6-Month LSAT Study Schedule / Plan

Also see the 6-Month LSAT Study Schedule: Premium Day-By-Day Version.

6 months is more than enough time if you stick with a regular, but moderate, schedule. I've reviewed all books and PrepTests mentioned below in my best LSAT prep books post.

This 24-week schedule is intense. Follow it only if you're studying for the LSAT full-time, or if you're able to study for several hours each weekend. You might have work/school/life obligations that make this impossible. If that's the case, skip some of the "re-do" and "review" weeks, and complete the rest at a more relaxed pace.

Month 1:

Review my relevant articles on Logic Games and complete this list of Logic Games from PrepTests 52-61 ordered by difficulty during the first 4 weeks.

Week 1: Complete Pure Sequencing, Basic Linear, and Advanced Linear games. Review each game that gives you trouble.

Week 2: Complete Grouping: In-Out / Selection, Grouping: Splitting, and Grouping: Matching games. Review each game that gives you trouble.

Week 3: Complete Combination games in PrepTests 52-61.

Week 4: Complete any Logic Games in older exams of the types that give you difficulty, then complete several timed sections of Logic Games. Review.


Month 2:

Week 5: Read A Rulebook For Arguments and complete a few more timed sections of Logic Games. Review.

Week 6: Review my articles on Logical Reasoning before completing LSAT questions of each type in PrepTests 52-61 using the LSAT Logical Reasoning spreadsheet (untimed). Complete a few timed sections of Logic Games.

Week 7: Continue Logical Reasoning work from Week 6 with additional question-types and complete a few timed sections of Logic Games.

Week 8: Continue Logical Reasoning work from Week 6 with additional question-types and complete a few timed sections of Logic Games.


Month 3:
Week 9: A brief return to Logic Games: Complete any Logic Games in older exams of the types that give you difficulty (untimed), then complete several timed sections of Logic Games. Review. Complete a few timed sections of Logical Reasoning.

Week 10: Complete Logical Reasoning work from Week 6 with additional question-types and complete a few timed sections of Logic Games.

Week 11: Read my articles on Reading Comprehension and complete several sections of Reading Comp from PrepTests 52-61 (untimed). Complete a few timed sections of Logic Games, Logical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension.

Week 12: Complete several timed sections of Reading Comp from older exams, as well as some timed sections of LG and LR.


Month 4:
Week 13: Catch-up and review week. Re-do the Linear / Sequencing games from PrepTests 52-61. Try to solve them more quickly and make new inferences. Complete timed sections of all types.

Week 14: Catch-up and review week. Re-do the Grouping and Combination games from PrepTests 52-61. Try to solve them more quickly and make new inferences. Complete timed sections of all types.

Week 15: Catch-up and review week. Re-do the Logical Reasoning questions from PrepTests 52-61 that gave you trouble. Complete timed sections of all types.

Week 16: Complete the 3 tests in LSAC's SuperPrep (timed) and review the explanations. Although the explanations are technical, it's good to learn how the test-makers think. Identify weak areas


Month 5:
Week 17: Re-read my articles on Logic Games, Logical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension about question-types still giving you trouble. Complete a recent LSAT PrepTest under timed conditions. Review.

Week 18: Use my Logic Games categorization and/or Logical Reasoning spreadsheet to do question-types in older exams that still give you difficulty. Review. Complete a recent LSAT PrepTest under timed conditions. Review.

Week 19: Catch-up and review week. Do Reading Comp passages about your least-favorite topics using my Reading Comp passages categorization, as well as a few timed sections of LG and LR.

Week 20: Complete 3 recent LSAT PrepTests under timed conditions as 4-section exams. Review each exam on alternating days.


Month 6:
Week 21: Complete 3 recent LSAT PrepTests (timed). Splice in sections from another to simulate experimental sections. Review each exam on alternating days.

For the remaining weeks, use these free Logic Games Explanations, these video explanations, and these other LSAT explanations after completing the relevant exam.

Week 22: Complete 3 recent LSAT PrepTests (timed). Splice in sections from another to simulate experimental sections. Review each exam on alternating days.

Week 23: Complete 3 recent LSAT PrepTests (timed). Splice in sections from another to simulate experimental sections. Consider using one section to create a 6-section exam for extra practice. Review each exam on alternating days.

Week 24: Complete 3 recent LSAT PrepTests (timed). Splice in sections from another to simulate experimental sections. (Again, consider using one section to create a 6-section exam). More thoughts on how to simulate the experimental section in this article. Review each exam on alternating days.

Finally, rock the LSAT on Test Day.

***

Also check out my other sample LSAT study schedules and plans.

Self-Control: Smoking, Eating, and LSAT Prep

Studying for the LSAT is exhausting and time-consuming.

Why are some people able to study for hours on end while others can't stand more than a half-hour at a time?

The answer may lie somewhere in the concept of "ego depletion."

Basically, the idea is that you only have a limited amount of energy for focusing on something you don't enjoy.

This suggests some people who (productively) study for the LSAT are probably spending most/all of their "self-control" energy on the LSAT.

People who can't focus on the LSAT for too long may be dividing their self-control energy among multiple tasks that require self-control.


Let's say you're trying to get your life in order, so your New Year's resolutions were to:

1. quit smoking
2. lose weight
3. study for the LSAT


You really want to do all these things ASAP, so you attempt to fulfill all 3 of these resolutions at the same time.

However, what you love more than anything is:

1. smoking menthols
2. sitting on your ass and eating fried Twinkies
3. watching the Kardashians


According to the researchers in the article linked above, you only have a limited amount of energy to invest in each of these acts:

1. chewing gum/your pencil, biting your nails, and doing anything instead of smoking those menthols

2. eating "healthy foods" instead of fried Twinkies (despite what the "American Twinkie Fryers Association" claims, they're not actually healthy)

3. sleeping with your LSAT books under your pillow...er...I mean...actually staring at the pages of those books


If you spread your limited willpower around and attempt to quit smoking, lose weight, study for the LSAT simultaneously, you're not likely to successfully achieve any of these goals.

You're better off tackling one goal at a time and focusing all your willpower on it.


So which one should you attempt first?

My take - focus on the LSAT and don't stress too much about the other stuff.

You can get healthy when you're a lawyer.

(Your doctor would probably feel differently.)

Whatever you decide, focus your self-control on one thing at a time.

The alternative to all this, of course, is to "brainwash" yourself into enjoying the LSAT. In that case, the above would be irrelevant.

***

Cigarettes are both physically and psychologically addictive, while fried Twinkies and the Kardashians are only psychologically addictive (as far as I know). The smokers out there might be concerned that they won't be able to smoke during the LSAT.


For this reason, a few thoughts on...

Quitting Smoking

Everything above suggests you shouldn't try to quit smoking while you're studying for the LSAT. At least, you shouldn't try to quit cold-turkey.

Some folks might feel differently, but this is my opinion based on the information above.

