LSAT Test Day Warm-Up Questions

"How do I prepare the warmup? Should it be done in the early morning before I head out? I heard the waiting time is long and no material is allowed in the test center."

That is absolutely true.

You cannot bring in papers. You cannot bring in books, booklets, magazines, none of that. So your printed and photocopied practice problems probably won't be allowed in with you. So the question is how and where do you do them? If you're taking the LSAT in a more urban setting, then you might have a coffee shop within walking distance or maybe a very short drive from your test center.

If you're taking the LSAT a bit farther from home, then you might plot out a spot along your route to stop off and do your practice problems. You might have to do them at home or in the car, and if that's the case, no big deal.

The value in the practice problems is simply that the first questions you're doing when you walk in on test day are not the actual problems that count. So if there's an hour-long gap between doing the practice problems and the actual ones, then that's okay. You're still warmed up to some degree and it'll be enough for you.

Now, what do you warm up with? You can warm up with a favorite logic game, a favorite passage, a favorite couple of logical reasoning questions. It doesn't really matter. You want these to be problems that you've done before so that you're not totally freaked out if they don't go well, and you also don't even necessarily want to score that.

This is not to measure yourself. This is not to get a sense of where you're at. This is just to get your brain a little bit fired up with a practice run before the actual thing. So don't overthink this. If you can't do it for some reason, it's not the end of the world. But, sometimes people score slightly worse on earlier sections because they're not quite warmed up yet. Don’t let this happen to you.


myths of the LSAT Mindset

The biggest myth I've been hearing from students lately about the LSAT Mindset:


#1: You have to be a "genius" - either you get it or you don't.
FALSE!!!

At one point when I was studying for the LSAT, I got desperate enough to admit I couldn't do it on my own, so I finally met with a tutor (let's call him "Leonard").
LSAT Leonard
(Not really LSAT Leonard, obviously.)



But here's the thing:

Leonard could only show me how HE did the problems. He couldn't possibly understand how or why ANOTHER human being could possibly have trouble with them.

During one session, I asked how to diagram a Logic Game.

He did it for me, but along the way, he said things like:


"See? It's easy. You just do X, Y, and Z."



Then I tried, but wasn't able to draw the diagram on my own.

And EVEN after looking back at Leonard's, I couldn't make all the inferences he did.

My brain didn't work that way.

For a few minutes, he watched me struggle without saying a word, then did the worst thing possible.

He let out the tiniest "sigh."

Two things happened at that moment:

1. My cheeks turned red and I felt like the DUMBEST person to ever consider going to law school.

2. I decided never to work with him again.


I wanted to say:


"Of course it's easy for YOU - you're the kinda guy parents send to nerd camp to read logic textbooks for fun."

If Leonard had ever truly shown someone HOW to do something, he would've known I needed him to patiently walk me through it.

Even when a step-by-step approach meant taking BABY steps.

I needed a tutor who was willing to: watch me screw up on a question over and over before I finally got it. - and - patiently explain that question AS MANY TIMES AS IT TOOK.


Since then, I've worked with TONS of smart people who struggled the way I did, yet still ended up going to top law schools.


If nothing else, it's taught me one thing:



Getting the same question wrong over and over DOESN'T make you an idiot.

It just means you haven't found the right approach yet.

And that's what I can help you figure out.


Because while some people are born with the LSAT Mindset, most aren't.

Unless you're a genius like "Leonard" from before, your main challenge will probably be getting into the MINDS of the test-makers.

You might score 160-165 by blindly following someone else's strategies. But if you want to score into the high 160s, low 170s, and beyond...

You'll need to understand WHY the strategies work.


But I will admit that people who get top scores tend to develop a similar approach to reading arguments, reading the passages and, of course, to attacking the games.

That approach comes from being skeptical of arguments, not taking things at face value, and considering alternatives.


It’s about really developing attention to detail, not just looking at things in a general way and skipping over or skimming things.



So - how do you master this approach?

Well, it doesn't hurt to do lots and lots of the LSAT problems and read critically EVVVVERYTHING you encounter in real life.

This puts you in a much better position to conquer any LSAT question you come across, whether it seems familiar at first or not.




But if you simply apply a technique you learned (aka copied) from somebody else, you’re not going to be able to attack that as well when you’re faced with an unfamiliar problem on test day, and it may throw you off due to general test day stress and that sort of thing.


What does this mean for you?

That it's really important to adopt the HABITS of high scorers, rather than just learning how to diagram this or that kind of rule when you come across it.


One of the things I focus on in the LSAT courses is getting the habits of high scorers so you can develop the LSAT Mindset for yourself. Not blindly following "techniques" or memorizing flashcards.

And I do it in the most non-judgmental way possible. No "Leonards" allowed.


