The 5 most common questions about LSAT study plans - answered

Weird thing about LSAT studying... People are always worrying they've fallen behind because they can't follow their LSAT schedule EXACTLY. It's ok. Shit happens. Work. School. Family. LIFE!!! It all gets in the way from time to time. DON'T WORRY. I want to share a little secret with you. The best thing about the day-by-day schedule is how SPECIFIC it gets about what to do. The exact day-by-day breakdown ISN'T the most important thing (believe it or not). Just try to get through everything in order. So if you get busy during the week with work, school, life, etc.... It's ok. Just do as much as you can, when you can. I built in plenty of some "off days," so the schedule is easy to modify. What does the schedule cover? It shows you EXACTLY what to do every day between now and test day for all sections - Logic Games, Logical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension. How's it laid-out?

Basically, it's a simple step-by-step checklist of what to do each week, broken down into individual days so you ALWAYS know what to do. Which books do I need to use the schedule? All you need are actual LSAT PrepTests (other books are optional). So why do you talk about so many other books in the schedule???! I'm worried I'll have to buy a lot of books. Some people look at all the books I mention and start worrying they'll have to buy them ALLLLL. That's a total misunderstanding!!! You actually don't need all, or even most, of those books to use the schedule. I give you tips about how to use lots of different books because some people want to get lots of books, but I understand some people don't WANT to get lots of books. That's ok. And it's why I purposely made the schedules so all you REALLY need for them are LSAT PrepTests, and you can easily find affordable ones on Amazon. You can benefit a TON from the schedule with nothing but PrepTests and articles on my site (which are completely free). (If you can, though, I strongly recommend that you consider at least some of the other books, depending upon your particular needs.) You talk about using newer PrepTests (82 and up, etc.), but I already have older ones. Can I use those instead? Yeah, you can substitute other LSAT PrepTests for the ones I mention. But it would definitely be better to spend the 20 bucks and get at least ONE of the newer books of 10 if you don't already have 'em. The LSAT changes over time, so more recent exams are more relevant. And it's DEFINITELY a good idea to complete the newest exams before you take the LSAT. I have other questions. I show you exactly what went into making the schedules (and why I made them) here ----> But if you have any more-specific questions, just reach out and let me know. Very truly yours, Schedulin' Steve P.S. Next time, I'll share some more general tips on how to structure your studying in general. Recommended Resources: 1. LSAT CoursesThe 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 Day-By-Day Study Plans Preparing for the LSAT is confusing. There are dozens of prep books and practice tests out there, and 1,000+ articles on my website alone. When, and how, should you use them all? These super-specific study plans give you a clear plan of attack. 3. LSAT Checklists All the little items and details students don't usually think of. They hold you accountable and help you make sure you're not missing anything.

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The 3 biggest mistakes I made while trying to ace the LSAT