Your health is probably more important than your LSAT score, so if you're going to quit cold turkey, do it before you start serious LSAT preparation. Otherwise, you'll probably find it difficult to focus on the LSAT.

I'm not a smoker, and your smoking habits are none of my business.

However, if you're a smoker who wants to quit, the LSAT might be the push you need to actually make it happen.

If I were a smoker who was studying for the LSAT and wanted to quit, I'd *gradually* decrease the number of cigarettes I smoked each week.

I'd start the process now and continue straight through until the exam (and beyond).

Also, I'd try to avoid smoking during the time of day at which I'll take the exam.

The June exam starts at 1PM, while the February, September/October, and December exams start at 9AM.

LSAC doesn't officially let you leave the building for smoking breaks (enforcement varies). The LSAT is over 4 hours, and that's assuming everything goes well.

One last thing: this should go without saying, but don't smoke while you're taking full-length practice tests, since you won't be able to on Test Day.

You can still keep watching the Kardashians, though. I'd never take that away from you.

***

Also see: Are Cigarettes, Coffee, and Gum Allowed on LSAT Test Day?

Photo by santos / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

LSAT Diary: Making Hypotheticals in Logic Games

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 Law School Dreamer some encouragement and advice below in the comments!

Law School Dreamer's LSAT Diary:

Monday, March 29, 2010 – Monday Already? – Almost April Already?

I can’t believe its nearly April! I really wanted to have all of my logic games studying out of the way by April, but I don't think that's realistic. All I can do is work on it as much as possible and try to not to panic too much that I may be behind schedule. Though, inside my head I keep singing that Michael and Janet Jackson song “Scream!”

I went over some of the advanced linear (unbalanced) games that I struggled with and tried to figure out where I went wrong when I chose the wrong answer. I think it's often just as important to figure out why an answer choice is the wrong answer, as much as it's important to figure out why an answer choice is the correct answer.

By analyzing where I went wrong, I was able to find a very important pattern in my wrong choices. It seems I’m often forgetting a particular rule, and when I go to make my next diagram I do not include the important rule in my duplicate diagram. One way I think I corrected this issue is by making all diagrams (showing the various placement of variables) before going on to the questions, while all of the rules are still fresh in my mind. I guess I had previously overlooked it or wrote it off thinking it's silly to spend valuable time on hypotheticals that may or may not later be used. However, this proved to be very helpful to me.


Tuesday, March 30, 2010 – Bad Advice!

Today at my undergraduate university I volunteered at a voter registration table (well I didn’t just volunteer, I actually planned the whole thing). During non-passing periods the halls were fairly quiet so I broke out my logic games and got to work. At one point I must have left my prep materials out on the table in plain view; before long a friend was asking my advice on prepping for the lsat.

Before I could even make a peep, one of those gunner-type know-it-alls chimed in and to my dismay gave my friend TERRIBLE advice. He said “go ahead and register for the lsat, take the test, see how you do.” Stunned, I sat there in disbelief, then I thought maybe he was joking and would correct himself. No such luck. I hate to sound argumentative but there was no way I was going to let this go – I explained this would be a bad decision not only because it would waste $150 on a registration fee just to see what the test is like, and not to mention how rattling it would be to sit for an exam without any preparation, but especially because the lsat score would stay on one’s LSAC record for three years!!!

The gunner’s rebuttal: “oh but it doesn’t matter because all law schools now take your best score.” Sure, while it may be true that many law schools now take your best score, I am not entirely convinced law schools will not take into consideration a very poor score and wonder, gee what happened?

I have also heard that some law school applications mandate you must give a written statement as to why your lsat score may have gone up or down (if the score is 5 or more points different) – this is hearsay, I haven’t seen it but I’m not quite to that point of my application cycle. Either way, I think I’ve made my point – it would be pointless to take the lsat without feeling prepared enough to go in with full confidence of performing to the best of one’s abilities.


Wednesday, March 31, 2010 – Another Reason Why Its Best To Graph Hypotheticals Before Moving to the Questions

On Monday I mentioned some of my screw-ups on the logic games and how graphing hypotheticals while all of the rules are still in my mind served as good “quality control” and solved most of my hang-ups. Today I conducted an experiment. I took two similar games (advanced unbalanced linear). On the first game I only graphed one hypothetical to show the game rules and not laws, it was not a comprehensive hypothetical, it only showed one possibility of the placement of the variables, and then I went on to the questions, finding that I had to graph two more hypotheticals in between answering questions. It took me 12:18 to complete the one game.

On the next go-around I graphed all of the hypotheticals (which resulted in four graphs/different placements of the variables) and was sure I had a graph showing each variable placement option BEFORE moving on to the questions. When I moved on to the questions, I did not have to do any more graphing, all I had to do was chose which graph best represents the question, and look for the correct answer choice (I already knew which answer was correct without combing through each answer choice). This method took me 7:12 for the game! That’s a five minute difference! (Not to mention I completed with time to spare! (each game should take no more than 8:45)) In sum, its definitely a worthwhile investment of time to go through the various placement of variables and fully understand why (or why not) a variable can (or cannot) be placed in a given slot.

I’m really trying to improve my “means rea” (legal term for “mental state”) for the logic games even when I am not working on real logic games per se. I do this by trying to retain as much information as possible and then recite it when needed. May be this seems silly, but exercising my memory seems to be helping. I work as a paralegal so lately I have been doing this when I am going over medical records for personal injury cases and preparing our complaints (in our fill-in-the-blank form). So it goes something like this: “Accident, 4/22/08; total medical damages $267,781; loss of use, 10%; underinsured policy limits $500,000; . . .” Of course, I always double check my info after plugging in the blanks, but I seem to be getting better and better. Even when needing to go hunt down a file, instead of writing down the 7-digit file number I make myself remember it. This way, I’m studying even when I’m not “studying.”


Thursday, April 1, 2010 – April Fools!

Happy April Fool’s Day! I hope no one played any lsat-related jokes on you! As I feared, I have not completed my study of the logic games, but I am feeling fairly confident about them and should be able to finish the various logic games types by the end of the weekend. I began to work on grouping games today in the tunnel (which was a gazillion degrees – so thinking positively, I was able to work on distractions of people walking past me as well as melting from the warm temperature just in case my test center will lose all sense of the words “air conditioning” on my test day).

I checked to see if my lsat ticket is ready for printing, to my disappointment, it is not. I would like to check out the actual test center room ahead of time so that I can start visualizing test day. All my life I have found comfort in being able to visualize ahead of time what a certain event will be like. Even if it turns out to be completely different than I thought, I still find it calming.

A friend of mine told me that she was actually able to go to her test center and actually take timed practice tests on weekends. Apparently, the auditorium was never locked and always vacant during weekends. It would be so nice if I could utilize that same idea. I have been told that the test center I will be going to has small auditorium style seating with the small “flip up” style desks. This doesn’t leave much room, so I’m trying to keep that in mind. Additionally, I checked out this LSAT test center review website listed on LSAT Blog, and got a little nervous when I read the review for my test center (which seems to be totally negative).


