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Im about to book tutoring for the december LSAT and was curious which company is known for their tutors.

Me.

Uh, well, I teach/tutor for Princeton Review. There are plenty of good tutors out there, and we have a good bunch. This one is much, much more individual than anything else; it's all about fit. Make sure that you get real information about the tutor before signing up. With us, you'd ask for the tutor's bio; I'm not sure whether other companies refer to stock info about the tutor in the same way.

If you're interested in finding out anything about us (what to ask about the tutor, what to look for in the bio, etc.) let me know.

I worked with three different tutors from Atlas. I would always go into a tutoring session thinking, "this is stupid, they aren't going to be able to give me any constructive advice...nobody understands my test taking habits better than me." Then I would get detailed, pragmatic advice that would help me overcome a bad test-taking habit that I had not even aware of. I would highly recommend Mike, Matt, or Brian...all of whom I worked with.

longdaysjourney wrote:I worked with three different tutors from Atlas. I would always go into a tutoring session thinking, "this is stupid, they aren't going to be able to give me any constructive advice...nobody understands my test taking habits better than me." Then I would get detailed, pragmatic advice that would help me overcome a bad test-taking habit that I had not even aware of. I would highly recommend Mike, Matt, or Brian...all of whom I worked with.

Atlas is on the more reasonable end too. They're only $145 if you sign up for a self study.

I heard Steve Schwartz pushes $195 an hour.

Just from my experiences of self study, the Atlas tutors all seem to be qualified and knowledgeable. Guessing from their hiring standards they weed out a lot of the garbage that is sometimes picked up by Kaplan/PR/TM/PS. Not saying you won't get a bad tutor fro Atlas, but it's probably less likely. My .02

It should say something about the value of a law degree that NONE of these teachers/tutors have a JD.

Also, I actually think that Kaplan owns Manhattan LSAT.

http://www.manhattanlsat.com/lsat-teachers.cfm

toppercentile wrote:It should say something about the value of a law degree that NONE of these teachers/tutors have a JD.

Also, I actually think that Kaplan owns Manhattan LSAT.

http://www.manhattanlsat.com/lsat-teachers.cfm

I'm as anti-law-school as anyone, but I don't think the fact that none of the tutors have a JD says much about a JD's value at all. The most it says is that a JD doesn't improve your LSAT tutoring skills enough to be worth $120k and three years worth of opportunity costs, which seems pretty obvious.

turkfish wrote:

toppercentile wrote:It should say something about the value of a law degree that NONE of these teachers/tutors have a JD.

Also, I actually think that Kaplan owns Manhattan LSAT.

http://www.manhattanlsat.com/lsat-teachers.cfm

I'm as anti-law-school as anyone, but I don't think the fact that none of the tutors have a JD says much about a JD's value at all. The most it says is that a JD doesn't improve your LSAT tutoring skills enough to be worth $120k and three years worth of opportunity costs, which seems pretty obvious.

or these guys are smart and don't bother going 150k in debt for a jd

toppercentile wrote:It should say something about the value of a law degree that NONE of these teachers/tutors have a JD.

Also, I actually think that Kaplan owns Manhattan LSAT.

http://www.manhattanlsat.com/lsat-teachers.cfm

None of the Kaplan instructor's at my local center have a JD. Unless you can prove that having a JD increases LSAT performance or tutoring ability your argument doesn't apply.

If you do notice, however, the tutors all have a teaching background. Ultimately I hire a tutor to teach me a different way to approach the test and learn from my weaknesses. I don't hire a tutor to do my legal work.

Eh...if anyone is in NYC, I charge far less than $145 an hour...and for the record, I do have a JD.

Supremeone wrote:

turkfish wrote:

toppercentile wrote:It should say something about the value of a law degree that NONE of these teachers/tutors have a JD.

Also, I actually think that Kaplan owns Manhattan LSAT.

http://www.manhattanlsat.com/lsat-teachers.cfm

I'm as anti-law-school as anyone, but I don't think the fact that none of the tutors have a JD says much about a JD's value at all. The most it says is that a JD doesn't improve your LSAT tutoring skills enough to be worth $120k and three years worth of opportunity costs, which seems pretty obvious.

or these guys are smart and don't bother going 150k in debt for a jd

So it tells you that making upwards of $100 an hour in some cases without having to incur $150k debt is a better deal than being a lawyer with $150k debt? Shocking! Everyone should be a high-priced LSAT tutor!

I work for a company and I'm always surprised that people are willing to put down huge amounts of money for a tutor that they've never met just based on the promise of the company. I know that many companies post bios or whatever, but I really don't see how knowing that I love to travel and go on long distance bike rides gives anyone any insight into whether or not I'm a good tutor. I hate to admit it, but if I was a student, I'd go with craigslist and one of the tutors that gives a free or low-cost trial session. So far as I know, I don't think any companies do this (though most will let you switch tutors if it's not working out).

suspicious android wrote:I work for a company and I'm always surprised that people are willing to put down huge amounts of money for a tutor that they've never met just based on the promise of the company. I know that many companies post bios or whatever, but I really don't see how knowing that I love to travel and go on long distance bike rides gives anyone any insight into whether or not I'm a good tutor. I hate to admit it, but if I was a student, I'd go with craigslist and one of the tutors that gives a free or low-cost trial session. So far as I know, I don't think any companies do this (though most will let you switch tutors if it's not working out).

