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I went to see the prelaw advisor at my school and he told me a prep course such as TestMasters was necessary, is this true? Or can I self-study using PowerScore bibles/Practice tests for the next 6 months and score well, in the 160s/170s?

Irundistance wrote:I went to see the prelaw advisor at my school and he told me a prep course such as TestMasters was necessary, is this true? Or can I self-study using PowerScore bibles/Practice tests for the next 6 months and score well, in the 160s/170s?

Not only is it not necessary, it's not optimal.

ha, your prelaw advisor is a shill bro.

superdingle2000 wrote:

Irundistance wrote:I went to see the prelaw advisor at my school and he told me a prep course such as TestMasters was necessary, is this true? Or can I self-study using PowerScore bibles/Practice tests for the next 6 months and score well, in the 160s/170s?

Not only is it not necessary, it's not optimal.

Okay, I was thinking the same thing but wasn't sure. I've heard that prep courses are hit or miss. He said they were advisable because they would teach the test, but from what I'm seeing PowerScore bibles are doing a good job for me thus far.

mephistopheles wrote:ha, your prelaw advisor is a shill bro.

Dude, what is a shill? Lol

Nevermind, I googled what a shill is lol

Irundistance wrote:I went to see the prelaw advisor at my school and he told me a prep course such as TestMasters was necessary, is this true? Or can I self-study using PowerScore bibles/Practice tests for the next 6 months and score well, in the 160s/170s?

The courses are probably a good choice if you're scoring in the low 150s or lower and you're hoping to really get the basic gist of the test.
However, the problem with these courses is that they're not personalized. You're probably not going to get the individual help you'd need to get into the 160s and 170s. Once you are consistently getting 160s, the problem is less your overall approach to the test and more your specific abilities with different question types. Those classes won't be able to help you too much with those - you'd be better off practicing by yourself. I myself went from a 150 to a 166 studying by myself and I'm currently averaging a 164... not the best, but not bad in my opinion.

I know a kid from my school who took two Kaplan courses - one because he was refunded for the first one. He told me he dropped $3000 on the course and saw a two-point gain on the test. If you're dropping that kind of money for a two-point increase, but a knucklehead like me can jump 14-15 points after doing a bunch of practice tests, you're probably not getting your money's worth. Either that, or you're just not taking the class seriously.

The classes are expensive, and you can get all the material you need from the preptest books. The latter is probably your best option if you're already looking at mid-range scores.

What I don't understand about this forum is often people state that prep courses are expensive. Yes, prep courses can cost 1,000++. However, the LSAT will determine roughly 60-70% of your college admission into law school. Law school costs for most people greatly $50,000 a year when living expenses are accounted for. If 1,000 is very expensive, what does law school tuition mean? 3 points alone can make or break your law school application...

Pat, I understand you consider youself a knucklehead but a 164 is the 90% of the test... Now OP if you are part of the 1% that naturally scores a 165 on the diagnostic like what every other poster on this forum seems to do , it is probably very likely that you do not need to put down 1,000 for a prep course. But if you are the 99% of actual test takers that do not do this, you will benefit from a prep course if you are serious about law school. The prep course is an investment. $1,500 may seem expensive but when it gets you 10 points up on that LSAT score, it seems like chump change.

I took a prep course and went up 12 points, then self studied and went up another 14. It honestly doesn' make a difference. The important thing is having a set schedule, and a way of learning the most efficient ways of doing things, you can get that at a course, or out of a book, or an online course. I ended up mixing strategies from several sources. I loved Manhattan LSAT for RC, velocity for games, and blueprint for LR (Although it was always my strongest section). The most important thing about studying is reviewing your work heavily to understand the patterns and develop an efficient mindset for each question type, spending as much time in front of material as possible, and eventually simulating test experience accurately.

mephistopheles wrote:ha, your prelaw advisor is a shill bro.

Hahaha, TITCR.

Its not necessary.

I taught myself using PSB + M and raised my score 18 points.

I really don't believe a prep course is necessary. First, if you're planning on going to law school you should possess the discipline to be capable of self-study. Second, look at those who have scored high (170+) and you'll see very few took courses. I would venture to guess that most people who are among the highest scorers also self-studied rather than taking courses. Now whether these people just had the natural ability to do well or not is unknown, but the evidence from a few of the threads about those who scored well would suggest the highest scorers rarely ever use courses. There are a number of great resources on this website to self-study and get results without taking any prep course. Formulate a rigorous study plan using a template found on this site and adjust it to your needs.