Friday, April 2, 2010 – Not So “Good Friday”

I was really looking forward to Good Friday – the courts are closed so I would not have my internship and could use the day to finish up my logic games, but I have come down with a terrible cold and am running a 101° fever! No fair! I am trying to muddle my way through the last bit of my logic games but my head is in such a fog I am only serving to frustrate myself. I am tired, exhausted, and irritable. Though, I must say, I am actually HAPPY to be sick right now – this surely means I won’t be sick over my June test date (assuming I would only get sick once in a summer). I am definitely an lsat nerd!


Saturday, April 3, 2010 – Encouragement

“Achooooooo!” I am sick! Sick ‘n tired of being sick! Need encouragement. This post cracked me up! I still do not feel “myself” but am trying to slowly work my way through the rest of my logic games, grrrr I hate being sick.


Sunday, April 4, 2010 – Feeling Lots Better

I am feeling so much better today and even stepped out of my house for some fresh air! I mentioned earlier that I think I’m turning into an lsat nerd – it must be official. I was trying to talk myself through lsat logic game PT 20, Game 1 (quite unsuccessfully I might add) and realized I was actually saying “no, no you silly answer choice number B, you can’t possibly be correct, what do you think I am? An idiot!?”

Okay, may be I should lay off the cough syrup, but hey whatever helps get me to understand these crazy things.

***
Steve's comments:

As Law School Dreamer suggested, the gunner is wrong in saying you should take the LSAT just to see how you do. Although most law schools no longer average multiple scores, some of the top ones do average them.

Additionally, you don't want to make a bad impression by having a bad LSAT score on your record, even if it won't necessarily be counted.

While I haven't heard of law schools requiring you to explain any score increase of 5 points or more, you may want to explain significant score differences in the hopes that your lower score will be ignored.

Another consideration is that you can only take the LSAT 3 times in a 2-year period (unless a law school requests that LSAC make an exception for you). Taking the LSAT just to see how you'll do would count as one of those 3 times.

Photo by hippie / Att NC

The LSAT is Hard, Easy, Bullshit, and Unfair

Of course, I don't believe it's bullshit or unfair.

Apparently, you guys do. Google told me so.

According to Google's search suggestions (based on billions of searches), you think it's hard, easy, bullshit, and unfair, among other things:

LSAT is hard? Agreed.

LSAT is easy? Agreed.

LSAT is bullshit and unfair? Nope. LSAC says it has a correlation of .35 with 1L grades, and that's an underestimation because some test-takers never make it to law school (see p16 of PDF).

LSAT is out of...control? It's out of 180.

LSAT is tomorrow? Not usually. See LSAT dates.

How the LSAT is graded? I did a big series on the LSAT "curve" recently.

Which LSAT is the easiest / hardest? No particular LSAT exam is easier or harder than any other at the end of the day. Again, see my series on the LSAT "curve."

Easiest LSAT Exam EVER: LSAT-India

What's the easiest LSAT exam ever? It's not the one you got drunk with last weekend.

It's LSAT-India, the test high school kids in India can now take to get into undergraduate-level law programs. Accordingly, it's not exactly the same as the LSAT we're used to, but it's pretty close.

If you've started prepping for the LSAT, you know every question has 5 answer choices. You also probably know you'll have to take a 5th experimental section that won't count towards your score.

LSAT-India contains exactly the same question-types as the regular LSAT. In fact, the sample PrepTest for LSAT-India (PDF) contains exactly the same questions as the June 2007 LSAT from LSAC (PDF). However, there are some major differences between the exams.

In the LSAT-India version of the June 2007 LSAT, the Logic Games, Reading Comprehension, and one of the two Logical Reasoning sections have been slashed down to only 4 answer choices per question.

For those who are bad at math, this means your odds when guessing randomly have been upped from 20% to 25% on those sections.

If that didn't make things easy enough, there's no experimental section either. Only the 4 scored sections.

Also, there's not even a writing sample.

More on the differences in the LSAT-India FAQ.

Bottom line: If you don't feel like toughing it out with the big dogs and taking the real LSAT, you can always take the easier one and get an undergraduate-level law degree in India.

Photo by andrewsardone

LSAT Diary: 20-Something Paralegal Driven to Success by Anxiety

This LSAT Diary is from Law School Dreamer, a 25-year-old paralegal. She talks about studying for the LSAT with ADD / ADHD and test anxiety.

One of her tips involves studying in a tunnel.

Why? You'll have to read on to find out.

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.)

Leave Law School Dreamer some encouragement below in the comments!

Monday, March 22, 2010 – Introduction, Issues, Goals, and Study Plan

For starters, allow me to introduce myself. I am a 25-year-old non-traditional full-time college student, I work full-time and am involved with far too many extracurricular commitments (both on and off campus). I never thought I would attend college, and thus never took the SATs and have very little experience with standardized testing.

Aside from my inexperience with standardized testing, I am also a nervous test taker – scratch that – I am an anxiety-driven college student. Anxiety literally drives me to succeed. I am so nervous of not doing well that it actually creates this anxious drive in me to succeed. Why am I so nervous of not succeeding, you ask? Well, because no one in my whole life ever told me that I should find out what makes me happy in life and to follow my dreams.

My parents hate the fact that I am “wasting my time and money on school,” and my mother told me that I will soon find that “college is for the smart, privileged kids.” Additionally, I was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder two years ago (when I started my college career, which was five years out of high school).

I am determined to not seek special accommodations during the LSAT for the following reasons:

1) I have spent my entire life attempting to succeed despite my ADD without special accommodations, why start now?

2) I like to believe that my medication puts me at a normal level as any other test taker;

3) I am not convinced that my application won't receive prejudicial consideration if I have this “black mark” on my LSAT score indicating I took the test under substandard conditions.

Two weeks ago when I registered for the LSAT my anxiousness kicked into high gear. I am registered to take the June 2010 LSAT – a huge step in my law school application process. I remember I sat idling at the checkout/payment page of the LSAC website, just staring thinking to myself “here we go.” My husband laughed at me, reached across the desk, clicked the “submit” button and said “done.” I could have killed him. I am not ready – but I will be (I hope).

I had planned to begin my study plan on January 1, sort of like a New Year’s resolution. I already have very little free time to myself, and it got passed over for my work on my university’s undergraduate research journal and my research on judicial selection in state courts. I kept telling myself that I had plenty of time to study, and kept putting it off. While the average person may be able to pickup the LSAT materials and strategies in three months, I find that my anxiousness, lack of extra time, and ADD require me to take things slow, and learn things in short increments.

Yet now I find myself a little over three months away from this dreadful thing. I have started to master Logic Games. And wow, what a difference! I remember my initial diagnostic test, the first time I had ever seen the analytical reasoning portion of the test. I had no strategy, no approach, nothing. I sat there thinking, how in the world would any one figure this stuff out? I now have an attack method, and currently I am honing those skills.

