Best LSAT Prep Books Recommendations

I already have a big list of LSAT prep book recommendations. That list contains what I consider to be the absolute best LSAT prep books.

I also recommend that you get as many real LSAT PrepTests as possible.

However, test-takers often ask me which prep books are absolutely necessary in order to do well. It's an understandable question, since LSAT prep books can get expensive and time is often very limited.

The truth is, you'll need a lot of books, and they're not always cheap.

Keeping in mind you may be under time / money constraints, I've made a concise list of the books I consider absolutely essential for the average test-taker's LSAT prep:

I've reviewed all of the following in my other Best LSAT Prep Books Recommendations post. The below are just a few of my recommendations.



LSAT Study Schedules / Plans / Guides

I've created a variety of week-by-week and day-by-day LSAT study schedules to help guide you during your LSAT prep. If you're looking for specific guidance on structuring your LSAT prep and using the LSAT prep books available, get one of the day-by-day plans.



LSAT PrepTest Explanations

Because LSAT PrepTests don't typically come with any kind of explanations, I've assembled LSAT PrepTest explanations for the vast majority of LSAT PrepTests. Get the ones covering areas where you have particular difficulty (Logic Games, Logical Reasoning, or Reading Comprehension).



20 LSAT PrepTests

If money's your major issue, these exams should be the 10 most recent LSAT PrepTests and The Next 10 Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests.

If time's your major issue, these exams should be just the 20 most recent LSAT PrepTests.

Whichever 20 PrepTests you purchase, you should make the older 10 the ones you use for learning purposes, and make the newer 10 the ones you use for full-length practice tests.


Free PDFs

Aside from including the book recommendations in my Best LSAT Prep Books blog post, here are two free LSAT PDFs on LSAC's website. They are:

Sample LSAT Questions and Explanations (PDF)

June 2007 LSAT - Sample LSAT PrepTest (PDF)

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I want to emphasize that I'm not suggesting that you use only these books instead of the ones in my other best LSAT prep books recommendations post (or in my LSAT study schedules). Those contain what I consider the ideal LSAT prep book shopping lists.

This blog post is for people who are skipping meals and turning tricks to pay for their prep books (or for people working insane hours with incredibly-limited study time).

If you're not one of those people, but you think LSAT prep books are too expensive, consider how much a top LSAT score is worth. Then consider the worth of a night out on the town you'll barely remember the next day.

You'll have plenty of money for bottle service at the club and fancy dinners when you're a big-shot attorney (or after you find a rich sugar daddy/momma while you're saving the world).

June 2010 LSAT Questions and Answers

The June 2010 LSAT might seem far off, but it'll be here before you know it. What would you like to see on the blog between now and then?

Please leave your questions for me (and for each other) in the comments, I'll do my best to answer as many of your questions as possible between now and June 7th.

Quick request: please leave a name rather than posting as "Anonymous." It makes it easier for everyone to respond to specific comments. Thanks!

***

Also see previous Questions and Answers posts.

Photo by -bast- / CC BY 2.0

LSAT Test-Taker Survey

I asked the following questions to some blog readers who recently took the LSAT:

What do you know now that you wish you'd known before starting your LSAT prep? What would you have done differently?

Here are their responses:

-I wish I hadn't focused exclusively on the LSAT. My one track mind had a detrimental impact on other parts of the application preparation (getting recommendation letters). I also wouldn't have taken 2 consecutive days off [the week before]. It negated progress to some extent.

-I think your recommendations prepared me very well. The most important thing I learned was to take a lot of practice tests, and that it's all about timing.

-I wish I had started taking timed tests sooner. I only did them in the last two weeks and it was definitely not enough.

-I wish I knew how much harder the newer LSATs are--at least in terms of the curve. I also would have prepared better for reading comp. The newer passages seem to take a lot longer to get through.

-Your LSAT book recommendations! if I had known about them a year ago I could have saved a lot of money on Kaplan classes.

-I took the LSAT twice, but the second time I wasn't sure how much to study. I think it might helpful to set up a schedule for retakers who experience LSAT burn-out the first time from too much prep but who still want to adequately prepare for the second testing.

