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Hi,

Im fairly new to these forums and am hoping that this was the correct place to ask this question.

Im beginning my junior year in college and am also starting to study for the June 2013 LSATs. I researched many different preparation courses and materials and decided that I would take the Testmasters course that begins in June 2013. As of right now I want to begin to prepare for the LSATs by either studying with the Powerscore books or I want to use the study schedules on "LSAT Blog: Ace the LSAT."

My question is that which is a better study method, the Powerscore Books or the Study Material on LSAT Blog using the study schedules? I am hoping that someone who has actually used either the Powerscore books or the LSAT Blog material can provide some information on how beneficial it was.

Thank You and feel free to share your opinions on any LSAT study methods.

The LSAT Blog schedules utilize the powerscore bibles.

I followed the LSAT Blog 5 month schedule exactly, without any additional prep, and did very well on my first LSAT attempt. I would definitely recommend it if you don't take a class to provide some structure to your self-studying.

I mixed LSAT Blog schedule with PityPike's- the latter of which you can find stickied at the top of the LSAT Prep and Discussion Forum.

Combining the two takes a little time, because there's some computation to be done. I'm almost done with both (modified it a little bit) so I'm just doing section drills and reviews and will begin doing full PT's soon.

I'll explain it a little down low- but while you're in the beginning of your prep- I highly recommend that you download and read this article here http://www.mediafire.com/?yg45zjnqloz It is chock-full of advice from people who got 177+

It is titled, "People Who Did Exceptionally Well on the LSAT." I found this article from a forum online here at TLS, posted by a LSAT taker who got a 180. His article can be found here (http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 2&t=120471).


Steve Schwartz's study schedule is fantastic for Logic Games. What I ended up doing, was going through his Logic Game section on his LSAT prep (from his 7 month LSAT guide) multiple times- (because I started studying on and off multiple times in college...which wasn't good but worked out, because it solidified).

I read all of Steve's LSAT articles about Conditional Logic, LSAT Words, and everything else MULTIPLE TIMES. I also ended up going through the LG Bible three or four times (over the span of like two years, albeit) and I did Steve's own Logic Games- some which are harder than real LSAT games MULTIPLE TIMES and read his explanations multiple times.

Now- even in the Logic Games Bible, it states that you should go through and reread the chapters- so this wasn't just something that was unique to what I did. I needed a lot of help on LG. Now, I finish most sections under 35 and rarely get any wrong.

In the middle of doing LR for Steve's plan- I switched to PithyPike's and still did what he (PP) suggested for LG.

Now- while PP's is LG-heavy in its composition- the best explanatory power you will get is from the LGB. You need more. For example, Steve's diagramming for Pure Sequencing games far surpasses PowerScore's, as does his diagramming for In and Out games (Birds in the Forest, and Fruitstand...).

Now, you could just stick with Steve's- which is great- but I decided I liked PP's as well (which I hear many people here on TLS swear by) and mixed the two and did what was best for me.

So- Steve's allows you to read all of these great articles- which are priceless- especially when you are first starting (I started reading him after a wasted TestMaster's course). Read them and know them. He also now has a YouTube channel where he walks you through games http://www.youtube.com/user/LSATBlog. But don't substitute that for slowly going through games at first and learning them yourself. (Be careful not to look at certain videos from like PT46 on because you do not want to see those LG until you take the PrepTests).

I liked PP's guide with Steve's because I feel like it injected by schedule with more "umph" if that makes sense. PP's also has good links for RC strategy and LR strategy- and Steve's blog has great articles on LR and RC. I suggest reading them all.

I also suggest creating an account on Manhattan LSAT. Fantastic discussion forums. Their LG strategy is different in some areas though.

Now- I am one lone voice- and I haven't even taken the LSAT yet- so take what I say with a grain of salt. That is why I linked the article from the 180 scorer up top and also the AWESOME article you can download at mediafire about those who did exceptionally well.

You want to do a schedule that is best for YOU- what will get you the best score. For me, I found that making a hybrid ended up working the best- as well as really getting LG down because it seems daunting but as others will tell you it's the easiest to get down and will end up being a score booster on the real test.

Also, that you're in school- make sure you don't sacrifice your GPA or anything like that to get a good LSAT score- at the end of the day you want both to be as high as possible. You can totally go straight into law school after undergrad. Many do not- if you end up thinking "wow, I could score way higher if I didn't have all of this school work-" well then maybe wait and get that awesome score you are totally capable of getting. For some, this totally isn't a problem, for others, it's a better choice and during that year or two not in school they do other stuff like work or do projects abroad and study. Whatever is best for you and your goals though.

Good luck!