LEEWS Primer Ebook PDF

The vast majority of stuff here on LSAT Blog is, unsurprisingly, about the LSAT. As you might have guessed, that's my main area of interest.

But I know several of you still read my site even though you're well past the LSAT. And even if you're still preparing for the LSAT, remember that law school exam prep will soon be your new obsession.

So, I did some research and discovered The Law Essay Exam Writing System (aka LEEWS), created by lawyer and teacher Wentworth Miller. 

(And, in case you were wondering, it's his son of the same name who stars in the TV show Prison Break.)


Anyway, after some back and forth, Wentworth Miller, Sr., has agreed to release a digital edition of the LEEWS Primer!


Click here to get your copy for only $49.97:

Fun Facts:

-This is a PDF available for instant download after submitting payment via PayPal. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader at http://get.adobe.com/reader/ and ensure that your copy of this software is up to date.

-If you're already registered with PayPal, the instant download link will be sent to your PayPal email address. Otherwise, it'll be sent to whichever email address you submit.

-You don't need a PayPal account to complete your purchase. If you don't have one, simply select the "guest checkout" option.

Logic and Games

* A disproportionate number of law students are wealthy. Surprise, surprise. [ABA Journal]

* Do people choose law schools based on subway ads? [Above The Law]

* Due to budgetary issues, the city of Topeka may stop prosecuting domestic violence cases. [NBC Chicago]

* A new law in England will allowing non-lawyers to offer legal services. [WSJ Law Blog]

* Brilliantly smart-ass responses to completely well-meaning signs. [Happy Place]

LSAT Blog Bingo Game

The LSAT repeats certain words and phrases enough to make you sick, and studying for the LSAT get boring, so I figured I'd do something to spice it up.

I pulled some words from my Logic Games Vocab, Logical Reasoning Vocab, and 15 Common Logical Reasoning Topics blog posts and mixed them all into a Bingo game.

I've included 1 game board below. I'm linking to boards 2, 3, 4, and 5, so you can play with a few friends.

If you're the drinking type, you can turn your study group into a party and do a shot each time you cross off a square. You might do a lot less studying, but you'll have a lot more fun.

(You might also discover that members of your study group are more attractive than you previously thought.)

What are your suggestions for future versions of LSAT Blog Bingo?

Enjoy!
























Photo by labellavida

LSAT Percentiles and Various LSAT Scores

Wondering how to converting LSAT scores to percentiles?

Here's a chart containing LSAT percentiles for various scores (click to enlarge):

Please note that this chart covers LSAC data for the period from 2007-2010.

Percentiles shift slightly over time based upon the pool of test-takers.

Also see: All LSAT Raw Score Conversion Charts.

Photo by pforret

LSAT Diary: Taking the LSAT with ADD, without Accommodations

This installment of LSAT Diaries comes from an anonymous commenter on one of my recent LSAT Blog posts. The post was about a test-taker granted extra time on the LSAT due to ADD and a learning disability.

In this LSAT Diary, our commenter talks about the struggles involved in studying for the LSAT with ADD and succeeding despite not having extra time.

If you want to be in LSAT Diaries, please email me at LSATUnplugged@gmail.com. (You can be in LSAT Diaries whether you've taken the exam already or not.)

Please leave our commenter some encouragement below in the comments!

***

LSAT Diary:

I have ADD and a visual processing disorder. As a student, I have the option to take exams in a separate, private, distraction-free room, to have extra time, to use a computer for essay exams. Sometimes, depending on the nature of the exam, I make use of the accommodations to which I am entitled. Sometimes I don't. It depends on the type of exam and the time allotted.

I took the LSAT twice. The first time, I didn't bother to apply for accommodated testing because I didn't want that little asterisk by my name. I was seated right by the door and lost a ton of time looking up every single time someone got up to use the rest room. I ran out of time on two sections and got a 165.

I also didn't ask for accommodated testing the second time around. I figured that LSAC would see a score in the 92nd percentile and immediately reject my application. Instead, I politely asked the proctor to seat me somewhere away from the door and she was kind enough to do so. If she'd declined, I'd have lived with that. (It wouldn't have mattered that much anyway. Unlike my first time, everyone in the room was glued to their seats until we were released for break.) I ran out of time on one section due to my own stupid mistake in diagramming a logic game. I scored a 173.

