What's the best LSAT prep company? Forum

[Tainted_Praise]

Whatever you do.... Don't do the Princeton Review! They will pat you on the back for getting a 150.

[Tainted_Praise]

We're sorry, help is not available is a small LSAT prep company in Manhattan that often goes under the radar. But don't let that fool you- I'm SO glad that I decided to take the course. What I like best about We're sorry, help is not available is its combination of excellent teaching and great customer service. Shawn, the founder of We're sorry, help is not available is brilliant, dynamic, and funny. 5 hours in class with him goes by really fast. The curriculum is strong and targeted to get students to score in the high 160, and 170+ range. It'a also an added bonus that your peers in the class are very driven because it helps to create a culture of excellence and rigor. There's also a lot of individual attention, and you don't feel like you're just being shuffled through their company.

Who didn't see this coming? At least they're getting wiser about it.

If this is attempt to shamelessly plug their company is "wiser" than previous attempts.... I dread seeing what they've written before.

[2014]

I've been happy with Knewton, though it is one of the lesser known ones.
If you are going for an online course it is a solid option because of the 5 point score increase guarantee and a relatively useful system that tracks what sort of questions you are missing and allowing you to make quizzes for yourself based solely on those question types.

Only frustrating part is that the technology sometimes can be a challenge if your internet connection is slow, and you can only print out tests like 48-60, so it is a good idea to still have paper copies on hand of older ones to supplement the course. Uses the same general methods as Powerscore though with subtle variations.

[mchuynh]

TESTMASTERS! Doug Lawrence and Gordon Stewart are amazing instructors!

[Emeth!]

I've just been using books so far but I think I really need a class or tutor. Any suggestions?

I took Princeton Review
Diagnostic = 151
Oct 2010 = 170

I also took a TON of PTs on my own but, Princeton review really helped me alot.

[Emeth!]

Whatever you do.... Don't do the Princeton Review! They will pat you on the back for getting a 150.

helped me...lol. I hit a 170

[PreLawMentor.com]

If you're going for a course, what matters more than the company providing the course is the instructor you'd actually be working with.

You need someone who's knowledgeable, experienced, engaging, able to answer random questions on the fly, and go off-script to address the actual needs of the students.

You also need an instructor who can strike a balance between the needs of the "slower" and "quicker" students. Unfortunately, most classes contain students of all different ability levels (people shooting for simply 150+ and others shooting for 170+). In a class, you need an instructor who doesn't cater solely to one group or the other.

Ideally, if you take a course, you should be able to speak w

ombination of excellent teaching and great customer service. Shawn, the founder of We're sorry, help is not available is brilliant, dynamic, and funny. 5 hours in class with him goes by really fast. The curriculum is strong and targeted to get students to score in the high 160, and 170+ range. It'a also an added bonus that your peers in the class are very driven because it helps to create a culture of excellence and rigor. There's also a lot of individual attention, and you don't feel like you're just being shuffled through their company.

ith the instructor before starting the class, get references, and sit in on a sample class actually taught by that instructor.

Good luck!

I want to echo this post by "LSAT Blog." The most important thing will be the teacher you actually get. One huge problem is that classes have high and low scorers mixed together. There are ways to resolve each of these concerns:

*Importance of the individual teacher
Sitting in on a class is a great idea, as are references. If you can't do either of these, ask the company first if you can switch teachers if the assigned one doesn't work out well. All LSAT teachers are good at taking the test and most are good at teaching. It's doubtful you'll get 2 or 3 ineffective teachers in a row so the opportunity to switch once or twice should cover it.

