Finally conquer the LSAT

Quick question: have you ever gotten lost? I’m willing to bet that most (if not all) of you have at some point. I’ve definitely lost my sense of direction on more than one occasion. If I’m being honest, I sometimes have trouble re-orienting myself after getting out of the subway.

So, what does this have to do with you and the LSAT? Well, if you’re re-taking the LSAT, then you might’ve gotten a little lost somewhere along the way.
Studying the wrong way really hard is pretty much the same as walking really fast in the wrong direction. You’re going somewhere, but not where you want. And you’ll probably get tired and frustrated doing it.

Fortunately for you, I paved the way so you don’t have to make the same mistakes I did the first time around. Consider me your guide through a dangerous landscape, leading you into battle. You already have the skills you need to get where you want to go, you just need someone to show you how to get there.  


- everything you need to do compiled into one big, easy-to-read list

- exactly what to do each day, and in what order

- which tests to complete under timed conditions in the middle and end of your prep

- the particular articles to read before attempting certain LSAT questions

- the specific LSAT questions you should solve at a particular point in time


It doesn’t get any easier than that!

I’ve got a whole list of these day-by-day study plans. You’ll probably be interested in the Retake one, but there are many other guides to consider instead if this is your first time using one.


Regardless of which one you want, you can find them all at the link below:

Happy Studying!
LSAT Steve






LSAT Prep Without Enough Hours In The Day...

Last time you heard from me, I showed you a pretty comprehensive study plan for those of you retaking the exam. I’ll be honest, that guide is super-intense.

If you have enough time to study 4-6 hours a day, then it’s perfect. The problem is, there are a lot of you out there who just can’t do that.

I totally get it. Jobs, family and all kinds of other things are constantly taking up your day. You can cut down on your socializing but you have to keep a roof over your head and you still want your significant other to be speaking to you after all this is said and done.


There’s still hope! I made it a point to create a study guide for those with a crowded schedule too.
What’ll you find here is a guide specifically designed for you, the busy, hard-working student who studied like crazy the first time around, didn’t get the score they wanted and now want to tackle it again.

My 3-month retake schedule assumes you already did most/all of what I recommend in my LSAT study schedules for first-timers (building a strong foundation in each section). If you did little or none of the things contained in those schedules, use those instead.


This schedule also assumes there are 4 Logical Reasoning question-types that give you difficulty and at least two types of Logic Games that gives you difficulty. (Here's an example of one way you might analyze a Logical Reasoning question in more detail.)  


Finally, it assumes you've already seen/used dozens of the most recent PrepTests in your prep the first time around.

If something about this schedule doesn’t work for you, feel free to change it to fit your needs. Remember, this guide is meant to work for you, not the other way around.


So without further ado, I present to you my LSAT Retake Guide For Insanely Busy People!

Good Luck!
LSAT Steve



P.S. If you find you have more time to study than you though, you can always switch over to my more in-depth plan, which you can find here




Average LSAT scores *increase*

The reality is if you’re reading this, the upcoming LSAT is not your first rodeo. First of all, there’s no shame in that. Many people aren’t happy with their scores, but they just give up.

Some have good reasons, sure, but for many others – it’s because they don’t have the discipline to put in the hard work to study for it again and achieve their dreams of a higher score.

So, congrats on being tough as nails!

Seriously, if you are willing to go through the process of re-taking the LSAT – to figure out what went wrong the first time around and correct your mistakes, then you have what it takes to get into law school and succeed once you get there.

And, your score can increase significantly the next time around. It’s happened for several of my previous students, like AnneAndy, and Dan.

So that’s not some rah-rah motivational speaker talk, it’s just the truth.

Now that we’ve established you’re law school material, let’s work on getting you the score to prove it.

If you’re able to study full-time, you’re lucky – and the odds are in your favor.

I’ve got a great free retaker guide you can follow right here. This guide is super-intense, allowing you to cover nearly every single LG and LR question ever released - but, as always, feel free to modify as necessary.

And, if you’re not lucky enough to be able to study full-time – that’s ok, too. Most people can’t, but they can still get huge score increases, too.

Next time, I’ll share some tips on how to to study, whether you’re working, in school, or have other things keeping you busy.

Of course, you can always drop me a line if you have any specific questions.

Let’s do this!
LSAT Steve

Recommended Resources:

1. LSAT Courses
The best of my LSAT material with exclusive access to attend my Live Online LSAT Master Classes + Q&As, and on-demand video lessons you can watch anytime. Plus, LSAT study plans to keep you on track. Save hundreds of dollars with an LSAT course package.

