Highest Score on this Forums Forum

[wehman]

Hi everyone,

I know the community here leans heavily towards self preparation and I'm sure many of the people who speak out for that do so partially because it seems to work and partially because it was accomplished solely by them. I was wondering if I could hear from the people who took courses, i.e. kaplan, power score, test masters, etc, and see what the highest score is from taking a course versus the obvious bunch who scored in the 170s from self prep. Then, of course, which course has the highest success rate would be my next question.

Great,
Thanks.

[Mickey Quicknumbers]

Hi everyone,

I know the community here leans heavily towards self preparation and I'm sure many of the people who speak out for that do so partially because it seems to work and partially because it was accomplished solely by them. I was wondering if I could hear from the people who took courses, i.e. kaplan, power score, test masters, etc, and see what the highest score is from taking a course versus the obvious bunch who scored in the 170s from self prep. Then, of course, which course has the highest success rate would be my next question.

Great,
Thanks.

Your first question is going to need to be done a little bit more empirically if you want to find the knowledge I think you're looking for.

[Fast_Fingers]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/s ... ort=lsat_d

Maybe cross-reference the high numbers with posts in this forum...

[tomwatts]

Even if you did find an answer to this, it would tell you a lot less than you think. The course depends partly on the length (30-40 hours just isn't going to do as much as 80+ hours) and partly on the teacher. Even if some company has some reputation or whatever, the course depends on the teacher. And self-prep depends on you.

[JuTMSY4]

Even if you did find an answer to this, it would tell you a lot less than you think. The course depends partly on the length (30-40 hours just isn't going to do as much as 80+ hours) and partly on the teacher. Even if some company has some reputation or whatever, the course depends on the teacher. And self-prep depends on you.

The course still depends on you as well. That being said, I'd ignore the program (Kaplan, PR, Testmasters, etc) and stick with sitting in on classes and finding the best teacher. I did princeton review but didn't really use much of their book materials. they provided a ton of old exams though which I printed off and did on my own time.

The key though was the teacher taught me really well and I remained committed to a significant amount of practice outside of the standard instruction...

[bp colin]

By its very nature, the people on this board will be at least somewhat unrepresentative. If you're in a good class with a teacher that knows his or her shit, and is willing to take the time to answer all your questions, you don't have the same need for a resource like TLS to find answers. If you're self-studying, the need to get advice from outside sources is going to be much stronger.

[TheBigMediocre]

I took a Kaplan Course and diag'd at 163. PT'd in the high 160's/Low 170's. After the course my test day score was 164.

I said fuck that and read the PS LG bible and skimmed the other bibles and then did PTs. Was PTing low-mid 170s. Second test day score was 170.

[KibblesAndVick]

Paying for a class is one of the worst investments you could make. At its core, learning is always a personal endeavor. They're not going to teach you anything you couldn't teach yourself. But they will charge you several hundred dollars for it. Just get a couple of books on the LSAT (like the bibles), acquire as many old tests as you can (legally or otherwise), and make sure you're motivated to study. The best thing about taking a class is that it forces you to stay on top of it and provides you with some structure for your studying. But the idea that this is worth what they're going to charge you is outlandish.

The internet is full of people who can give you equally valid advice about the LSAT. They will also do it for free.
/rant motivated by jealously of people who can afford to buy stupid things that give marginal benefits

[bceagles182]

Paying for a class is one of the worst investments you could make. At its core, learning is always a personal endeavor. They're not going to teach you anything you couldn't teach yourself. But they will charge you several hundred dollars for it. Just get a couple of books on the LSAT (like the bibles), acquire as many old tests as you can (legally or otherwise), and make sure you're motivated to study. The best thing about taking a class is that it forces you to stay on top of it and provides you with some structure for your studying. But the idea that this is worth what they're going to charge you is outlandish.

The internet is full of people who can give you equally valid advice about the LSAT. They will also do it for free.
/rant motivated by jealously of people who can afford to buy stupid things that give marginal benefits

This isn't universally good advice. I took a test with Powerscore self prep the first time through. Retook a year out of undergrad after taking the powerscore course and scored 10 points higher. It all depends on the person.

[KibblesAndVick]

Paying for a class is one of the worst investments you could make. At its core, learning is always a personal endeavor. They're not going to teach you anything you couldn't teach yourself. But they will charge you several hundred dollars for it. Just get a couple of books on the LSAT (like the bibles), acquire as many old tests as you can (legally or otherwise), and make sure you're motivated to study. The best thing about taking a class is that it forces you to stay on top of it and provides you with some structure for your studying. But the idea that this is worth what they're going to charge you is outlandish.

The internet is full of people who can give you equally valid advice about the LSAT. They will also do it for free.
/rant motivated by jealously of people who can afford to buy stupid things that give marginal benefits

This isn't universally good advice. I took a test with Powerscore self prep the first time through. Retook a year out of undergrad after taking the powerscore course and scored 10 points higher. It all depends on the person.

What specifically do you think you got out of the course that you failed to learn via self study?

[shock259]

The course can be useful. It may not be the best use of time/money, but it does help in a general overlay. I think you simply have to keep in mind it is designed for people scoring in the 150's and would be happy with a 160. That's not a lot of TLSers.

That said, they do still have some useful stuff. My score went from 154 to 161 with just the Kaplan course. I'm now studying again and doing so on my own. It's much better. But I don't particularly regret the course. It gave me a foundation.

So it's not all that simple.

[Gamecubesupreme]

If you are capable of maintaining a good work ethic entirely by yourself, then by all means fuck the course and do self-prep.

However, if you have a tendency of slacking off or procrastinating, then I would suggest you to enroll in a course to prevent that from happening. In the end, I think any of us would be willing to spend a few hundred dollars if it means we can get that coveted 170+.