A natural and somewhat obvious question arises once scores come out: what's next?The answer to that question largely depends on which of two, or possibly three, categories best describes your situation. Let's examine the scenarios below and discuss what might qualify you for each, and the appropriate actions to take moving forward (one of which inspired my picture choice for this post). 1. Retake The disappointing reality for a lot of people is that the LSAT they just took is not their last LSAT. That's okay. Take it again.The key at this point is that you use the months remaining to … [Read more...]
Crystal Ball Webinar: Predicting the 2018 June and July LSATs
Curious to know why Justify the Conclusion (Sufficient Assumption) questions have taken such a backseat in recent years to LR types like Strengthen and softer Must Be True? Or why there were as many Point At Issue questions on just the last LSAT as there were Main Points in all of 2017?Did you realize that two crucial skills are the basis of 91.6% of all logic games, including those you're certain to see on your test this year? Well we're here to explain. On Tuesday, 5/29, Dave Killoran and I hosted a special, free online webinar where we analyzed recent LSAT trends and made … [Read more...]
The Ideal Way to Take an LSAT Practice Test
At some point in your studies full, timed practice tests will become part of the routine. As such, it’s critical that you understand exactly how to self-administer a sample LSAT. Here I'm going to outline exactly how to craft the perfect practice test experience!What follows is a list of considerations related to practice test-taking. I’ve also included links to resources for each of these points in case you need more information. Consider Your Mindset Like any serious discussion of the LSAT, the most appropriate way to begin is by talking about mentality. We’ve talked at length about … [Read more...]
8 Weeks to the LSAT: What You Need to Know
With about eight weeks until an official LSAT administration, test day is right around the corner. In fact, it'll be here before you know it. Don't panic! I'm not here to freak you out. In fact, I'm here to help.Below you'll find a list of resources, links, and general suggestions, all designed to help you make the most of your final two months, and finish--or, as may be the case, start--strong!First things first, you'll want to make sure you're registered for the exam. Don't delay! Go to LSAC's registration page here and sign up.Now that you're registered, the next seven to … [Read more...]
How Should Freshmen and Sophomores in College Prepare for the LSAT?
There's an adage, a truism in its self-evidence really, that it's never too early to start studying for the LSAT. So compelling and pervasive is this advice that high school seniors often ask how to start their law school journey. Most probably agree with me that it’s a bit premature to start seriously investing energy into hardcore LSAT prep. But, college freshman and sophomores are near enough to test day that it warrants some legitimate consideration.In light of this, here is a comprehensive set of recommendations for those in the early stages of their college careers. This should make … [Read more...]
What 25th and 75th LSAT Score Percentiles Mean for Law School Admissions
With your LSAT score in hand, it's time to consider what that number means for your admissions odds. Everyone knows that an LSAT score is almost universally prized above all other factors. It often counts more towards an acceptance than GPA, letters of rec, personal statement, and resume combined! Often several times more than that collective "other." But exactly what does this number mean to the schools you intend to apply to? Let's investigate. Admissions Chances I should start by noting that I consider this a companion piece to this excellent article. Definitely give it a read! What … [Read more...]
A Comprehensive List of Rarely Tested Logic Games (Outliers and Oddballs)
A tutoring student of mine asked me recently if I could put together a list of Circular, Mapping, and Pattern games that have appeared over the years, hoping to ensure that if the next test continues recent trends of LG weirdness he'll be ready.So while it's always a reasonably safe bet that you won't see any games like the ones noted below, savvy test-takers are ready for any eventuality. To that end, you'd be wise to review a few games from each of the categories here, particularly those from any tests in the 2000s or later.Here's the list: Circular: • PT 1, June 1991 Game 1 • PT … [Read more...]
Logical Reasoning Question Types by Frequency of Appearance
The June LSAT is now 60 days away, and it's inevitable that people will wonder how to best prioritize their study efforts. To aid in that, I've analyzed the past 18 months' worth of released LSATs (back to October 2015) to see exactly what Logical Reasoning concepts the test makers have emphasized, and what they've relegated to a back shelf. After all, if you know the trends on the most recent exams then your own test day holds a lot less mystery.This post is intended as a continuation of a prior frequency breakdown for LR questions from June 2013 through June 2015, the results of which … [Read more...]
Weaken and Strengthen EXCEPT Questions
A student inquired recently about how to best understand the right and wrong answer choices in Weaken EXCEPT and Strengthen EXCEPT questions, and I thought my reply might help others here struggling with the same issue.Here's my explanation:Those EXCEPT questions and their answer choices are often a little confusing for people at first, so I’m glad you took the time to ask and hopefully this will help clear things up. The short answer is that that Weaken EXCEPT question is NOT the same as a Strengthen question, and it’s crucial that you treat them differently! Let me explain why.A … [Read more...]
The LSAT’s Trends: Looking Back to See What’s Ahead
Before the December 2016 LSAT I wrote an article attempting to predict that test's content based on the material presented on the most recent LSATs, and in this post I'm going to examine those results and also make some informed guesses as to what the February 2017 exam may have in store. I'll begin with the same intro that prefaced my previous post: "The LSAT is not a static exam. Rather, it varies slightly from year to year and even from test to test, as LSAC explores the full scope of what's allowable under the rigors of "standardized" testing. And while those metrics are indeed … [Read more...]
Should You Cancel Your LSAT Score?
After the completion of a real LSAT, many test-takers will be asking a very important question. Should I cancel my score? If you find yourself amidst their numbers, don’t worry. You’re definitely not alone. It’s very common for LSAT-takers to second-guess themselves and fret. You may even experience this the moment you leave the testing center! How did you do on the test? What will your score be? Which questions did you get right and wrong? Should you cancel your score? Deciding Whether or Not to Cancel Making the decision to keep or cancel can be very stressful. However, there are several … [Read more...]
Think INSIDE the Box
I came across a quote the other day from the late Christopher Hitchens, and it's both too good, and too applicable to the LSAT, not to share. Hitch opines, "skepticism rather than credulity is the highest principle that the human intellect can use to ennoble our existence." And while I agree wholeheartedly with the great man's intent, for our purposes here I'm reminded of a common concern students face: namely, how do we know what to treat with skepticism, and what to treat with acceptance as we move through the test? More specifically, there's an oft-asked question* that arises among test … [Read more...]
Certainty vs Uncertainty in Logic Games
We focus a tremendous amount of time and attention in our courses and books emphasizing the importance of inference making in Games: determining the truths of the relationships between variable sets. In making inferences, what we’re really focused on is establishing notions of what I’ll refer to here as positive and negative certainty. That is, determining what must occur in an absolute (consistent) sense, and what cannot occur in an absolute sense. So we focus on establishing truths like “X must be selected 4th,” or “X cannot be in Group 3,” and we concern ourselves less with uncertainties … [Read more...]
Approaching Logical Reasoning Sections Strategically
Approaching the LSAT Strategically Series: Part I, Part II, Part III There is a fundamental truth about test takers when it comes to the LSAT: everyone is different. That is, everyone who sits down with this exam will have unique strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and ultimately, ways they can optimize their performance in every section. While that certainly affects how it is that people prepare, I think it also dictates how test takers should behave during the actual test. In this three-part blog series, we will look at each of the section types on the LSAT and consider exactly … [Read more...]