LSAT prep in high school? Forum

[Logan_LE]

Hello!
This is my first post on the website and I have a few questions. I am looking at starting prep for the LSAT, yes it's probably very early for me to start but I really want to do well. I am not entirely sure of what type of law I want to go into but I am open minded and not dead set against any type of law really. I am a junior in High School and have a 3.85 GPA and play varsity golf. I'm looking to attend a 4 year university and play on their golf team. It probably sounds crazy to start studying because most people are being told to slow down until they finish their four year degree. I am just looking for some insight. Thanks in advance and it is greatly appreciated!

[sanibella]

Hello!
This is my first post on the website and I have a few questions. I am looking at starting prep for the LSAT, yes it's probably very early for me to start but I really want to do well. I am not entirely sure of what type of law I want to go into but I am open minded and not dead set against any type of law really. I am a junior in High School and have a 3.85 GPA and play varsity golf. I'm looking to attend a 4 year university and play on their golf team. It probably sounds crazy to start studying because most people are being told to slow down until they finish their four year degree. I am just looking for some insight. Thanks in advance and it is greatly appreciated!

Read dense material and do Sudoku or logic puzzles. Really though, you should be preparing as much as possible for the SAT/ACT to maximize your undergrad scholarship potential.

[Logan_LE]

I appreciate the reply! I am studying for the ACT. I am almost done with my ACT test prep and I only have one more point to get the score I want for scholarship opportunities. Probably a stupid question but does my ACT have any effect on the law school that I can get into?

[CardozoLaw09]

I appreciate the reply! I am studying for the ACT. I am almost done with my ACT test prep and I only have one more point to get the score I want for scholarship opportunities. Probably a stupid question but does my ACT have any effect on the law school that I can get into?

Nope. No effect at all. Only two things really matter w.r.t law school admissions: your LSAT and your undergrad GPA

And yes, it's probably too early to start studying for the LSAT, but it's great that you're this eager. I probably wouldn't do anything other than look over the LSAT and maybe try a few questions here and there just to familiarize yourself with the format of the test and the types of questions it asks, but as far as actual studying? Way. Wayyyy, too early. Good luck

[R. Jeeves]

Hello!
This is my first post on the website and I have a few questions. I am looking at starting prep for the LSAT, yes it's probably very early for me to start but I really want to do well. I am not entirely sure of what type of law I want to go into but I am open minded and not dead set against any type of law really. I am a junior in High School and have a 3.85 GPA and play varsity golf. I'm looking to attend a 4 year university and play on their golf team. It probably sounds crazy to start studying because most people are being told to slow down until they finish their four year degree. I am just looking for some insight. Thanks in advance and it is greatly appreciated!

dude don't even touch the LSAT til at least sophomore year in college

[stig2014]

I wouldn't recommend doing LSAT specific studying. But like someone else said, practice reading through dense material. Also, take a formal logic class in undergrad if you want to get a grasp on what kinds of things you'll be encountering on the LSAT.

[Logan_LE]

Okay Awesome! Again thank you for the information! I've wanted to be a lawyer for the longest time and I am really interested in it. I want to get into a really good law school, of course the knee jerk reaction is for me to say Harvard, Yale, or something along those lines. But I honestly can't wait to get out of high school and start on my journey towards a law degree. Next year I only have one class for my senior year due to me taking freshman classes in 8th grade and I thought maybe I could get a head start or something. Is there any particular reason on waiting, maybe the LSAT could change between now and then? Or is it just a waste of time? I figured not a lot of people get this big of a head start on prep and if it were to get me a closer to the 175 range I would make the sacrifice now and reap the rewards later on down the road. Plus I feel I wouldn't have to stress out as much down the road. I apologize for all the questions I am just really excited for my future. If

[rnoodles]

You should try to go pro like Spieth, and if that doesnt work prep for LSAT. Above all, you should have fun because you'll be plenty busy later. [something something, Ferris Bueller line about life moving fast, blah blah, good luck]

[ngogirl12]

I recommend taking some philosophy classes in college definitely a formal logic course, microeconomics, macroeconomics, and statistics. Also make sure you take classes that will ensure you all A's, try to aim for a 4.0.

After you take the above courses you will have a solid foundation to begin your prep. Let your grades take priority over everything else! If you can read diverse material in your downtime: science, literature, social science that will help too.

Good luck!!!

[kade]

LSAT doesn't take too long to learn. +1 on doing something fun or developing fun hobbies. I think you might be underestimating yourself if you think you need that much time to get 170+.

