Top Law Schools

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not the answer you're looking for but if someone truly wants to go far in this field then they should have motivation and awareness to spend a little bit of time to look up the basics on the test. if they can't be bothered to do their homework then they'll get eaten alive in law school

unless someone says otherwise, I'll make one later tonight.

ok I starting writing one. This is only a rough draft that I have yet to read over. It would be very helpful if people could post mistakes, give me suggestions on what to add etc.
Thanks!

---------------------------


If you are reading this page, it probably means you have an interest in the lsat. It is important to realize just how important the LSAT is and hopefully this document will help provide you with the requisite knowledge to make informed decisions about how it will impact your future.

The LSAT is an equated standardized test used for assessing ones application for North American law schools. It comprises of six-35 minute sections (only 4 of which are counted towards one’s score) testing one’s ability to logical analyze arguments and passages of prose. The LSAT is offered 4 times a year and can be taken up to 3 times in a two year time period.

The LSAT is the most important tool to help a candidate matriculate into law school. It makes up roughly 50% of an application. It has the ability to offset low GPA. Moreover, a nominal higher score can lead one to getting accepted into a significantly better school or receive thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of scholarship.

The test is scored between 120 and 180. There is no such thing as an objective good score, despite many people’s preconceived notion that anything above a 160 constitutes as such. What this means is that a score should only be considered satisfactory if it enables one to be accepted to the law school of their choice, and it is as high as they could have scored within a reasonable range. This means that one should not be happy with a score that gets them into their dream school of Cooley or a 160 which their parents think is great, but if it can get them into the best law school they could possibly potentially receive acceptance into.

The reason this is important stems from the fact that the vast majority of law schools are not worth going to (unless one is on close to a full scholarship or is guaranteed a job). In fact, many argue that if one cannot get into one of the top 20 law schools in America, it is not worth attending one at all. The genesis of this thought is that attending a law school on average leads to near $200,000 worth of student loans. In order to pay off such a massive amount of debt, one needs to get a high paying salary; something unlikely to occur if one does not attend a top law school.

Every few point increase on the LSAT can allow a candidate to potentially gain admission into a better school, thus increasing their chance at landing a high paying job. It is almost always worth it to take advantage of this and peak on the LSAT and gain admission to the best possible school. If one is already capable of gaining admissions from their ideal school, it is still worth it to peak on the LSAT as an increased score can easily lead to a significantly bigger scholarship. What this means is that it would be the equivalent to someone paying you $30,000 to spend another month studying for the test and write it one more time.

Now that the value of the LSAT has been established, one is in a better position to start researching studying methods. However long you thought about studying for the LSAT, right off the bat this amount should probably be atleast doubled. Shy of scoring near perfect off of one’s diagnostic, there are practically no circumstances where one should study any less than one month’s worth of time. Moreover, just because one has a set amount of time off, should that be all that’s needed to prepare for the test. Many people decide to write the test in June and assume that it is sufficient to only study during the month of May because that is all the time they have off free from obligations. The amount of time needed to prepare varies from person to person but should be estimated to be atleast 6 weeks and potentially last up to 6 months. Remember how important even the littlest bit of improvement is? It is imperative to put yourself in a position to succeed.

One of the great aspects of the LSAT, is that it is a highly learnable test. Although certain people naturally are better at excelling on the LSAT than others, everyone has the ability to improve by substantial amounts. One who initially scores a very low score still is capable of getting a great score, however it will likely take a severe time commitment to do so.

The first step anyone should do who is thinking about the LSAT is going to http://www.lsac.org/jd/pdfs/SamplePTJune.pdf/ and write the free diagnostic under test like conditions. The score on the test will serve as a huge indicator as to where one stands on the LSAT. The lower one scores on this, the more work they will likely need to put in to reach their optimal score.

There is no “one best method” to study for the LSAT and everyone will find different things that work for them. However, there are a few consensus favourite things. The most important factor to look at when deciding how one should progress is to find out what works best for them. It is essential that one thoroughly research their options to find this out. Here are some popular choices.

1 - Take an inclass course. If one feels that they would be better off in a classroom setting with a real teacher to deal with their needs, it might be wise for them to sign up with a prep company. The negatives of this is that the courses cost a substantial amount of money and may not necessarily move at the pace you desire. The general opinion is to stay away from companies such as Kaplan while the better companies consist of Testmasters, Powerscore, Manhattan Lsat, Blue Print. The most important factor for determining the best course to take is the instructor. As the instructor’s change for every city/class, research into this question and find the one who is most suitable for you.

