Writing the LSAT in October in Toronto, any helpful hints? practise tests? or study hints?

Question

I need to score high, and would appreciate any help i can get....

Answer 1

My advice would be to take a couple practice tests, several days apart, and look at how you score.  (You can order practice tests online from kaplan.com, or any number of other test prep sites.  Any practice test is as good as any other).  If you do particularly well in an area, don't do too much studying in that area, and focus on the others.  For example, I took a kaplan course for $1000, took a practice test and did really well on the reading comprehension but poorly on the logic games.  After going through the course my score on the logic games dramatically improved but my reading comprehension score went down on the actual test.  I'm not necessarily saying the course hurt me in that regard, but if you do something well, it may be a better idea not to muck it up with new strategies.

Also, I would advise you to buy some sort of test prep books--kaplan's are very good, but not to take an overpriced course.  If you have the money, it's certainly not a bad idea, but for $150-200, or less if you buy used, you can get a great set of prep books that will give you all the info you can get in a class--you just have to be motivated to follow through with them.  Good luck!*

*NOTE: not sure if the canadian LSAT's are the same as the american ones, or if you meant you were taking the U.S. LSAT's in toronto.  The above advice is w/r/t the U.S. LSATs.

Answer 2

Just to avoid any confusion, the LSAT is the same in the US and Canada. They give the same test on exactly the same day, and US and Canadian law schools use the results similarly. For LSAT purposes at least, it is as if the US and Canada are one country.

There are a few different ways to prepare, including self study, tutoring, and taking a prep course. Before making a decision on how to prep, go to LSAC.org and download the free June 2007 LSAT and take it as a timed test. Getting a starting score will help you make some decisions on what method to use when you start studying.

If you are pretty close to hitting your target score, then keep studying on your own. These were the three best books I used:

1. Powerscore LSAT Logic Games Bible

2. Powerscore LSAT Logical Reasoning Bible

3. Kaplan LSAT 180

But, you will also need actual tests to practice with, so get them from Law Services, the people who make the test. These are the three cheapest ones:

4. The Next 10 Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests

5. 10 More Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests

6. 10 Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests

If you work through the first three books, you would be in pretty good shape in terms of strategies, and then do a ton of the tests from the second group of books.

If you are scoring relatively low, or if a particular section is killing you (like Games), either take a prep course or get personal tutoring. The prep course is going to be cheaper than tutoring, but tutoring is more focused.

The main benefits of a class are that:

A. They lay out the strategies for you so you don't have to figure them out on your own. You also have a source to go to when you have questions or need help.

B. They provide plenty of study material, and that material is directed in a particular way.

C. They structure your preparation in a way that self-studying cannot.

D. You meet other people in the same position you are in, and it helps to have friends who can motivate you to study.

Do the classes help? Like a lot of things, part of it hinges on whether you put the time in. I took Powerscore and I ended up scoring well. I do know that I worked pretty hard, though. Whatever class you choose, find a class that uses a lot of real LSAT's and find out who your instructor will be. Try to get someone with a lot of teaching experience and a high score. Having a good instructor makes a big difference.

No matter what you do, prepare to work hard. Study at least 5-6 days a week for a few hours each day, and try to do as many of the real LSATs as you can. There's like 60 tests, so there is more than enough material to study. Good luck!