Very truly yours,
LSkeptical-yet-Supportive Steve

P.S. Next time, I'll debunk another LSAT Mindset myth - one that's been driving me CRAZY for a while now.



LSAT Test Anxiety Strategies

I'm going talk a bit about minimizing stress because I'm always getting a lot of questions about this.

Stress, nerves, and anxiety - a lot of this comes down to our brain's natural fight-or-flight response. 

And there's a number of ways that we can deal with this:
Meditation

One of them, and my favorite, is meditation. Specifically, mindfulness meditation, where you focus on one particular thing: your thoughts. As they arise, and as they pass.

Just noticing them, acknowledging that, and moving on. Even just five minutes a day of this, even just over the next three days or so, would have an enormous impact. And if you're going for a test date in several months, then it could have an even bigger impact because you'd have a longer period of time to execute it. I actually have found meditation enormously helpful personally, as well as in my LSAT career.

I even have a little Buddha statute to remind me to meditate:




You might consider the same, but of course you don't have to associate anything in particular with meditation. It does not have to be spiritual in nature, and there are other kinds of meditation as well. You could do meditation where you just focus on your breath.

Again, notice a theme there. Focus. You could also practice loving-kindness meditation where you simply wish well for other people. And you might think, “Why is that useful? Because I'm the one who wants to do well on the LSAT.” Well, part of why you're anxious is that you're focused so much on your own outcomes and the importance that this is for you.

And if you take a moment and you think to yourself, “Well, there's a lot of other people out there who need help too, and maybe it's worth focusing on that. And you realize that everyone taking the LSAT around the world, all of the tens of thousands of people, they're all stressing equally and my stress is just one little bit of that. And if I could raise all of them up, then maybe I've raised myself up too. If for no other reason than by reducing my own stress.”

So, that's another thing you could be thinking about. Practices like yoga, practices like just getting outside and taking a walk every once in a while. That could actually be enormously helpful as well to minimize your stress.


Relaxing

Now, if you don't feel you have the time to do any of this, that probably means that you need it more than anyone else because you're stressing so much. So take the time. You might even just want to take a hot bath, a hot shower, spend some time you're watching TV the day before. Relaxing the day before is crucial.

So if you're stressing right now, just take a moment to plan out what the day before the LSAT is going to look like for you. If it involves taking a hot bubble bath, go buy some bubbles. Go on Amazon and order them so that they'll be here in the next couple of days and you could actually put that little tip into practice.

You could go in and get a massage. You can schedule that now, have something fun to look forward to. And you could also do the same for after the LSAT.


For more, I've got an entire playlist focused on LSAT Test Day prep here -----> and several articles on LSAT Test Day prep here ----->




LSAT Flawed Arguments Worksheet PDF

So many people talk about studying for the LSAT, but few actually do it - especially when you're self-studying.

Because it's hard to do it alone!

That's one reason I created day-by-day study plans and LSAT courses. To help you figure out what to do, and to give you the motivation to keep going.


So, if you didn't do the worksheet, I'm giving you another chance to complete your mission.
LSAT Blog's Flawed Arguments Worksheet
Click this link to give it another shot (File --> Download As PDF):
LSAT Mindset - Flawed Arguments Worksheet

For those of you who did it....


that's awesome!




So I'm giving you the "answers" as your reward - but if you didn't really do it yet, don't cheat and peek!

(I'll know. Somehow...I'll know.)

Click this link to check your "answers" (File --> Download As PDF):
LSAT Mindset - Flawed Arguments Worksheet ("Answers")

(Btw, at that link, I'll talk more about why I keep weirdly putting "answers" in quotes.)


After you check your "answers," hit reply and let me know how you did on this. (If enough of you had a lot of trouble, maybe I'll send out another worksheet like this sometime.)

LSATically yours,

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.




Cracking the LSAT Mindset (free worksheet)

Wanted to share the first step to cracking the LSAT Mindset with a fun little game from my LSAT courses.

In the worksheet...(err, I mean "game," cuz it's fun, right?), I'm giving you 21 examples of flawed arguments. They're not so different from the ones you'll see on the LSAT.
LSAT Blog's Flawed Arguments Worksheet


YOUR MISSION: Write down what's wrong with each.

Click this link to get started (File --> Download As PDF):

LSAT Mindset - Flawed Arguments Worksheet


Enjoy!

Steve Schwartz


P.S. Let me know which of those arguments you think is the most ridiculous!

P.P.S. Here are the "answers" to the worksheet.



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.



LSAT Test Anxiety


Let's talk a bit about LSAT test anxiety. I want you to take a moment and think this through: 


"What is literally the worst thing that would happen if the LSAT did not go well for you?"

3-5 years from now, you’ll look back and you’ll say, “My God, my LSAT this week, this weekend, went disastrously.” What would the consequences be? Walk through that. 


