Advice on what books to buy please! Forum

[bogydog]

I am going to be studying as much as I get the chance this summer to take the LSAT in October. I work 80 hours a week but am going to try to squeeze in 10 hours/week of LSAT prep. So I will have about 80 hours of time total to prep this summer, but I will be up north with no internet or phone service, so I have to get all my materials now. I am thinking LG Bible, LR Bible, and the 20 most recent prep tests. Does this sound good? Is there a good book to work on reading? I think that will be the trickiest section for me...

[Br3v]

I am going to be studying as much as I get the chance this summer to take the LSAT in October. I work 80 hours a week but am going to try to squeeze in 10 hours/week of LSAT prep. So I will have about 80 hours of time total to prep this summer, but I will be up north with no internet or phone service, so I have to get all my materials now. I am thinking LG Bible, LR Bible, and the 20 most recent prep tests. Does this sound good? Is there a good book to work on reading? I think that will be the trickiest section for me...

Add RC bible and that's exactly what I would buy.

But you are going to want to look into taking a little time off work at least the last 2 weeks as you need to be regularly taking full on multi hr times practice tests at a time followed by review days.

[monadologist]

Consider Manhattan RC. Actually, consider buying the entire set, it truly is the best, comprehensive prep stuff out there (besides LSAT for Dummies or Princeton Review of course)

[Br3v]

Consider Manhattan RC. Actually, consider buying the entire set, it truly is the best, comprehensive prep stuff out there (besides LSAT for Dummies or Princeton Review of course)

You started so good idk what happened.

OP if you want, it's probably credited to buy Manhattan RC, I never did it but I remember people who did Manh RC and PS RC preferred Manh.

Def dont buy LSAT for dummies or Princeton review though.

[Daily_Double]

I'd begin with BPLG, it's the best intro LG book available, then combine that with MLG and you should be close to -0 in no time. Leaving LR and LG. Though many believe that MLR is far superior to the LRB, there are some question types and concepts that the LRB does better than any other book or website, those are the concepts of conditional logic, causation, and formal logic, in addition since the LRB's analysis of Flaws, method of solving Sufficient Assumptions, and approach to Strengthen and Weaken questions is invaluable, I recommend both. Though you should begin with the LRB. I thought Manhattan's RC book was far superior to Powerscore's, but this is also the least mechanical, and therefore most subjective of the three sections so you should get both the RCB and MRC to see what works for you.

ETA: you should also get Cambridge's LR and LG for PTs 1-38, and all of the available PTs, it couldn't hurt to get the Superprep book as well.

[bogydog]

Thanks guys! Now that you say that I think I remember reading a recommendation here for Manhattan RC a while back.

I would love to take 2 weeks off and just study before taking the test, but I will be teaching ESL in Guatemala! I'm sure I'll have some free time to study after the summer here and there though.

[Br3v]

Thanks guys! Now that you say that I think I remember reading a recommendation here for Manhattan RC a while back.

I would love to take 2 weeks off and just study before taking the test, but I will be teaching ESL in Guatemala! I'm sure I'll have some free time to study after the summer here and there though.

If a week or so before the test if you aren't PTing near where you want consider waiting until you have more free time and study more. Law school isn't going anywhere.

[bogydog]

Yeah I suppose that's good advice. But I'll be in Guatemala the whole year, and the LSAT is only offered in October there, so if I don't take it, I would have to wait until the next October...

Is the LSAT something you can forget pretty soon after learning, or once you learn it, does it tend to stick with you for at least a couple months?

[Daily_Double]

Though I not sure, as I haven't stopped studying yet, if you put a solid amount of prep in, then I don't think you'll forget it. The LSAT isn't like tests you've taken before. Many tests assess the amount of knowledge at your disposal in specific areas, the LSAT assesses how you think in specific areas. Once you start thinking how LSAC wants you too, I doubt you stop thinking that way.

[bogydog]

Okay that's my hope anyway since I'll probably not have too much time to study in late August or September. Thanks for your help everyone!

[jk148706]

Consider Manhattan RC. Actually, consider buying the entire set, it truly is the best, comprehensive prep stuff out there (besides LSAT for Dummies or Princeton Review of course)

Highly considering buying the Manhattan set after seeing it recommended so many times. I want to make sure I am getting the right thing... Can someone point me in the right direction ?

