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I would like to take the Testmasters LSAT prep course. I've done a lot of research on different prep courses and Testmasters seems like the best given the fact that they use real LSAT questions from past tests. I was wondering about others experiences with Testmasters and other prep courses. Please share if you have any info.

Thanks!

If that's your only criterion, it sounds like you haven't done much research.

Every major course uses real LSAT questions from past tests. You can also get real LSAT questions from past tests without taking a course.

I think it mostly depends on the way you learn. If you need structure and someone to explain things to you, a class is a great option. And I don't mean for that to come across as insulting at all - I took Testmasters twice and had an initial 151 cold diagnostic, 170 on test day.

However, like anything else you will only get out of it what you put into it. Just taking the class without the necessary outside effort won't be enough to raise your score to where it could be.

In the end, it's all about what's best for you and your style of learning. I was very happy with Testmasters methods - they are a very personable, hands-on company and I was never left wanting for resources. I also talked to other friends who took classes elsewhere and there seemed to be a lot of holes in their LSAT prep. If you decide a class is for you, I would definitely recommend Testmasters.

I have taken Testmasters twice now (halfway through the first time I had some life emergency stuff and was forced to stop study for a while). Luckily both times I Had excellent teachers and I think that is really the key factor here. Every good test company (ie Blueprint, Testmasters, Powerscore ect) will include all of the exams and use real questions. And I believe many of the techniques they teach will even be very similar or at least be comparable. What you get out of the class is what you put in but what is more is who answers the questions you tend to ask, and if they can do so in a way which relates to you or not.
Another great thing about Testmasters is that they allow you to audit as many classes as you like. So if you sign up for the earliest session and want to retake a class (many of which are jam packed full of info and I would highly recommend doing this) you can do so. This also allows you to interact with another teacher whom will likely relate things in a different way. This can obviously be a really positive thing. All and all I would recommend it as a worthwhile testing company.

flannelman wrote:I have taken Testmasters twice now (halfway through the first time I had some life emergency stuff and was forced to stop study for a while). Luckily both times I Had excellent teachers and I think that is really the key factor here. Every good test company (ie Blueprint, Testmasters, Powerscore ect) will include all of the exams and use real questions. And I believe many of the techniques they teach will even be very similar or at least be comparable. What you get out of the class is what you put in but what is more is who answers the questions you tend to ask, and if they can do so in a way which relates to you or not.
Another great thing about Testmasters is that they allow you to audit as many classes as you like. So if you sign up for the earliest session and want to retake a class (many of which are jam packed full of info and I would highly recommend doing this) you can do so. This also allows you to interact with another teacher whom will likely relate things in a different way. This can obviously be a really positive thing. All and all I would recommend it as a worthwhile testing company.

If you take it in LA, take it with Michael Elkin at UCLA/USC. Incredible teacher.

If you are taking the class in person the company matters little, the teacher matters a lot. They all should have all of the questions at your disposal and their methods are generally similar with the exception of certain games, where there is some variation.

curryinaninstant wrote:

flannelman wrote:I have taken Testmasters twice now (halfway through the first time I had some life emergency stuff and was forced to stop study for a while). Luckily both times I Had excellent teachers and I think that is really the key factor here. Every good test company (ie Blueprint, Testmasters, Powerscore ect) will include all of the exams and use real questions. And I believe many of the techniques they teach will even be very similar or at least be comparable. What you get out of the class is what you put in but what is more is who answers the questions you tend to ask, and if they can do so in a way which relates to you or not.
Another great thing about Testmasters is that they allow you to audit as many classes as you like. So if you sign up for the earliest session and want to retake a class (many of which are jam packed full of info and I would highly recommend doing this) you can do so. This also allows you to interact with another teacher whom will likely relate things in a different way. This can obviously be a really positive thing. All and all I would recommend it as a worthwhile testing company.

If you take it in LA, take it with Michael Elkin at UCLA/USC. Incredible teacher.

Kelly Donovan is also an amazing teacher for UCLA/USC. Also, If you're taking the test in October, I recommend an early summer session because it gives you time off to study on your own before taking the actual test.

I loved testmasters. It took me from a 155 - 170!

Is Robin Singh, the founder, not teaching anymore? Because if he is his class is TCR.