Take a moment, think over some of these best-case scenarios and worst-case scenarios. Sometimes it turns out that the worst case scenario isn't as bad as it could have been.

I was talking with a student of mine recently, and she was putting herself under a lot of stress, and she was feeling a lack of motivation, and part of that was simply because she thought that if the LSAT did not go well for her, she would have to go back to college and get a second bachelor's degree in order to become a masters in social work. 


I happen to know quite a few MSWs. So, I was able to set her straight and I was able to tell her, “Listen, it turns out that you don't need to change what you studied in undergrad and go back in order to have another shot and to go onto grad school in that area.” 


It turns out you can major in almost anything and get a master's in social work! And she was dreading having to tell her parents that she'd have to waste four years of her life and get another degree. Turns out it was all in her head and she didn't need to worry about any of that at all.



If you'd like more, check out my YouTube playlist on test anxiety.



Biggest LSAT Myths


I'm making a list of the biggest LSAT myths:

-You can't improve at Reading Comp.

-The LSAT has nothing to do with law school.

-The LSAT is an intelligence test.

-Take a diagnostic test before studying "to see what to work on."

-Take a practice test every day and track your results obsessively.

***

What are some other common LSAT myths?

use this law school personal-statement-writing strategy

If you're looking for a killer essay-writing strategy....try this one:

(I used it when I was applying, and it helped a TON.)

***Don't start at the beginning.***

Here's what makes this a kickass strategy:

* You can write random ideas as they come to you.
* You can work on connecting and editing them later.
* You can use any style that works for you - bullet points, an outline, even just a word or two.


You can apply this to your own situation in many ways:
When you're sitting down to write your essays, take a few minutes to think about any random story or detail you think might work well for your essay.

This can include experiences:

* in your classes
* in college extracurriculars
* in activities outside of school
* at home
* with friends

Whatever they are, just get them all down on paper.

It'll be a lot easier to inspire yourself to write the best essay possible once you've written something down.

Nice, huh? :)


Later,
Steve

P.S. Let me know if there's any specific law school admissions stuff you'd like to know. I'm making some updates to my law school personal statement course, and want to learn how I can best help you.


Recommended Resources:

1. A Comprehensive Guide to the Law School Personal Statement
This guide provides tips on conceptualizing, planning, writing, and editing the law school personal statement.

2. Law School Admissions Guide
I've written a concise guide to the law school admission process with tips on completing every aspect of your applications from start to finish. It's a small price to pay for a whole lot of guidance, and it's short enough that you'll actually read the whole thing.

3. Law School Admissions Cheat Sheet
Quick-reference guide for the law school personal statement, the "Why X?" essay, and the law school résumé. (You can also get it with the LSAT Cheat Sheets.)



Why law school admission officers will ignore what you write (and how to solve it)

Steve here again.

I'm explaining why admission officers will ignore what you write.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When admission officers read essays about things:

-They've seen hundreds of times that day

--or--

-They can't relate to (because they have no idea what you're saying)


They simply tune it out and drop it in the REJECT pile.


HERE'S AN EXAMPLE:

Pretend you're sitting in chemistry class.

Think about the professor lecturing you about molecules.

Look around....almost everyone doesn't care. They're either doodling, or sleeping, or passing notes....Completely ignoring the poor professor trying to explain that day's lesson. She's even telling you how to get a high score on the upcoming exam....but no one cares!

Why?

MAYBE people have already heard this information before, earlier that week.

--or--

MAYBE people just don't care.

.....or maybe it's just PLAIN FU***G BORING!!

Ever thought about that? I have....because I often paid CLOSE attention to the chemistry lessons I heard on TV.

Wait...chemistry lessons on TV?

I'm talking about my all-time favorite TV show, Breaking Bad (still so sad it's over).

Look at how Breaking Bad engages us by working the science into the STORY:
(Context: they're stranded in the desert with no water after their RV's battery goes dead.)

Walter White: Jesse. Jesse. Your body is running dangerously low on electrolytes. Sodium, potassium, calcium. And when they're gone, your brain ceases to communicate with your muscles. Your lungs stop breathing. Your heart stops pumping. You go marching out there and within an hour you will be dead.

Jesse Pinkman: Okay. You need to cut out all your loser cry-baby crap RIGHT NOW and think of something SCIENTIFIC.

Walter White: Something scientific? Right.

Jesse Pinkman: What? Come on! Man, you're smart. You made poison out of beans, yo. Look, we got, we got an entire lab right here. Alright? How about you pick some of these chemicals and mix up some rocket fuel? That way you could just send up a signal flare. Or you make some kind of robot to get us help, or a homing device, or build a new battery, or... Wait. No. What if we just take some stuff off of the RV and build it into something completely different? You know, like a... Like a dune buggy.