[R. Jeeves]

Okay Awesome! Again thank you for the information! I've wanted to be a lawyer for the longest time and I am really interested in it. I want to get into a really good law school, of course the knee jerk reaction is for me to say Harvard, Yale, or something along those lines. But I honestly can't wait to get out of high school and start on my journey towards a law degree. Next year I only have one class for my senior year due to me taking freshman classes in 8th grade and I thought maybe I could get a head start or something. Is there any particular reason on waiting, maybe the LSAT could change between now and then? Or is it just a waste of time? I figured not a lot of people get this big of a head start on prep and if it were to get me a closer to the 175 range I would make the sacrifice now and reap the rewards later on down the road. Plus I feel I wouldn't have to stress out as much down the road. I apologize for all the questions I am just really excited for my future. If

it's a waste of time and money to start as early as youre thinking. you'll want to have a good number of fresh practice tests (ones you havent seen before) in the months leading up to the LSAT, I wouldn't start burning them now.

It is possible that a formal logic course might help, but I think most people that took the LSAT wouldn't recommend going out of your way to take one.

[sanibella]

I appreciate the reply! I am studying for the ACT. I am almost done with my ACT test prep and I only have one more point to get the score I want for scholarship opportunities. Probably a stupid question but does my ACT have any effect on the law school that I can get into?

No, but it can have an impact on your overall debt load.

[MAPP]

I appreciate the reply! I am studying for the ACT. I am almost done with my ACT test prep and I only have one more point to get the score I want for scholarship opportunities. Probably a stupid question but does my ACT have any effect on the law school that I can get into?

You could have used it if you wanted to for a period of like two years The ABA passed, and then revoked, Standard 503-3 that allowed law schools to directly admit undergraduate students without taking the lsat if they had a certain ACT/SAT score. And you never know, they might reinstate it by the time you're applying

[MAPP]

try to aim for a 4.0.

+1

[RedWhite&Blonde]

I recommend taking some philosophy classes in college definitely a formal logic course, microeconomics, macroeconomics, and statistics. Also make sure you take classes that will ensure you all A's, try to aim for a 4.0.

After you take the above courses you will have a solid foundation to begin your prep. Let your grades take priority over everything else! If you can read diverse material in your downtime: science, literature, social science that will help too.

Good luck!!!

I agree that you want to get the best grades you can and that it is absolutely too soon to study for the LSAT, but make sure to have fun too. For many people, college is where they discover their passions or really delve into extracurriculars. Make sure to work on personal development and expanding your horizons--it'll give you a sense of what type of law you want to practice (or maybe you'll discover that you'd rather pursue a different career--which is okay too!). Just don't overlook the next four years--they serve a much greater purpose than just acting as a springboard to law school.

[Logan_LE]

This has cleared a up lot of things to me and again I greatly appreciate all the information. Kind of took some stress off of me knowing that I don't need to start now. Are there any classes that I should take for undergrad? Do Law schools usually look at the classes you took for undergrad. I'm asking because if it's like high school, colleges look at what classes you took and to see if you challenged yourself. Now if I get a 4.0 in college with easier classes (if there are any) will it make a difference. Not saying college is like high school by any means. I know you can't skate by obviously. Basically the question is this, is a 4.0 a 4.0 or are there stipulations. Thanks in advance!
-Logan

[fliptrip]

This has cleared a up lot of things to me and again I greatly appreciate all the information. Kind of took some stress off of me knowing that I don't need to start now. Are there any classes that I should take for undergrad? Do Law schools usually look at the classes you took for undergrad. I'm asking because if it's like high school, colleges look at what classes you took and to see if you challenged yourself. Now if I get a 4.0 in college with easier classes (if there are any) will it make a difference. Not saying college is like high school by any means. I know you can't skate by obviously. Basically the question is this, is a 4.0 a 4.0 or are there stipulations. Thanks in advance!
-Logan

Law school admissions is a different animal than college admissions. Law school admissions is basically a numbers game. I agree with an earlier poster that stats and micro are good to take. I don't agree that you should take any more than one philosophy class, because those classes are notoriously rigorous and will be quite stingy with the As you need.

For instance, if you have a GPA below median at a given school, the rigor of your coursework is not likely going to save you in admissions if you don't have a killer LSAT to balance it out. Fair or not, for two people with the same LSAT, the person with a 3.98 in Criminal Justice has an admissions advantage over the person with a 3.3 in electrical engineering, even though obviously the EE major's work is more challenging.

If law school is your goal, you should absolutely factor in GPA maximization in your choice of college major.

