Since I started, several of you have asked why I write LSAT Blog.
There's one major reason:
The big LSAT prep companies aren't helping you.
Before I started LSAT Blog, there wasn't any reputable source of info about the LSAT that was neatly organized, regularly updated, and 100% free. I'm an LSAT tutor, and the Internet lowers the cost and time of distribution to zero. It's so easy to put info out there - there's no reason not to!
Sure, there are some decent LSAT books out there, but none are close to perfect. Many prep companies hold back. If they gave away all the good stuff in their retail books, you'd have less reason to pay for their $1500 courses. (This is why some companies force students to sign contracts that they won't ever resell their precious coursebooks. Students who violate these contracts are often threatened with lawsuits.) Many companies purposely leave info out of their coursebooks in order to limit their resale value. Unfortunately, this also harms students who take the courses. The prep companies' practices are immoral at best.
However, even if the companies' books were free, and even if they contained everything that happens in the LSAT prep courses, that still wouldn't be enough.
Why? Because these books don't address the perfectly reasonable questions most of you have. Much of the LSAT's difficulty is not limited to the question-types themselves, but the prep companies fail to address your concerns. LSAT Blog gives you a place to find answers.
Since the big companies have courses in every city and throughout the suburbs, they're afraid of giving away too much info. The companies think: "If we make our retail books too good, students will be able to adequately self-study for the LSAT. Students won't need to take a course, so we'll lose money."
Most people who've taken one of the big prep courses are afraid to admit it, but these courses are a waste of money. Sure, most students who take them see some score improvement. However, any exposure to the LSAT is likely to increase your score, and if you increase your score after the course starts, you lose your eligibility for the money-back guarantee. Plus, you mistakenly attribute your score increase to the prep course instead of to your own natural improvement, and you mistakenly believe the course was a good investment.
Is it any surprise, then, that prep companies recommend students have no exposure to the LSAT prior to starting a course? They're taking credit for score increases students would've gotten anyway. This is shameful and deceitful.
I'm not a big company, so I have nothing to lose. Unlike the big companies, I'm not worried about the day when the amount of info I've put on the blog exceeds that provided by LSAT prep courses. Why? Because many students still desire the personal attention and detail only one-on-one tutoring can provide. A prep class can never match that.
Even if only 1% or 2% of you hire me or take advantage of the low-cost books and videos I've created, that's still more than enough to allow me to pay the rent, get a slice of pizza whenever I want, and keep writing. If the rest of you can't afford to hire a tutor or already have one you like, that's okay too. I'm glad you can benefit even if you never give me a dime.
All I ask is that you rock the LSAT (and if you like what I've created, tell your friends).
Thanks for reading!
-Steve
There's one major reason:
The big LSAT prep companies aren't helping you.
Before I started LSAT Blog, there wasn't any reputable source of info about the LSAT that was neatly organized, regularly updated, and 100% free. I'm an LSAT tutor, and the Internet lowers the cost and time of distribution to zero. It's so easy to put info out there - there's no reason not to!
Sure, there are some decent LSAT books out there, but none are close to perfect. Many prep companies hold back. If they gave away all the good stuff in their retail books, you'd have less reason to pay for their $1500 courses. (This is why some companies force students to sign contracts that they won't ever resell their precious coursebooks. Students who violate these contracts are often threatened with lawsuits.) Many companies purposely leave info out of their coursebooks in order to limit their resale value. Unfortunately, this also harms students who take the courses. The prep companies' practices are immoral at best.
However, even if the companies' books were free, and even if they contained everything that happens in the LSAT prep courses, that still wouldn't be enough.
Why? Because these books don't address the perfectly reasonable questions most of you have. Much of the LSAT's difficulty is not limited to the question-types themselves, but the prep companies fail to address your concerns. LSAT Blog gives you a place to find answers.
Since the big companies have courses in every city and throughout the suburbs, they're afraid of giving away too much info. The companies think: "If we make our retail books too good, students will be able to adequately self-study for the LSAT. Students won't need to take a course, so we'll lose money."
Most people who've taken one of the big prep courses are afraid to admit it, but these courses are a waste of money. Sure, most students who take them see some score improvement. However, any exposure to the LSAT is likely to increase your score, and if you increase your score after the course starts, you lose your eligibility for the money-back guarantee. Plus, you mistakenly attribute your score increase to the prep course instead of to your own natural improvement, and you mistakenly believe the course was a good investment.
Is it any surprise, then, that prep companies recommend students have no exposure to the LSAT prior to starting a course? They're taking credit for score increases students would've gotten anyway. This is shameful and deceitful.
I'm not a big company, so I have nothing to lose. Unlike the big companies, I'm not worried about the day when the amount of info I've put on the blog exceeds that provided by LSAT prep courses. Why? Because many students still desire the personal attention and detail only one-on-one tutoring can provide. A prep class can never match that.
Even if only 1% or 2% of you hire me or take advantage of the low-cost books and videos I've created, that's still more than enough to allow me to pay the rent, get a slice of pizza whenever I want, and keep writing. If the rest of you can't afford to hire a tutor or already have one you like, that's okay too. I'm glad you can benefit even if you never give me a dime.
All I ask is that you rock the LSAT (and if you like what I've created, tell your friends).
Thanks for reading!
-Steve
