Everything you should know about the LSAT (that nobody tells you)!
While studying for the LSAT, I identified a key problem within the LSAT prep industry and struggled to navigate it myself. After concluding my own LSAT journey recently, I started thinking about how I could fill a gap in the system…
Problem: There is a demand for informative guidance and concrete advice that remains unmet in a saturated industry.
Solution: Offer the advice that I wish I had received at the beginning of this process to others!
Here is the landscape. Everyone is selling something. No shame and no judgement, but let’s be real about it. I often found myself struggling to weigh the advice I gained from every free introductory session I attended. While it is totally worth it to sign up for and use the free resources provided by all of the test prep companies, you often have to sit through what feels like a time-share presentation at the end of your free vacation.
While the advice I received in these sessions was indeed very helpful and I would encourage future LSAT-takers to seek it out, it did skip over a few concrete, tangible things that I found on my own which completely revamped my preparation. The reality is that the LSAT industry and any course within it is and must be oriented toward all test-takers. As a result, the advice you receive is not tailored uniquely to your situation or your strengths/weakenesses. Let it be known that I am no exception to that rule. However, I am encouraged to share a few things that I wish I knew sooner that I only uncovered through “doing the damn thing…”
First, Powerscore Crystal Ball is awesome. End of sentence. Period. I only uncovered this resource halfway through my test prep. I had received some great advice: “Try to encounter and integrate the LSAT into your daily life in as many ways as possible.” So I tried listening to podcasts on my long commute. While I am not the best auditory learner and would still struggle to solve an LR question in my head, you would be hard pressed to find podcasts in which people discuss questions anyway. What was really valuable was hearing experts debate to diagram or not to diagram MBT questions, etc. In that search, I stumbled across the holy grail…Powerscore Crystal Ball. To start, these guys really really know what they are doing. Not only was it incredibly valuable to get some guidance on what PTs to review and what themes to drill as a self-studier, but their predictions are almost always accurate. (Not to mention, the downside risk of studying something that does not appear on the exam is still to your benefit as studying is studying.) Listening to that session and walking through the recommended sections and PTs not only amped me up for my exam but helped me feel the sense of community that often eludes the isolationism of this exam.
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Second, build your own tracking sheet. I know I know. It is a lot of work and can be very boring. However, the analysis of why you got the answer wrong, why the correct answer is correct, and how you get from point a to point b is necessary for success on this exam. That level of deep comprehension is not replaceable. Whether you have a subscription to a prep service that tracks your wrong answers and compiles your data, or you are a Law Hub monogamist, keeping a tracking sheet or wrong answer journal will do nothing but help you. I have attached a screenshot below of my own tracking sheet (which eventually got up to 638 entries!).
Third, customize your tools and strategies. A huge point of differentiation in my preparation occurred when I started creating customized drills. It required a fair bit of creativity on my part, but the reward of drilling a specific weakness or getting inside of the test-writers’ heads makes a world of difference in your comprehension level. For example, (super sets)….
Lastly, dates matter. You have to pay super, super close attention to the dates for registrations, cancellations with a full refund, cancellations with a partial refund, and scheduling times. While most Type-A LSAT takers like myself do not need to be told twice to write a date in the calendar, there is a huge aspect of this test registration that is strategic. For example, the June 2024 registration closed before the April 2024 score release date. However, the June 2024 cancellation deadline did not pass until the day after April 2024 scores were released. I registered for June 2024 so I could have the option to take the exam if I did not hit my goal score in April. Spoiler alert: I did not. I was so grateful that I had been strategic about my registrations and paid attention to the dates because many others who did not score as they hoped in April did not have the option to take June and had to wait to August. I do not recount this story to gloat, but rather to demonstrate exactly how much strategic date-tracking can hurt or help you.
In summary, this process is tough, trying, and transformative. If you take this exam and put your best self forward, you more likely than not going to go law school, become a lawyer, and build the future you are dreaming of. The LSAT is just the first step in a much longer journey and, even though it is undoubtedly important, it is not the end-all-be-all. Hopefully, the advice presented above will help fill some of the gaps out there and demystify the lessons normally learned only through experience.
If you liked this post or have any other aspects of the process you’d like demystified, please comment below!
