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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how to prevent LSAT burnout

Here's an email I got from a student recently: I always denied that burn out is a real 'thing' (If it is, I swear that I am straight-up burned out, my PTs have actually been in slight decline lately). In other words, how would PTing every single day as opposed to every other day lead to score drops? In a nutshell, here was my response: The point of full-length timed tests is not to get through as many as possible. The point is to improving your pacing and endurance, while exposing yourself to the newest exams. You need TIME to engage in detailed review of the exams that you take. For almost everyone, there's not enough time to do this properly and completely on the same day that you take the exam. Burnout is real, people. One of my former students had to learn this the hard way: I had every workbook, every practice test, every possible resource, and yet I felt really stuck a few months into studying for the LSAT. I was nowhere near my goal in terms of scoring, and I felt like I was doing everything I could do without making any progress. I was studying hours every day over the summer, working on logic puzzles and logical reasoning questions until my frustration and exhaustion would become too much. It was a terrible routine, and I was feeling more and more defeated every time I studied. Resting and only taking full PTs every other day ISN'T laziness. If you don't take any rest days, you WILL burn out. Burnout results from doing too much work in too short a period of time (essentially, overtraining). I have seen it in many, many, students who try to PT every single day. You can only take so much before you become fatigued. To me, this seems like the most likely explanation for your score drop. So, PLEASE - for the love of God - make sure to follow the rest days in my LSAT study plans. I include them for a reason. -Steve P.S. Seriously. If you're not going to take ANY off-days, then please don't buy. 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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Final Week LSAT Prep

If your nightmare scenario is two LSAT reading comp sections back-to-back, prepare for that by doing that. Make that your next practice exam. If it's three LSAT logical reasoning sections back to back, then do that.

In the final week, you could do a final timed LSAT three days prior, then review it the following day and then take off the final day before the LSAT.

This is NOT the time to do three full length exams back to back on consecutive days. This is not the time to come up with a whole new course of action. This is not the time to try out anything completely new. We're already in the final week at this point, so any radical changes that you would think to make, you should've made them already and tested them out already because at this point you've really only got time for one more practice test. 

If the exam is three days away, you've got one more practice test, then doing absolutely nothing the day before. The only thing you should do the day before is relax. Minimize time on the internet. Minimize time on message boards and forums.

Even LSAT Blog and the LSAT Unplugged YouTube channel, don't spend much time on there. Or read only about preparing for test day specifically. Take it easy because at this point, either really you know it or you don't. Review your weak areas, yes, but that's pretty much it.

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