2 - Take an online course: There are many different online courses that vary in their services. Some have video explanations, online feedback, phone numbers you can call for advice etc. The advantage of these classes is that they are significantly cheaper than inclass courses and allow one to go at their own pace. Another benefit of this is that many of these companies have a free sample of their online videos in order to allow one to find the best fit. A common recommendation for an online prep company is Velocity LSAT.

3 - Self Study. Self studying is the cheapest option available and allows one to devote time to wherever they see fit. It is great for those who are independent and motivated. Even when one enrolls in a class with a prep company, the majority of work and learning takes place as self studying. This method allows one to determine what works best for them and to stick with it. Out of those who self study, the most common recommendation consist of the following: buy all available prep tests online, buy the Powerscore Logic Games bible, follow the Voyager RC method (http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... f=6&t=7240) and buy one of the recommended books for argument (there is much less consensus on which one is the best for this).

Whatever you decide to do, the one thing I cannot stress enough is to research this as much as possible, dedicate the necessary amount of time to prepping and heed advice from experts (http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=6)

anyone with suggestions?

ampersand5 wrote:anyone with suggestions?

Read the question. Pick the right answer.

ampersand5 wrote:ok I starting writing one. This is only a rough draft that I have yet to read over. It would be very helpful if people could post mistakes, give me suggestions on what to add etc.
Thanks!

---------------------------


If you are reading this page, it probably means you have an interest in the lsat. It is important to realize just how important the LSAT is and hopefully this document will help provide you with the requisite knowledge to make informed decisions about how it will impact your future.

The LSAT is an equated standardized test used for assessing ones application for North American law schools. It comprises of six-35 minute sections (only 4 of which are counted towards one’s score) testing one’s ability to logical analyze arguments and passages of prose. The LSAT is offered 4 times a year and can be taken up to 3 times in a two year time period.

The LSAT is the most important tool to help a candidate matriculate into law school. It makes up roughly 50% of an application. It has the ability to offset low GPA. Moreover, a nominal higher score can lead one to getting accepted into a significantly better school or receive thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of scholarship.

The test is scored between 120 and 180. There is no such thing as an objective good score, despite many people’s preconceived notion that anything above a 160 constitutes as such. What this means is that a score should only be considered satisfactory if it enables one to be accepted to the law school of their choice, and it is as high as they could have scored within a reasonable range. This means that one should not be happy with a score that gets them into their dream school of Cooley or a 160 which their parents think is great, but if it can get them into the best law school they could possibly potentially receive acceptance into.

The reason this is important stems from the fact that the vast majority of law schools are not worth going to (unless one is on close to a full scholarship or is guaranteed a job). In fact, many argue that if one cannot get into one of the top 20 law schools in America, it is not worth attending one at all. The genesis of this thought is that attending a law school on average leads to near $200,000 worth of student loans. In order to pay off such a massive amount of debt, one needs to get a high paying salary; something unlikely to occur if one does not attend a top law school.

Every few point increase on the LSAT can allow a candidate to potentially gain admission into a better school, thus increasing their chance at landing a high paying job. It is almost always worth it to take advantage of this and peak on the LSAT and gain admission to the best possible school. If one is already capable of gaining admissions from their ideal school, it is still worth it to peak on the LSAT as an increased score can easily lead to a significantly bigger scholarship. What this means is that it would be the equivalent to someone paying you $30,000 to spend another month studying for the test and write it one more time.

Now that the value of the LSAT has been established, one is in a better position to start researching studying methods. However long you thought about studying for the LSAT, right off the bat this amount should probably be atleast doubled. Shy of scoring near perfect off of one’s diagnostic, there are practically no circumstances where one should study any less than one month’s worth of time. Moreover, just because one has a set amount of time off, should that be all that’s needed to prepare for the test. Many people decide to write the test in June and assume that it is sufficient to only study during the month of May because that is all the time they have off free from obligations. The amount of time needed to prepare varies from person to person but should be estimated to be atleast 6 weeks and potentially last up to 6 months. Remember how important even the littlest bit of improvement is? It is imperative to put yourself in a position to succeed.