2. LSAT Explanations
The explanations that should have come with the LSAT. These don't just fall back on "out of scope," but actually tell you why the wrong answers are wrong, why the right answers are right, and the easiest way to get the correct answer.

3. LSAT Cheat Sheets
Based on what I'd typically do in college: read what the professor emphasized and condense it all onto a single piece of paper. It gave me a quick reference, making things a lot less threatening and a lot more manageable.



The 5 Hardest LSAT Reading Comprehension Passages

Well, it’s time. I think you’re ready.


We've been going over these LSAT Reading Comprehension questions for a while now and tackled them from several different angles.

However, as I’ve said before the best way to get better at these is to just practice a LOT.

In that spirit, here are 5 of the hardest LSAT Reading Comprehension passages I could find.
I’ll share them here in a second, but before I do that, if there’s anything you want to go back and revisit, you can do that with this list of free LSAT RC resources.


Ok, ready? Good luck - I believe in you!






Sincerely,

Steve “Reading Comp Killer” Schwartz



P.S. Next time, I’ll share one of my favorite LSAT Test Day strategies. 


Recommended Resources:

1. LSAT Courses
The best of my LSAT material with exclusive access to attend my Live Online LSAT Master Classes + Q&As, and on-demand video lessons you can watch anytime. Plus, LSAT study plans to keep you on track. Save hundreds of dollars with an LSAT course package.

2. Reading Comprehension Explanations
The explanations that should have come with the LSAT. These don't just fall back on "out of scope," but actually tell you why the wrong answers are wrong, why the right answers are right, and the easiest way to get the correct answer.

3. LSAT Vocabulary Builder
A handbook that guides you through confusing LSAT language, but not by forcing you to memorize hundreds of words. Instead, this comprehensive guide focuses on the LSAT's most commonly-used words and phrases and gives you their meanings on the LSAT.






August LSAT-Flex Email from LSAC

First, a summary:

LSAC announced the August 29 LSAT will be an LSAT-Flex. Like other LSAT-Flex administrations, it will not be disclosed. Most will take it on Saturday, Sunday, Monday.

Target score release date is September 18 at 9AM Eastern.

Unlike other Flex administrations, there will be a score preview option for first-time test-takers (for a fee - $45 if you pay before the test, $75 if you pay after the first day of the test).

You must complete LSAT Writing to receive your score and opens 8 days before the LSAT.

***

LSAC email text sent to August LSAT test-takers:

"Because you are currently registered for the August 29 LSAT, we want to share several important announcements about the August test:

Given the continuing COVID-19 emergency, we will offer the online, remotely proctored LSAT-Flex in August, instead of the in-person LSAT scheduled for August 29 in the U.S. and Canada. The LSAT-Flex gives candidates the opportunity to earn an LSAT score and continue their law school journeys despite COVID-19 restrictions on travel or public gatherings. The August LSAT-Flex will be administered starting Saturday, August 29. Most test takers will test on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, with a small number of tests occurring later in the week based on specific remote proctoring requirements. Due to the demands of the LSAT-Flex administration, this will be an undisclosed test. We are targeting Friday, September 18 as the score release date.

The second half of this email provides more detail on next steps, assistance, and familiarization resources.

In response to requests and feedback from test takers, we have created a new score preview option for first-time test takers who wish to see their score before deciding whether or not to keep it as part of their LSAC transcript and report it to schools. Score preview will cost $45 if you sign up prior to the first day of testing for a given test administration, or you may sign up during a specified time period after testing has concluded for $75. First-time test takers who sign up for score preview will receive their scores at the same time other test takers receive theirs (assuming they have completed their LSAT Writing and have no holds on their accounts), and will have six (6) calendar days to decide if they want to cancel or keep their score. If they take no action their scores will be added to their LSAC file and released to schools at the end of the six-day period. This feature will be available for purchase starting around August 1.

Note: First-time test takers who have an approved LSAT fee waiver will receive score preview free of charge.

You can learn more about the score preview option at our website: https://www.lsac.org/…/tak…/lsat-scoring/about-score-preview

In response to feedback from our member law schools, we are reinstating the requirement that all test takers must have a completed LSAT Writing sample on file before they will receive their score for the August LSAT-Flex or future tests. The writing sample has been a required part of the LSAT for decades, and law schools expect to see your LSAT writing sample when they review your application. Indeed, many schools have reported that they find the writing sample even more valuable due to the improved readability of the online LSAT Writing format introduced June 2019. To help candidates complete the writing portion of their test, we will now open LSAT Writing eight (8) days prior to every test administration. Candidates may complete their LSAT Writing at the time and date that is most convenient to them but must have a completed writing sample in their file in order to see their score or have their score released to law schools.