-I would have approached it less as a "general intelligence" test and more of a set of skills to master, particularly the logic games. I don't know if that would have changed how I prepared, but it would have been a different mindset. I did not take a prep course and still would not have chosen to do so.

-The typical burnout timescale. It freaked me out and almost broke me down until I talked to some other LSAT studiers who happened to be experiencing the same thing at the same time. I wish I would have known it was coming so I could have just pushed through it knowing there was light at the end of the tunnel instead of wasting valuable time freaking out.

-not get stuck on one problem in my logic games lol. I still think about that now. I got stuck on my 3rd game, the colors and toy dinosaurs, remember mauve lol. Anyway, my strategy was to focus on reading comp and games since those were my strongest areas and less on reasoning. I wish I would have know the LSAT will get you distracted on a question to prevent many from getting to the easier questions, like the 4th game with 7 questions.

-I wish I'd known the position of the experimental section. It would've helped prepare me better for a shocker first section on the February LSAT.

-started earlier and read your blog sooner!

***

If you've taken the LSAT before (or have been prepping for a while), how would you answer those questions?

Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Photo by lwr / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

LSAT Logic: Neither Necessary Nor Sufficient

Sometimes test-takers get so wrapped up in formal logic and necessary/sufficient conditions that they forget something very important.

Some things in the world are neither necessary nor sufficient.

Take the relationship between frequent showering and kissing, for example. (Yes, it's a cutesy PG-rated example. Deal with it.)

Let's assume that:

Evidence #1: Some people are rich and/or famous enough that they could get a lots of kisses without showering frequently.

Evidence #2: However, other people shower all the time but still don't get lots of kisses.

Conclusion: Showering frequently doesn't help one get kisses.

The above conclusion is invalid.

The first piece of evidence tells us showering frequently is not necessary to get kisses.

The second piece of evidence tells us showering frequently is not sufficient to get kisses.

So, we've learned showering frequently is neither necessary or sufficient to get kisses. Does this mean showering frequently has no impact on kiss-getting? Of course not.

Showering frequently can help one get kisses without being enough to get kisses. For example, being good-looking probably helps.

Now look at the following two questions from real LSAT PrepTests:

PrepTest 32 (October 2000), Section 1, Question 11 (page 121 in Next 10)
PrepTest 38 (October 2002), Section 4, Question 21 (page 347 in Next 10)

It's worth noting that the first of these two questions (PT32) is not a flaw question. It's simply recognizing the same point as the showering example above and the question in PT38. We could easily turn the PT32 question into a flaw question by adding the following sentence to the end of the stimulus:

"Therefore, prior experience in foreign affairs does not promote successful foreign policy."

We could then accuse the argument of "failing to consider the possibility that prior experience in foreign policy promotes successful foreign policy without being necessary or sufficient alone to guarantee it."

Photo by stevendepolo / CC BY 2.0

Law School Admissions Workshops Online

I've previously interviewed law school admission consultant Ann Levine about The Law School Admission Game, her book on law school admissions. Ann's also shared some general law school admission advice on LSAT Blog in the past.

Ann recently announced she's hosting a series of "webinars" called “Learning the Rules of the Law School Admission Game.” (For the eldery/non-tech-savvy among you, webinars are like seminars or workshops, but over the web). Ann's webinars aren't free, but they're not a fortune, either.

If you're applying to law school in Fall 2011, these webinars look like a great opportunity to learn a bit more about the process, to ask your admissions-related questions, and to ask Ann to elaborate on anything in her book, The Law School Admission Game.

Photo by 41626461@N06 / CC BY-ND 2.0

4-Month LSAT Study Plan / Schedule

Also see the 4-Month LSAT Study Schedule: Premium Day-By-Day Version.

4 months is PLENTY of 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 recommendations post.

This 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. Review each game that gives you trouble. Then complete any Logic Games in older exams of the types that give you difficulty. Complete a few sections of Logic Games under timed conditions, and read A Rulebook For Arguments.

Week 4: 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.