***

THE POINT IS:

If you make your essay PERSONAL AND EVEN MAYBE INTERESTING...people will be open to it. The main purpose is to SHOW THEM WHO YOU ARE....but who says being informative can't be entertaining also?

Think about this the next time you're sitting down to write something.

Use this quick cheat-sheet to see if you did it right (in this order):

#1.) Is this essay personal? Will it help the people reading it feel like they know me a bit?

#2.) Is this something the admission officer actually cares about?

#3.) If this is a boring subject, is this at least SLIGHTLY entertaining?

By the way....watch Walter White use chemistry in the most badass way ever in this YouTube video (totally inappropriate to be sharing with you, yet awesome)!


Peace & awesomeness,
-Steve
-LSAT Courses 



Recommended Resources:

1. A Comprehensive Guide to the Law School Personal Statement
This guide provides tips on conceptualizing, planning, writing, and editing the law school personal statement.

2. Law School Admissions Guide
I've written a concise guide to the law school admission process with tips on completing every aspect of your applications from start to finish. It's a small price to pay for a whole lot of guidance, and it's short enough that you'll actually read the whole thing.

3. Law School Admissions Cheat Sheet
Quick-reference guide for the law school personal statement, the "Why X?" essay, and the law school résumé. (You can also get it with the LSAT Cheat Sheets.)



Here's how ya choose law school personal statement topics

Steve here again.

Today, I'm showing you how to choose your law school personal statement topics (without getting stuck) with some more tips borrowed from the LSAT courses:

---

METHOD 1.) The "write-it-out-and-get-feedback" way.
METHOD 2.) The so-easy-a-5-year-old-can-do-it way.




Imagine if you came across one of these essay topics on your law school application and didn't know what to do with it:



"Because applicants and their experiences differ, you are the best person to determine the content of your statement."


(Harvard actually says this, btw!)


There'd be a 99% chance you'd get tossed in the big "reject" pile.

WHY?

Because you didn't know the best way to answer it!




So, here's how to make sure you get off to the right start:


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
METHOD 1.) The "write-it-out-and-get-feedback" way.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

List five potential essay topics and write a paragraph on each.

See which flows most naturally.

The one that does just might be your best.

But don't trust yourself. Because, obviously, you think whatever you write is wonderful. Or awful.

(Typically, one of the two, right?)



Seriously,  you're too close to the subject (I mean, you're writing about yourself, so you're obviously a little biased).

A much BETTER way to set yourself up for success is to have LOTS of people review your drafts to offer feedback and constructive criticism.


Thats's one of main reasons I started my personal statement early – so I had time to show early drafts to friends, family, and professors. I wanted to give them time to give me feedback.

Thing is, you need to get feedback from people who DON'T know you that well.
Feedback from people you know (friends, family, professors) can be useful, it comes with its own set of drawbacks.

It's hard to say no to feedback from people you know and respect if you disagree with the changes they want you to make.

Also, it's sometimes hard for people you know to be 100% honest about what they think.

So, I really recommend getting feedback from people you don't know, or at least people you don't know well.

This way, you'll feel more comfortable disagreeing with their suggestions if you don't like them.


So, where do you find these people?

One thing you could do is ask friends of friends to "exchange" personal statements - you know, you review mine, I'll review yours.

But another place you can find these people is, of course, the Internet. I really think this is one of the best ways - something about the Internet just makes it easier for people to be honest with their feedback and share what they really think about your essay draft.

More on that another time.

For now, let's move on to the next (even easier) method:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
METHOD 2.) The so-easy-a-5-year-old-can-do-it way (AKA "writing prompts")
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


It's simple - just fill in the blanks to overcome writer's block.

Here are just a few:

"I like ____ because it makes me feel ____."

"A global issue that excites me is _____ because ______."

"I enjoy learning about ____ because ______."

Yeah, they might seem lame, but they're really a great tool to help you get started and make the whole process easier. They're almost like Mad Libs. (Does anyone else remember those?)


Mad Libs!

So now whenever you have some trouble picking a topic...try one of these methods from my LSAT and law school admissions courses.

Until next time,
-Steve



Recommended Resources:

1. A Comprehensive Guide to the Law School Personal Statement
This guide provides tips on conceptualizing, planning, writing, and editing the law school personal statement.

2. Law School Admissions Guide
I've written a concise guide to the law school admission process with tips on completing every aspect of your applications from start to finish. It's a small price to pay for a whole lot of guidance, and it's short enough that you'll actually read the whole thing.

3. Law School Admissions Cheat Sheet
Quick-reference guide for the law school personal statement, the "Why X?" essay, and the law school résumé. (You can also get it with the LSAT Cheat Sheets.)