Should I take a prep course if I'm retaking? Forum

[renee88]

I took the June LSAT and I don't think it went well- or at least, I don't think I achieved the score I needed. One of my main issues was timing, which makes me think I just need to take more prep tests; however, I probably did not prepare enough in general. I know the basics and somewhat beyond, but I definitely need to do more intensive, in-depth studying. I am 95% sure I will have to retake.

With this in mind, would a course be a good fit? I've heard that much of the time is spent going over and reviewing basics, which I'm already pretty comfortable with. And, of course, I don't want to waste $1200 if it's not going to be worthwhile. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Also, the only courses I'd be able to take are Kaplan (would rather not because I haven't heard good things) or a weekend Testmasters course (the ones that are just over one weekend). There is a small chance I'd be able to take a regular Testmasters course, but it unfortunately extends into the school year and I'll be away at college 1.5 hours from the location the course is being held.

I'd appreciate any advice!

[Knock]

I took the June LSAT and I don't think it went well- or at least, I don't think I achieved the score I needed. One of my main issues was timing, which makes me think I just need to take more prep tests; however, I probably did not prepare enough in general. I know the basics and somewhat beyond, but I definitely need to do more intensive, in-depth studying. I am 95% sure I will have to retake.

With this in mind, would a course be a good fit? I've heard that much of the time is spent going over and reviewing basics, which I'm already pretty comfortable with. And, of course, I don't want to waste $1200 if it's not going to be worthwhile. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Also, the only courses I'd be able to take are Kaplan (would rather not because I haven't heard good things) or a weekend Testmasters course (the ones that are just over one weekend). There is a small chance I'd be able to take a regular Testmasters course, but it unfortunately extends into the school year and I'll be away at college 1.5 hours from the location the course is being held.

I'd appreciate any advice!

What score are you shooting for?

[dominkay]

Weekend course won't help you. Kaplan blows. Testmasters, Testmasters, Testmasters.

Testmasters lets you transfer to a different class/audit classes in other locations, so if there's another class closer to your college you can make it work.

[renee88]

I took the June LSAT and I don't think it went well- or at least, I don't think I achieved the score I needed. One of my main issues was timing, which makes me think I just need to take more prep tests; however, I probably did not prepare enough in general. I know the basics and somewhat beyond, but I definitely need to do more intensive, in-depth studying. I am 95% sure I will have to retake.

With this in mind, would a course be a good fit? I've heard that much of the time is spent going over and reviewing basics, which I'm already pretty comfortable with. And, of course, I don't want to waste $1200 if it's not going to be worthwhile. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Also, the only courses I'd be able to take are Kaplan (would rather not because I haven't heard good things) or a weekend Testmasters course (the ones that are just over one weekend). There is a small chance I'd be able to take a regular Testmasters course, but it unfortunately extends into the school year and I'll be away at college 1.5 hours from the location the course is being held.

I'd appreciate any advice!

What score are you shooting for?

Nothing incredibly high- I'd be happy with a 165 or above.

Unfortunately the only Testmasters/Powerscore/Kaplan courses offered are in the same place, which is an hour and a half from my school. (But is conveniently 10 minutes from where I live during the summer)

[Knock]

I took the June LSAT and I don't think it went well- or at least, I don't think I achieved the score I needed. One of my main issues was timing, which makes me think I just need to take more prep tests; however, I probably did not prepare enough in general. I know the basics and somewhat beyond, but I definitely need to do more intensive, in-depth studying. I am 95% sure I will have to retake.

With this in mind, would a course be a good fit? I've heard that much of the time is spent going over and reviewing basics, which I'm already pretty comfortable with. And, of course, I don't want to waste $1200 if it's not going to be worthwhile. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Also, the only courses I'd be able to take are Kaplan (would rather not because I haven't heard good things) or a weekend Testmasters course (the ones that are just over one weekend). There is a small chance I'd be able to take a regular Testmasters course, but it unfortunately extends into the school year and I'll be away at college 1.5 hours from the location the course is being held.

I'd appreciate any advice!

What score are you shooting for?

Nothing incredibly high- I'd be happy with a 165 or above.

Unfortunately the only Testmasters/Powerscore/Kaplan courses offered are in the same place, which is an hour and a half from my school. (But is conveniently 10 minutes from where I live during the summer)

I would say that if you're shooting for a 165+ you should focus on self-study. From my experience, taking a Powerscore virtual online class, it was definitely geared to people shooting for 150's and low 160's; and it wasn't anything I couldn't get by myself faster from the Powerscore Bibles; in short, it was basically having my hand held through the Bibles, definitely not worth the $1000 to me.

[eandy]

I would self-study a while, then get some tutoring. Then you can go back to studying by yourself.

[renee88]

Thanks for all the advice. I actually was thinking about getting a small number of tutoring sessions and seeing how that went.

[eandy]

Yeah wait until you get your score back, find out what you need help with. If you do Kaplan tutoring(which is decent), they'll figure it out for you.

[goawaybee]

wait for score. If sufficient then wonderful, if not figure out where you went wrong. I would focus on a round of self study to try and get your head on. I personally think to hit mid 160's on a budget self study is the way, if you have the coin and are willing to take out the insurance policy go for it. The key is to figure out where YOU are weak. It is all going to fall on you come test time.

I personally think another 20-30 hrs of self study and then take 3-5 PT's and see if you are scoring consistently overall and then by section. Then you can call a few tutors and call test masters. Work with them and figure it out from there. I def. think we can all benefit from some 1 on 1 coaching. X amt. of hrs with a tutor vs. X amt of hours in class with TM. More hours with TM for sure but is it as effective as time with a tutor...you can play judy and I will be the byrd...together we will just keeps it real.

[kaydish21]

Self studying went a long ways for me, but to get over the mid 160 plateau I was in I did tutoring with Stratus Prep and it was excellent. Got me PTing in the low 170s, then a 169 on the real thing. It made a huge difference for me.

[tomwatts]

What you already know will probably be covered in the first few classes of a course, but subsequent classes (after first two or three) will probably show you things that you didn't know, and you might pick up some details that you weren't aware of or didn't pay much attention to even in the first few sessions. But self-study is also possible.

If you're too far away from prep locations to take in-person classes conveniently, you might consider an online class (either recorded or live).

[NewLawStudent]

Here is what I would 100% do. Call Powerscore, tell them you want to buy their textbooks. You'll pay around 450 bucks and you won't need to attend their classes! You won't find ANYTHING more in their classes or in any online course. Do this and you'll thank me later. I have first-hand experience.

[renee88]

Here is what I would 100% do. Call Powerscore, tell them you want to buy their textbooks. You'll pay around 450 bucks and you won't need to attend their classes! You won't find ANYTHING more in their classes or in any online course. Do this and you'll thank me later. I have first-hand experience.

Hmm that's not a bad plan. Do the textbooks they use go much beyond the Powerscore Bibles/other books sold in stores? Or do they just sell you those as a package? Sorry if that's a dumb question...I don't know much about how the classes work

[samolly]

Here is what I would 100% do. Call Powerscore, tell them you want to buy their textbooks. You'll pay around 450 bucks and you won't need to attend their classes! You won't find ANYTHING more in their classes or in any online course. Do this and you'll thank me later. I have first-hand experience.

I think that would be a great option for a lot of people. I took the virtual, and didn't feel I got much out of the live online portion, but the pre-recordered sessions and the books were amazing. It is the most organized study plan you can get, and allows you to concentrate on your weak areas and skip what you already know. I do feel I got my $1k worth because the pre-recorded sessions are very valuable, especially for the games.