Month 2:
Week 5: Continue Logical Reasoning work from Week 4 with additional question-types and complete a few timed sections of Logic Games.

Week 6: Continue Logical Reasoning work from Week 4 with additional question-types and complete a few timed sections of Logic Games and Logical Reasoning.

Week 7: Continue Logical Reasoning work from Week 4 with additional question-types and complete a few timed sections of Logic Games and Logical Reasoning.

Week 8: Review my articles on Reading Comprehension and complete several sections of Reading Comp from PrepTests 52-61 (untimed). Complete a few sections of Logic Games, Logical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension under timed conditions.


Month 3:
Week 9: Catch-up and review week. Re-do the Linear / Sequencing games from PrepTests 52-61, then re-do the Grouping and Combination games from PrepTests 52-61. Try to solve them more quickly and make new inferences.

Week 10: 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.

Week 11: Re-read my articles on Logic Games and Logical Reasoning about question-types still giving you trouble. Use my Logic Games categorizations and/or Logical Reasoning spreadsheet to do question-types in older exams that still give you difficulty. Complete a recent LSAT PrepTest under timed conditions. Review.

Week 12: Complete 3 recent LSAT PrepTests under timed conditions.

Month 4:
Week 13: 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 14: Complete another 3 recent LSAT PrepTests (timed). Splice in sections from another to simulate experimental sections. Review each exam on alternating days.

Week 15: 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 16: 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 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.

LSAT Grouped by Logic Game Type Book

For those of you who intend to complete every LSAT Logic Game ever published, there's a book for you. It's called:

Grouped by Game Type: LSAT Analytical Reasoning: The Complete Collection of Actual, Official Logic Games from PrepTests 1-20

This book is incredibly useful for two major reasons (which the title makes obvious):

Reason #1: Grouped by Game Type compiles all the games from PrepTests 1-20 for you in one book, saving you the trouble of getting all the separate books you'd need if you wanted every Logic Game from these exams. 10 Actual, Official, LSAT PrepTests only contains 7, 9-16, and 18. It lacks PrepTests 1-6, 8, and 17. You can still get those, though. (19 and 20 are in 10 More Actual Official LSAT PrepTests.)

Reason #2: Grouped by Game Type organizes Logic Games by the type of Logic Game, rather than putting them in order by PrepTest (as the traditional books of PrepTests from LSAC do). It divides them into different "chapters" based upon the type of Logic Game. This makes sense because these exams are so old (June 1991 - October 1996) that you'll want to take them in pieces, rather than as full timed exams.

***

While this book is a great concept, there are two minor (and related) reasons that may mean this book isn't for you:

Reason #1: Some types of Logic Games in these older exams are on the less-relevant side. I'm particularly talking about the games included in Chapter 5 (Diagram Games) and 6 (Pattern Games). If your time is limited, you may be better off focusing on newer Logic Games because the types of Logic Games included on the LSAT have evolved a bit over time.

Reason #2: The book categorizes some Logic Games that have no ordering or ranking component under the category of Linear: Assignment. In my opinion, these particular games should be under the category of Grouping: Matching. Additionally, it includes some Linear games with a vertical setup under Linear: Stacked, where it also includes Advanced Linear games. To be fair, however, some of the older Logic Games are on the wacky side, so it's a bit difficult to categorize them. Overall, the book does a good job, so this isn't that big a deal.


***

I'm listing the chapters of the book below so you can see what types of categories the book uses. While it doesn't perfectly follow the way I categorize Logic Games, and it sometimes uses different terms, it's fairly close. Don't worry too much about the differences in terminology, though, because the book's brief introduction explains how the Logic Games are categorized.

Chapters:
1. Introduction

2. Linear Games
-Ordering
-Circle
-Assignment
-Stacked

3. Grouping Games
-Selection
-Division
-Matching

4. Linear/Grouping Hybrid Games

5. Diagram Games
-Given
-Spatial

6. Pattern Games

7. Index and Answer Keys


***

Who should use this book:

Most test-takers won't find this book absolutely necessary. However, anyone who intends to complete every LSAT Logic Game ever published will find this book worthwhile and convenient.