I am now working my way through each logic game (and timing myself at 8:45). So far, I’m feeling pretty confident, I most often complete each game in the allotted time, and answering correctly 90% of the questions. I hope to have all of the logic games completed by April 1st. Then I will work on the Logical Reasoning questions as I am doing the logic games.

Then, for the newest PrepTests, I will take full, timed tests. I am focusing less on the reading comprehension since it was my strongest section on my diagnostic, and I will naturally have practice with it during my full preptests. I plan to complete preptests 41-59 during the month of May leading up to the June 2010 LSAT.

My study schedule is as follows:

Monday and Wednesday: 1:30 to 4:30 (6 hours)

Tuesday and Thursday: 4:00 to 6:45 (2:45 hours)

Saturday: 7:00 to 10:00 (3 hours)

Sunday: 7:00 to 10:00 (3 hours)

Total hours per week: 14:45

This schedule works for me in that it is a set time for which I have no reason to be doing anything else. By that, I mean, these times do not conflict with school or work and I have still allowed myself enough time for regular homework duties on Saturday and Sunday (so no excuses).

I have learned that having a schedule and sticking to it, which later creates a habit is absolutely essential for any person trying to cope with ADD and ADHD – and the same is true for school, personal, work matters. Consistency is key.

Additionally, checklists are very helpful. I am a visual person, and I feel gratified to be able to check something off my list. Though its important that my list does not look overwhelming – so I break it up into months. For example, my LSAT study check list looks something like this:

Month of March

-Read short section on logic games from LSAC’s Official LSAT SuperPrep

-Complete LSAT Logic Games study plan

-Work through every LSAT logic game in sections through preptest 40, grouped by game type.

April

-Read short section on logical reasoning from LSAC’s Official LSAT SuperPrep

-Complete Logical Reasoning study plan

-Work through every LSAT logical reasoning question through preptest 40, grouped by type. (spreadsheet)

May

-Take timed preptests 41 through 59

June

-Try not to freak out.

I have received some flak for not enrolling in a prep course. For one, I can’t afford it. For two, none are offered that jive with my unconventional school and work schedules. Third, I tend to learn at my own pace, and find that when I am forced to teach myself something, through trial and error, taking my time, etc. I actually learn better.

Moving on to my study diary:

1:30 – arrive at home after work, make a quick lunch, and start attacking basic linear (unbalanced) logic games (I already completed basic linear balanced games). Before beginning though, I refresh my memory on attack methods.

2:00 – distracted – I find myself answering emails through blackberry – turn blackberry off, try to eliminate distractions, ugh! Get to work!

4:00 – Yessss! My class has been canceled – I can continue on with my studying!

I’m realizing that part of my issue is memorizing when I realize an inference, or if the rules change, what this does, how it shifts the rest of the variable (ie. apartments/trains/whatever). But my diagramming and understanding of the rules is okay, and I’m making all the inferences (ie. connecting all the dots) and marking down the not laws.

I was nailing the balanced linear, and even within the time frame, but having difficulty with finishing the game and questions in the allotted 8:45 timeframe for each game on the unbalanced linear. I suppose the added variations (as is the case with unbalanced games) is slowing me down). Additionally, I seem to be having issues with “must be false” questions – its just so much easier to find the “could be true” and maybe even a little easier to find the “must be true.”

I spent from 2:00 to 7:00 drilling the logic games (under timed conditions) and then scrutinizing my answer choice (when wrong) and retracing my steps of where I may have gone wrong when I chose incorrectly.

Started researching what type of applicants (number-wise) my top choice schools are accepting – which makes me even more nervous.


Tuesday, March 23, 2010 – Bring on the Distractions

Having ADHD means I am very easily distracted. My medication keeps me in-check and allows me to concentrate and focus, or at least get back on task when I am distracted, but it doesn’t always keep me from getting distracted in the first place. The only thing I can really equate it to is in the adorable movie “Up!” when the dog (who talks thanks to his inventive master) is on task until he sees a squirrel – all focus is lost. That’s exactly what I feel like.

Anyway, I was told that proctors walk up and down the room watching for LSAT offenders or cheaters during the exam. I am left-handed. This likely means that my test center (which is an auditorium with flip-up/built-in desks) will likely place me in an aisle seat, therefore proctors will be walking up and down the aisle right next to me.

I thought about quiet places that would simulate similar conditions, immediately I thought of my undergrad’s “Tunnel;” a long, underground hallway that connects our library to a lecture hall. Its very quiet and many people go there to study, but there's constantly a swarm of people walking through it.

So Tuesday I went to the “tunnel” and at first (as predicted) found myself very distracted, I couldn’t help but glance up every time someone passed by, not only did this kill my timing, but it ruined my concentration. It's difficult for me to keep multiple elements or variables in my head at a time, and if for a split second I think of something other than the task at hand, I lose all of that information. So training myself to not look up (and not even notice) when someone walks by is important and I found that my simulated testing conditions were helpful in that training. After an hour or so, I never looked up, or cared if anyone was walking by.

Total study time: 2 ½ hours.


Wednesday, March 25, 2010 – Need 4 Speed!

I am feeling so much more comfortable and confident with the logic games. I feel I have mastered the basic linear (balanced and unbalanced) and can even complete them with time to spare.

A few tricks that I have learned:

“must be true” means sure, other answer choices could be correct, but which variable MUST be in a specific slot and cannot be placed anywhere else. This is obvious, I know, but for some reason it just now clicked with me.

Second, it actually saves time to graph hypotheticals and see what can go where. Often, what CANNOT go in another slot is more important than what can go in a slot. Often, the answer to other questions is within a previous question. If you're given a “which of the following can be a complete and accurate list of x” add it to your hypos if you don’t already have it (though you should have already gotten it) – chances are, that hypothetical will help you answer a later question.

Third, change a negative into a positive. When it says “f and g cannot be first or second” and the only other variable you have is “h” you know “h” must appear first and second. So the negative was what could not go first or second, so flip it to a positive to show you what CAN go first or second.

Overall, today was a great day for many major breakthroughs. I’m feeling better already!


Thursday, March 26, 2010 – Back to the Tunnel

I resorted back to the tunnel for some distraction training – completed all of the advanced linear (balanced and unbalanced) logic games from PT1 to PT40. Feeling good!


Friday, March 27, 2010 – Off Day, but Still Motivating

I intern with a local county judge on Fridays, which is very motivating to me, but it means no time for LSAT study. But I think its actually beneficial to have a day off. I actually find that if I try to cram too much studying into one day, or spend more than a couple hours focused on LSAT studies, I stop learning and only get frustrated. But it's amazing how much better I am each day that I go back to it. As though subconsciously I am getting better even when I’m not working on it, though, this could be from my constant thinking of how every day life is like a logic game. Maybe I’m too obsessed.