*Problem of classroom pacing
I have taught the LSAT for over half a decade and this is a huge problem for students and teachers. Sometimes the mix of slower and faster learners works, e.g. faster learners answer more questions, practicing their skills, and slower learners hear a solid explanation for a classmate. Often, though, faster learners get bored waiting for others to catch up. The Industry has found various solutions to this.
(1) Tutoring does not have this problem; however, it is very expensive.
(2) Online courses. At Knewton, for example, your online courses have a lead instructor and a teaching assistant ("TA"). Students can instant message questions and the TA can answer them without slowing the rest of the class. If the question is worth discussing with the whole class, the TA can anonymously forward the question to the instructor to discuss as a group.
(3) Small Group Instruction. Princeton Review, for example, offers such classes, which provide the lower cost associated with classes but work with only 2-3 students so there is little to no problem pacing the course.
(4) High-scoring classes. Some companies, e.g. Kaplan, have classes geared towards higher-scoring students. If you fit this description, you can enter a class with all high-scorers, reducing the pacing issue.

I hope this helps.

MOD EDIT FOR SPAM

[calvinlovehobbes]

just finished a course with Testmasters. really helpful and something of interest to point out. apparently testmasters preps you for a 160-170 score range while kaplan/princeton review preps you for a 150 (which is still above the 75th percentile).

[ggibelli]

i did velocity and loved it

[PreLawMentor.com]

If you're set on a prep course, then Powerscore is probably your best bet. Each instructor is required to have scored in the 99th percentile on an actual administration of the LSAT, so you know they're not dumbasses.

worst: Kaplan
best: self study

But ^^^ that is the best kept secret of LSAT prep. Self study w/ PTs and the Powerscore Bibles beats all.

The best and worst study plans vary from student to student.

I'm sorry to hear people feel Kaplan is the worst. I taught for Kaplan for a few years. One bit of truth, though, is that Kaplan only requires a 95th percentile score (or at least that was the policy) while almost all other companies require a 98th or 99th percentile score. What I can say is that I was a Kaplan student and went from a mediocre score to consistently scoring in the 99th percentile on all practice tests and on my actual LSAT. As a teacher for Kaplan, I taught hundreds of students and helped many raise their score 20 points during a Kaplan course! Nevertheless, you will see Kaplan teachers who are not as good at the test as teachers at other companies. While this doesn't necessarily mean they're less effective teachers, I think we can all agree we'd generally prefer a 99th percentile scorer. But Kaplan offers many advantages too. They're everywhere so you can usually find an alternative class if you're busy on your regular day or if you want to switch teachers. You can even attend classes in another state and other countries. Kaplan also offers more variations on the LSAT course than any company I've seen (e.g. advanced courses, intensive courses, regular, etc.).

There are a lot of great companies out there, each with a different philosophy for how to prepare for the test. I co-authored a book, SPAM REMOVED BY MODS, that describes all the options you have to prepare for the LSAT and explains what differentiates each of the major courses out there.

Regarding self-study, this is the best for some people. And it is the WORST for some people. Many students do not have the discipline to study on their own. Many will not understand some problems from reading the strategy or the explanation. If self-study will work for you, you probably already know it (and are almost certainly highly intelligent). For many students, you will not get close to your potential without the structure and guidance of a classroom or a tutor.

Some quick suggestions:
*If you have a very busy schedule but prefer a live, in-person class --> Kaplan may be best b/c it's easy to reschedule.

*If you get bored in lectures --> Blueprint's online animated course may be best b/c they keep things entertaining with animated pictures that also serve as very effective visual aids to get the point across. Plus, 90% of auditioning teachers are cut; part of their audition process is improvisational comedy so they really implemented steps to find dynamic, entertaining instructors.

*If you are uncomfortable asking questions in class (e.g. you worry you'll look stupid) ---> Knewton's online course may be best. For example, your Knewton online courses have a lead instructor and a teaching assistant ("TA"). Students can instant message questions and the TA can answer them without slowing the rest of the class. If the question is worth discussing with the whole class, the TA can anonymously forward the question to the instructor to discuss as a group.

Good Luck! And I hope this was helpful.

SPAM REMOVED BY MODS

[Manhattan LSAT Noah]

This has been discussed thoroughly here: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 6&t=151670

Try a trial course of the companies that interest you if they allow it, see which one is a good fit. Do your HW.

