Before we begin, let's get one thing out of the way. If you haven't already studied for the LSAT for at least 1-2 months, there is little you can do in the last week before the test. Yes, life can get in the way and even the best-laid plans go astray. Unfortunately, you cannot cram for the LSAT. It's a test of how you think, not how much you know.Unlike most knowledge-based tests, the LSAT measures whether you possess the skill set necessary to excel in law school. For example: close reading, critical reasoning, rule application, and information synthesis. These skills develop over time, … [Read more...]
What is the Best Way to Review LSAT Practice Tests?
On the PowerScore LSAT Discussion Forum, there have been discussions about how to best review practice LSATs and homework problems. Students often make a critical error when studying. I want to address that and lay down a framework for optimally reviewing the problems you complete. This will help you get the most out of the time that you spend studying. What is the Critical Study Error Many Students are Making? Most students review the questions they missed and not the ones they answered correctly. This is the most natural error in the world, but you must review every single question you … [Read more...]
Taking the LSAT? Here are Blog Posts You Should Bookmark
With the LSAT looming over you and everyone and their mother is offering you their tips, most everyone (we hope) means well. Sleep more! Study more! Worry less! Eat well! Exercise! etc. While we hope that our Blog is a reasonable voice in this cacophony of wisdom, there is no question that receiving just the right advice, and at the right time, is not always easy. (OK, it's a little easier if you pay for it).Especially if your LSAT test is right around the corner, now, more than ever, you want the advice you receive to be on point. To that end, below you will find a list of our most … [Read more...]
Good News! You Just Bombed Your LSAT Practice Test
If your LSAT is just around the corner, you’re likely taking practice tests regularly in preparation. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, you score 5 points lower than your last one. What? You just bombed your LSAT PT. But why? You are, understandably, freaked out. You call your best friend, your shrink, your tutor—all the same person if you're lucky! Then you ask the crucial question: should you postpone your LSAT?Turns out, there is nothing wrong with bombing a practice test. Just ask the New York Times! In "Why Flunking Exams Is Actually a Good Thing," the Times discusses an exciting new … [Read more...]
Mind the Clock! The Importance of Preparing for the LSAT with a Timer
The LSAT is a remarkably challenging test, in large part because it measures both intricate conceptual understanding, as well as application of that understanding under rigorous time pressure. Put another way: The LSAT is an exam which tests a particular skill set, but it is also a test of efficiency.When most people begin preparing for the LSAT, the focus is on establishing that fundamental grasp of concepts, with much less concern given to speed. You have to understand what is being tested, how to recognize the consistent elements, and the proper method of response before you can begin … [Read more...]
What to Do if You Run Out of LSAT Practice Materials
A common question pops up around LSAT crunch time. "How do I prepare for the test if I've burned through all of my practice material?" There are three key steps I'd take between now and test day so you can still maximize the remaining prep time that you have. Review Review, over and over, anything and everything that's given you the slightest bit of trouble the past several months. A lot of people underestimate or even entirely ignore the value of a form of "muscle memory" for a test like this. Doing challenging things perfectly enough times can make you not just intuitive, but … [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...]
Virtual Proctors for Practice LSAT Tests!
Getting the timing of the LSAT down is one of the most important parts to beating the test. Do you still need an easy way to time yourself while you take practice tests at home? Don't worry, we’ve got an LSAT Virtual Proctor that you can access online to time your tests. Best part? It's entirely free.Our proctors are set up to time you on standard 4-section and 5-section prep tests. If you don't have any practice tests, you can purchase them here.LSAT | Virtual Proctor (4 Sections) from PowerScore Test Preparation on Vimeo.LSAT | Virtual Proctor (5 Sections) from PowerScore Test … [Read more...]
The Ultimate PowerScore LSAT Practice Test Resource List
Taking practice tests is one of the most important elements of preparing for the LSAT, but many students don't know the right way to take and review tests. In order to help you get the most out of each test that you take, we've compiled the many free resources PowerScore has and grouped them together into a comprehensive overview of the process. If there's something to be squeezed out of a test, you'll find it here! How to Take a Practice LSAT The Ideal Way To Take a Practice Test: An excellent overview of how to take a full LSAT PrepTest. 10 Steps To Taking LSAT Practice Tests: Ten key … [Read more...]
Still Trying to Improve but Running Out of Practice Tests?
In this LSAT Forum Post of the Day our Northeast Director and author, Nikki Siclunov, advises a student who is still not in the range of their goal score but is starting to run out of practice tests. Here's a quick preview. But be sure to check out the full thread to read the entire explanation our team provided:The Forum posts selected for this series are chosen because they have a universal quality to them. In other words, we’ve selected posts that contain information that can be used by test takers of any background and score level. So, although the specific question posed by the … [Read more...]
10 Steps to Taking LSAT Practice Tests
Many test-takers mistakenly believe that taking a large number of LSAT practice tests is the best way to guarantee a high score on test day. Some LSAT “gurus” suggest taking 30, even 40 practice tests in the course of several months; others recommend taking one or two tests a day in the weeks leading up to the exam. Cranking out test after test is a grueling regimen and not necessarily a productive one. Without a concerted effort to improve their conceptual understanding of the test, most students quickly hit a “plateau” in their scores. Others see their performance languish due to mental … [Read more...]
Getting the Most out of Your LSAT Practice Test Review
If you’ve been studying for the LSAT, you already know that practice tests are a valuable part of your preparation. It’s helpful to see how you’re scoring, but the potential benefits of taking PTs go beyond tracking your performance. You can begin to derive those benefits from the outset, well before you master every LSAT concept. With each PT you take, you can increase your familiarity with the language, logic, and pacing of the test. You will also develop your mental endurance, a necessity for a strong performance on the LSAT.You may have seen our articles about the ideal way to take a … [Read more...]
Cognitive Biases in Test Reviews: When Smart People Can Be Stupid
One of the most daunting tasks in any test preparation program, whether undertaken on your own or with an instructor, is the practice test review. For many, it's an experience that is at once humbling and tedious, likely to repeat itself more than a dozen times over the course of their preparation. To make matters worse, the ideal test review requires more than simply going over the questions you got wrong. Ideally, you should review any question that you answered without confidence, whether you got it right or not. We've written extensively on this topic over the years, and you should … [Read more...]
How to Best Review LSAT Practice Questions
We've previously outlined exactly how to take LSAT practice tests, so what I'd like to do in this post is 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.In the practice test article linked above, the final note made describes the importance of closely analyzing your results: "You need to perform a thorough post-test review, analyzing your performance and determining the most appropriate study plan moving forward. Without this type of comprehensive self-analysis … [Read more...]