Saturday, March 28, 2010 – Nightmares

I had a terrible nightmare last night! I dreamt that I bombed the LSAT and was unsure whether to cancel my score. I just stood there, frozen in the LSAT test center not able to move and not able to decide what to do. Yikes! I did, however spend four hours today, things are really coming along. The more familiar I become, the less anxiety I feel – though I’m sure test day will be full of anxiety!


Sunday, March 29, 2010 – Making Contact

I am deeply interested in Animal Law and through a six degrees of separation sort of way, was introduced to a law professor that teaches Animal Law at my state university. It was so inspiring to hear what opportunities would exist for me in the realm of animal law if I chose to attend that school. The admissions at this university is extremely competitive, so its all the more reason to master this LSAT.

My LSAT ticket is not ready for printing yet through LSAC, but as soon as it is, I’d like to go see the test center to help better visualize what it will be like on test day – I have always found that visualization actually helps calm my nerves.

Photo by lij

Law School Bound Book Interview

I recently interviewed John Richardson, author of Law School Bound: Everything you need to get into law school in Canada and the U.S. Our discussion follows. At the end, I've included a listing of the topics covered in book, as well as a link to a review of the book.

1. You published Law School Bound back in 2006. What new advice do you have for law school applicants today?

Law School Bound was designed to guide people from the decision to attend law school, through the application process, through the bar admission process and into a legal career. The book was designed to “stand the test of time”. Therefore, I wouldn’t give any different advice in 2010.

I wrote the first edition of Law School Bound in 1992 when North America was in a severe recession. The 1992 recession resulted in fewer applications for law school (including a decline in the number of people taking the LSAT). The book published in 2006 was during an economic boom. As you know, 2010 has been a tough year all around. The 2010 recession seems to have resulted in an increase in the numbers of LSAT test takers.

But, so what? If one wants to attend law school and become a lawyer, one shouldn’t care about the state of the economy. A weak economy always means fewer jobs for lawyers (and everybody else). That said, there is always an abundance of opportunity for talented, enthusiastic, focused people. Remember, the economy will turn around. You might as well be waiting (with that law degree in hand) when it does!


2. In Chapter 12, "Different Marketing for Different Schools," you talked about tailoring the application theme depending upon a school's mission statement. This sounds like a good idea, but aside from a top LSAT score and GPA, what else are they really looking for? Don't they all want unique personal backgrounds, work experience, impressive extracurriculars, etc.?

Your question is focuses both on the law school applicant and on the law school itself.

First, the law school applicant:

There is a saying that even a dog knows whether he has been “kicked” or accidentally “tripped over”. A law school admissions committee knows perfectly well whether an applicant is applying to that particular school or is just hoping to attend any school. Remember, it’s the job of the law school admissions committee to “fill the class”. All other things being equal (which they may or may not be the case), any school would rather offer a space to an applicant who they think is a “good fit” for the school.

When I consider the criteria that you mention:

Grades and LSAT scores: they will (in that order) be a huge factor. Remember that upward trends in grades are helpful.

Unique personal backgrounds: The truth is that only a small percentage of law school applicants have “unique personal backgrounds”. Furthermore, there is no objective agreement on what a “unique personal background is”. And finally, the real issue (assuming a “unique personal background”) is: how does that background bear on the applicant’s desire to attend law school and his/her application?

Work Experience: Work experience is relevant from the perspective of: how does it bear on the decision to attend law school? How does it bear on the maturity level of the applicant? How does it bear on the applicant’s motivation? Most law school applicants are coming out of some kind of undergraduate program and therefore do not have a great deal of work experience. Unless you are a “second career” applicant, the most that “work experience” will do is, distinguish you in a small way from other applicants.

Impressive Extracurricular Activities: Again, there is no agreement on what is impressive and what is not. The issue is the same: how does participation in the activity contribute to the kind of person you are. For example, three years of “swimming practice” every day is strong evidence of motivation and consistency. Membership in certain clubs (depending on the role you played) may be evidence of nothing. So, when dealing with extracurricular activities, I recommend that you describe why it was important, what you learned from it, and how it bears on your decision to attend law school.

Second, focus on the law school itself – how does the school see itself?

No two people see themselves in the same way and no two law schools see themselves in the same way. On the most basic level, one school may see itself as a national law school and another as a local school. Some schools may have a teaching philosophy of not teaching “black letter law” (perhaps some Ivy League schools) and others may see themselves as for the express purpose of teaching “black letter law”. Some schools may see themselves as strong in the “public or international law area”. Others may not.

When marketing yourself to a law school you must do your best to determine how the school sees itself. What kinds of people do they think are most compatible with their program? One must be conscious of these factors when crafting a “personal statement” for that school. You should determine the answers to these questions for any law school (including the top tier schools).

“Talk the talk” of the particular law school. Let’s consider two schools. The first school asks about your “community service”. The second school asks about your primary interests. Imagine that you have been an active participant in “Big Brothers”. When you apply to the first school you describe “Big Brothers” as “community service”. When you apply to the second school “Big Brothers” is one of your “primary interests.”


3. What advice do you have for applicants on getting accepted from a law school waitlist?

It is hard to generalize about this. Each school has its own admissions committee. Each school will have a different way of organizing its waiting list. For example, some may have a list with an order. Others may just have a list.

That said, it never hurts and can only help to let the school know that:

1. You are very interested in attending that particular school; and
2. Would accept an offer of admission from that school.

I would also advise you to remember the following:

In any office (including law offices – remember this for your future careers), the support staff have a great deal of influence. Always, Always, Always (did I say Always?) make sure that you treat the support staff with respect!

It all comes back to the idea, that it is the job of the admissions committee to fill the class. If you are enthusiastic about the school, they will be more enthusiastic about you.


4. What advice do you have for applicants on negotiating financial aid?

There are many opportunities for financial aid. Remember that “Financial Aid” can mean a loan, scholarship or combination. Some is public, some is private, etc. If you are applying for financial aid you must find out as much as you can about the organization that is funding the financial aid? What was their motivation? What criteria does it use? Every application for financial aid should (to the extent possible) be treated as a serious, independent application. You may want to emphasize different things about yourself for different forms of financial aid.


5. Any last words of advice to share with applicants?

Actually, these should be the “first words” of advice.

There are three categories of law school applicants.

1. Will get into most schools – These applicants have both very high grades and very high LSAT scores. In fact, the grades and LSAT scores are so high, that their application carries a “strong presumption” that they will be admitted. They don’t include anything in their application that will rebut that presumption. This is a small percentage of law school applicants.

2. Will get into no or very few schools – These applicants have low grades and LSAT scores and include nothing to redeem themselves in the rest of the application. They usually do a very poor job on the overall application. This is a small percentage of law school applicants.

3. Applicants who have demonstrated the academic ability to do law school work. But, the question is why that particular applicant instead of another applicant? This is by far the largest percentage of law school applicants.

Most applicants are in the third group. They must work on every component of your application file. In general the components of the application file include both “Direct Applicant Input” and “Third Party Evaluations”:

Direct Applicant Input:

* personal statements
* the law school application to the extent that they ask about biographical information

Third Party Evaluations:

* grades
* references
* LSAT scores

Furthermore each individual component must work with the other components in a way that creates a “whole that is greater than the sum of the parts”. It takes a lot of time to create a strong law school application.

