Top Law Schools

I'll be self studying to prepare for the September LSAT. I was planning on getting the Manhattan books, but I was wondering if it would be a bad idea to get the 3rd Edition books even though there's a 4th Edition? My budget is extremely tight.

I was also planning to buy the book with the practice tests.

no reason at all not to get the 3rd editions; just make sure they're clean if you get them used. the differences are not significant.

Pneumonia wrote:no reason at all not to get the 3rd editions; just make sure they're clean if you get them used. the differences are not significant.

4th edition RC is fairly different. LR/LG are basically the same.

Are the Powerscore books better than the Manhattan ones?

Which books do you think are best?

strikefirefall wrote:Are the Powerscore books better than the Manhattan ones?

Which books do you think are best?

PS/Manhattan/LSAT Trainer are pretty equivalent. They are all solid options.

The LSAT trainer seems to pretty popular on these boards at the moment but I've never used it so idk. To the extent that there are differences between these books they are almost entirely superficial. RC is the only one where approaches vary, but there isn't a consensus "best" in that area.

Pneumonia wrote:

strikefirefall wrote:Are the Powerscore books better than the Manhattan ones?

Which books do you think are best?

PS/Manhattan/LSAT Trainer are pretty equivalent. They are all solid options.

The LSAT trainer seems to pretty popular on these boards at the moment but I've never used it so idk. To the extent that there are differences between these books they are almost entirely superficial. RC is the only one where approaches vary, but there isn't a consensus "best" in that area.

Thanks. Never heard of the LSAT trainer but I like what I saw. Think that may be the one I get.

strikefirefall wrote:

Pneumonia wrote:

strikefirefall wrote:Are the Powerscore books better than the Manhattan ones?

Which books do you think are best?

PS/Manhattan/LSAT Trainer are pretty equivalent. They are all solid options.

The LSAT trainer seems to pretty popular on these boards at the moment but I've never used it so idk. To the extent that there are differences between these books they are almost entirely superficial. RC is the only one where approaches vary, but there isn't a consensus "best" in that area.

Thanks. Never heard of the LSAT trainer but I like what I saw. Think that may be the one I get.

-
LSAT trainer is amazing. Most comprehensive self-study guide. It's 600 pages, small font. There aren't a ton of official LSAT questions though you need to supplement.

The Kindle versions of the 4th Edition of the Manhattan guides are a fantastic deal at $10 each.

The free logic games explanations videos on 7Sage.com are pure gold. I highly recommend them.

You can buy books of PrepTests on Amazon. The prices change, so you can watch them and snag books when prices are low. For example, now, the book with 29 - 38 is $17.

Of the five PrepTest books out, I think you'd definitely want the last two (52 - 61 and 62 - 71). It's probably smart to get one or both of these: 19 - 28 and 29 - 38.

I just ordered the LSAT Trainer.

For the Prep Tests, is it bad to buy used ones? I figure I can use paper to write down answers and stuff. I don't mean to be cheap, but I'm on a real tight budget.

On the upside, I figured out that I'd really love to get into family law.

Don't do used PT's, they will be 95% useless

Pneumonia wrote:Don't do used PT's, they will be 95% useless

Why do you say that?

strikefirefall wrote:

Pneumonia wrote:Don't do used PT's, they will be 95% useless

Why do you say that?

Assuming that you are asking in good faith: the most difficult part of the LSAT is the time constraint, as opposed to probably every other test you have ever taken (ACT, SAT, undergrad tests); it is a test of skill (logic) whereas the other tests are test of knowledge.

So while you might be able to go through a used SAT book and learn the material for yourself even though the answers are already marked, in an SAT book you are presumably still learning the material and so the book is helpful. The LSAT is different. There is very little to actually learn. The knowledge needed to do well on the test can literally be communicate in less than an hour. The practice tests for an LSAT are used to build that skill, so if they are already used they will be useless.

