How to Conquer the LSAT
The time is finally here. You’ve gotten into college, studied hard. kept your GPA up and made relationships with your professors. Now comes the most dreaded part of the process: the LSAT. This is a 3 1/2-hour long test that is administered year-round about 4 days a month. It is a test that must be taken in order to get into law school. Not only that but it can make or break weather you get in. If you have a bad GPA you can make up for it with a really good LSAT score. On the flip side a bad LSAT score could keep you from getting into law school despite a good GPA. It also helps with scholarships. This test could be the difference of getting a full ride and have to take on a crazy amount of debt. The good thing is that you can take it up to 7 times. The other good news is that many people have conquered this test including myself and you can too with the right study plan and habits.
The first question people might ask is when the best time is to take LSAT is. While there isn’t a certain time that is necessary most people take the LSAT the fall of their final year of undergrad. If you are taking a gap year, then you can do it sometime during that time. Another thing to take into consideration is how many times you might take you to get the score that you want. For this reason, it might make sense to take the LSAT as early as possible. For example, taking the LSAT in August would allow for you to take it again in October in case you didn’t do as good the first time. This will allow you to improve your score while it still being early in the application cycle.
The next question people ask are how much time you need to study for this exam. The recommendation for studying for the LSAT is 250-300 hours over a 3–4-month period. Now this is just the recommendation, but there is no harm in studying for more than that. The more studying the better. There are many ways to go about studying the LSAT. There are many free sources online such as Khan Academy and LSAT Demon and you can watch YouTube videos on how to answer the LSAT questions. If you are able to spend money getting a tutor is a good idea as they will give you that one-on-one interaction. I offer one-on-one tutoring for as low as $115 an hour and would love to help you. I am also developing an interactive course that will help you get to where you need to be and get your dream score.
The last thing that I would like to mention is how to be mentally prepared for the test. This part is very critical as this could make or break your score. Many people including myself studied really hard but was not necessarily prepared mentally. To prepare for the test it is important that you refine your test taking skills. It is also important to note that you are on a time limit of 35 minutes a section so learning how to manage time is also a key skill for this exam. It is also possible to get accommodations like extended time or being able to move around during the exam. In order to do this, you must have a written note from your doctor that proves that you are in need of the accommodations. This could include things such as ADHD, and dyslexia. Take advantage of these things if you can and they won’t affect the way that law schools look at your score. Another thing to do is to get good sleep the night before the exam. It is important that you make sure that you are well rested and have enough energy during the exam.
In conclusion, the LSAT is a very rugged exam that takes lots of time and preparation to succeed and ultimately determines your future of getting into law school. But you are not alone in this process. Many people have taken this exam before and have succeeded, and you can too. Good luck!!!!!
PSA: I offer one-on-one tutoring for the LSAT and will have an LSAT prep course in the next month (still a work in progress). If you are interested, you can schedule a free 30-minute consultation on my website by clicking the scheduling tab.