Could I have done better in a room by myself? Probably. Could I have done better with extra time or breaks? Abso-freaking-lutely. That having been said, I don't think that my ADD inhibits my ability to perform so badly as to merit extra time, and certainly not double time. Without ADD, I might have managed to score better my first time around, and maybe instead of a 173, I'd be looking at a 175 or so for the second time out. An extra five minutes might have been the difference between a 173 and a 177ish. An extra 35 minutes might have been the difference between a 173 and a 180. If I could have asked for just one accommodation, though, it would have been permission to drink from my water bottle during the exam. My meds leave me with severe dry mouth, and I'm never without a beverage.

I'm an adult. I have a disability that I have worked hard to learn to manage. Some things are harder for me than they are other people. That's life. I think I brought more advantages than disadvantages to the LSAT. English is my first language, I learned to read at a young age and never stopped, I'm reasonably intelligent, and because I *knew* that I'd be taking it as a person with ADD and one for whom logic games would be especially challenging due to my visual processing problems, I studied my butt off. I ran myself through 6-section prep tests with 30 minutes per section so that I could acclimate myself to working quickly and accurately. I studied in busy restaurants where the people around me were a hundred times more distracting than a room full of test takers. Instead of asking LSAC to accommodate me, I came up with ways to accommodate myself.

That being said, even without ADD, the average LSAT test taker isn't scoring a 173, or even a 165. I worked *hard,* yes, but I'm someone for whom any accommodations on the LSAT would mean only a few points, numerically, and even fewer points as a percentile. I might feel differently if I was scoring around 150. (Of course, if I was scoring around 150, I probably wouldn't be applying to law school. The employment prospects of the schools I'm looking at scare me to death, and I'm barely looking past the top 14. The thought of trying to find work out of a second- or third-tier school makes me ill.)

Photo by bobaubuchon

Logic and Games

* LSAT Blog's featured on ATL for Wednesday's story about test-takers granted / denied extra time on the LSAT. [Above The Law]

* Law firms are suing 15 more law schools over falsely reported post-grad employment rates [Above The Law, Inside Higher Ed]

* Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts says, "What about Jimi Hendrix?" [ABA Journal]

* The ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protests and the First Amendment [WSJ Law Blog]

* JFK's Harvard application was less than impressive. Ah, the benefits of being a legacy. [Gawker]

* Why cleavage is bad for crime-fighting. [Jezebel]

Should ADD Test-Takers Get Double-Time on the LSAT?

While LSAC is denying nursing moms extra time on the LSAT to pump breastmilk, they recently granted double-time to a test-taker with ADD.

The Star-Tribune reports that LSAC just reached a settlement with the Justice Department over the following case of a test-taker with ADD and a learning disability:

As part of the settlement, the council agreed to double the standard testing time on each section and to allow the complainant breaks between sections, a separate and quiet testing area, permission to use his own computer for the writing section, permission to use scratch paper and use of an alternative answer sheet.

The test-taker in question has "received testing accommodations from elementary school through his graduation in three years from the University of Minnesota in 2009, including on national standardized tests such as PSAT, SAT and Advanced Placement exams."

So, instead of 3 35-minute sections back-to-back, followed by a 15-minute break, then followed by 3 more 35-minute sections back-to-back (including the writing sample), this test-taker gets 70 minutes to complete each section and plenty of breaks.

Given the time pressure that LSAT test-takers are under, this is the law school admissions equivalent of getting a Golden Ticket to Willy Wonka's magical chocolate factory.

Continuing this ironical journey down the rabbit hole (yes, I'm mixing childhood metaphors - deal with it) the attorney for one complainant who got double-time stated:

"They [LSAC] are of the belief that giving extra time is giving an advantage, but there is no credible proof that that's the case."

This is the same attorney who filed 7 different lawsuits against LSAC arguing that his clients should be given extra time on the LSAT.

***

Most importantly, what will happen to these would-be lawyers when they have to take their law school exams and the bar? Will they get double-time then, too?

What happens when they have to enter the real world? Do you want them doubling their billable hours on your case?

Leave your thoughts in the comments!

***

Further reading: How to apply to get extra time on the LSAT

Photo by flickerbulb

Should Nursing Moms Get Extra Time on the LSAT?

While LSAC recently granted double-time to a test-taker with ADD, the ACLU reports that LSAC denied a nursing mother's request for extra time on the LSAT to pump breastmilk for her 5-month-old baby.