Irundistance wrote:I went to see the prelaw advisor at my school and he told me a prep course such as TestMasters was necessary, is this true? Or can I self-study using PowerScore bibles/Practice tests for the next 6 months and score well, in the 160s/170s?

Use TLS as your resource, your pre-law adviser is likely parroting information he reads from a test prep company/local TTT law school

armedwithamind wrote:

Irundistance wrote:I went to see the prelaw advisor at my school and he told me a prep course such as TestMasters was necessary, is this true? Or can I self-study using PowerScore bibles/Practice tests for the next 6 months and score well, in the 160s/170s?

Use TLS as your resource, your pre-law adviser is likely parroting information he reads from a test prep company/local TTT law school

Credited fucking response. If you must put money down, pay for a one-on-one tutor.

Better study now because 6 months is a bit too little to study

Dr. Dre wrote:Better study now because 6 months is a bit too little to study

That is not even close to true.

OP this is what you need:

http://www.amazon.com/Manhattan-LSAT/e/B0053HGVRQ


don't waste $ on prep courses

Thank you for all the advice everyone. I will use the powerscore bibles/manhattan/ pilthypikes study plan. So far the Powerscore LGB has been great for me, so I'm just going to drill Logic Games like crazy since that is my weakest area.

Dr. Dre wrote:OP this is what you need:

http://www.amazon.com/Manhattan-LSAT/e/B0053HGVRQ


don't waste $ on prep courses

Thanks Dr.Dre, I've heard great things about Manhattan for Reading Comp. How does it stack up for Logic Games and Logical Reasoning? I'm using PowerScore now for Logic Games and have ordered a lot of PrepTests frol LSAC.

I took TM because I liked the structure/schedule. Robin Singh was teaching the Manhattan class, so it was just me and a few others in Brooklyn. I went to all of the classes early, did all of the homework, and used the online resources. The evening classes ended after 10pm, and I remember walking home across the Brooklyn Bridge many nights, but all in all I really enjoyed studying for the LSAT. Waiting for my score, on the other hand, was miserable.

So while a prep course might not be necessary, I think it can be fun/useful.

Dr. Dre wrote:Better study now because 6 months is a bit too little to study

Um are you kidding?

Megstew wrote:

Dr. Dre wrote:Better study now because 6 months is a bit too little to study

Um are you kidding?

Yeah
He's being a dufus

OP: I did blueprint. I needed the structure so it was perfect. I had all the motivation in the world to study, it just really helped to have everything planned for me.

KingFish wrote:
OP: I did blueprint. I needed the structure so it was perfect. I had all the motivation in the world to study, it just really helped to have everything planned for me.

Or you can buy a very detailed plan for $20 from:
http://lsatblog.blogspot.com/p/month-ls ... plans.html


Also, if you do want someone to actually explain things to you, try Velocity. It's much cheaper than most courses and designed to hit those high scores.

superdingle2000 wrote:

KingFish wrote:
OP: I did blueprint. I needed the structure so it was perfect. I had all the motivation in the world to study, it just really helped to have everything planned for me.

Or you can buy a very detailed plan for $20 from:
http://lsatblog.blogspot.com/p/month-ls ... plans.html


Also, if you do want someone to actually explain things to you, try Velocity. It's much cheaper than most courses and designed to hit those high scores.

I have the LSAT study blog already but idk if it drills enough on logic games, so I'm doing pithypikes schedule along with it for the LG section

I took a prep course (BP), and I don't regret it. It was helpful and really helped me get to know the exam. I was pting 167-169 but ended up with a 162. My diagnostic was (from what I recall) a 153.

As far as what company, I would say BP is solid and would recommend it, but, you have to put in the work. Do the HW every night and take advantage of the extra practice sets they offer. I've heard mixed reviews about Princeton Review and I've heard generally negative stuff about TestMasters.

That being said, it made me familiar with the exam, in my case the course was helpful but not sufficient. I am retaking in June, I feel that having these 7 or so weeks ahead of me where I know the exam already and will have nothing to do, is optimal. Many courses end a week or so before the LSAT, I think having an extra solid 4-6 weeks of practice/review/pting and most courses only offer about 15 or so exams.

I guess what I'm suggesting is, if you take a class for the (let's say) June exam, plan on taking the Oct. If you're taking a class for the Oct, plan on December and etc.

The course helps most people, but it is not enough on its own, self-study is necessary.