Why isn't the LSAT offered every day?

Part of the issue is that it's hard to create enough new LSAT questions for a ton of additional "test forms." It's not like vocabulary or math-based exams where it's far easier to create new test questions.

LSAC is a large organization, and very careful. They take a lot of time to study things and then implement them. I suspect they'll eventually create a large question bank of unreleased "items" (they've studied it in the past), but don't know when.

I imagine that once they create a Digital LSAT with a large bank of unreleased questions, they may increase the frequency of test administrations to every single weekday, which would allow them to better compete with the GRE.

Getting Harder LSAT Questions Right, Easier Ones Wrong

The fact that you get the harder LSAT questions correct suggests you have a high ability level and deep understanding.

Two things you might try:

1. Do a couple of questions as a warm-up before starting. Print/photocopy them, complete near test center, and then toss before entering.
2. Make sure you're not overthinking the easier questions. They are likely as easy as they seem. Sometimes students avoid answer choices b/c they seem too moderate, but given the nature of a particular LSAT Logical Reasoning question stem (inference, necessary assumption, etc.), that might be exactly what you need.

Realistic LSAT Score Increase (20+ Points)?

Realistic LSAT score increases depend on your starting point and various details. However, any score increase along those lines would likely take a tremendous amount of work. It's possible, though.

The lower you start, the easier it is to improve significantly. 125 ---> 145 would be easier than 140 ---> 160. Even more difficult would be 150s ---> 170s or 160 ---> 180.

If you'd like to read the in-depth stories of students who've achieved those kinds of score increases, check out the LSAT Diaries.

Some of the various details involved in how likely it is for you to achieve a 20-point increase might include:

• quality of resources used (actual PrepTests, of course, along with solid foundational materials)
• time invested in studying per week/month
• overall length of study period (1 month? 6 months? 1 year?)
• quality of studying (smarter, not harder - review is a big part of this)

I understand the reason for asking this question, but I'm not sure how useful it is. Olympic athletes don't ask how likely their chances of success are - they just give it their all.

• They wake up early and put in several hours of training. They go beyond their previous limits.
• They surround themselves with coaches and other resources to maximize their chances of success.
• They make the necessary sacrifices in other areas of their lives.

I ask a tremendous amount of my students, and their ability to deliver on those requirements is how we make miracles happen.

Law schools averaging multiple LSAT scores?

Law school admission officers are "lying" if they say they take the average of multiple LSAT scores.

The U.S News rankings only consider the highest score. And law schools only have to report the admitted students' highest score to the ABA. So law schools have no incentive to average multiple scores. This changed in 2006 - before the change, the ABA required them to provide the average score of admitted students, which was what the US News rankings used as well. Law schools might still say they consider all scores in order to give the appearance of being more holistic. But there's absolutely no reason they would average when it's against their interests to do so.

Top LSAT Scorers - Traits They Have

Top LSAT scorers tend to have:

-brute dedication to obsessive studying and pattern identification

-genius / raw talent

-"luck"

-taking comfort and pleasure in reading

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Specific strategies tend to vary from person to person. However, mastering time management, pacing, and endurance are all necessary. It's not just enough to be able to get the questions right - you've got to be able to do it comfortably within the time allotted.

Absorbing what I call the "LSAT Mindset" is incredibly important. Learning to see the exam from the test-makers' perspective. Dissecting the exam bit by bit. Not just by question-type - imagine if you could analyze it by stimulus type - the underlying method of reasoning.

Imagine what the test-makers would be able to do - imagine what a 175+ scorer would be able to do. And then bring your prep up to that level.

It might involve writing your own exam questions. Or spotting flaws in all the fake LSAT questions you see floating around or in the prep books on Amazon that have poor reviews for this very reason.

Differences in Older LSAT PrepTests vs Newer

I'm never sure how to answer "how much" questions. Should I put a number on it and say newer LSAT PrepTests are 10% harder than older ones? Would that mean anything?

In order to give a response that's not subjective, I'm guessing it would require a large cohort of students (and probably LSAC's cooperation, which is unlikely).

However, I do suspect the LSAT has gotten more difficult. And I think it's gotten more difficult because students are studying more - and higher-quality instructional materials and explanations have come out over the past several years. Word about them spreads quickly online, so I think people are definitely prepping smarter and entering the test more prepared. And LSAC adjusts accordingly.

The most obvious area is in the rise of increased frequency of curveball games - and, of course, rule substitution questions. Those all tend to give students trouble. And they're not easily solved simply by blindly following some company's technique. The curveball games in particular seem to require the deeper understanding of games that comes with a great deal of practice and review. I've also noticed an increased variety of question-stem phrasing that makes questions of a given type less easily recognized at first glance.

That being said, LSAT PrepTests prior to exam 65 are still perfectly good practice, and great to use for building a foundation before moving on to the newer ones, which are typically better to save for timed practice.

LSAT India PrepTest Questions

It's been a while since I looked into these. Might be some overlap with other LSATs. Don't remember.

Of course, you may notice a difference with these - they only have 4 answer choices. In India, law is undergrad-level, not grad-level, so I guess they make the LSAT slightly easier for that reason.

You can access the LSAT-India PrepTest Exam PDFs here: https://www.discoverlaw.in/prep-materials

LSAT Score Improvements + Diagnostic Tests

It's always hard to track these because collecting info on cold diagnostics is difficult and I don't have a system for it. I also don't recommend cold diagnostics because they're discouraging - they tell you what you already know - which is that you don't know the LSAT yet!

1. One that comes to mind is an LSAT Diary from a guy who went from 141 to 168.
2. I don't really track the details how long people study for. It's also not necessarily meaningful b/c someone who puts in 3 months but does 30 hrs/week is actually studying more than someone who puts in a year of 5 hours a week and takes breaks for vacations. (And many people do study like that until they ramp it up as Test Day approaches.)

LSAT Logical Reasoning: Getting Stuck

Skip the LSAT parallel reasoning questions (and others that are especially tough for you) and come back to them at the end. For parallel reasoning questions in particular, you're reading six stimuli per question (1 stimulus + 5 answer choices) and only getting the benefit of 1 point -- assuming you get it right. Answer the questions that are the lowest-hanging fruit first.

Develop strategies to avoid getting bogged-down. The LSAT is a mental game, and you need to develop the concentration and self-control to recognize when you're not getting a return on time invested in that question.

Mindfulness meditation helps.

Hardest LSAT Logical Reasoning Questions First?

LSAT Logical Reasoning question-skipping is a great strategy. I typically skip up to 4 questions in a single LSAT Logical Reasoning section and come back to them later.

Doing the hardest questions first is risky. I wouldn't recommend it. You're doing the Qs with the lowest likelihood of success first and then risking you won't get to the easier questions where you have a higher likelihood of success.

I'd do the easier questions first. Pick the lowest-hanging fruit first, and work up from there.

LSAT Test Anxiety & Stress - Bathroom Nerves

Nerves can do that to a person. It's certainly happened to me at times.

Coffee's a diuretic, better to minimize if possible. Don't go too far below your norm, though. Reduce water as well, but have what you need.

Bathroom jitters are a symptom of a root cause - anxiety. This is normal. If you can reduce anxiety, you can reduce bathroom jitters.

Walk through best-case and worst-case scenarios, i.e. what happens 3-5 years from now if everything goes great, and what happens 3-5 years from now if this test administration doesn't go well.

By fleshing out those two possibilities, you'll make them more real for yourself, reduce the ambiguity of the unknown negative outcome, and hopefully feel better about whatever may happen.