The ACLU argues (emphasis mine):

LSAC has a blanket policy of refusing such requests from women who are breastfeeding, because they are not considered “disabled.” This puts breastfeeding women at a significant disadvantage. Babies typically eat every two to three hours; if moms are away from their babies and aren’t able to empty their breasts on the same schedule, it causes pain, possible infection, and reduction in milk supply. Without sufficient time to pump, Ashley, and other moms in her position, will become increasingly uncomfortable as the test progresses—a serious distraction that could lead to a lower score, not to mention the health risks.

What do you all think?

Are women who nurse unfairly disadvantaged by being denied extra time to pump breastmilk?

Or would all the other test-takers be disadvantaged in comparison by getting a shorter break than nursing moms do?

Leave your thoughts in the comments!

***

Further reading: How to apply to get extra time on the LSAT

Photo by topinambour

Law School Personal Statement Guide

I do a lot of LSAT prep here. After all, it’s in the name: The LSAT Blog 

But as we all know, there's more to getting into the law school of your dreams than just getting a killer score on the LSAT. 

Today I wanted to highlight something I’ve put together to help you conquer that elusive beast:

The Personal Statement

Personal statements can be hard because you have so much freedom. You can basically say anything you want, and that lack of guidance can cause a serious case of writer’s block. 

Behold, your worst enemy.

In situations like this, a little bit of direction can go a long way --

So I’m about to drop on you a ton of direction from personal statement consultant Margaret Klein Salamon.

Personal Statement Triumph: A Comprehensive Guide to the Law School Personal Statement gives you all the tools you’ll need to create something that can put you over the edge when it comes time to apply for law school. 

That’s not to say you have to wait until you're done with your LSAT prep to write a personal statement. It can actually be a welcome distraction if you feel like you're hitting a wall after your 500th Logical Reasoning question.

So what’s in this little gem? Well, chapters include:

- Cracking the Code: Conceptualizing the Personal Statement

- Connect to Stand Out: The Four Goals of the Personal Statement

- Soul Searching Meets Strategizing: Planning the Personal Statement 

- Where the Rubber Hits the Road: Writing The Personal Statement

- Obsessives, Welcome Home: Editing the Personal Statement

And each of those chapters has several sections within them. The book's short enough that you'll actually read it (31 pages), but it goes into some DEEP detail on some of these.


Ready to get started?

You can get Personal Statement Triumph: A Comprehensive Guide to the Law School Personal Statement for only $19.97:

Not sure if this is for you?

Here's a free sample from the book: 

Most applicants realize that a goal of the personal statement is to impress, but they are usually incorrect about how that goal should be accomplished. People think that the way to impress is to load up the essay with impressive content. For example, “After returning from scaling Kilimanjaro in record time, I founded 3 clubs at my school to benefit underserved children, which now command a total budget of $250,000.” This strategy— which I call the “resume blast”—fails badly because readers do not like being blasted by your accomplishments, no matter how great they are! Admissions officers, just like anyone else, do not enjoy listening to, or reading, bragging. 

You should impress your reader with your essay, itself. Imagine your essay like an acting audition. If an actor came into an audition and started talking about what a good actor he was, the director and producer would be annoyed. They would say, “If you’re so great, show me!” That is what you need to do in your personal statement. A compelling, sincere, well-structured, well-executed, and flawlessly edited personal statement is extremely impressive. It shows several talents and abilities, self-reflection, poise, confidence and thoughtfulness. 

This is not to say that your essay has no room for (some of) your accomplishments. It does! You should include impressive content in your essay; you should just use a very light touch. Remember, being impressive is the SECOND most important goal of the essay, and the first goal, being liked, should not be sacrificed for it.

You can get Personal Statement Triumph: A Comprehensive Guide to the Law School Personal Statement for only $19.97:

Other stuff:

-This is a PDF you can download instantly. You can use Adobe Reader to open the file. 

-The instant download link will be sent to whichever email address you submit.




P.S. This guide paired with my Unlimited Edits service is a lethal combination.

Sincerely,

Steve "takin' care of admissions business" Schwartz



P.P.S. If you consider how much money you'll make from getting into a better law school...or getting more scholarship money...$19.97 is such a tiny drop in the bucket. 

Law School Personal Statement Advice

The below excerpt about getting your law school admission officer to like you is from A Comprehensive Guide to the Law School Personal Statement.