Good luck!

Edit for clarity.

[sfamor]

I just finished a Princeton Review course (the "Ultimate"). I really didn't think it was that bad and it was the cheapest in my area. I went from a 142 on my practice test (embarrassing!) to consistently hitting upper 160's on my practice tests. I don't know yet how I did on the October real LSAT, but it felt like it went well. I did not really like PR's reading comp methods and I ended up buying Manhattans RC book to supplement. I thought their LG and LR methods were great though. Remember that the books you use in class are entirely different from the shitty general LSAT prep books they sell. On the student website you have access to all the tests, you can listen to the lessons if you happen to miss a class, and you can find explanations to any question on the tests or from the books (which are all real LSAT questions). My class was also only 13 people and there was a lot of chance to get personalized help. The reason I didn't take blueprint, which I had a coupon for was because there were already 40 people signed up. Honestly, I found that the people who improved the most in my class were the ones who did the homework and put it the most time which is probably the case in every prep class. I find it very annoying that so many people on here are so quick to say one particular prep company is terrible when they haven't even taken a course with them. I think most of the companies let you try out a class or a couple classes for free so take advantage and see which one feels right for you.

[071816]

Dedicated Self Study Inc.

[bleern031]

I'll pitch in.
-Princeton Review is crap.
-Powerscore offers greats fundamental books.
-But so far, I've received significant help from Manhattan LSAT and their online bloggers.
So, I give props to Manhattan LSAT (though I disagree with how they diagram some of their grouping games) they get my full vote on this one.
Score improved greatly thanks to them.

[ilovesf]

I liked testmasters. I think though that the courses are only helpful if you have no self control and can't really study without a class. I had a really hard time dedicating enough time to studying, I would get bored and just stop. Taking a class really helped me with that and pushed me to study more. Otherwise, I don't really think it is worth your money.

[vanwinkle]

I'll pitch in.
-Princeton Review is crap.

Apparently experiences vary, or something. I used Princeton Review, loved it, gained 13 points, highly recommend them to everyone.

[caminante]

If you're in DC, I recommend strategy prep. I only took the free proctored practice test with them, but I was very impressed with their professionalism and the strategies they were teaching their students.

http://strategyprep.com/

[vkgarrett]

Kaplan = bad. From experience. Waste of money I think. Best prep method, buy one book with techniques, read blogs online, and get as many recent prep tests as possible. Just do the 35 min timed sections with as much time to review as you would like... Its the timing that really helped me get it down...

[ThreeRivers]

I'm sorry but nothing beats:

Powerscore Bibles
Tons of old LSAT tests
TLS for help / advice when random questions come up (which they will)

[vkgarrett]

I'm sorry but nothing beats:

Powerscore Bibles
Tons of old LSAT tests
TLS for help / advice when random questions come up (which they will)

I second this. Don't waste your time and money on a big program that won't cater to your personal needs. You gotta put in the time.

[etymology]

Given that the methods are probably pretty standard across all companies/materials, I suspect the courses vary much more by the quality of individual instructors, rather than by who they happen to work for, so try and find out about the individuals teaching the courses you're interested in.

Anecdata: I did Blueprint, started from low/mid-160s. By the end, my best PT was a 179, my average being around 176.

[gaud]

OP, you should add a poll to this

[soj]

OP, you should add a poll to this

inb4 one company mysteriously garners 40 votes in one hour

[gaud]

OP, you should add a poll to this

inb4 one company mysteriously garners 40 votes in one hour

lol, fair enough

For me Powerscore and Manhattan seemed to both be amazing.

[Manhattan LSAT Noah]

OP, you should add a poll to this

inb4 one company mysteriously garners 40 votes in one hour

lol, fair enough

Wait, what am I supposed to do with the 40 guys I picked up in front of the paint store, dropped off in this internet cafe, and had create TLS accounts. Jeez. Thanks.

Do I still tip?