Remember the following:

* Applying to law school is “academic marketing”. Your job is, through your law school application, to create positive (in a relevant way), images about yourself.

* “Talk the talk” of the particular law school. (See above)

Start your application early. This will give you the time to write it, rewrite it, get outside advice, etc.

Pretend you are applying in the year before you apply. Do a “shadow application” in the previous year. You will do a large amount of the work in the prior year, but it means that in the real application year, you will be improving your applications instead of creating them for the first time.

Get most of the work done in the summer. Applying to law school is a lot of work. It is so much work that it can encroach on time that you need to study (thus putting downward pressure on your grades).

Work with an “application buddy”. Most people do not perceive themselves the way others perceive them. You will be grateful for an “objective assessment” of the images that you are projecting. You will find it difficult to describe yourself because you have the “whole picture”. An “application buddy” will help you with these realities.

Take the LSAT in June or October at the latest. Remember that most law schools use a “rolling admissions process”. You can’t be admitted until your application is complete. June has the advantage of not conflicting with school and leaving October for a possible retake. The December takes place either the first or second weekend in December. This is a terrible time in your school year.

Make sure you apply to enough schools. Apply to schools in the following three categories: Wishful thinking (very tough to get into it). Probable match (match your grades and LSAT scores with the profile of the school). Insurance policy (you want to attend law school regardless of where you get in).

Letter of Reference: The fact that somebody agrees to write you a reference does not mean that it will be a good one. You need to “qualify” possible referees by asking the following question: “Do you feel that you could and would you be willing to write me a positive reference letter for law school” You are looking for an answer that is an enthusiastic – YES!

To borrow from a famous basketball coach, “Winning requires the will to prepare to win!”

***

Brief notes on Law School Bound from Steve:

This book is enormous - 560 pages.

As I read its table of contents, I felt as if I were looking at the contents of a pre-law advisor's brain.

John divided this book into 8 separate "books" (mega-chapters).

They are:

1. Deciding On Law School - The Pre-Law Career Counselor

2. Understanding And Identifying Opportunities To Study Law

3. The Law School Application Manual - Executing A Plan

4. Law School: Understanding, Surviving, Flourishing!

5. From Law School To Bar Admission - Your License To Practise

6. The World Is Your Oyster - Lawyers' Mobility In A Global World

7. Learning About Lawyers And The Legal Profession

8. Recognizing Historical Barriers To Access


It also includes an appendix with general LSAT tips and advice.

Appendix: LSAT PREP - Get Off On The Right Foot

Part A - Introducing The LSAT - A PREP Primer

Part B - Studying The LSAT - Past, Present And Future

***

For more info:

Read a review of Law School Bound by a pre-law college student.

Kaplan LSAT Prep Book Review

I recently looked at a copy of a Kaplan LSAT prep book titled Kaplan LSAT 2010 Edition: Strategies, Practice, and Review.

It consists of generic advice and 3 Kaplan-written, not LSAC-written, practice tests and explanations (despite the fact that the book's table of contents claims that these are "Real LSAT Practice Tests and Explanations").

I spent a few hours flipping through it, and I found a couple of problems with the book that seem particularly egregious.

This blog post will cover them. You'll be able to follow along with the review even if you don't have a copy of the book.

Logical Reasoning

On page 33:

Point at Issue questions are referred to as "a relatively new question type."

Considering the fact that these questions were included as far back as PrepTest 1 (the June 1991 LSAT), I assume at least one of the following possibilities:

-Kaplan has repeatedly updated some version of this book for the past several decades without changing that sentence

-Kaplan forgot about the older PrepTests

-Kaplan doesn't know what it's talking about and includes random statements in its prep books for kicks

-Kaplan's really old and considers the June 1991 LSAT to be "relatively new"

You have plenty of opportunities to practice Point At Issue questions. They've appeared on the LSAT since PrepTest 1.


On page 34:
Kaplan introduces a question that's never appeared on the LSAT by claiming that it will now demonstrate a "genuine Logical Reasoning" question.

Brief sidenote:

One's likely to assume from the use of the word "genuine" that what follows is an LSAC-written LSAT question. Otherwise, what's the point of including the word "genuine"?

To say that the question actually is in front of you? That its presence is not an illusion?

Same goes for the claim in the Table of Contents that the book contains "Real LSAT Practice Tests and Explanations."

Seems to me that those statements are intended to be misleading, or that the person writing them just enjoys being redundant.

Anyway, the question on page 34 is about overweight men and a product called SlimDown. You can see it on page 6 of this PDF.

I searched Google Books with a phrase from answer choice C of this question and found 19 search results from a variety of Kaplan LSAT, GMAT and GRE prep books. It was even in a Civil Service Exam prep book.

Seems like Kaplan also considers it to be a "genuine GMAT question," a "genuine GRE question," and a "genuine Civil Service Exam question," despite the fact that it almost certainly never appeared on any of these actual exams.

Now, you might think this is fine if that question type (a Necessary Assumption question) shows up on all of these exams. However, I hope that, at the very least, Kaplan would provide unique analysis of the question for each exam considering that each exam has its own idiosyncrasies.

No such luck.

I searched a phrase from Kaplan's analysis of this question (the phrase also happens to describe the book itself) as a few other phrases from the Kaplan analysis. It seems to me that Kaplan included an identical analysis of this question in its books for the GMAT, GRE, and the Civil Service Exams.

Sure, all of these exams require you to analyze arguments. However, you'd think that a book with a $30 cover price would consist only of content that's uniquely tailored to the exam for which you're studying.

No such luck.


Logic Games

Two Logic Games from the early portion of the book are also included, word for word, in the practice tests at the end of the book.

Page 92 (learning portion of book) and page 198 (1st practice test of book) contain the same Logic Game about a cheese salesperson.

Page 95 (learning portion of book) and page 379 (3rd practice test of book) contain the same Logic Game about community college instructors.


There might be a good chunk of time between someone's completion of the learning portion of the book and the practice test portion of the book.

It's possible (dare I say, likely) that the test-taker might not realize he or she has seen these Logic Games before when completing them for the second time.

Doing Logic Games untimed and learning their ins and outs before doing them in a timed practice test setting could give you a misleading boost in your practice test score.

A false sense of security is a dangerous thing. It can lead you to study less and ultimately score lower on Test Day than expected.

For more on why it's bad to be exposed to questions before taking them as part of timed practice exams, please see Princeton Review LSAT Logic Games Workout - Exposed.


Another bad thing about the presentation of the Logic Games in this book:

Not all the questions from each Logic Game are included on the same page. In some cases, you have to actually flip the page to see the final question of a game. This even happens on the practice tests at the end of the book that are meant to be taken as full timed exams.