I made a lot of dumb mistakes back when I was studying...and it took a while before I was willing to admit this....but it actually took me a FULL YEAR to master the LSAT!!! I probably could've been done with it in less than half that time if I'd gone about things the right way from the beginning. After I learned the RIGHT way to do things, I made a list of all my mistakes (at least, the ones I could think of). I'm not going to share the whole thing because it's too embarrassing (and long)... but today I am going to share with you the three BIGGEST mistakes I can think of: #3) didn't use right books / PrepTests I've talked a lot recently about bad LSAT books. (Aside from being way too long, a lot of them contain errors!) So, right now, I'll focus instead on the simple fact that: I spent too much time on older exams, not enough on newer ones! At one point early on, I even considered not getting the newest exams at all just because they were 8 bucks each (LSAC hadn't put them in books of 10 yet.) In hindsight, this was pretty stupid because the most recent exams are the most relevant! Doesn't make sense to try to save $40 on 5 individual exams if it means getting a lower score (costing thousands in lost scholarship $$$, future income, etc.) So...get the newest exams. #2) didn't review Instead, I just took test after test, hoping my score would magically improve ---they didn't. I already talked about this a few weeks ago in my article about how to review, but the bottom line is: Don't JUST analyze the stimulus or passage (for LR/RC)...make sure you ALSO analyze answer choices. * What was it in the incorrect answer choice you chose that tempted you? Then identify what made it wrong in the end. Orrrrr... * If there was something in the correct answer that made it seem unappealing, identify what it was. And identify what made it correct in the end. #1) didn't have a study plan I put this one first because I'd say not having a study plan was probably -- no, definitely -- my biggest mistake. I talked about this a bit above, but, basically, I jumped right into taking practice tests without learning the fundamentals first. And my scores didn't go up because I wasn't actually learning strategies to attack the questions BEFORE trying to attack them! Sounds obvious in hindsight.... but with all these books of old tests out there (and thrill of POSSIBLY getting a higher score next time), I kind of got addicted to taking PrepTests, measuring my scores, and looking for trends. I had lists, spreadsheets, graphs, etc...it was all kinda nuts. Anyway, what I needed was someone to sit me down, kick my ass when I needed it, and show me exactly what I should be doing every. single. day. I didn't have that, so it took me WAYYYY too long to crack the LSAT "code." So I made day-by-day LSAT study plans for you guys because I wished I had a real plan of attack when I was studying. It would've been a LOT easier if I knew exactly how to use all the practice tests and other books. Whether you've got a plan yet or not, I know many of you still have questions about the nitty-gritty logistics of studying, how to use study plans, etc. So, next time, I'm gonna answer some of the most common questions students ask me about LSAT study plans. In the meantime, let me know if you have any questions about study plans, and I'll try to get to them. Sincerely, Studyin' 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 Day-By-Day Study Plans Preparing for the LSAT is confusing. There are dozens of prep books and practice tests out there, and 1,000+ articles on my website alone. When, and how, should you use them all? These super-specific study plans give you a clear plan of attack. 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.

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The big lie about LSAT assumption questions

A lot of LSAT prep companies are totally wrong about "Assumption" questions. It makes me sooooo angry when when students come to me confused about why they're having trouble with these questions.... when their problem stems from the fact that most of what they've been taught about these questions is WRONG! First off, there's no such thing as an "Assumption" question. Formulas like: [Evidence] + [Assumption] = [Conclusion] WON'T HELP YOU At least, not if you're looking to increase your score above the 150s. There are two types -  Necessary Assumption questions and.... Sufficient Assumption questions And they ask you to do COMPLETELY different things!!!! Here's how ya tell the difference between 'em ----> and WHY that difference matters ----> If you confuse one for the other.... YOU'RE (PROBABLY) GONNA GET IT WRONG. Because a lot of times, LSAC makes the tempting wrong answer to a necessary assumption question a sufficient assumption (and vice-versa)... And they put it before the correct answer (so most people never get to it). They've been doing this for decades. My favorite example is PrepTest 30, Section 2, Q22 (one of the hardest LSAT questions of all time for this very reason). As I think more about it, one of the reasons this issue pisses me off so much is because all this confusion around "Assumption" questions gave me a lot of trouble back when I was prepping. And I don't want you to go through the same trouble I did. Next time, I'll be sharing with you some of the biggest mistakes I made while I was studying for the LSAT. Stay logical, 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. Logical Reasoning 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. Logical Reasoning Cheat Sheet 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.

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LSAT books that don't totally suck