One of the great aspects of the LSAT, is that it is a highly learnable test. Although certain people naturally are better at excelling on the LSAT than others, everyone has the ability to improve by substantial amounts. One who initially scores a very low score still is capable of getting a great score, however it will likely take a severe time commitment to do so.

The first step anyone should do who is thinking about the LSAT is going to http://www.lsac.org/jd/pdfs/SamplePTJune.pdf/ and write the free diagnostic under test like conditions. The score on the test will serve as a huge indicator as to where one stands on the LSAT. The lower one scores on this, the more work they will likely need to put in to reach their optimal score.

There is no “one best method” to study for the LSAT and everyone will find different things that work for them. However, there are a few consensus favourite things. The most important factor to look at when deciding how one should progress is to find out what works best for them. It is essential that one thoroughly research their options to find this out. Here are some popular choices.

1 - Take an inclass course. If one feels that they would be better off in a classroom setting with a real teacher to deal with their needs, it might be wise for them to sign up with a prep company. The negatives of this is that the courses cost a substantial amount of money and may not necessarily move at the pace you desire. The general opinion is to stay away from companies such as Kaplan while the better companies consist of Testmasters, Powerscore, Manhattan Lsat, Blue Print. The most important factor for determining the best course to take is the instructor. As the instructor’s change for every city/class, research into this question and find the one who is most suitable for you.

2 - Take an online course: There are many different online courses that vary in their services. Some have video explanations, online feedback, phone numbers you can call for advice etc. The advantage of these classes is that they are significantly cheaper than inclass courses and allow one to go at their own pace. Another benefit of this is that many of these companies have a free sample of their online videos in order to allow one to find the best fit. A common recommendation for an online prep company is Velocity LSAT.

3 - Self Study. Self studying is the cheapest option available and allows one to devote time to wherever they see fit. It is great for those who are independent and motivated. Even when one enrolls in a class with a prep company, the majority of work and learning takes place as self studying. This method allows one to determine what works best for them and to stick with it. Out of those who self study, the most common recommendation consist of the following: buy all available prep tests online, buy the Powerscore Logic Games bible, follow the Voyager RC method (http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... f=6&t=7240) and buy one of the recommended books for argument (there is much less consensus on which one is the best for this).

Whatever you decide to do, the one thing I cannot stress enough is to research this as much as possible, dedicate the necessary amount of time to prepping and heed advice from experts (http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=6)

Well this is a wonderful addition to TLS. Thank you so much

thanks. hopefully I can get them to post it somewhere when everything is finished.

Desert Fox wrote:

ampersand5 wrote:anyone with suggestions?

Read the question. Pick the right answer.

ampersand5 wrote:1 - Take an inclass course....

2 - Take an online course: ...The advantage of these classes is that they are significantly cheaper than inclass courses and allow one to go at their own pace....

3 - Self Study....

Two things:

* You're missing "work with a tutor," also a common option. Prices range most widely for this, I think, and it's completely customized. Independent tutors are different from tutors with companies, too.

* Online courses are not all asynchronous (that is, they don't all have you go at your own pace through recorded lectures). Some are live online classes, with a teacher, other students, etc., all in the same virtual classroom at the same time They're a lot like in-person classes, but they're more convenient (don't have to leave home), sometimes but not always a LOT shorter (often half as many hours or fewer, compared to a regular in-person class), and usually have stronger teachers (typically the best promoted out of the in-person teaching pool).

tomwatts wrote:

ampersand5 wrote:1 - Take an inclass course....

2 - Take an online course: ...The advantage of these classes is that they are significantly cheaper than inclass courses and allow one to go at their own pace....

3 - Self Study....

Two things:

* You're missing "work with a tutor," also a common option. Prices range most widely for this, I think, and it's completely customized. Independent tutors are different from tutors with companies, too.

* Online courses are not all asynchronous (that is, they don't all have you go at your own pace through recorded lectures). Some are live online classes, with a teacher, other students, etc., all in the same virtual classroom at the same time They're a lot like in-person classes, but they're more convenient (don't have to leave home), sometimes but not always a LOT shorter (often half as many hours or fewer, compared to a regular in-person class), and usually have stronger teachers (typically the best promoted out of the in-person teaching pool).

Thank you very much for your suggestions! I will forsure add both of them.

ok I updated and edited it.
Can you guys please edit/review it/tell me whats wrong/ tell me what I should add.

Thanks a lot!


