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I've read though ALL the threads on what's the best prep course to take but none seem to answer what I need. A few mentioned deciding on what company to choose based on your progress already. I've lurked enough here to know that it seems like everyone taking a prep course is starting at 160 and struggling to break the 170s.

I have the reading comprehension down. I'm not perfect on the games but by sheer process of elimination and doing the questions all out of order I end up getting most right. However, I'm literally dying on the logical reasoning and that's 2 chunks of the test. Between the very few I'll get wrong on the games and missing almost all on the logical reasoning I'm struggling to even make it to the 150s.

So I don't want to take a prep course that's geared towards getting people from a "pathetic" 165 to a 175.. Hell, I'd do a cartwheel for a 155 right now.

I have the Logical Reasoning Powerscore book and it's just not clicking for me. I like the explanations they give because it's helpful but I honestly don't think I just like the book. Maybe that's because it's still not clicking, though. And it's nothing really specific as in I'm just missing the paradox questions but all of them. Going through the book I get it, I have most of the older tests and I ripped out the pages and divided them up based on questions and have been doing them but when it comes to doing a timed test it's a miracle when I can put a check by the first one I get right. And for 2 sections that take up most of the test that's horrible. Games and reading I got. LR not a clue.

So based on that - the fact that I'm not clicking/liking the holy grail of LSAT test material what test prep would benefit me?

Obviously, I don't think Powerscore class would help because of my experience with the books and it will just be more hyperactive of what I'm already reading through.

I was leaning towards Testmasters but came across a handful of posts that said it seems more geared towards those who are already testing near perfect in an average world of mid 160s but just want the 170s. Would that type of class really benefit me when I'm not even at the level of everyone else in the room?

The Blueprint course + Manhattan LSAT guides put me into consistent 170s on recent PTs (let's not talk about my actual test day). So highly recommend these two. Had a bad experience with TestMasters, so I'd say stay away.

my 2cents

It is deeply unlikely that you'll find yourself in a room exclusively of 160's trying to get into the 170's, no matter which course you take (unless it's that special Kaplan one that requires a score to get in). Most people who take the LSAT score between a 140 and a 160. Most preppers are the same, at least to start out.

You'll find Testmasters, Powerscore, and Blueprint all relatively similar, and Kaplan and Princeton Review somewhat different from them. I suppose that means that if you don't like PS, you'd stand a reasonable shot of liking Kaplan or PR. If you're struggling with LR, you're probably going to benefit most from a strongly interactive, smaller class — as opposed to a large, lecture class that would probably be more useful for games. You might consider a tutor as well, since your weaknesses are so specific.

(Full disclosure: I teach/taught for Princeton Review, but I have no reason to care one way or another what you end up choosing to do.)

Yeah, but where you at diagnostic? That makes a world of difference to me.

Blueprint is in Austin and I have no time to drive 3 hours both ways 3 times a week for that class.

DejaVu wrote:Yeah, but where you at diagnostic? That makes a world of difference to me.

Blueprint is in Austin and I have no time to drive 3 hours 3 times a week for that class. This state is too big for them to not be spreading around locations. Just sayin'

Blueprint offers an online course, which I heard was terrific (you don't have to listen to idiotic questions that aren't yours - which makes them much more irritating, haha). My diag was in the 140s. So, if you work hard (not what i did initially) you can be in the 170s.

ETA: correction, a movie, not an online course.

99.9luft wrote:

DejaVu wrote:Yeah, but where you at diagnostic? That makes a world of difference to me.

Blueprint is in Austin and I have no time to drive 3 hours 3 times a week for that class. This state is too big for them to not be spreading around locations. Just sayin'

Blueprint offers an online course, which I heard was terrific (you don't have to listen to idiotic questions that aren't yours - which makes them much more irritating, haha). My diag was in the 140s. So, if you work hard (not what i did initially) you can be in the 170s.

Because of where I'm at now, I need the motivation of an actual classroom with bodies other than myself. I won't put my all in an online course. I need the assistance of an actual class and just no longer trying to work it out on my own.

I checked out the Blueprint "funny" movie thing and I know I'd up and quit because it's too corny and annoying for me so I know that won't help.

First of all, how much prep work have you actually done? Second, are you taking the October 2011 LSAT? Early diagnostics are EXTREMELY overrated. I didn't even take a diagnostic because I knew the shot to my ego would be too painful. However, after a month of brutal studying (brutal doesn't even begin to describe it), I nailed a 173 on my first timed PrepTest. I know I would not have broke 150 on an early diagnostic PT. I would have bombed games and LR without a doubt. I could be wrong, but it is likely that you have underestimated the amount of practice it will take you to master LR. One section a day (23-26 questions I think) is not enough if you are missing nearly all of them. I would suggest 4 sections a day, untimed. FORGET ABOUT TIMING until you have the concepts down cold. I understand your dislike for the PowerScore Bible. I hated the book, but that was because I thought it was written in Mandarin Chinese the first time I read it. Seriously, it made me sick. Read 50 pages a day and you'll have it knocked out in 10 days, then read it again. Sure, you can try BluePrint or Princeton or Kaplan, but you're going to hate those as well...at first. You have to push through the initial phase of resentment, and I swear everything will fall into place. Also, your games strategy sounds haphazard. I assume you don't like the PowerScore LG Bible, so I would highly recommend ScenarioSolvers. It's a website that works the games out for you on video. You need to ace that section, while strengthening your skills in LR. Granted, I cannot address a specific preptest company or class. I think they are like going to the gym. Sure, you can get in shape by hanging out at the gym for 3 hours a day and doing a few weights, or you can bust your ass at home, get bigger, faster, without the cost and downtime of a traditional gym. Good luck.

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This is just my 2c and obviously not necessarily TCR/consensus but...

Manhattan > Powerscore > Blueprint

Powerscore has the fewest typos/mistakes in their material though from what I've seen. Blueprint has the most.

tyro wrote:Blueprint has the most.

In a totally defensive response, we end up with more typos because we update our books every Spring to include new questions from the previous year in the course itself. We feel that it's more important to have the most recent examples than to be able to weed out typos over several editions of essentially the same material.

However, we're always trying to improve, so if you run into any issues with the books and want to report them, we'd be more than happy to have that input!

I'd recommend the ManhattanLSAT guides. They're pretty good as a stand-alone. Unfortunately, Blueprint doesn't have any stand-alone material or I would recommend that as well.