For the Attorneys out There...How did you prep for the LSAT?

R

roses_92123

Cathlete
Quick question because I know that we have a couple of attorneys on the forum. I am in the process of applying to law school (a VERY long time coming!!!). My goal is to gain admission for next year.

I am looking into the never ending sea of LSAT review and prep courses and was just wondering which route anyone has taken. The courses (besides being very expensive) are also long and I guess I wonder if the hefty price (upwards of $1400) is worth it?

Thanks!
 
I'm at the tail end of school. I bought a book for $29 that had some sample exams in it, and did a few of those.

I doubt it's worth it to spend the money on the prep course now. School will be tough enough, so unless you have a dream to go to a specific school and you can't get into that school without taking the LSAT prep course, I wouldn't do it. The LSAT score will by and large tell you how you'll do at whichever particular school, so if you're barely hanging on for the LSAT score, think of that feeling for 3+ years while in school...

The bar course is a different story, though, so save your money wherever you can!! :p

HTH
 
This was many years ago so please forgive my poor memory.

I did take the LSAT prep course and I'm not sure it helped my score significantly. I would recommend that you take a couple of the LSAT sample tests from your book and see how you do. If you are already doing well then you probably don't need to spend the money on a course. The main issue I had with the LSAT is the time constraints.

I have a different take on whether or not the LSAT is a good indicator of how well you will do in law school. I did not score particularly well on the LSAT but it was good enough to get into the school of my choice. I ended up graduating in the top 13% of my class, worked full time and I was a single mom. Also, I passed the bar by a mile. So even if you don't do great on the LSAT, don't be discouraged; it has more to do with how willing you are to work hard. GOOD LUCK!!!
 
My LSAT story is ancient history, and probably has no application today, but I'll tell it anyway, in case you find it useful.

I was a resident of NJ back in 1986, and really wanted to go to the state law school, Rutgers. My college grades were very average, so I knew I had to get a good score on the LSAT to have a prayer of getting in. My Stanley Kaplan instructor was just awesome. It may sound a bit dramatic, but I feel I owe my career to him. He didn't just work with us on exam questions, he also helped us establish a winning mind set. He himself was a Jeopardy champion that year, and watching him on TV was truly inspiring.

In the end, my score was much higher than I ever imagined it could be, and much higher than I needed to get into Rutgers. Needless to say, I went to Rutgers. Knowing what I know today, I would have paid 10 times what I paid for that LSAT course.

But that was 20 years ago, and I have no idea what's going on these days. I hear you can take the test more than once now, and they use the highest score. Back when, every score counted, and they were all averaged together. No one I knew took the LSAT more than once. Whole new ballgame now.

Good luck with your decision!

P.S. Unless they've changed the test, I didn't find law school to be anything like the test. The test was all multiple choice and filling in dots, and law school was all essays. My LSAT score was high, but my law school grades were merely average.
 
Thank you all for the sound advice and personal insight into the LSAT. I am really hoping to do very very well on the test itself as a higher score means the chance at more financial aid (at the particular schools I am applying to), so I feel there is much hinging on my score.

I guess I am just being miserly and looking at the high price wondering if it is indeed worth it.

I think I will go for it and hope it will pay off with the chance at scholarships!!!

Thanks again!
 
Rose-

I see you're in CA at least now. Same here. The LSAT score is used by the admissions people, just like your grades are. For me, I was never going to get into Stanford unless I had a 180+. Not sure what your goals are, but I see what you're saying about financial aid. (Never heard of that! Cool.)

Before you sign up for a course, though, take a sample exam to see where you are coming out and whether or not the course really would help. I scored within 2-3 points every time I took the sample exam, and same for the real exam.

They do count your score every time, and will average it on any re-takes. If you don't go to school within 5 years of taking the LSAT, you'll have to take it again as though you had never taken it.

I'd take a sample, then call the course people and ask them what you can expect for your $1400.
 
Amy,

Perhaps I should start with my own study and doing prep exams from a book rather than shell out so much dough.

Which books did you use? There are SOOOOO many out there!
 
https://os.lsac.org/Release/Shop/Shop_Books.aspx?po=Y#prep

There look to be quite a few available! I thought I paid $29 for the book, but maybe I'm wrong? I know I went through LSAC, though. HTH!

I really think if you condition yourself (setting timers, etc) and really focus on reading the questions literally, you might be fine without having to pay so much. But I don't know, obviously. I just knew school would cost so much I couldn't justify buying a course to start out. Go with your gut. ;)
 
Thanks Amy for the link!! I appreciate all the helpful information!

Who knows...you may have just saved me a nice hunk of change! }(
 
LOL, no fair blaming me if you aren't happy with your score!!! :p (I missed my "goal" score by 1 point, btw...)
 
I was thinking about this more on my way home, and I talked to my DH about it over dinner tonight. We are both very fiscally responsible, but he is even what you would call "very frugal". And there's one thing we both strongly agree on: if you really want to go to law school, the LSAT is not the place to cut corners.

Buy used books when you're in school, get cheap haircuts, shop at Old Navy for your clothes, but don't try to save money on the LSAT. True, the LSAT prep course saved me tens of thousands of dollars because it got me into a state school, but even if it didn't, it still would have been worth every penny. Why not get into the best school you can get into? Why put yourself in a position of competing against others who have taken prep courses? The better the school you get into, the more options you'll have, including the chance to make more money. And the scholarship could save you a bundle. (Also, after the LSAT scores came out, I was offered full scholarships by a couple of law schools I hadn't even applied to!)

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that skipping the prep course is being penny wise and dollar foolish. If you're gonna go for it, give yourself a leg up.

I hope you don't mind my being so assertive about my opinion, but it suddenly dawned on me that I felt strongly about this, for what it's worth. ;)

Good luck!
 
It has been about 14 yeas since I took the LSAT (ten out of law school and passing MI Bar) but I took a Stanley Kaplan course. With regards to did it help- I think I would do it again. I think Nancy gave very sound advice- don't skmip trying to get in and trying to pass the bar exam- you can skimp with used books etc while in school.
 
I appreciate the additional points of view and advice!!

I have already purchased a self-study book and I am also going to sign up for the Kaplan course.

Trying to gain admission and also trying to give myself a fighting chance at scholarships....I shouldn't skimp on that.

Thanks again very very much!
 
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