Robin Singh doesn't teach anymore he just does administrative stuff. However, he is still active in the process.

Testmasters sucked ass for me. My instructor was new and she didn't have enthusiasm to teach. The most useful part of the course was the textbooks and online access. Singh is a genious and his explanations for questions is great BUT, they axe your online access if you plan on taking it a few months later then the time you signed up for the course. For example, I postponed from October-December but can't access answer sheets, my diagnostic scores, or any explanations from Testmasters. I understand trying to prevent intellectual theft, but I'm 98% postiive that other companies allow you access to their material for two test cycles.. Id highly consider looking into factors like this... Also, if you do decide to go with Testmasters, listen to advice here on your instructor.

RICH SLATON from testmasters is an extremely good teacher. I auditted his class a few times and I was blown away how much better he was then the instructor I had(mine was M shin, an asian sounding name like that)... In the end I felt pretty cheated by my Testmaster's experience, even though many people praise them, I had a bad experience(with the exception of the few classes I audited).

^

Goes to show that instructor quality is the biggest factor in class success, probably much more so than which company they are from.

Take a cold test and see what you score. If you score below 150, Id recommend go to Kaplan or Powerscore. All Testmasters does is group all questions by type and asks you to do it in class. You can do that on your own can't you? TM probably helps ppl who score above 160 at first shot.

MdmMoisel wrote:Take a cold test and see what you score. If you score below 150, Id recommend go to Kaplan or Powerscore. All Testmasters does is group all questions by type and asks you to do it in class. You can do that on your own can't you? TM probably helps ppl who score above 160 at first shot.

Totally disagree. I went from 151 --> 170 with Testmasters and had many classmates with similar stories.

Honestly if I could go back I would first buy the LR bible from powerscore and study at least the beginning of the book. The book teaches you right off the bat to identify the author's conclusion and support (evidence). If you can do this successfully then you've already won half of the battle.

Hey, have any of you taken the weekend TM course? I want to take it in San Fran this September (signed up for October lsat). I took the lsat last fall and got a 158 after using the powerscore bibles (151 cold diagnostic). I have been studying on my own and taking multiple full tests (usually score about 162-63), but score so inconsistently (from 159-171) that I want to polish my skills with a course. So if anyone has taken a weekend course pls tell me how it worked for you........

I took TM classes in NY this summer. Unfortunately, I did not like it at all because of the instructor. He was pretty arrogant and easily irritated by students' questions. However, TM books and an online access helped a lot. I could not switch to another class because of my time constraints. I think a Prep course success greatly depends on the instructor. Anyways, I would probably go with Power Score or TM.

I'm debating between TM's (.net) in-class or online. I'm leaning towards in-class bc I want to get the full experience TM has to offer.

But before I decide, I wanted to see if anyone has any critiques on the instructor: Adrienne O'Donnell.

Any info would be extremely helpful.

Thanks!

Specter123 wrote:I'm debating between TM's (.net) in-class or online. I'm leaning towards in-class bc I want to get the full experience TM has to offer.

But before I decide, I wanted to see if anyone has any critiques on the instructor: Adrienne O'Donnell.

Any info would be extremely helpful.

Thanks!

Take the manhattan online course instead.

I took TM in person and had an incredible teacher who I owe a lot to (though not the one you mentioned...) I know I could have self-studied and done well (which is basically what the online class is - self study), but I also know that having someone to push me and encourage me would only help. And it did. A huge plus for the in-class course. If I was making the choice again, I would absolutely make the same decision and take the same TM class. It was fun, kept me motivated, and helped bring about my true potential. But as someone else said earlier, the real key is to do the homework away from class. Those who have serious improvement put in hours per day to really lock in the material. The class is great for learning the methods and getting your questions answers, but you won't truly internalize what you are learning until you see it a number of different ways on real questions. If you're truly motivated, take the class and do work every single day. You'll see significant improvement.

I personally had terrible experience with TM.
My instructor did not consistent come the 30 minutes prior to class, as was promised by TM.
Also, the hotline always had a huge waitlist.
I was able to get in maybe 2 questions when I would call.
TM didn't help me at all, I basically self studied.

waste of money.
waste of time going to and from the place.