***

Also see the Grouped by Question Type Book and Grouped by Reading Passage Type Book.

LSAT Grouped by Question Type Book

For those of you who intend to complete every LSAT Logical Reasoning question ever published, there's a book for you. It's called:

Grouped by Question Type: LSAT Logical Reasoning: The Complete Collection of Actual, Official Logical Reasoning Questions from PrepTests 1-20

This book is useful for two major reasons (which the title makes obvious):

Reason #1: Grouped by Question Type compiles all the Logical Reasoning questions from PrepTests 1-20 for you in one book, saving you the trouble of getting all the separate books you'd need if you wanted every Logical Reasoning Question from these exams. 10 Actual, Official, LSAT PrepTests only contains 7, 9-16, and 18. It lacks PrepTests 1-6, 8, and 17. You can still get those, but it's a bit of a pain. (19 and 20 are in 10 More Actual Official LSAT PrepTests.)

Reason #2: Grouped by Question Type organizes Logical Reasoning questions by the type of question, rather than putting them in order by PrepTest (as the traditional books of PrepTests from LSAC do). It divides them into different "chapters" based upon the type of Logical Reasoning question. This makes sense because these exams are so old (June 1991 - October 1996) that you'll want to take them in pieces, rather than as full timed exams. In my study schedules (for example, the 3-month study schedule), I recommend working through Logical Reasoning questions by type using the LSAT Logical Reasoning spreadsheet. This book saves you the trouble of constantly flipping between exams.

***

While this book is a great concept, there's one reason it might not be for you - the Logical Reasoning questions are from the oldest PrepTests. If you only have a few months remaining before your exam, you might want to stick with Logical Reasoning questions from more recent PrepTests.

***

I'm listing the chapters of the book below so you can see how the questions are categorized. You may be used to categorizing things slightly differently, but I personally like how this book breaks them down. Don't worry too much about the differences in categorization, though, because the book's brief introduction explains how the Logical Reasoning questions are categorized.

Chapters:
1. Introduction

2. Arguments
-Method of Reasoning
-Main Conclusion
-Matching Patterns of Reasoning

3. Flaws in Arguments
Argument Flaw
Matching Argument Flaw

4. What Can Be Concluded From The Information Provided
-Must Be True
-Must Be False
-Most Strongly Supported
-Point At Issue

5. Understanding The Impact of Additional Information
-Weaken
-Strengthen
-Evaluate the Argument

6. Assumptions
-Sufficient Assumption
-Necessary Assumption

7. Principle

8. Resolve

9. Index and Answer Key

***
Who should use this book:

Most test-takers won't find this book absolutely necessary. However, people who intend to complete every LSAT Logical Reasoning question ever published will find this book worthwhile and convenient.

***
Also see the Grouped by Game Type Book and Grouped by Reading Passage Type Book.

Kaplan LSAT Mastery Practice Book

The Kaplan LSAT Mastery Practice Book is one of several books that Kaplan provides only to students who take its courses. This book is not available in bookstores.

While I'm not a fan of Kaplan's retail books, the Mastery Practice book is pretty useful. Like Grouped by Game Type (review) and Grouped by Question Type (review), it takes hundreds of questions from several LSAT PrepTests and organizes them by question-type rather than by PrepTest number. Since I've just published reviews of the "Grouped" books, it makes sense to compare them to Mastery Practice, which has been around longer.

The following is a comparison of Mastery Practice with Grouped by Game Type and Grouped by Question Type.

PrepTests Used
Grouped by Game Type and Grouped by Question Type include every question from PrepTests 1-20 and only use those questions. This allows you to be comprehensive in your studying - you'll know exactly which questions you've done.

The Mastery Practice book is all over the place. It uses a seemingly random set of questions from most of the PrepTests from 5-41. This makes it difficult to keep track of which questions you've done. On the plus side, this means that you can use this book to complete some newer questions.

Grouped: 1
Mastery Practice: 0


Categorization of Logic Games Questions
Grouped by Game Type generally does a good job. See my review of it for more info.