If you are reading this page, it probably means you have an interest in the LSAT. It is important to realize just how important the LSAT and hopefully this document will help provide you with the requisite knowledge to make informed decisions about how you should progress with it.

The LSAT is an equated standardized test used for assessing one’s application for North American law schools. It comprises of six-35 minute sections (only 4 of which are counted towards one’s score) testing one’s ability to logical analyze arguments and passages of prose. The LSAT is offered 4 times a year and can be taken up to 3 times in a two year time period. It is important to note that one should always consider the option of writing the test more than once.

The LSAT is the most important tool to help a candidate matriculate into law school. It makes up roughly 50% of an application. It takes dozens of exams, hundreds of hours of class and thousands of hours of work and equalizes all of that in one afternoon. It not only has the ability to offset a low GPA, a nominal increase in score can lead one to getting accepted into a significantly better school or receive thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of scholarship.

The test consists of 99-102 questions and is evaluated on a scale between 120 and 180 with each point corresponding to a different percentile. A 150 is a 50th percentile, a 160 is an 80th percentile and a 170 is a 98th percentile. There is no such thing as an objective good score, despite many people’s preconceived notion that anything above a 160 constitutes as such. What this means is that a score should only be considered satisfactory if it enables one to be accepted to the law school of their choice, and it is as high as they could have scored within a reasonable range. This means that one should not be happy with a score that gets them into their dream school of Cooley College or a 160 which their parents think is great, but if it can get them into the best law school they could possibly potentially receive acceptance into. Even if one has gotten an LSAT score that earns them admission into a respectable law school, one should always try to achieve their maximum possible score to receive admissions from the best possible schools.

The reason this is important stems from the fact that the vast majority of law schools are not worth going to (unless one is on close to a full scholarship or is guaranteed a job). In fact, many argue that if one cannot get into one of the top 20 law schools in America, it is not worth attending one at all. The genesis of this thought is that attending a law school on average leads to near $200,000 worth of student loans. In order to pay off such a massive amount of debt, one needs to get a high paying salary; something unlikely to occur if one does not attend a top law school.

Every point increase on the LSAT can allow a candidate to potentially gain admission into a better school, thus increasing their chance at landing a higher paying job. It is almost always worth it to take advantage of this and peak on the LSAT and gain admission to the best possible school. If one is already capable of gaining admissions from their ideal school, it is still worth it to peak on the LSAT as an increased score can easily lead to a significantly bigger scholarship. This can be better seen by thinking of the LSAT in this situation: someone paying you $30,000 to spend another month studying for the test and write it one more time to get a 4 point higher score. Similarly, one additional month studying for the LSAT could very well be the difference for one to attend an elite school like Harvard or Boston University (in my opinion, the lifetime ramifications of the employment prospects one gets from receiving a degree from Harvard versus Boston University more than make up for this lost month).

Now that the value of the LSAT has been established, one is in a better position to start researching study methods. However long you thought about studying for the LSAT before reading this, right off the bat this amount should probably be at least doubled. Shy of scoring near perfect off of one’s diagnostic, there are practically no circumstances where one should study any less than one month’s worth of time. Moreover, just because one has a set amount of time off already does not mean that’s the maximum time one should allot to studying for the test. Many people decide to write the test in June and assume that it is sufficient to only study during the month of May because that is all the time they have off free from obligations. The amount of time needed to prepare varies from person to person but should be estimated to be at least 6 weeks and potentially last up to 6 months. Remember how important even the littlest bit of improvement is? It is imperative to put yourself in a position to succeed.

As stated earlier, the test is offered four times per year (June, October, December, February) with fundamentally no differences between them. The most notable factor is that the June test is written at 1 pm where as the others are written at 9 am. If getting up early is an issue for somebody, they should consider writing the test in June versus the other months).

One of the great aspects of the LSAT, is that it is a highly learnable test. Although certain people naturally are better at excelling on the LSAT than others, everyone has the ability to improve by substantial amounts. One who initially scores a very low score still is capable of getting a great score, however it will likely take a severe time commitment to do so. The lower one scores on their initial diagnostic, the easier it will be for them to make a greater improvement on their score. On average, the majority of people who take a course with a prep company receive a boost of around 10 points. However, many people still manage to improve by 15+ points and in some more rare cases, over 20.

The first step anyone should do who is thinking about the LSAT is going to http://www.lsac.org/jd/pdfs/SamplePTJune.pdf/ and write the free diagnostic exam under test like conditions. The score on the test will serve as a huge indicator as to where one stands on the LSAT. The lower one scores on this, the more work they will likely need to put in to reach their optimal score.

