The LSAT you take—or retake—can have a great impact on your admission chances. Some of you may be asking, “Is the January LSAT too late? Are the February or March LSATs too late?” We survey top law schools yearly with those exact questions to find out admissions deadlines and the latest LSAT each school will accept.This year, it seems that the trend is moving toward a January LSAT deadline for many of the top schools. But, as you'll see in the chart below, the February and March LSATs are definitely viable options for test takers. And, a quarter of the schools still allow for a June or … [Read more...]
LSAT Podcast Episode 28: September 2019 LSAT Review and Scale Prediction
Episode 28 features a detailed review of the September 2019 LSAT, the first all-digital test ever administered! Jon and Dave discuss the ups and downs of the digital rollout, then cover the test section by section examining the scored content, overall student impressions, and their official curve prediction. They also offer thoughts on what this test means for the rest of 2019 and beyond, so whether you’re curious about the September test you just took, or want a preview of what’s to come, this is for you! … [Read more...]
Retaking the LSAT? What to Do Differently to Raise Your Score
Note: we talked in detail about retaking the LSAT on the PowerScore LSAT PodCast, in episodes 2 and 3. You can access those episodes here on iTunes. Previously, I covered who should retake the LSAT. In this post, I'm covering how to properly prepare for your retake. First, I'm going to presume that the last time you did a fairly decent job of preparing. That is, you worked through a course or some self-study guides and you took a fair number of practice tests. If you didn't make a reasonable effort the first time, your top priority should be putting in 100% this time! The information below … [Read more...]
LSAT Podcast Episode 27: Flaw in the Reasoning Questions Part III – Common Flaws
More Flaws! Episode 27 sees Jon and Dave add a third installment to their series on common logical flaws, this time tackling six key errors in total: Composition/Division, Uncertain Use of a Term, False Analogies, False Dilemmas, Relativity/Degree, and Sunk Cost. Make sure you’re familiar with each of these ideas before test day! … [Read more...]
Quantity Terminology: Some, Few, Several, and Many
Last weekend I got into a conversation with a friend about the exact meaning of few. Yes, sadly, this is how I spend my time. Like many people, she has a very definite idea of what few means: three or more. However, from an LSAT perspective, is that definitely correct? Actually, no.While many would agree that few means three or more, the dictionary definition is, "not many but more than one". So, a few cannot be one, but it can be as low as two. This surprises many people but highlights some of the dangers of taking the LSAT without preparing beforehand. You can easily end up … [Read more...]
LSAT Podcast Episode 26: Flaw in the Reasoning Questions Part II – Common Flaws
In Episode 26, Jon and Dave continue their exploration of common flaws, focusing on Straw Man attacks, Appeal Fallacies, and the ever-present Survey Errors that so often beguile test takers. … [Read more...]
What Does Your Transcript Say About You?
Next to your LSAT score, your GPA is the most important thing on your law school application. Like it or not, those numbers hold the greatest weight in your likelihood of getting into a particular school. Unlike your LSAT score, though, your GPA has another facet to it: your transcript. Whether your transcript has a positive or negative effect on your application depends on what's on it.Let's take a look at what your transcript can say about you. Before we start, though, a disclaimer: not everyone's transcript will be analyzed. I imagine that the people who run the greatest risk or chance … [Read more...]
LSAT Podcast Episode 25: Crystal Ball – Predicting the September, October, and November 2019 LSATs
As we fast approach the final three LSATs of 2019, Dave and Jon dust off their crystal balls and set about predicting exactly what to expect from each of these upcoming tests! Specifically, they review the Digital LSAT lessons learned in July, exploring some of the most common issues faced and how to address them on test day, then turn to a section-by-section analysis of recent trends to help you anticipate what you’ll see and prioritize your prep accordingly. Anyone with a 2019 test ahead of them needs to give this a listen! … [Read more...]
Killer RC: The Hardest LSAT Reading Comprehension Passages of All Time
Students studying Reading Comprehension passages often want to see the hardest passages in LSAT history. To that end, here is a list of the hardest Reading Comprehension passages of all time, in chronological order. It is accompanied by our at-times jesting commentary. Although we can no longer offer direct downloads of the games due to LSAC rules, this publication identifier link will tell you where to find them. Want to try them all? We've compiled them into a Digital Practice Set. PT2, October 1991, Passage #3: Waterbugs This was the first “hard science” passage ever to appear on the … [Read more...]
LSAT Podcast Episode 24: Flaw in the Reasoning Questions Part I – Common Flaws
In Episode 24, Dave and Jon begin their multi-part analysis of Flaw in the Reasoning questions, first providing a detailed overview of this tricky question type and then exploring three common but misunderstood flaw categories: Evidence Errors, Source Arguments, and Circular Reasoning. Within each they break down how the error operates and ways to spot it, common scenarios using specific examples, and finally how the test makers represent these flaws in the complex wording of answer choices. … [Read more...]
Killer LG: The Hardest LSAT Logic Games of All Time
Why Review the Hardest Games? The Logic Games section is inevitable. For many, it’s the toughest section of the test. If Logic Games are generally difficult, why then would we choose to write about the hardest games ever to appear? The short answer is that there are tremendous benefits to be gained by reviewing these games. If you understand how to recognize them and deal with them, you’ll perform better in this section. In our In Person, Live Online, and Advanced Logic Games courses, we devote lesson segments to discussing killer games. In the Advanced Course in particular, we dedicate a … [Read more...]
The New PowerScore LSAT Course for the Digital Era: What Does it Look Like?
The LSAT recently transitioned from a paper test to a digital format. Are you ready? We are! Our new LSAT Course is even more effective and will totally prepare you for the new format. Our techniques are unrivaled and our 170+ scoring instructors are still the best in the industry. What’s new? You’ll have access to tons of additional online content, weekly live online clinics, and our new digital testing and score reporting platform.You can read up on the new test format and the specs of what our Online Student Center will contain here, but sometimes it’s just easier to SHOW you what it’ll … [Read more...]
Killer LR: 15 of the Hardest Logical Reasoning Questions of All Time Part IV
Part I, Part II, and Part III list the 15 hardest LSAT Logical Reason questions in chronological order. Now let’s get to the most valuable and interesting part of this discussion. What can we learn from them? Here are a few fascinating observations drawn from an analysis of the 15 Hardest LSAT Logical Reasoning questions. A Notable Bias Towards (A) Questions within this set of 15 are overwhelmingly biased in favor of answer choice (A). Certainly this could perhaps be partially explained by the fact that a list such as this one is somewhat subjective, but consider that the correct answer for … [Read more...]
LSAT Podcast Episode 23: Conditional Reasoning Part II
Episode 23 picks up right where 22 left off: with Jon and Dave continuing last week’s discussion of conditional reasoning! Specifically, they ramp up the complexity and outline how to handle unusual language like “unless” statements and “either/or” constructions, make conditional chains and spot the inferences they provide, tackle scenarios with multiple sufficient and necessary elements, and even master the elusive double-arrow. This is conditionality at its highest level. … [Read more...]