Mastery Practice lumps together Pure Sequencing, Basic Linear, Advanced Linear, and a Circular Linearity game all under the same category of "Sequencing" with no differentiation. I like how it categorizes "Matching" games. However, it includes Selection/In-Out, Splitting, and some Matching games all under the category of "Grouping" games without any differentiation. It includes some Combination games along with Advanced Linear games under Hybrids.

Grouped: 1
Mastery Practice: 0


Categorization of Logical Reasoning Questions
Grouped by Question Type does an excellent job categorizing Logical Reasoning questions by type. See my review of it for more info.

Because Mastery Practice is produced by Kaplan, its categorization of LR questions is lacking, particularly with regard to "Assumption" questions and "Most Strongly Supported" questions.

Grouped: 1
Mastery Practice: 0


Ordering of Questions by Difficulty
Grouped by Game Type and Grouped by Question Type do not place questions in any order of difficulty within their chapters. Instead, they're placed in chronological order within each section.

Mastery Practice also places questions in chronological order within each section. However, it first breaks the questions down into 4 categories of progressive difficulty (1-star, 2-star, 3-star, and 4-star within each section). It's a great concept, and the difficulty ratings are generally pretty solid and useful. (However, keep in mind that certain questions that Kaplan/Kaplan students consider difficult may not be as difficult when you apply non-Kaplan techniques.)

Grouped: 0
Mastery Practice: 1


Explanations
Grouped by Game Type and Grouped by Question Type do not include any explanations.

Mastery Practice includes explanations for every question contained in this book. However, good explanations take a long time to write, and Kaplan doesn't generally invest the time to make their explanations very good. Sometimes they're helpful, sometimes they're not, and sometimes they say things that are just plain wrong. Other times, they just dismiss the wrong answer choices as being "out of scope."

Grouped: 0.5
(Explanations are often a crutch anyway. Try to figure things out on your own.)

Mastery Practice: 0.5
(Maybe an explanation will help every now and then, but you can just ignore the explanations if you don't want to use them.)


Price
Grouped by Game Type is $31.50 on Amazon, $35 retail
Grouped by Question Type is $49.50 on Amazon, $55 retail

Mastery Practice is only available through 3rd-party sellers (generally students who took the course), so there's no concrete retail price. Copies of Mastery Practice are currently $18 - $99 on Amazon.

Grouped: 0.75
(The books are reasonably-priced, considering the amount of time they save you.)

Mastery Practice: 1
(You can often find perfect-condition copies for less than the price of the Grouped books if you take a few minutes to look through various listings.)


Grouped vs. Mastery
Grouped by Game Type and Grouped by Question Type: 4.25/5
Mastery Practice: 2.5/5


Verdict:
Grouped books: Definitely worth ordering if you want to go through PrepTests 1-20.

Mastery Practice: Worth ordering if you want a book with some Logical Reasoning questions in PrepTests 21-41 organized by type. Just make sure you buy a copy with little-to-no writing.


***
Number of pages in each book
Grouped by Game Type: 124 pages
Grouped by Question Type: 359 pages
Mastery Practice: 969 pages

***

PS: All mentions of Mastery Practice are about the 2009 edition. Other editions of this book differ in size and content.

PPS: Mastery Practice also contains a few dozen Reading Comprehension passages broken into the following categories (and arranged in progressive order of difficulty), along with explanations:

Humanities
Law
Natural Science
Social Science

LSAT Test Center Inclement Weather Closings Due To Snow

UPDATE: I have created a new blog post about this for those taking the February 2013 LSAT.

The blog post applies to some test-takers taking the February 6, 2010 LSAT. If you're in an area potentially affected by snow or other "inclement weather," keep an eye on LSAC's website and check your email regularly.

(Note: Inclement weather is a major reason that LSAC does not release February LSAT exams - they're saving them for future make-up test administrations.)