[CPAlawHopefu]

You can take the LSAT either June of your senior year in high school or in October of your Freshman year. If you score high, you wont have to worry about LSAT for the rest of your time in college

[Dcc617]

You can take the LSAT either June of your senior year in high school or in October of your Freshman year. If you score high, you wont have to worry about LSAT for the rest of your time in college

Awful advice. Enjoy college, live and learn, etc etc. Work for a couple years somewhere warm and fun when you graduate. Then go to law school if you still want to.

[TheRedMamba]

You can take the LSAT either June of your senior year in high school or in October of your Freshman year. If you score high, you wont have to worry about LSAT for the rest of your time in college

This is absolutely horrendous advice.

Besides the whole "enjoy your life thing," you will get smarter as you get older and your skills that will be tested on the LSAT will improve through your college studies.

[CPAlawHopefu]

You can take the LSAT either June of your senior year in high school or in October of your Freshman year. If you score high, you wont have to worry about LSAT for the rest of your time in college

Awful advice. Enjoy college, live and learn, etc etc. Work for a couple years somewhere warm and fun when you graduate. Then go to law school if you still want to.

If he is already asking himself when to start studying for the LSAT when he hasn't even graduated high school, it's fair to assume that he is already dead set on going to law school for whatever reason. My advise is based on this.

You can take the LSAT either June of your senior year in high school or in October of your Freshman year. If you score high, you wont have to worry about LSAT for the rest of your time in college

This is absolutely horrendous advice.

Besides the whole "enjoy your life thing," you will get smarter as you get older and your skills that will be tested on the LSAT will improve through your college studies.

If he scores bad, he'll have the next 3-4 years to retake it. Now, if he turns out to be an LSAT guru and manages a 175+ before even starting college, then it won't matter how much more he gets smarter in the next 4 years - he will already be at 99.5 percentile. Most people here seem to take it while still pursuing their bachelor's anyway. If he gets it out of the way before starting his college (and manages to score high), then that would mean one of two things (or both) - 1) he will not have to worry about studying for the LSAT simultaneously with college courses, hence allowing him to focus solely on school, which means better chance of higher GPA, and better law school, and/or 2) enjoy more and better "college life" which would otherwise need to be cut short to spare time for the LSAT prep. What's he got to lose by taking the LSAT before college? Nothing of value lost except maybe the 3 months of what could otherwise be a stress-free summer before starting college, which really means fu*k all on a larger scale.

[Clearly]

You can take the LSAT either June of your senior year in high school or in October of your Freshman year. If you score high, you wont have to worry about LSAT for the rest of your time in college

Awful advice. Enjoy college, live and learn, etc etc. Work for a couple years somewhere warm and fun when you graduate. Then go to law school if you still want to.

If he is already asking himself when to start studying for the LSAT when he hasn't even graduated high school, it's fair to assume that he is already dead set on going to law school for whatever reason. My advise is based on this.

You can take the LSAT either June of your senior year in high school or in October of your Freshman year. If you score high, you wont have to worry about LSAT for the rest of your time in college

This is absolutely horrendous advice.

Besides the whole "enjoy your life thing," you will get smarter as you get older and your skills that will be tested on the LSAT will improve through your college studies.

If he scores bad, he'll have the next 3-4 years to retake it. Now, if he turns out to be an LSAT guru and manages a 175+ before even starting college, then it won't matter how much more he gets smarter in the next 4 years - he will already be at 99.5 percentile. Most people here seem to take it while still pursuing their bachelor's anyway. If he gets it out of the way before starting his college (and manages to score high), then that would mean one of two things (or both) - 1) he will not have to worry about studying for the LSAT simultaneously with college courses, hence allowing him to focus solely on school, which means better chance of higher GPA, and better law school, and/or 2) enjoy more and better "college life" which would otherwise need to be cut short to spare time for the LSAT prep. What's he got to lose by taking the LSAT before college? Nothing of value lost except maybe the 3 months of what could otherwise be a stress-free summer before starting college, which really means fu*k all on a larger scale.

Have you considered that college actually makes people better qualified to take the LSAT? OP please don't listen to this. CPA you gave bad advice and you should feel bad. Don't double down and confuse this poor child.

