Which is harder: a 1L law school exam or the LSAT? Forum

[vtoodler]

Which do you think is a harder test to do well on: the LSAT or a 1L law school exam?

[094320]

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[NJcollegestudent]

I would say my 1L exams were much more intense than the LSAT. In reality, what you learn here, subject to a change in the law, is general foundation of what you will practice with. The LSAT with its logic games, while mimicking the concepts that are to predict success, has an entirely different meaning.

[adonai]

My exams were a lot easier than the LSAT. The only thing "harder" about exams are that there's a lot of pressure, plus a forced curve. LSAT was a lot more difficult for me just because it was not learnable for me. I don't even see a connection between the two, but I'll save that rant for another thread.

[DoubleChecks]

? Wouldn't a single law school exam always be easier than the LSAT? I mean, I guess if you count class time leading up to the exam as 'studying'...then maybe not; but even if you only kept up with the reading and took class notes, the amount of studying for the exam would be a fraction of starting on the LSAT.

Though to be fair, the two are actually incomparable because of the curve, the pool of people taking it, what grades you're looking at and the cutoffs at your particular school, etc.

[cinephile]

Even if it weren't for the law school curve, the LSAT would be a million times easier. There are nearly a thousand practice tests for the LSAT, not true for 1L exams. There's also zero pressure regarding the LSAT, because it can always be retaken, again not true for 1L exams.

Also, logic games made the LSAT kind of fun. There's nothing fun about negligence or the statue of frauds or the Erie Doctrine or anything here really.

[memo2partner]

LSAT's harder--I crushed my contracts and property exams (As)

[adonai]

? Wouldn't a single law school exam always be easier than the LSAT? I mean, I guess if you count class time leading up to the exam as 'studying'...then maybe not; but even if you only kept up with the reading and took class notes, the amount of studying for the exam would be a fraction of starting on the LSAT.

Though to be fair, the two are actually incomparable because of the curve, the pool of people taking it, what grades you're looking at and the cutoffs at your particular school, etc.

To me, a law school exam just simply offers more freedom to analyze and think rather than rigid, canned answer choices on the LSAT, which I found hard to understand cause they were not my own wordings and thought patterns. Everyone says the LSAT can be learned, but I never found that to be true to me. I studied a LOT for that test to the point of diminishing returns. It seemed like it tested more on innate traits that I never possessed. On a law exam, you could still do horribly but still do well cause of the curve. I would rather take a 5 hour issue spotter than take the LSAT any day.

[Flips88]

Much easier to get in the top 10% on the LSAT than top 10% on a law school exam. I haven't gotten grades back, but I have no delusions of grandeur. it's way harder to be at the top of an exam than the LSAT.

[Nightsideclipse]

Law school exams by far.

There are objective answers and essays for the win.

[CactusPuppy]

Law school exams are far more difficult. They are not merely a test of your intelligence and mastery of the material. They require additional skills (application, ability to show you know how to apply).

The LSAT requires little skill (you should already have test-taking skills via SAT, AP, ACT, practicing) and depends on "intelligence."

Moreover, the curve on the law school exams is more difficult, and if you went to a good school, you are competing with highly competent, smart and hard-working individuals; you lose the mass of American undergrad kids, most of whom have subpar logic or reasoning ability

[paulinaporizkova]

my crim exam was, i think empirically, about 5-7 times harder than the LSAT

hth

[D-hops]

I would rather take a 1L exam over again (or, hell, all of them) than take the LSAT again, but I'm weird.

[Kabuo]

I'm drunk.

[paulinaporizkova]

Im kind of outed, and I don't care.

[ahduth]

Subjective question is subjective.

[shoeshine]

I think that the LSAT was 100 times easier.

I spent way more time preparing for my 1L exams and I am 100% less confident than I was after taking the LSAT. It is the damn curve, you can never be sure.

[Ludo!]

There's so much more pressure on 1l exams that they seemed a lot harder to me. At least the LSAT has logic games and then a section at the end that's totally worthless.

[CactusPuppy]

There's so much more pressure on 1l exams that they seemed a lot harder to me. At least the LSAT has logic games and then a section at the end that's totally worthless.

deleted..

[delusional]

Much easier to get in the top 10% on the LSAT than top 10% on a law school exam. I haven't gotten grades back, but I have no delusions of grandeur. it's way harder to be at the top of an exam than the LSAT.

That's not a good analogy, because the percentages work in different ways.

I thought the LSAT was a lot harder, but that's probably because I didn't get any law school grades back yet. Also, although you can take the LSAT again, you have like thirty chances to change your GPA, and countless other chances to mitigate its effect. But an LSAT is forever. Another factor in comparing the two is that the better you did on the LSAT, the less you need to worry about exams (usually), because you might not need top 10% to get a job.

[D'Angelo]

Even if it weren't for the law school curve, the LSAT would be a million times easier. There are nearly a thousand practice tests for the LSAT, not true for 1L exams. There's also zero pressure regarding the LSAT, because it can always be retaken, again not true for 1L exams.

Also, logic games made the LSAT kind of fun. There's nothing fun about negligence or the statue of frauds or the Erie Doctrine or anything here really.

actually I enjoyed logic games but enjoy law school material more! the tests are still so much harder though...studied much less for the LSAT than for any law school exam.

[arism87]

Law school exams for above reasons, plus added stress knowing you don't have the option to retake them..

[ThreeRivers]

Law school exams are curved against students who did similar to you on the LSAT... LSAT you're going against (percentile wise) a large amount of people who didn't even know you could study for the LSAT

[BeaverHunter]

The correct answer to "which is it easier to do well on" is the LSAT, unless you go to a crap school. Since both are graded on a curve (more or less), your competition is tougher on the law school exam since the folks in your classes tend to have done better than median on the LSAT.

Subjectively, law school exams feel harder too.

[DoubleChecks]

I really think this is like comparing apples to oranges. Should you factor in studying time too in determining which is 'harder'? Hours-wise, I spent a lot more time studying for the LSAT than all my law exams put together. Unless, once again, you count class time and the original reading throughout the semester as studying...which I grant you could...