As of Saturday 9:00AM EST, the following test centers were closed according to LSAC's website:

IMPORTANT! Inclement Weather Closings

The following LSAT centers are closed for the February 6, 2010 exam due to inclement weather:

Delaware

* Center 1330 - University of Delaware, Newark, DE
* Center 1331 - Delaware State University, Dover DE

Indiana

* Center 4761 - Indiana University - Purdue University (IUPUI), Indianapolis, IN

Kentucky

* Center 5910 - Gateway Community and Technical College, Edgewood, KY

Maryland

* Center 1364 - Towson University, Towson, MD
* Center 1366 - University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD
* Center 1369 - University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, Princess Anne, MD
* Center 1371 - University of Maryland-College Park, College Park, MD
* Center 1372 - University of Maryland (Overflow)-College Park, College Park, MD
* Center 1377 - Bowie State University, Bowie, MD
* Center 1381 - Towson University, Towson, MD (overflow)
* Center 1382 - Towson University, Towson, MD (overflow)
* Center 1386 - Montgomery College, Rockville, MD
* Center 1392 - McDaniel College, Westminster, MD
* Center 1393 - Hagerstown Community College, Hagerstown, MD
* Center 1394 - Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD

New Jersey

* Center 1001 - Rutgers University, Newark, NJ
* Center 1004 - Rutgers - The State University, New Brunswick, NJ
* Center 1007 - Richard Stockton College of NJ, Pomona, NJ
* Center 1011 - Montclair State University, Upper Montclair, NJ
* Center 1012 - Rutgers University – Camden, Camden, NJ
* Center 1027 - Mercer County Community College, West Windsor, NJ
* Center 1039 - Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, NJ

New York

* Center 3617 - South Shore High School, Brooklyn, NY
* Center 3633 - Wagner College, Staten Island, NY

North Carolina

* Center 5309 - University of North Carolina/Asheville, Asheville, NC
* Center 5311 - University of North Carolina-Greensboro, Greensboro, NC
* Center 5321 - Appalachian STATE University, Boone, NC

Ohio

* Center 4500 - Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH
* Center 4501 - University of Akron, Akron, OH
* Center 4502 - University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
* Center 4505 - Ohio State University, Columbus OH
* Center 4509 – Miami University, Oxford, OH
* Center 4511 - Youngstown University, Youngstown, OH
* Center 4520 - Wright State University, Dayton, OH
* Center 4528 - Cedarville University, Cedarville, OH

Pennsylvania

* Center 2004 - Lincoln University, Lincoln, University, PA
* Center 2006 - Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA
* Center 2009 – University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
* Center 2011 – Pennsylvania State University, University park, PA
* Center 2012 - Villanova University, Villanova, PA
* Center 2014 - Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA
* Center 2017 - Cheyney University, Cheyney, PA
* Center 2019 - Lebanon Valley College, Annville, PA
* Center 2020 - Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA
* Center 2025 - Millersville University, Millersville, PA
* Center 2035 - Westmoreland County Community College, Youngwood, PA
* Center 2401 - University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
* Center 2403 - Holy Family College, Philadelphia, PA
* Center 2408 - Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA
* Center 2409 - Community College of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
* Center 2506 - LaSalle University, Philadelphia, PA

Virginia

* Center 1580 - University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
* Center 1582 - Washington & Lee University, Lexington, VA
* Center 1584 - University of Richmond School of Law, Richmond, VA
* Center 1585 - College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA
* Center 1587 - Hampton University, Hampton, VA
* Center 1588 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg, VA
* Center 1589 - Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale, VA
* Center 1594 - Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden Sydney, VA
* Center 1597 - University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA
* Center 1598 - Northern Virginia Community College, Springfield, VA
* Center 1609 - Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA

West Virginia

* Center 1882 - West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
* Center 1885 - Mountain State University, Beckley, WV

Washington, DC

* Center 1550 - American University Washington College of Law, Washington, DC
* Center 1556 - Howard University, Washington, DC
* Center 1568 - University of DC School of Law, Washington, DC
* Center 1569 - Catholic University of America, Washington, DC

Canada

* Center 0975 - Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NF CANADA

Please continue to check this website alert for any additional test center closings due to inclement weather. LSAC will contact you via email as soon as possible (most likely the week after the test date) regarding other options, including a make-up test.