Onto the real stuff: Forget the LSAT for a long time. It's wayyy out in your future, and its not the next battle you face in your quest to rock law school. I'm not convinced that ANYONE at your age can be sure about law school, and a lot of people get here and realize it's not what they expect, so I'm going to condition the rest of my advice on the fact that I'm accepting the assumption that this is all for the sake of law school. I also didn't read the whole thread so maybe I'm repeating people. One thing that is often overlooked is go to a school that gives A+ grades. Aside from the fact that you could end up with a GPA greater than 4, people tend to overlook the real benefit this has in mitigating worse grades. Most law students that got an A in undergrad would likely have gotten an A+ in most of those courses if they were available. This difference impacts your GPA the same as changing most of your B+'s to A- etc. It's simply a huge bump even if you don't end up 4.0+. If you really want law school, go to an undergrad that gives A+ grades on transcripts. Next pick a major that will not only get you to law school (any at all), but one that will give you work experience for a few years, and perhaps give you a chance to experience a different viable field. Consider if you have an interest in patent law/IP. It's hard to say now what the market will look like in a decade, but currently they are still in demand, and its the only subset of law you need specific qualifications in undergrad to enter (usually). If so, consider engineering or hard sciences (look up what makes one "patent bar eligible"). If you don't care for IP (or realize the risk of getting a lower GPA in those harder subjects) then simply pick a major you can get a 4.0 in that will lead to real employment excluding law.

As a junior come back and worry about the LSAT. It'll still be there. Lest you disregard this advice, I'd like you to keep in mind that there are only so many real LSAT questions in existence, and if you start to early you will find yourself in the very bad position of not being skilled enough to do well, but being out of new official material to practice with. It happened to me, and its happened to several of my students who ended up retaking. It's not good, so don't put yourself there.

Most importantly, have some fun man. You're too young in this journey to be worried about the LSAT. Go make new friends, get drunk, meet chicks/dudes. Experience some things before you dedicate yourself to law, because someday you'll achieve that goal anyway, and you'll realize you wish you could enjoy college again!

[R. Jeeves]

Now, if he turns out to be an LSAT guru and manages a 175+ before even starting college, then it won't matter how much more he gets smarter in the next 4 years - he will already be at 99.5 percentile.

There is a microscopic chance that a high schooler would get a score like this.

What's he got to lose by taking the LSAT before college?

He will lose time, money, confidence, and fresh LSAT practice tests. Not worth giving these things up to gamble on the tiny chance that he'll get a decent score before starting college.

[CardozoLaw09]

You can take the LSAT either June of your senior year in high school or in October of your Freshman year. If you score high, you wont have to worry about LSAT for the rest of your time in college

Awful advice. Enjoy college, live and learn, etc etc. Work for a couple years somewhere warm and fun when you graduate. Then go to law school if you still want to.

If he is already asking himself when to start studying for the LSAT when he hasn't even graduated high school, it's fair to assume that he is already dead set on going to law school for whatever reason. My advise is based on this.

You can take the LSAT either June of your senior year in high school or in October of your Freshman year. If you score high, you wont have to worry about LSAT for the rest of your time in college

This is absolutely horrendous advice.

Besides the whole "enjoy your life thing," you will get smarter as you get older and your skills that will be tested on the LSAT will improve through your college studies.

If he scores bad, he'll have the next 3-4 years to retake it. Now, if he turns out to be an LSAT guru and manages a 175+ before even starting college, then it won't matter how much more he gets smarter in the next 4 years - he will already be at 99.5 percentile. Most people here seem to take it while still pursuing their bachelor's anyway. If he gets it out of the way before starting his college (and manages to score high), then that would mean one of two things (or both) - 1) he will not have to worry about studying for the LSAT simultaneously with college courses, hence allowing him to focus solely on school, which means better chance of higher GPA, and better law school, and/or 2) enjoy more and better "college life" which would otherwise need to be cut short to spare time for the LSAT prep. What's he got to lose by taking the LSAT before college? Nothing of value lost except maybe the 3 months of what could otherwise be a stress-free summer before starting college, which really means fu*k all on a larger scale.

An LSAT score is good for only 5 years. If he takes it in the sophmore year of college, then he MUST apply to law school right after graduating, and he MUST graduate undergrad in 4 years (doesn't always happen and people routinely graduate in 5 years), otherwise that score is no good and is effectively useless. OP would have to commit himself to law school in order for there to be any sense of taking the LSAT in high school, and there's just too much that could happen in 4/5 years for it to make any sense taking it in HS. What if he wants to work for a year or two after graduating to gain some work experience and build his application? And chances of him being an LSAT guru and scoring that high are way too low to even consider as justification; a high diagnostic of 16x is also not a good reason since that means OP has the potential to score in the 170s, which takes a good amount of studying to reach that level, and because he's only in high school, he wouldn't have the time to put in the required hours to get to that level. So again, there's no reason to take it in high school.