+1

Although, I think Princeton Review allows you to attend one class and still get a refund.

It shocked me how much the NYC/Philly tutors charge. So when I started my own little tutoring gig, I managed to get tons of Columbia/Penn/NYU, etc students to take the train out of the cities to meet me. Always did the first lesson free. OP, thats what I would look for first. Search on craigslist and meet some tutors. Don't assume that those who tutor with companies are the best. I did some "covert ops" and pretended to be a student for a bunch of tutors who offer free first lessons so I could get a feel for their best/worst points. The price people charge/tutoring company they work for has absolutely no correlation to the quality of the instruction. Its very easy to find people with high scores who can essentially charge based on this fact alone. It is much more difficult to find a tutor who actually teaches and explains well. Particularly one who adapts to your learning style and gels with your way of thinking.

suspicious android wrote:I really don't see how knowing that I love to travel and go on long distance bike rides gives anyone any insight into whether or not I'm a good tutor.

If that's all that's in the prospective tutor's bio, don't get tutoring with him/her. A bio should at least mention legitimate qualifications. If they're not mentioned, assume that they don't exist.

Tom, want to tutor me for 75,000 American Airway Miles, a Southwest round trip ticket, and 30,000 Starwoods Preferred Members points? I'm not liquid.

tomwatts wrote:If that's all that's in the prospective tutor's bio, don't get tutoring with him/her. A bio should at least mention legitimate qualifications. If they're not mentioned, assume that they don't exist.

Legitimate qualifications for tutoring the LSAT?

I think that some posters misunderstand the point of taking the LSAT--which is to determine whether or not one is qualified to become a test tutor; the consolation prize is law school & a legal career (along with massive debt).

bartleby wrote:Tom, want to tutor me for 75,000 American Airway Miles, a Southwest round trip ticket, and 30,000 Starwoods Preferred Members points? I'm not liquid.

I'll do it. I have solid creds. PM sent.

CanadianWolf wrote:I think that some posters misunderstand the point of taking the LSAT--which is to determine whether or not one is qualified to become a test tutor; the consolation prize is law school & a legal career (along with massive debt).

Lol

+1

One advantage to a company tutor is the curriculum and resources that are available to them. A private tutor without resources has way more work to do to prep for each session. HOWEVER, tutoring solo you would be able to pocket your hourly rate. At a company you probably get paid 25% of the hourly rate.

toppercentile wrote:One advantage to a company tutor is the curriculum and resources that are available to them. A private tutor without resources has way more work to do to prep for each session. HOWEVER, tutoring solo you would be able to pocket your hourly rate. At a company you probably get paid 25% of the hourly rate.

Also, if you're working with a solo, you'll have to pay for your own materials. Hiring a company tutor might include a set of materials in the cost.

I highly recommend Steve Schwartz, who runs the LSATblog. I worked with him for quite some time and he helped me raise my score over 10 points; he is clear, articulate, and extremely well-versed in the test. Whenever I emailed him w/ questions, he always replied in a timely manner. I could tell that he genuinely cared about how well I did. If you want to know more, definitely shoot me a PM.

Edited for grammar fail

bartleby wrote:Tom, want to tutor me for 75,000 American Airway Miles, a Southwest round trip ticket, and 30,000 Starwoods Preferred Members points? I'm not liquid.

No need for all of that! I do online tutoring as well.

suspicious android wrote:

tomwatts wrote:If that's all that's in the prospective tutor's bio, don't get tutoring with him/her. A bio should at least mention legitimate qualifications. If they're not mentioned, assume that they don't exist.

Legitimate qualifications for tutoring the LSAT?

Real score, years of experience, possibly educational background, possibly additional titles if at a company (e.g. at Princeton Review, "Master Trainer" and "Content Developer" are really good phrases to find in a tutor's bio), etc.

tomwatts wrote:

bartleby wrote:Tom, want to tutor me for 75,000 American Airway Miles, a Southwest round trip ticket, and 30,000 Starwoods Preferred Members points? I'm not liquid.

No need for all of that! I do online tutoring as well.

suspicious android wrote:

tomwatts wrote:If that's all that's in the prospective tutor's bio, don't get tutoring with him/her. A bio should at least mention legitimate qualifications. If they're not mentioned, assume that they don't exist.

Legitimate qualifications for tutoring the LSAT?

Real score, years of experience, possibly educational background, possibly additional titles if at a company (e.g. at Princeton Review, "Master Trainer" and "Content Developer" are really good phrases to find in a tutor's bio), etc.

Are you a professional tutor Tom or is it something you do part-time?

AverageTutoring wrote:Are you a professional tutor Tom or is it something you do part-time?

Right now it's my full-time gig.