For the December 5, 2009 LSAT exam, when some test centers were closed due to inclement weather, affected test-takers received the following email:

Dear Candidates:

The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) will not be administered on Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 8:30 am at ________, test center # ____, because of inclement weather. The Law School Admission Council will make arrangements for a make-up test. Our goal is for this to occur within the next two weeks. Keep your admission ticket. We will contact you via e-mail with further information.

If you have any questions, please contact LSAC 215-968.1001 or by email at LSACinfo@LSAC.org.

LSAC regrets any inconvenience caused by this change.

Thank you,

Test Administration Department
Law School Admission Council

Photo by bakingproject / CC BY-NC 2.0

February 2010 LSAT Scores / Results Dates

The February 2010 LSAT scores / results are scheduled to be released via email by March 1, 2010. However, LSAC generally releases February LSAT scores the Friday before.

Let's look at the trend over the past several years (updated - click to enlarge):

(Contrary to expectations, Feb 2010 scores were released Saturday, Feb 27, 2010. This may be due to the East Coast snowstorm that closed LSAC's offices on Friday 2/26.)

"But at what time specifically? I need to know when to constantly refresh my email / LSAC account!"

In batches over the course of several hours. Likely starting late in the day (Eastern Time).

No one knows how the batches are organized, if at all.

The batches do not seem to be organized in any of these ways:

alphabetical/regional/high-to-low scores/low-to-high scores/test center #, etc.

Wish everyone all the best!

***

Also see:

June LSAT Score Release Dates
October LSAT Score Release Dates
December LSAT Score Release Dates

See other LSAT score release dates posts.

***

While you're waiting for your score, get busy with my admissions-related blog posts.

Also see, Should You to Cancel Your LSAT Score?

Feel free to leave comments and vent at the injustice of having to wait so long for what is rightfully yours.


Finally, here's Victory Baby, in case you prefer him to the other one for your Facebook profile photo or something:

February Vs. June LSAT | Which Is Better?

Law schools consider applications on a rolling admissions basis. The earlier you apply in the admissions cycle, the easier it is to gain acceptance. The cycle begins in September.

For top law schools, it's especially important to apply early in the cycle because admission to these schools is particularly competitive.

February is towards the end of the cycle. Many top law schools (such as Columbia, Harvard, NYU, and Stanford) don't even accept February LSAT scores for that cycle.

(This means you can't take the LSAT in February 2010 and apply to start at those law schools in the fall of 2010. However, you can take the February 2010 LSAT and use that score to apply to start at those law schools in Fall 2011.)

Even some law schools that aren't typically considered "top law schools" have application deadlines that are before February LSAT scores are released. This means, of course, those schools don't take February LSAT scores (for that cycle), either.

Given enough prep time (and the right kind of prep), most people are capable of scoring decently on the LSAT. However, a month or two generally isn't enough time to adequately prepare.

If you're not feeling ready for the LSAT now, you'll likely do better on the LSAT if you wait. Taking it in June or October will give you enough time to work through some version of my LSAT study schedules. You've probably started working through some of the materials mentioned there for February, but perhaps you haven't gotten past Logic Games - there's still Logical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, and several recent full-length practice exams that you should complete before taking the exam. It simply can't all be done in a couple of weeks.

Some top law schools (such as Columbia and NYU) take the average of multiple scores, rather than only the highest. Fordham does not disclose whether it takes the average of multiple scores.

Even if the law schools you're considering explicitly state that they take the highest LSAT score (and most do only take the highest when computing your LSAT and GPA), they'll still see your other scores. Ideally, you'll only take the LSAT once and get it right the first time.Try not to take the LSAT until you're as certain as possible that you're fully prepared.

Bottom line: if you're not feeling ready to take it in February, I recommend you bite the bullet and wait a year, and take the LSAT in June rather than in February. A higher LSAT score means you'll get into better law schools and/or, potentially, more scholarship money. 1 year could be well worth the wait.

If you're only shooting for less competitive schools, it won't matter as much. However, there's some debate as to whether it's worth going to less competitive (i.e. 4th-tier) law schools at all. See Anna Ivey vs. Ann Levine on this issue.

Photo by lifeontheedge