The University of Southern California's annual Law Fair was held in November, and I was fortunate enough to be in attendance. Over the course of the day, I spoke to dozens of prospective law students about their LSAT plans, several other test prep companies about their various offerings, and, most central to this blog, an incredibly gracious admissions officer from UC Hastings College of Law.*Our conversation was largely free-wheeling and … [Read more...]
Approaching Reading Comprehension 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 … [Read more...]
Conditional Reasoning Practice: Test Your Skills
The other day I came across an apparently famous logic puzzle called The Wason Selection Task. I say "apparently" famous because I for one had never heard of it. But I was instantly struck by the conditional nature of the process in question. If you're reading this I presume you've got some experience with LSAT conditionality. If you'd like more I've included a number of helpful links at the end of this post! Test Your Knowledge Take a look at … [Read more...]
Which LSAT Has the Toughest Curve?
Everyone and their mother takes the test in September. The fall test administrations are so popular that many students are afraid the curve is much tougher as a result. However, you shouldn't worry about a "tougher curve," because it doesn't matter how popular the test is. Let me explain. LSAT Scoring Contrary to popular belief, the LSAT is not graded on a curve! At least, not in the traditional sense of the word. In a typical college or law … [Read more...]
Batman vs. Superman is You vs. LSAC
The title's weird, I know. Let me explain. You may already be familiar with the popular movie, "Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice". It features a showdown between two of DC Comics' most legendary heroes: the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel. The Epic Battle Prior to its release, the barrage of advertising got me thinking about the epic battle of Batman and Superman. Were such a confrontation to take place in real life, who would win? More … [Read more...]
What to Do When You’re Feeling Defeated by LSAT Prep
Our free to use LSAT Discussion Forum is a tremendous resource for any student gearing up to take the LSAT and apply to law school, and while I'm sure the majority of our blog readers frequent the Forum and participate, it's easy for helpful posts there to slip through the cracks. In an effort to help our readers here stay fully informed, we occasionally have highlights of common questions we encounter in the forum. Two things first:Go use … [Read more...]
Attacking Logic Games: Focus on Certainty!
Understanding Global and Local question strategies in Logic Games is difficult. Dave's blog post on the subject got me thinking about recent conversations I've had with students on similar topics, primarily with respect to efficient inference making and question attack. So I'm going to supplement his insights with a few of my own. Positive and Negative Certainty We focus a tremendous amount of time and attention in our courses and books … [Read more...]
The Most Common Logical Reasoning Question Types
If your LSAT is fast approaching, you're inevitably wondering how to best prioritize your study efforts. A good place to start is figuring out which Logical Reasoning question types to focus on. To that end, here's a dissection of released LSATs from June 2013 to June 2015. Let's see exactly what the test makers have emphasized and what they've relegated to a back shelf. After all, if you know what your fellow test takers have faced, your own … [Read more...]
Arguments vs. Facts in Logical Reasoning
Recognizing Argumentation One of the most important tasks facing test takers in the Logical Reasoning section is the ability to accurately identify the presence of argumentation. “Argumentation” can be summed up as an author’s attempt to persuade the reader to believe that the author’s opinion is correct. While that seems simple enough, it’s not always that easy to spot.Argumentation on the LSAT is often in shades of gray as far as degree or … [Read more...]
How to Best Review LSAT Practice Questions
In another post, we outline exactly how to take LSAT practice tests. In this post, I'm going to examine in a bit more detail the process of performance review, specifically how to assess your progress in terms of your initial confidence about the answers you've chosen.The final note in practice test article above describes the importance of closely analyzing your results. "You need to perform a thorough post-test review, analyzing your … [Read more...]
Diagramming on the LSAT Part II – Notation Suggestions
In the first part of this series, I address LSAT diagramming and how to better determine its usefulness for you. Essentially, I suggest that diagramming is an investment of your time and rhythm. In order for that investment to be worthwhile, it needs to pay dividends in terms of two things:Gaining you more time than it took as you continue on. Like a prephrase, where you can more aggressively/efficiently sort through the answers. Leading … [Read more...]
Diagramming on the LSAT Part I: Is It Worth It?
When time is running out, students face a critical dilemma. It's one that I feel is important to briefly address as it is one of the most common elements that students find slows them down: diagramming. Make Sure It's Worth Your Time Here's the thing. Any time you find yourself stopping to make notations, for a passage, game, or stimulus, you're using valuable time. Theoretically, that time may be better spent. Maybe by continuing to … [Read more...]
Time Running Out in LSAT Reading Comprehension
When considering another post on our blog, Mind-Wandering, Mindfulness, and Reading Comprehension, some other RC concerns we hear from students come to mind. How do I approach the final passage when I'm running out of time? What is the best strategy for attacking a passage with only 3-5 minutes remaining in the section?Considering that the typical test taker needs 9-10+ minutes to get through a passage and its questions, this scenario is … [Read more...]
Law School Scholarship Essays: What’s the Right Length?
A student asked me a question recently that I imagine has crossed the minds of many law school applicants before her. Exactly how long should a law school scholarship applicant's essay be? Her concern was that she would overwhelm or even bore the scholarship committee by writing too much. Here is my response: Read the Instructions First, how long your essay should be typically depends on both the topic and the specific instructions. Various … [Read more...]