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Hello,
I am about to start preparing for the LSATs, I just ordered a bunch of books off amazon but before I get started I was wondering if I should take a cold diagnostic tests. I know some people say you should do it to get a base read of where you stand and where you need to improve but I also know that others feel that since you are not familiar with the format, it is not represenative of your abilities.

If yes, should I take one of those free ones offered by Kaplan/Princeton or should I just do it myself. In which case, how do I go about doing it (Where do I find an appropriate test/answers and how do I grade it).

Thanks for helping a n00b out!

I would say go ahead and take a diagnostic test. I think you'll save time that way. Also, since you will improve, it'll help with your confidence.

I took both Kaplan and Princeton Review diagnostic tests. Either one is fine. Kaplan does give you a fancier report, though.

The LSAC has two free tests on its website: http://www.lsac.org/pdfs/test.pdf and http://www.lsac.org/pdfs/SamplePTJune.pdf

Before you do any timed tests, you should work through the LSAC's guide to the LSAT: http://www.lsac.org/pdfs/LSATPreparationweb.pdf

I believe that doing a cold diagnostic isn't very useful. Moreover, if you don't score well -- which is likely -- you may crush your confidence.