Note: Candidates only need one writing sample. August (or future) test takers who already have a writing sample on file from a previous exam do not need to complete a new LSAT Writing sample.

For more information about LSAT Writing, see https://www.lsac.org/lsat/taking-lsat/about-lsat-writing

What you need to do next

Because you are currently registered for the August 29 LSAT, you may take the August LSAT-Flex or opt out and receive a coupon which can be applied to any future test between October 2020 and April 2021. Please visit your LSAC account and submit the online form with your choice. If we do not hear from you by July 15, you will be automatically registered for the August LSAT-Flex on or about July 16. Note: You may withdraw from the August LSAT-Flex any time up to August 21, 2020 and receive the coupon. After the August 21 deadline, coupons are not available.

LSAC is working to help every test taker have the equipment and other resources they need to take the LSAT-Flex. If you do not have the necessary equipment or an appropriate place to test, you can make note of your situation via the same online form in your LSAC account no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, Sunday, August 9, 2020. We will work with you to try to address your needs.

Because the August LSAT-Flex is an online, remotely proctored test, we are able to offer a variety of test start times for you to choose from. We will open the scheduling sign-up process in mid-August, so that you can select the available time that works best for you. We will send more information and instructions prior to that time.

In the meantime, we encourage you to visit our LSAT-Flex Frequently-Asked-Questions page, where you can find more information about the LSAT-Flex, including answers to your questions about the test’s format, security, and technical requirements, as well as how best to prepare.

If you want to familiarize yourself with the format and content of the LSAT-Flex, we recommend using the free Official LSAT Prep practice tests available on LSAC’s LawHub.

If you are a first-time test taker and wish to purchase the score preview option described above, keep an eye out for an announcement of its availability on or about August 1. And remember that if you have not previously completed an LSAT writing sample, you must complete LSAT Writing before we can release your score to you or to any law schools.

Stay safe and stay focused on your legal education journey — the world needs your voice and your advocacy now more than ever!"

LSAT Score Preview (via LSAC) I August LSAT-Flex

LSAT Score Preview (via LSAC) - first available for the August LSAT-Flex:

"In response to requests and feedback from test takers, we have created a new score preview option for first-time test takers who wish to see their LSAT score before deciding whether or not to keep it as part of their LSAC transcript and report it to law schools. This feature will be available starting with the August 2020 test administration and all subsequent test administrations, and will be available for purchase starting around August 1.

What it costs: Score Preview will cost $45 for candidates who sign up prior to the first day of testing for a given test administration, or $75 for those who sign up during a specified period after their given test administration. (Please note: First-time test takers who have an approved LSAT fee waiver will receive Score Preview free of charge.)

How it works: First-time test takers who sign up for Score Preview will receive their scores at the same time other test takers receive theirs (assuming they have completed their LSAT Writing and have no holds on their accounts), and will have six (6) calendar days to decide if they want to cancel or keep their score. If no action is taken, their scores will be added to their LSAC transcript and released to schools at the end of the six-day period."

LSAT Vocabulary

I’ll be the first to admit it: the LSAT can be really, really annoying.

Like, “guy who talks in the movie theater” annoying.

To me, the biggest offender out of the whole test is the Reading Comprehension section simply for its propensity to throw big words at you for no reason.

(Yes, I said propensity on purpose.)
One of the LSAT test-makers’ FAVORITE things to do is use really obscure words to test your ability to understand context. If you know the word, great – but, if not, you’D better be able to figure it out.

This problem is worsened for any of you poor folks who speak English as a second language.

So what are you to do? First, let me tell you what not to do.


DON’T start memorizing random vocabulary words. There is simply NO TIME to study 1,000s of difficult and esoteric (there’s another one) words when you have no idea when that particular word is going to come up again.

The much wiser time investment is to study the words in the LSAT that have completely different meanings than they do in everyday language, words that come up ALL. THE. TIME.


These are words like “consistent”. Consistent usually means sometime like “dependable” or “regularly occurring.”

Not with the LSAT.

Here it means “could be true” or “not contradictory.”


“I have a blue car” is consistent with “ I love the Avengers movies” simply because one doesn’t disprove the other.

Like I said. Annoying.


So, if you’re having trouble with LSAT Reading Comprehension – I’ve put together a special guide for you:




I’ve included those tricky double-meaning words so you can drastically improve your Reading Comprehension without memorizing a ton of words.

This will save you time and improve your Reading Comp score, especially if vocab is slowing you down.


That’s it for now.

Steve “LSAT Vocab-Slayer” Schwartz



P.S. Next time, I’ll share 5 of the hardest Reading Comprehension passages I could find.