On Test Day, each Logic Game is limited to one page, and you don't get any scrap paper. Kaplan's formatting prevents you from getting the amount of space you'd typically get for a Logic Game.

Maybe it's good to practice by working with less space than you might expect to get on Test Day, just in case you get less space than you'd expect. However, not everyone's looking for that degree of intensity in a mass-market test prep book - certainly not when the book is meant for the average test-taker. The formatting simply doesn't represent what it'll be like on Test Day.

Was Kaplan trying to make the book one page shorter to cut printing costs?

Was it just bad formatting?

I don't know, but whatever the reasons, it's certainly not a good thing.



Reading Comprehension

Given how generic Kaplan's Reading Comprehension advice is, it should come as no surprise to you that it gives identical advice for other standardized exams. I searched a few phrases from the Kaplan LSAT 2010 book and found that identical sentences about Reading Comp appear in a variety of GRE and GMAT books as well. (Similar to the practice question in the Logical Reasoning section I mentioned above.)

On page 113:

A phrase describing the essential parts of what is implied to be the typical LSAT passage appears in over a dozen LSAT and GRE prep books.

A phrase describing a hypothetical LSAT Reading Comp passage appears in over 10 different Kaplan prep books for the LSAT, GMAT, and GRE.


Now, I don't want to overstate my case here. Most Reading Comprehension advice is bound to be somewhat generic.

However, these exams each have different organizations creating them. As such, their passages are bound to have significant differences. Advice tailored to these differences wouldn't be so generic that one could simply copy-paste entire sections of one book into a prep book for a totally different exam. Instead, Kaplan should create Reading Comp advice tailored more specifically to each exam.

***

If you clicked on the links in the Logical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension section of my review, you were able to see all the books containing each phrase. Now, you probably noticed certain trends. Aside from the fact that many GRE and GMAT books contained these phrases, there's the issue that many older LSAT books contained these phrases.

Two of these books appeared quite often:

Kaplan LSAT 2006, Premier Program
Kaplan LSAT 2004 with CD-ROM‎

Perhaps Kaplan makes few substantive changes to this book, if any, from year-to-year.

If they do, it's not much of a surprise. This is a common tactic of textbook publishers: release a new edition each year to decrease sales of used copies, despite the fact that hardly anything substantive has changed in the new edition.

If you're considering the purchase of this Kaplan LSAT prep book (and I don't know why you would), you might as well save some money and purchase one of those two older editions instead. (Copies of each are selling for a penny plus shipping.)

However, I give this book and its previous editions a big thumbs down. They're just not worth your time.

***

List of Kaplan non-LSAT prep books that, according to Google Books, contained at least one phrase also appearing in Kaplan LSAT 2010 Edition: Strategies, Practice, and Review:

Kaplan Civil Service Exams‎

Kaplan LNAT: National Admissions Test for Law‎ (LNAT is the UK's version of the LSAT)

Kaplan GRE Exam 2010: Strategies, Practice, and Review‎
Kaplan GRE Exam 2010 Premier Live Online
Kaplan Portable GRE Exam‎
Kaplan GRE 2005
Kaplan GRE Exam 2003‎
Kaplan GRE Exam 2003 with CD-ROM
Kaplan GRE Exam 2000-2001‎
Kaplan GRE 1999-2000 with CD-ROM‎
Kaplan GRE 1999-2000‎

Kaplan GMAT 2010: Strategies, Practice, and Review‎
Kaplan GMAT 2010 Premier Live Online‎
Kaplan GMAT Direct: Streamlined Review and Strategic Practice
Kaplan GMAT 2006, Premier Program
Kaplan GMAT 2004 with CD-ROM‎
Kaplan GMAT 2004‎
Kaplan GMAT 2000-2001‎
Kaplan GMAT CAT 1999-2000‎
Kaplan GMAT all-in-one test prep plus business school admissions‎
Kaplan GMAT 1997-1998‎
Kaplan Portable GMAT
Kaplan Graduate management admission tests‎


List of Kaplan LSAT prep books that, according to Google Books, contained at least one phrase also appearing in Kaplan LSAT 2010 Edition: Strategies, Practice, and Review:

Kaplan LSAT 2006, Premier Program
Kaplan LSAT 2004 with CD-ROM‎
Kaplan LSAT 2000-2001 with CD-ROM‎
Kaplan LSAT 1999-2000‎
Kaplan LSAT 1998-99


Neither of these lists should be considered exhaustive. Perhaps other Kaplan test prep books contain the phrases I chose from the Kaplan LSAT 2010 book, but those books simply haven't been scanned by Google.

Photo by httpoldmaisonblogspotcom

Cambridge University's LSAT Logic, PDFs, and eBooks

Being an LSAT blogger, I read a lot of tech news (the NYTimes Tech news RSS feed is awesome).

I follow the Amazon Kindle, the iTunes music store, Twitter, Facebook, etc., and I don't really know why.

Actually, I do know why.

Aside from just thinking about how it all applies to LSAT Blog, I try to figure out why companies act the way they do. I think about their motivations and the pros and cons of their decisions.

After all, when someone's in the boardroom of a tech company promoting their project, they're making assertions:

"We can beat our competitors on this."

"This item will be successful."

"We're uniquely positioned to promote this."

These assertions (aka conclusions) must be supported by evidence if they're going to have any chance of convincing the big bosses at these companies to put some money behind the particular project. Basically, arguments exist in the real world (duh).

Cambridge University and LSAT Logic
I recently read that a Cambridge University-backed company called Plastic Logic (wiki) created the digital display for an ebook-reader called the QUE proReader:










My first thought: "Good for you, putting the word 'logic' in your company's name. I like you a bit more already!"

However, this doesn't mean their product's a good idea, of course.

Let's assume, for argument's sake, that the Que ProReader is a newcomer to the market of ebook readers and that the others have all been around for at least a year.


Minor problem:
The product's name has the word "Que" in it, which makes me think of the Spanish word for "what." (It's pronounced like the letter "Q", though.)


Major problem:
There's a lot of competition. Aside from the Amazon Kindle pictured at the beginning of this blog post, there are some other players in the market.

There's the Barnes & Noble Nook:












There's the Skiff Reader, which bends:






















And there are a bunch more - too many to go into, really.

Clearly, Plastic Logic won't be able to distinguish the Que ProReader by distributing photos of disembodied hands holding their product.



What sort of information, if true, would strengthen the Plastic Logic employee's argument for creating yet another ebook reader? (All of the following would.)

Their ebook reader has characteristics and capabilities the others don't.

They have better marketing/distribution channels.

Their product is cheaper to produce than the others.

Most people who will eventually buy an ebook reader have not yet purchased one.

Members of the public who already have ebook readers might still buy another.

People want to read books, PDFs, etc. on small handheld computer-like thingies.

The Que ProReader has the unique capability of also allowing the user to print out multiple copies of whatever they're reading.


What sort of information, if true, would weaken the Plastic Logic employee's argument? (All of the following would.)

Their ebook reader doesn't have any unique characteristics or capabilities.