[monadologist]

Consider Manhattan RC. Actually, consider buying the entire set, it truly is the best, comprehensive prep stuff out there (besides LSAT for Dummies or Princeton Review of course)

Highly considering buying the Manhattan set after seeing it recommended so many times. I want to make sure I am getting the right thing... Can someone point me in the right direction ?

Buy the 3rd edition from Amazon. BTW the Princeton review/LSAT for dummies stuff was a poorly executed joke, those are infamous for being really, really shitty (any LSAT prep book that is ~300 pages that says OMG LSAT PREPBOOK WHAT UP, doesn't take the test seriously, and oversimplifies a very complicated exam)

[Clearly]

Having read just about all of them, I'd go manhattan all around. At the least for RC, the Rcb sucks.

[rebexness]

Manhattan LR is the truth.

[Balthy]

Yeah I suppose that's good advice. But I'll be in Guatemala the whole year, and the LSAT is only offered in October there, so if I don't take it, I would have to wait until the next October...

Is the LSAT something you can forget pretty soon after learning, or once you learn it, does it tend to stick with you for at least a couple months?

You will remember the basic strategies and such, but the skills involved in implementing those strategies with the speed required to score well will wear off quickly.

[Balthy]

Also, maybe get some Cambridge packets for drilling. If not, then 20 or so early PTs (but you won't have interwebz access so you'd have to also print out some lists of q's/games by type).

[jk148706]

Do TSLers recommend supplementing LRB and LGB with Manhattan? Is it advantageous to go through books from two companies, or do the strategies step on each other?

[Br3v]

Weird you ask because the last few days I have seen a few LSAT threads and I realized I forgot a lot of the details of the test. While I feel like I still remember the basics, I know I am not at the same level I was when I took the test.

[Dr. Dre]

I don't know if I am the only one that thinks this, but the amount of time OP says he will put into prepping for the test is insufficient. He plans on going on vacations (guatemala), teaching when he should be learning, and working long hours during the summer. I recommend studying like a raging aspie, but with the schedule OP articulated, he will be unable to reach full potential.

[meegee]

I have both the Powerscore's LGB + Manhattan's LG book. I would supplement Powerscore's LGB with Manhattan's LG book. If you feel you only have time for one, I'd say Manhattan just because it goes more in-depth (on the other hand it is much longer/bigger than the Powerscore's LGB). I have the Powerscore LR but I haven't read or bought the Manhattan LR so I can't say about that.

It appears that, as of recently, Manhattan's RC is the way to go.

[Clearly]

Do TSLers recommend supplementing LRB and LGB with Manhattan? Is it advantageous to go through books from two companies, or do the strategies step on each other?

My honest opinion is that all three manhattan books are better then the powerscore stuff.

[Drewkapper]

Manhattan LR and LG, start buying the Economist, Scientific American, Smithsonian, and whatever else you please, then work through the 1-20 and 21-40 Cambridge books on each section. Practice test-taking with the newer preptests after you get a good understanding of the LSAT material.

[gandalf]

Your plan sounds alright, but there are three modifications I'd make. First, I'd supplement the Powerscore books with Manhattan LG, LR, and RC along with Blueprint LG. By seeing how different test prep companies approach the material, I felt that I have a more comfortable grasp on the questions. Second, you make no mention of question-specific drilling. If you simply go from using the books to tackling the preptests, you will have trouble improving your accuracy because each of the question types are mixed in the preptests. For this, see the Cambridge LSAT bundles (organized by question type). Third, you mention 80-hour work weeks. If you're serious about that figure, then I don't know how you can feasibly work on LSAT prep for long enough as is necessary. Some people cite a 300-hour figure, but really, more is better. After all, this test determines a large portion of the admissions package.

Anyway, best of luck to you.

[Dr. Dre]

OP quit your job and study for the LSAT

[bogydog]

Thanks for all the advice everyone! I just bought the 2 powerscore logic books and manhattan RC.
I am going to try to study all day Saturday every day this summer, which shouldn't be too hard since I work 4 hours north of my house and don't have my own transportation to come home, so I'll basically be stuck up there. I think I could get to at least 100 hours this summer. It may not help me reach my full potential, but it hopefully will be enough to boost my 164 I got in Feb with about 15-20 hours of studying a mcgraw hill book from my school's library to around a 170 so I can find a good scholarship somewhere! And I would love to quit my job and study this summer, but it would be super rude to my boss to make him find someone at such late notice. Plus, now I can pay off the rest of my student loans...and I'm pretty sure I would burn out trying to study the same test for 300 hours anyway, that 15-20 hours before the feb test was pretty rough.