The most common LSAT Reading Comp topics (in detail)

This is going to be short and sweet, but I guarantee you’re gonna get a lot of bang for your buck.

If you’ve been doing your LSAT PrepTests, you’ll notice that there are four LSAT Reading Comprehension passages per section and that each section contains one question from the following categories: Natural Science, Social Science, Humanities and Law.

That’s where most LSAT prep courses stop, but I wanted to dig a little deeper.
What you’ll find below is a comprehensive categorization of many of the Reading Comp passages that have appeared on the LSAT:
Computers, Internet, Copyright Law
Judge, Jury, Lawyer, Courts
Law and Literature, Critical Legal Studies
Legal and Political Theory / Systems
Slavery and Civil Rights
Psychology
Economics
American Colonies
Immigrants
Women Doing Impressive Things Throughout History
Women's Education
Medieval Times
Native American Land
Other Native American Passages
Authors Mixing Literary Genres
Latin American Lit vs. Spanish Lit
Objectivism / Subjectivism
Environmentalism
Radiation
Thurgood Marshall's Legal Strategies
Bruno Bettelheim and Fairy Tales
Parallel Computing
Animals and Bacteria
Art
Graduate-Level Education
Music
Author/Poet/Artist and Interpretations of Work
Miscellaneous (I have not placed these in any category)


Whew! Ok, so why did I bother to write all these out?


Well, if there are any categories in there that you’re particularly unfamiliar with, you can seek out those practice questions and brush up on the terminology related to that particular subject. You’re much more likely to be comfortable with a question if you are at least a LITTLE familiar with the subject matter.


I’m not saying you have to become an Art major, but having a basic understanding of what Cubism was or what Manet painted might give you an edge when these sorts of questions come back.

And they will come back. Just like the sequel to a bad horror movie, you can guarantee that virtually all of these subjects will get used in future LSATs in some shape or form.


If you go here, I’ve listed most of the passages used in various official LSAT PrepTests. If you have them, this is a great way to go deeper into RC, but even if you haven’t got them yet, it’s a great look at the kinds of topics the PrepTest makers like to include (and how often they’ve appeared).


Talk soon,
Steve


P.S. Next time, I’ll share some strategies for handling the toughest type of RC question – inference questions (Most Strongly Supported in particular).


Recommended Resources:
1. LSAT Courses
The best of my LSAT material with exclusive access to attend my Live Online LSAT Master Classes + Q&As, and on-demand video lessons you can watch anytime. Plus, LSAT study plans to keep you on track. Save hundreds of dollars with an LSAT course package.

2. Reading Comprehension Explanations
The explanations that should have come with the LSAT. These don't just fall back on "out of scope," but actually tell you why the wrong answers are wrong, why the right answers are right, and the easiest way to get the correct answer.

3. LSAT Vocabulary Builder
A handbook that guides you through confusing LSAT language, but not by forcing you to memorize hundreds of words. Instead, this comprehensive guide focuses on the LSAT's most commonly-used words and phrases and gives you their meanings on the LSAT.



7 Habits of Highly Successful LSAT RC Scorers

While it might seem bit cliché, good habits can make the difference between an okay LSAT score and one that you want to put on the refrigerator like elementary school noodle art. Some of these I’ve gone over, some I haven’t. A little repetition is never bad thing, especially when it comes to LSAT Reading Comp.

So, without further ado, let’s jump in!

1. Recognize the passage’s main point.

This is now the third time I’ve brought this up recently. You know why? Because it’s that important! Once you’ve identified the overarching theme of the passage everything else becomes much, much easier.


2. Keep track of various opinions presented by various groups

Once you identify a group with an opinion, give them a name as it will make it easier to keep up with them. If they love motorcycles, call them the Cyclists. If they are searching for a subterranean civilization, call them The Mole Men.

Whatever helps you easily identify who they are and what they believe. THEN whenever one of them presents some evidence, mark it and attribute it to the right group. At the end of the passage you’ll have a clear idea of who believes what and why. Which brings me to my next point…


3. Have a consistent and effective note-taking strategy

The LSAT is timed. You do not have time to re-read every single Reading Comp question to find every single answer. There’s no wrong way to take notes as long as it is quick and easy-to-understand. It doesn’t matter if anyone but you understands what you’re writing. If you can get to the end of the passage and have a shorthand for what you read you’ll be flying. And just as important, feeling confident.


4. Stay within the information provided in the passage

Sometimes you’ll get a passage where you actually know a little bit about topic. Believe it or not, this can actually hurt you rather then help you, since it becomes tempting to include your own knowledge in your answers. WRONG.

