A few weeks before the LSAT, many people find themselves on a plateau. They just can't seem to improve their scores. People find themselves on plateaus for many different reasons, one of those causes is lack of organization. Over time, when you've done quite a bit of studying for the test, you can start to get lazy with your process. If you're stuck on a plateau, one of the best things you can do is organize your process! This can reduce your … [Read more...]
Using Rankings to Decide Where to Apply to Law School
Rankings are everywhere. Whether it's law school, business school, college, or even high school, chances are there’s someone out there who’s come up with a ranking system. Their sheer ubiquity means that rankings are the one aspect nearly every applicant consults when making application decisions. These numbers certainly have their use, particularly at the start of the selection process when you need solid indicators to help you narrow down your … [Read more...]
Should I Self-Study Before Starting an LSAT Course?
This is a question we frequently encounter on our forum, and with good reason. One of the most important things you can do in law school admissions is to plan ahead. If you signed up for an LSAT prep course that doesn’t begin for a while, you’re probably wondering if you can do anything in the meantime. Of Course! But, before we tell you to spend another couple hundred bucks on study aids, let’s make things clear. Our LSAT courses are designed … [Read more...]
When to Read the Stem in LSAT Logical Reasoning Questions
Among LSAT experts, few issues are more hotly debated than this one: should you read the question stem before or after reading the stimulus in LSAT Logical Reasoning questions? PowerScore's position on this issue has always been clear: read the stem after reading the stimulus. On this issue, we are, shall we say, originalists. We follow the original design of the Logical Reasoning multiple choice question. Deviating from this design is largely a … [Read more...]
Should I Apply to Law School This Year or Wait ’til Next Year?
For many students, these first two months of the year are filled with preparation, questions, and doubts. Chief among them is this: What's better--to apply late in the admissions cycle (i.e., right around now), or to wait and apply right at the beginning of the next one (i.e., in September of this year, thus postponing law school for a year)?Most students asking this question have similar sets of circumstances (they typically revolve around … [Read more...]
What to Avoid the Day Before the LSAT
If your LSAT is swiftly approaching, ideally you're wrapping up your preparations for the test. Regardless of whether you prepared by taking a class or opted for self-study, you already know that this is not the sort of test that you can cram for. This is good news because it means that you shouldn't be planning to spend the day before the test studying! Take the Day Off Although it's understandable that you might want to make use of every hour … [Read more...]
When Should You NOT Contact the Admissions Office?
I recently received a question from one of the students in our law school admissions counseling program: I was checking the status of one of my applications through the status checker that's provided by the school, and I saw that they had put me in the "reviewed, no decision made" category. What can I do to make them speed up the process? Should I send them an email? I don't really have much to update, but I can tell them that I saw the status … [Read more...]
The LSAT Scoring Scale and Your Percentile
Let me preface this post with an explanation of my intent. I think when almost everyone approaches their LSAT administration there are moments when scores occasionally plateau, and performance feels stagnant. As a result, and understandably, motivation can quickly vanish. This is apparent in the mid-ranges as students creep their way through the 140s and 150s, grinding for every point. People starting out and generally scoring lower find that … [Read more...]
What’s the Deal with Addenda?
There is now a PowerScore LSAT PodCast episode that expands on this popular blog post: Episode 78: What's the Deal With Addenda? There are several things that can cause students to freak out when applying to law school. Some students worry about the relative “prestige” of their undergraduate institution and how schools will view that during the admissions process. Some have concerns about their choice of major, letters of recommendation, or … [Read more...]
Writing Your Personal Statement, Part 10, Don’t Be Afraid
Although all components of a law school application are important, the most important one is the personal statement. To that end, this series explains some of the pivotal points you should keep in mind as you prepare to write your law school application personal statement. This is a 10-part series that will help get you from starting to finishing your personal statement. Don't Be Afraid Well, we're at the conclusion of this 10-part series on … [Read more...]
Writing Your Personal Statement, Part 9: Proof
Although all components of a law school application are important, the most important one is the personal statement. To that end, this series explains some of the pivotal points you should keep in mind as you prepare to write your law school application personal statement. This is a 10-part series that will help get you from starting to finishing your personal statement. Proof Once you self-edit and have others read and give feedback on your … [Read more...]
10 Gifts to Get Your Law-Bound Loved One
Everyone loves a good pick-me-up, especially while in the throes of stressful college life and finals. For Law School bound students, the looming inevitability of taking the LSAT is likely heavy on their minds. An occasional reminder that they’ve "got this" is always appreciated! With the right tools and mindset, they’ll crush the LSAT and get into a great Law School.We’ve put together the Ultimate LSAT Care Package List to help you give the … [Read more...]
Writing Your Personal Statement, Part 8: Involve Others
Although all components of a law school application are important, the most important one is the personal statement. To that end, this series explains some of the pivotal points you should keep in mind as you prepare to write your law school application personal statement. This is a 10-part series that will help get you from starting to finishing your personal statement. Involve Others We get it, it can be really hard to show your writing (be … [Read more...]
Writing Your Personal Statement, Part 7: Edit
Although all components of a law school application are important, the most important one is the personal statement. To that end, this series explains some of the pivotal points you should keep in mind as you prepare to write your law school application personal statement. This is a 10-part series that will help get you from starting to finishing your personal statement. Edit Once you have your first draft and a break under your belt, it's time … [Read more...]