They don't have better marketing/distribution channels.

Their product is not cheaper to produce than the others.

Most people who will eventually buy an ebook reader have already purchased one.

Members of the public who already have ebook readers will not buy another one.

People don't want to read books, PDFs, etc. on small handheld computer-like thingies.

The Que ProReader does not have the unique capability of also allowing the user to print out multiple copies of whatever they're reading.


What sort of information, if true, would help us evaluate the Plastic Logic employee's argument for creating advertisements that feature disembodied hands holding their product? (All of the following would.)

Whether surveys and studies have shown that people are scared of ads featuring disembodied hands

Whether companies improve their sales by mimicking the advertisements of their competitors

Whether ads that feature disembodied hands cause the viewer to picture themselves as the owner of the ebook reader being advertised

LSAT Diaries: Timing LSAT Practice Tests

In Rosemary's first LSAT Diary, she gave some tips on getting started with LSAT studying. In her second LSAT Diary, Rosemary dealt with the distraction of watching TV, found a study space, and visited her first-choice law school. In her third LSAT Diary, she balanced her final semester of college with LSAT studying and gave us some tips on making copies of Logic Games.

In this week's, she starts thinking about how to time her practice tests.

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.)

Rosemary's 4th LSAT Diary:

Anyone else have battle scars after weathering finals? Seriously, I thought I 'd never make it through. It’s so nice to be on the other side and I can start devoting more time to my LSAT prep.

After my extended break, the first thing I did was take a practice test so I could evaluate where I currently stand and what I need to work on. Having previously taken the exam, I’m a big believer in “practice how you’ll play.” Your practice test sessions aren’t just about scoring higher. It’s also about implementing strategies to see what does and does not work.

First step, know your test center. If you haven’t already, you should check out LSAT test center reviews for your area. These have usually been left by previous test-takers to give future test-takers a little inside knowledge.

For instance, I know from the reviews posted that the other test site in my area uses a lecture hall with fixed seating and flip up desktops. Considering that you have a test booklet and an answer sheet this may be difficult or distracting on test day as you try to balance your booklet on your lap and the bubble sheet on the desk. There are very few things we can control on test day, so you can bet that I’m trying for the highest-rated test site. If your site uses flip-up desks, you should try to imitate this environment as close as possible during your practice tests.

Another key point for me that I didn’t realize until test day was the timing aspect. When I took practice tests at the test prep center, I came to rely on their digital clocks and the start and end times on the board to keep track of my time. On test day, the clock in the classroom was hard to read because it was very far away, and it was analog. Also the proctors did not write the start times on the wipe board at the front.

I had brought an analog watch with a large face to use as my own personal timer. I set the watch to 12:00 and planned to start the watch when the proctors started the test. Well with my adrenaline pumping I forgot to start my watch! Somewhere between 5-10 minutes I looked at my wrist and realized it still said 12:00! Panic set in and honestly I had no idea if I had 30 minutes left or 23 minutes left, which is a big difference on a 35 minute section.

Steve had some great posts on self-timing and I plan on trying out several different methods to find which one works for me and that is what I’ll use during my prep tests. So my motto for this entry is prep how you’ll test, the more you can recreate the actual test environment the better off you’ll be on actual test day.

Photo by 22933113@N07 / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Creating the LSAT's Raw Score Conversion Chart (aka, the Curve)

This post is Part 5 of the "The LSAT Curve" series. The series starts with The LSAT Curve | Test-Equating at LSAC.

Creating the LSAT's Raw Score Conversion Chart (aka, the Curve)
Let's suppose that, on a given exam, the 170-scorers got 12 questions wrong altogether on the 4 scored sections.

That's an average of 3 questions wrong per scored section. Let's assume they got an average of 3 questions wrong on the games section.

However, let's say that a subset of those 170-scorers all took the same experimental Logic Games section. What if these test-takers got an average of 5 questions wrong on that Logic Games section?

Therefore, we can say that this experimental Logic Games section is harder for 170-scorers than the scored LG section. As a result, this section deserves a slightly more generous "curve" than the scored section of LG does - for 170-scorers.


Let's suppose the average 150-scorer got 40 questions wrong altogether on the 4 scored sections of this very same exam.

That's an average of 10 questions wrong per scored section. Let's assume they got an average of 10 questions wrong on the games section.

What if a subset of those 150-scorers took the very same experimental Logic Games section and scored an average 10 questions wrong on it?

Therefore, we can say that this experimental LG section is no harder for 150-scorers than the scored LG section was. As a result, this section doesn't a more generous "curve" than the scored section of LG does - for 150-scorers.

(Of course, all of this is only about one Logic Games experimental section. Perhaps a different group of 170-scorers took an experimental Logical Reasoning section that was easier for them than their scored Logical Reasoning sections. Perhaps a different group of 150-scorers took this experimental LR section and found it more difficult than their scored LR sections. If the experimental Logical Reasoning section were placed on an exam with the experimental Logic Games section mentioned earlier, the differences might cancel each other out.)

The fact remains that a given exam might be of varying levels of difficulty for test-takers at different levels.

If a particular test is very difficult for 170-scorers, then the "curve" for them will be very generous (meaning someone who "deserves" a 170 won't have to answer as many questions correctly to get a 170 as they would have if the exam weren't as difficult).

If a particular test is of normal difficulty for 150-scorers, then the curve can just be normal for them, meaning it'll require the typical amount of questions correct in order to get a 150. People whose "true scores" are at 150 won't need any messing with the "curve" to get the 150 they deserve.

A nice summary on "true scores" and test-equating from LSAC:

Testing organizations typically disclose test forms after they have been administered to large test-taker populations. Therefore, several test forms must be developed annually to be as similar as possible to one another in terms of statistical and content attributes. Although a great deal of effort is placed on assembling comparable tests, forms will tend to vary somewhat in terms of their statistical characteristics. Hence, scores must be transformed in order to enable direct comparisons across forms. The process by which scores are adjusted so as to make them comparable to each other is referred to as equating. The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) employs item response theory (IRT) true-score equating to equate the LSAT.

Source: Assessing the Effect of Multidimensionality on LSAT Equating for Subgroups of Test Takers (Executive Summary)


***


If any of this "LSAT curve stuff" seems confusing or unfair, don't waste time worrying about it.

The bottom line is that it doesn't matter which month you take the exam, and it doesn't matter how easy or difficult your particular exam is. The raw score conversion chart, based on LSAC's statistical data, addresses all of those issues and makes sure that everything's equal in the end.

Just focus on answering as many questions correctly as possible, and let LSAC take care of the rest.

***
Want to start at the beginning? Begin with The LSAT Curve | Test-Equating at LSAC.

Also, in case you missed them:

-I published the Raw Score Conversion Charts for every LSAT PrepTest ever released in one big spreadsheet.

-I created graphs and charts demonstrating changes over time in how many questions you can miss on the LSAT and still get a 170 or 160, respectively.

Photo by revolute / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0