Support each inference you make only with information from the passage. To make sure you’re doing this, mentally cite the line or paragraph from which you’re drawing your conclusion.


5. As in Logical Reasoning, focus on structure, not content

In all likelihood, you’re going to be reading about subjects that are obtuse and downright boring. They’ll be complicated and unnecessarily confusing.

To combat this, break apart each paragraph like a Logical Reasoning question. Don’t worry about the details of the argument, just identify the parts of it so you can answer the question and get out of there.


6. Get a sense of where questions will come from as you read the passage.

This is where practice comes in handy. The more Reading Comprehension questions you do, the more you’ll start to see patterns emerging. You’ll be able to identify important sections and pay close attention to them and you’ll know that’s where the answers to the questions will likely be coming from.

It’s no different then any other competition. If you know your opponent’s tendencies (in this case, the LSAT), you’ll be better prepared to counter-attack. It doesn’t matter if you play chess, football, or Call of Duty.

Know Thy Enemy. 


7. Practice, practice, practice

Maybe more than any other part of the LSAT, Reading Comprehension can be made much easier by simply doing a lot of them. The types of questions you can be asked are relatively limited and you’ll see them asked the same way again and again. Unfortunately, there’s no shortcut, but if you put in the work, you will see an improvement

If you need some more to read up on, go check out this article with more RC tips and tricks. 

(I mentioned some already, but there’s a lot of nuggets of wisdom I couldn’t get to today.)

Next time, we’ll get into categorizing the various Reading Comprehension passages you’re likely to see. Why? Go back to #6…Know Thy Enemy.
-Steve "the best is still to come" Schwartz


P.S. Can’t wait for my next one? Looking to go deeper? 

I created an LSAT Reading Comprehension Cheat Sheet a little while ago.

It shows killer techniques to help you:

1 - understand the structure of each passage
2 - know when NOT to use strategies because they’ll take too long
3 - know the RIGHT strategy to use at the right time

It boils things down to the basics. Without forcing you to read hundreds of pages. Without trying to memorize everything.

Result ... you solve more questions in less time - and get a higher % correct.

Big difference.

You can get a copy here:

LSAT Reading Comprehension Cheat Sheet

Enjoy!

[To be continued...]

P.P.S. We’ve only covered a few topics so far, and there’s a lot more to dive into. I’ll be covering RC more in the future, but there’s no reason you can’t get my best resources in the meantime.





How to solve LSAT Reading Comp questions like a boss

The Sphinx of legend, the wise man on the mountain, the Cheshire Cat, and the LSAT.

What do they all have in common? They like to make simple things really confusing. While this is kind of the point, that doesn’t make it any less annoying.

LSAT time, I went over a few of my strategies for Reading Comprehension. (Here’s a related article on them for a quick refresher.)

Anyway, the last one was about the types of Reading Comp questions you’re likely to see and I wanted to make sure we got this covered, since it tends to trip people up.
Main Point Questions
These questions usually ask about the author’s viewpoint or whichever viewpoint was given the most attention in the passage. People often fall for choices that describe specific parts of the passage instead of the whole thing.

*Once you know it’s a main point question, go for the answer that they talk about most. I know it sounds overly simple but the easiest way to get this question wrong is to overthink it.



Primary Purpose / Function Questions

These questions are similar to Main Point questions except that they use more general language and tend to speak more abstractly. The verbs in the answer choices are really important here. You’re more likely to be looking at the why instead of the what of an argument.



Inference Questions
Here we go. Inference questions can be really tricky if you aren’t paying attention. That's because they don’t actually ask for any new information. Instead, they ask you to draw a conclusion based on the information you’re given. That’s fine, except the LSAT will often give you this information indirectly, which can make it hard to spot.

The LSAT likes to tell you something the author doesn’t believe, and then it is on us to infer that the opposite is what they do believe.

This “reading between the lines” can be difficult, but as soon as you know what you’re looking for it immediately becomes a lot easier.


No matter what kind of questions you’re answering, it can always help to take a step back and get in the head of the test-maker. When you’re worried about the minutiae of the question, you can get tangled up in the details of the argument and completely miss the big picture. You can’t see the forest for the trees.

(If you’ve got your LSAT PrepTests handy, you can follow along with some examples I shared In an article covering this topic, just follow this link.)

Coming up next, I’m gonna share some good habits you can get into to start acing these questions.


Happy Reading!

Steve “LSAT Machine” Schwartz


P.S. If you’re looking for more help with understanding RC questions, how to avoid tempting wrong answers, etc., check out the LSAT Reading Comprehension explanations I’ve got for most PrepTests. They cover all 5 answer choices in detail.