There is no “best method” to study for the LSAT and everyone will find different things that work for them. The most important factor to look at when deciding how one should progress is to find out what works best for them. It is essential that one thoroughly research their options to find this out. Here are some popular choices.

1 - Take an in class course. If one feels that they would be better off in a classroom setting with a real teacher to deal with their needs, it might be wise for them to sign up with a prep company. This is a great way to meet people in a similar situation to you and assist you in staying motivated. The negatives of this are that the courses cost a substantial amount of money and may not necessarily move at the pace one desires. The general opinion is to stay away from companies such as Kaplan while the better-recommended companies usually consist of Testmasters, Powerscore, Manhattan LSAT, Blue Print. The most important factor for determining the best course to take is the instructor. As the instructor’s change for every city/class, research into this question and find the one who is most suitable for you.

2 - Take an online course: There are many different online courses that vary in their services. Some have video explanations, online feedback, phone numbers you can call for advice etc. The advantage of these classes is that they are significantly cheaper than in class courses and allow one to go at their own pace. With that said, the options for online courses vary tremendously. Some offer video on demand services, where as others offer a video of a live teacher who comes on at scheduled times. Another benefit of this is that many of these companies have a free sample of their online videos in order to allow one to find the best fit. A common recommendation for an online prep company is Velocity LSAT, but once again, it is imperative to do your own research and find out who has the best fit for you.

3 - Self Study. Self-studying is the cheapest option available and allows one to devote time to wherever they see fit. It is great for those who are independent and motivated. It is arguably the preferred method for those who are trying to get scores above 170 as everything is tailored to their weaknesses and how to improve on them. Even when one enrolls in a class with a prep company, the majority of work and learning takes place as self-studying anyways. This method allows one to determine what works best for them and to stick with it. Out of those who self study, the most common recommendation consist of the following: buy all available prep tests online, buy the Powerscore Logic Games bible, follow the Voyager RC method (http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... f=6&t=7240) and buy the Manhattan LSAT book for arguments (there is much less consensus on which one is the best for this).

4 - Get a tutor. Tutors can be a great option that can be used in supplement to the 3 aforementioned methods. A tutor can be found through prep companies, word of mouth, craigslist, browsing the internet etc. They vary in cost and skill but allow one to spend one on one time with an expert dealing with all of their questions.

Whatever you decide to do, the one thing I cannot stress enough is to research this as much as possible, dedicate the necessary amount of time to prepping and heed advice from experts (http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=6)

For #3 (self-study), I'd recommend adding something about sticking to a study schedule or plan. It'd also be good to add something about the value of studying with others every now and then in an informal study group.

LSAT Blog wrote:For #3 (self-study), I'd recommend adding something about sticking to a study schedule or plan. It'd also be good to add something about the value of studying with others every now and then in an informal study group.

Thanks, I will add that.

Anything else?

ampersand5 wrote:
Anything else?

just edit the first post with your info and maybe the thread title. if this is the "LSAT 101" thread then it might as well be organized from the get-go or even pinned.

i'd also add "register at: lsac.org

941law wrote:

ampersand5 wrote:
Anything else?

just edit the first post with your info and maybe the thread title. if this is the "LSAT 101" thread then it might as well be organized from the get-go or even pinned.

i'd also add "register at: lsac.org

This. Reorganize the OP so future TLSers can easily access the info.

is it possible to have the mods delete this thread when its done so I can create a new thread thats more clean and straight forward?

ampersand5 wrote:is it possible to have the mods delete this thread when its done so I can create a new thread thats more clean and straight forward?

They most likely won't, so the best bet is to clean up the OP

ok - I changed the OP. Hope everything works out.

ampersand5 wrote:is it possible to have the mods delete this thread when its done so I can create a new thread thats more clean and straight forward?

We won't necessarily delete it...but I can lock this one once you're ready, then you can create a new one. That ok?

GAIAtheCHEERLEADER wrote:

ampersand5 wrote:is it possible to have the mods delete this thread when its done so I can create a new thread thats more clean and straight forward?

We won't necessarily delete it...but I can lock this one once you're ready, then you can create a new one. That ok?

perfect. thanks! (ready)

K! I'll lock it. Thank you for your contribution. I will most likely give your new thread a sticky