I spent a lot of time talking about bad LSAT books last time, but that's only because books with bad strategies, mistakes, and fake questions can... * waste your time * make you miserable * possibly even ruin your life (or at least your LSAT score, which sometimes seems like the same thing) basically, #sorrynotsorry for hating on shitty LSAT books. Anywho, which LSAT books DON'T suck? Well, I wrote a bunch (and I happen to think they're pretty great)... but this article isn't about me. Today, I want to recommend a book from the mega-corp I criticized last time, Kaplan. They actually publish pretty great book called "Mastery Practice." Thing is, they don't sell it in stores - it's normally available only to students who take their $1,000+ courses. But here's a little "hack" for ya: *** You can get second-hand copies on sites like craigslist and Amazon *** WHY is this book so great? They licensed a bunch of old PrepTest questions from LSAC, then organized them by type. And they did this for all 3 sections! The book's generally a pretty good deal on Amazon considering the sheer number of LSAT questions you get. (You can often find copies for under 10 or 15 bucks, just make sure it doesn't have a lot of writing.) Kaplan's categorization system isn't perfect, but it's not bad.  Theirs isn't much different from others. Just a few minor differences, main ones being the names - sequencing vs. linear, etc. If you already have a good understanding of some other company's categories, you can figure it out. If you don't have a good understanding, then it doesn't really matter much anyway. (Note: Their explanations for these questions are pretty terrible, so I wouldn't pay much attention to those.) If you don't want to get a special book just to have LSAT questions organized by type, you can obviously work through questions by type on your own using the PrepTests. Click here to get a big list of Logical Reasoning questions organized by type: Big List (and Spreadsheets!) of Logical Reasoning Questions by Type ---> -Steve P.S. Next time, I'll show you how to solve questions where most LSAT books make an EPIC FAIL. 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 Day-By-Day Study Plans Preparing for the LSAT is confusing. There are dozens of prep books and practice tests out there, and 1,000+ articles on my website alone. When, and how, should you use them all? These super-specific study plans give you a clear plan of attack. 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. Free Stuff | YouTube | Podcast | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Books | Courses

bad LSAT books

Nothing pisses me off more than bad LSAT books. I'm talking about bookstores where half the shelf is Kraplan, then you have Princeton Review and Barron's.

Those are THREE OF THE WORST LSAT PREP BOOKS OUT THERE! It's when people blindly choose their books based simply on what's on the shelf that they're most likely to run into trouble. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if ~99% of Barron's LSAT book sales were bookstore purchases where the customer didn't do any prior research. Now I'm gonna show you WHY I personally consider these to be the worst books EVER. Kraplan

Long story short, they were re-using a lot of the exact same fake practice questions for a bunch of different test prep books including GRE and GMAT. And the LSAT is a VERY different exam from either. I think they were just being lazy and trying to save money. (Note: I reviewed the Kraplan book a bazillion years ago, so it might be different now, but these books typically change so little from year to year that it's not worth my time to review each year. Just...be careful.) Princeton Review

I actually don't see many of their books on Amazon these days, but a student recently came to me with a used copy of their Logic Games Workout book. So I guess a lot of these books are still floating around on places like Craigslist. Like the other guys, they were lazy and basically re-used actual LSAT games to avoid paying licensing fees to LSAC. (Click here for details about that.) The problem? This exposes you to several recent Logic Games, which can artificially increase your practice test scores later in your prep. Barron's

It's a repackaging of the same book they've been publishing since 1979, and it consists primarily of poorly-written fake LSAT questions. And, from what I can tell, the questions are the same as in the previous edition (and the one before that, and the one before that, and so on). (Good news is, they finally redid some of their LG book back in 2014. I actually met the author once, and she was a very nice lady, but the Amazon reviews of this book seem to indicate that it has a lot of errors.) You can find out ALL my reasons this book is terrible here --->, but bottom line: Avoid. *** The problem with books using fake LSAT questions: They're often unrealistic and/or contain flaws and typos. It's INCREDIBLY frustrating for someone just starting out to get things wrong not only because they don't understand something but also because the questions themselves are flawed. If you're going to use a basic LSAT study book, at least read reviews first. If the book has flaws/typos, the reviews will generally say so. So, feel free to read the reviews on those books, but just make sure you don't buy them --- or if you do, give them to your worst enemy }:-) Next time I'll share which major company's LSAT book can actually be pretty great, IIIIIFFFFF you use it the right way. Very truly yours, Steve Schwartz, Book Buster P.S. No real P.S. for you today. Too mad about these books. Recommended Resources: 1. LSAT CoursesThe 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 Day-By-Day Study Plans Preparing for the LSAT is confusing. There are dozens of prep books and practice tests out there, and 1,000+ articles on my website alone. When, and how, should you use them all? These super-specific study plans give you a clear plan of attack. 3. LSAT Checklists All the little items and details students don't usually think of. They hold you accountable and help you make sure you're not missing anything.

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