with flying colors if you adequately prepare for it. By knowing what you want in an LSAT prep course, it becomes easier to limit your choices and prioritize study factors that are of utmost priority to you.