Even in used books that are "erased" or "clean" the answer is still often discernable. Additionally, you need to practice working in the test book because that is what you will have to do on the real thing.

I get what you're saying. I found 19-28, 52-61, and 62-71 all on Amazon for a total of $65. All brand new. Just need to wait until next week to pay for them.

strikefirefall wrote:I get what you're saying. I found 19-28, 52-61, and 62-71 all on Amazon for a total of $65. All brand new. Just need to wait until next week to pay for them.

That is a fairly decent price. Be sure to check eBay and half.com too. If you're in a big city craigslist can also be surprisingly full of LSAT books, especially if you wait a few weeks until after the June test I'm sure you can cop more resources than you'll need for fairly cheap.

Pneumonia wrote:

strikefirefall wrote:I get what you're saying. I found 19-28, 52-61, and 62-71 all on Amazon for a total of $65. All brand new. Just need to wait until next week to pay for them.

That is a fairly decent price. Be sure to check eBay and half.com too. If you're in a big city craigslist can also be surprisingly full of LSAT books, especially if you wait a few weeks until after the June test I'm sure you can cop more resources than you'll need for fairly cheap.

Craigslist didn't have many and they were used anyway. Surprisingly I couldn't find any bundles on Ebay or Half. They were all being sold individually.

Ya I know when I was studying I just used the PT books to make scans of the tests and then I sold the books after, having never written in them. If you can do something similar you might be able to get some $$ after you're done with them.

LauraS wrote:The Kindle versions of the 4th Edition of the Manhattan guides are a fantastic deal at $10 each.

The free logic games explanations videos on 7Sage.com are pure gold. I highly recommend them.

You can buy books of PrepTests on Amazon. The prices change, so you can watch them and snag books when prices are low. For example, now, the book with 29 - 38 is $17.

Of the five PrepTest books out, I think you'd definitely want the last two (52 - 61 and 62 - 71). It's probably smart to get one or both of these: 19 - 28 and 29 - 38.

I've read that it's not a good idea to use the older tests. Should I just get 52-61 and 62-71 and after 2 weeks of studying my LSAT Trainer book, just take 2 tests per week?

strikefirefall wrote:

LauraS wrote:The Kindle versions of the 4th Edition of the Manhattan guides are a fantastic deal at $10 each.

The free logic games explanations videos on 7Sage.com are pure gold. I highly recommend them.

You can buy books of PrepTests on Amazon. The prices change, so you can watch them and snag books when prices are low. For example, now, the book with 29 - 38 is $17.

Of the five PrepTest books out, I think you'd definitely want the last two (52 - 61 and 62 - 71). It's probably smart to get one or both of these: 19 - 28 and 29 - 38.

I've read that it's not a good idea to use the older tests. Should I just get 52-61 and 62-71 and after 2 weeks of studying my LSAT Trainer book, just take 2 tests per week?

While it is true that the test has "changed" a lot over time, there is value to be found in every single preptest. However, if cost is an issue, then yes, definitely focus on the newer material.

From now until late September, do you think taking 20 tests would be too little?

strikefirefall wrote:From now until late September, do you think taking 20 tests would be too little?

There really isn't a clear-cut answer. A lot of it depends on how you study with those PTs. For instance, I would take 20 PTs with test-day conditions and true blind review and re-review over 60 PTs done haphazardly. I only took 2 PTs per week (sometimes 3, but not regularly) which a fair amount of people would consider too low, however I did fine. I think the way you study is just as important, if not more so as how much you study. So, in my opinion, 20 PTs from now until September seems a little on the low side, HOWEVER if you are drilling regularly and truly digesting those PTs I don't think its going to prevent you from getting a good score. The key is to really get the value out of each of them, while also drilling regularly. [Just remember, while simply studying a lot doesn't mean you will do well, this also doesn't mean you should study very little either ]

Nonconsecutive wrote:

strikefirefall wrote:From now until late September, do you think taking 20 tests would be too little?