***

Making your reader like you is the single most important task of the personal statement. If you can make an emotional connection with the reader (your admissions officer), so that he or she feels warm and positively towards you, this is a triumph. The reader who likes you will be much more likely not only to admit you, but also to defend you if a different admissions officer says you should not be admitted. If you make an emotional connection with the reader, you have gained an advocate on the admissions committee, an invaluable asset.

Some people always make good first impressions; they seem friendly, good-natured, kind, and confident. These individuals make friends and command respect wherever they go. People seek out this type of person for advice, to collaborate on projects, and to spend time with. It can be an amazing thing to see— someone who radiates such an easy confidence that people are drawn to him or her like moths to a flame.

The qualities that make a person like this connect so powerfully and easily with people are the same qualities that you need to exude on your personal statement. Your goal is to make a powerful emotional connection with your reader in only a few pages.

Obviously this is easier said that done. Many of the qualities that make a person so powerfully likable are ineffable and hard to know how to demonstrate in your essay. However, the best way to make an emotional connection with anyone, including with your reader, is to be sincere. If you write about your life in an emotionally open, accessible, honest, and genuine way, your reader will form an emotional connection with you. He will imagine you and want to meet you. He will want to help you accomplish your dreams.

The first step to writing a sincere essay is to choose a topic that is sincerely important and meaningful to you. Sincerity is not a moral imperative, it is a strategic one. Choosing a sincere topic will help you create the most unique and compelling statement possible. If you write about your time volunteering in a low-income school because you think you should you will have a hard time conveying enthusiasm and passion. If you write about sincerely your life and what truly pulls you to become a lawyer, you will be able to articulate your ideas and experiences in a more genuine, moving way.

You may feel that your true story is not exciting enough or compelling enough to be a personal statement. Some people worry about sincerity because they think that they want to go to law school, “Because they don’t know what else to do,” or “For the money.” These applicants must ask themselves to go deeper, to get past this block in thinking. Going to law school can never be only, “For the money.” Why not business school? Why not medical school? All applicants have some reason, to choose law school. (If you really cant think of any reason, you might want to reconsider your decision.) So, even if you are worried about what you might say, you must write sincerely. It is far and away your best chance to make an emotional connection with your reader, get her to like you, and accomplish goal #1.

Photo by hlima

Columbia Undergraduate Law Review: Call for Submissions

I just received the below announcement from the Columbia Undergraduate Law Review, which is seeking submissions for its Fall 2011 issue. You don't have to be a Columbia student to submit - you can be a student anywhere in the world, and you can re-use papers from your undergraduate courses.

This is a great way to get published and to add a few extra lines to your resume. You can email culrsubmissions@gmail.com with your submissions.

***

We are accepting submissions for our Fall 2011 issue! The deadline is Monday, October 21st at 11:59 pm. In recognition of the various paths undergraduates may take to study law, we welcome submissions of research articles, senior theses, and essays embracing a wide range of topics and viewpoints related to the field of law. Undergraduate students in any major, track, or class year should thus feel free to send us their work.

Submissions should be double-spaced in Microsoft Word .doc format, follow the Chicago style, and include endnotes. Although we will consider submissions of any length, most papers published in the journal range from 20 to 25 pages. It would be highly appreciated if longer papers could be shortened to fit this page length recommendation before submission.

In the document please also include the following information:

1) Your name:
2) Current email address and phone number:
3) Undergraduate college/university:
4) Class year:
5) Title:
6) 250-word abstract:

Kindly send submissions to:

The subject field of the email and the title of the attached submission should look as follows: [University Name]_ [Author Last Name]_ [Submission Title]. For example, if a Columbia student named Jane Smith wanted to submit her paper from an international politics class, she would attach a document with the following title: Columbia_Smith_InternationalLaw.doc. Her email to culrsubmissions@gmail.com would have the same subject line: Columbia_Smith_InternationalLaw.

Thank you and good luck!

Photo by krisnelson

Logic and Games

* How to write an impressive personal statement (even if you didn't start an NGO to save orphans from smallpox). [LSAT Blog]

* What we've all been waiting for: the ability to submit law school applications via iPhone app. [Above The Law]

* University of Illinois Law School submits corrected LSAT and GPA #s. [ABA Journal]

* A causal relationship we can all get behind: "[S]tudents who had pictures or posts about getting drunk or blacking out were more likely to be at risk of drinking problems..." [Yahoo News]

* Amanda Knox's murder conviction was overturned in Italy. [LA Times]

* A Starbucks in Manhattan calls the cops on a laptop user who wouldn't buy anything. [Gawker]