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 for students who have no prior experience with the test. Many of our students do, of course, but your instructor will not expect you to know what the contrapositive is. We make a tremendous amount of LSAT prep material available to our course students. You have access to lessons, homework, practice tests, and even course supplements and additional lectures. Your Online Student Center has such a wealth of resources available to you that it’s likely you won’t even make it through everything. With that being said, you don’t need to invest in “additional” materials to help with your studies.
However, studying on your own before your LSAT course begin—if done right—can help quite a bit. You will pick up the material faster and get through Homework a lot quicker since you’ll be familiar with come of the conceptual material it goes over. You have the chance to take practice tests earlier than your classmates, giving you more time to figure out where your weaknesses lie. Plus, you cannot predict how quickly your score will improve. The earlier you start preparing, the better prepared and more relaxed you will feel in the end.
Now What?
So, how do you study on your own the right way?
First, it is absolutely imperative to avoid learning poor techniques or inefficient approaches. If you do, you will most likely need to unlearn them once classes begin. Needless to say, this can do more harm than good. It’s an avoidable mistake provided you stay within the PowerScore’s LSAT “ecosystem”:
- Logic Games Bible
- Logical Reasoning Bible
- Reading Comprehension Bible
- And the corresponding Bible Workbooks
These materials present the same approach to the test and its various sections as your course books. There will be no conflict between what you learn on your own and what you will learn in class. In fact, the Bibles provide an in-depth look at our methodology and are particularly helpful as a starting point.
By their very nature, the Bibles are pedagogically “static.” You can read about our approach to different question types and techniques to handle them. However, you do not have an opportunity to interact with the material in the same way you can in class. This is why studying on your own will not render your classroom experience monotonous or useless. On the contrary, students who are familiar with our techniques tend to stay more engaged in class! They can benefit even more from reinforcing the knowledge they already have. There is overlap between the Bibles and course materials, but this is because we try to keep our approach consistent. Rest assured that your course books will have significantly more problem sets than any of our publications. Each of the thousand or so problems in your homework will be explained on-line in our Online Student Center.
How to Utilize the PowerScore Bible Trilogy
If you have the time and resources to devote to LSAT prep before class begins, the absolute best thing you can do is study the Bible Trilogy. How do you do that? Although each LSAT Bible is designed to stand as an independent entity, there are a few pieces of information that can help optimize your overall absorption of the material.
- Start by reading the LSAT Bible that covers the section that concerns you most. You should always begin by attacking any weakness that you have. For example, if you are concerned about Logic Games, begin with the LSAT Logic Games Bible. If another section troubles you, tackle that LSAT Bible first.
- The best approach is to use the LSAT Bibles simultaneously. While the Bibles can be read in serial fashion, that is probably not the best approach for most students. A better approach is to read sections of each Bible at a time. For example. A student might start by reading the first couple of chapters of the LR Bible, LG Bible, and RC Bible. They might then return to LR to complete another section of several chapters. This approach helps break up the tedium that sometimes accompanies studying for the LSAT. It allows you to take entire practice tests on a regular basis so you can track your progress in all section types. Approaching the books in this fashion gives you the opportunity to catch any area of weakness early on. And, if you do find a tricky area, you can focus more on the Bible that address that section.
There is no one “right” way to use the LSAT Bibles. Though, the points above may help you shape your study plan. Just remember that each book covers its topic in totality. Regardless of how you use the books, you should derive great benefits by completing each.
Should you do this before your LSAT prep course begins? Certainly part of the answer lies with your specific wants (desired score increase) and needs (strengths/weaknesses and overall starting point), as well as things like time constraints, financial considerations, etc. That said, there is every reason to start prepping as early as possible, and very few reasons not to.
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