There really isn't a clear-cut answer. A lot of it depends on how you study with those PTs. For instance, I would take 20 PTs with test-day conditions and true blind review and re-review over 60 PTs done haphazardly. I only took 2 PTs per week (sometimes 3, but not regularly) which a fair amount of people would consider too low, however I did fine. I think the way you study is just as important, if not more so as how much you study. So, in my opinion, 20 PTs from now until September seems a little on the low side, HOWEVER if you are drilling regularly and truly digesting those PTs I don't think its going to prevent you from getting a good score. The key is to really get the value out of each of them, while also drilling regularly. [Just remember, while simply studying a lot doesn't mean you will do well, this also doesn't mean you should study very little either ]

I'd be studying everyday. I think for now I'll just get the newer books. Then in a month get the older ones.

strikefirefall wrote:

Nonconsecutive wrote:

strikefirefall wrote:From now until late September, do you think taking 20 tests would be too little?

There really isn't a clear-cut answer. A lot of it depends on how you study with those PTs. For instance, I would take 20 PTs with test-day conditions and true blind review and re-review over 60 PTs done haphazardly. I only took 2 PTs per week (sometimes 3, but not regularly) which a fair amount of people would consider too low, however I did fine. I think the way you study is just as important, if not more so as how much you study. So, in my opinion, 20 PTs from now until September seems a little on the low side, HOWEVER if you are drilling regularly and truly digesting those PTs I don't think its going to prevent you from getting a good score. The key is to really get the value out of each of them, while also drilling regularly. [Just remember, while simply studying a lot doesn't mean you will do well, this also doesn't mean you should study very little either ]

I'd be studying everyday. I think for now I'll just get the newer books. Then in a month get the older ones.

I would strongly suggest saving the most recent PTs for closer to exam time, you want to be sure to not use them for drilling too far out. Just something to keep in mind as you start ordering.

Nonconsecutive wrote:

strikefirefall wrote:

Nonconsecutive wrote:

strikefirefall wrote:From now until late September, do you think taking 20 tests would be too little?

There really isn't a clear-cut answer. A lot of it depends on how you study with those PTs. For instance, I would take 20 PTs with test-day conditions and true blind review and re-review over 60 PTs done haphazardly. I only took 2 PTs per week (sometimes 3, but not regularly) which a fair amount of people would consider too low, however I did fine. I think the way you study is just as important, if not more so as how much you study. So, in my opinion, 20 PTs from now until September seems a little on the low side, HOWEVER if you are drilling regularly and truly digesting those PTs I don't think its going to prevent you from getting a good score. The key is to really get the value out of each of them, while also drilling regularly. [Just remember, while simply studying a lot doesn't mean you will do well, this also doesn't mean you should study very little either ]

I'd be studying everyday. I think for now I'll just get the newer books. Then in a month get the older ones.

I would strongly suggest saving the most recent PTs for closer to exam time, you want to be sure to not use them for drilling too far out. Just something to keep in mind as you start ordering.

For some reason I kept thinking I needed to get all the books at once, which I don't. I can just buy one now, then another in one month. Maybe it would be best to get 62-71 a month before the actual test? And get 52-61 right now?

strikefirefall wrote:For some reason I kept thinking I needed to get all the books at once, which I don't. I can just buy one now, then another in one month. Maybe it would be best to get 62-71 a month before the actual test? And get 52-61 right now?

That sounds like a plan to me, just be sure to allocate plenty of time to those most recent tests.

Nonconsecutive wrote:

strikefirefall wrote:For some reason I kept thinking I needed to get all the books at once, which I don't. I can just buy one now, then another in one month. Maybe it would be best to get 62-71 a month before the actual test? And get 52-61 right now?

That sounds like a plan to me, just be sure to allocate plenty of time to those most recent tests.

Or maybe I should start with the older ones then gradually work my way up to the newer ones?

Someone who reviewed one of the prep tests said that on Amazon.