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So, I have about 8-12 months before I sit for the LSAT exam.

After browsing several forums, it seems as though people recommend starting with the LSAT Trainer first and then moving onto the Powerscore/Manhattan books.

I was planning on using the 4 month plan available on the Mike Kim's website, first. And then following either the Powerscore or LSATBlog's 4/6 month schedule.

What do you guys think? Is this a reasonable plan? Should I read over, drill and PT with one set of books first, and then do the same for another set of books? Or should I read and practice a few questions from each of the books first and then move onto timed drilling/PTing? I'm someone who can follow a laid-out (daily/weekly) plan religiously; so I definitely prefer the first approach (plus, much of the planning process is taken out of the first approach, and one can strictly focus on practicing for the test) but I'm not sure if that's the smartest way to approach it.


P.S.: I'm still relatively new to the LSAT, so excuse me for my naiveté.

Typically people do it in three phases; read the powerscore/Manhattan books, drill, and then PT. I'm not familiar with the schedules you mention, so someone else will have to comment, but if you know how you like to study then go with what feels right.

the general formula for studying is: learn the basics, drill by type, drill sections, take prep tests, drill weaknesses/blind review, and more prep tests with blind review

I would say not to follow the 4 month plans because they generally include taking more recent prep tests as well condensing material to fit within the 4 months prior to taking the LSAT. You can create your own effective plan just by following the general formula that I put above

USayinBoalt wrote:the general formula for studying is: learn the basics, drill by type, drill sections, take prep tests, drill weaknesses/blind review, and more prep tests with blind review

I would say not to follow the 4 month plans because they generally include taking more recent prep tests as well condensing material to fit within the 4 months prior to taking the LSAT. You can create your own effective plan just by following the general formula that I put above

Thanks for pointing that out. Just as a follow-up: which books do you recommend I start off with first? LSAT trainer and then the Bibles?

RamTitan wrote:Typically people do it in three phases; read the powerscore/Manhattan books, drill, and then PT. I'm not familiar with the schedules you mention, so someone else will have to comment, but if you know how you like to study then go with what feels right.

Basically those schedules do all of the above mentioned steps. The only difference is that I'd be doing each of those phases twice, if I follow the schedules. I don't know if that's the best idea

thedevilsarered wrote:

USayinBoalt wrote:the general formula for studying is: learn the basics, drill by type, drill sections, take prep tests, drill weaknesses/blind review, and more prep tests with blind review

I would say not to follow the 4 month plans because they generally include taking more recent prep tests as well condensing material to fit within the 4 months prior to taking the LSAT. You can create your own effective plan just by following the general formula that I put above

Thanks for pointing that out. Just as a follow-up: which books do you recommend I start off with first? LSAT trainer and then the Bibles?

The LSAT Trainer is great, I would definitely get that to start and then I would recommend Manhattan instead of the bibles. The bibles are great but they don't necessarily go as in depth as Manhattan does. They are cheaper too

USayinBoalt wrote:

thedevilsarered wrote:

USayinBoalt wrote:the general formula for studying is: learn the basics, drill by type, drill sections, take prep tests, drill weaknesses/blind review, and more prep tests with blind review

I would say not to follow the 4 month plans because they generally include taking more recent prep tests as well condensing material to fit within the 4 months prior to taking the LSAT. You can create your own effective plan just by following the general formula that I put above

Thanks for pointing that out. Just as a follow-up: which books do you recommend I start off with first? LSAT trainer and then the Bibles?

The LSAT Trainer is great, I would definitely get that to start and then I would recommend Manhattan instead of the bibles. The bibles are great but they don't necessarily go as in depth as Manhattan does. They are cheaper too

Yeah, big fan of The LSAT Trainer And Manhattan Prep's LSAT books. I am using both and can attest they are great. I'd also say to check out 7Sage's course I am a big, big fan of it. And I think it fits nicely into your time frame.

If you're just looking for books/schedule I think going with The LSAT Trainer 16 Week Schedule + Manhattan Prep books. That should give you everything you need. Be careful not burn through your PTS too soon, as 8-12 months if a long way away.

Barack O'Drama wrote:

USayinBoalt wrote:

thedevilsarered wrote:

USayinBoalt wrote:the general formula for studying is: learn the basics, drill by type, drill sections, take prep tests, drill weaknesses/blind review, and more prep tests with blind review

I would say not to follow the 4 month plans because they generally include taking more recent prep tests as well condensing material to fit within the 4 months prior to taking the LSAT. You can create your own effective plan just by following the general formula that I put above

Thanks for pointing that out. Just as a follow-up: which books do you recommend I start off with first? LSAT trainer and then the Bibles?

The LSAT Trainer is great, I would definitely get that to start and then I would recommend Manhattan instead of the bibles. The bibles are great but they don't necessarily go as in depth as Manhattan does. They are cheaper too

Yeah, big fan of The LSAT Trainer And Manhattan Prep's LSAT books. I am using both and can attest they are great. I'd also say to check out 7Sage's course I am a big, big fan of it. And I think it fits nicely into your time frame.

If you're just looking for books/schedule I think going with The LSAT Trainer 16 Week Schedule + Manhattan Prep books. That should give you everything you need. Be careful not burn through your PTS too soon, as 8-12 months if a long way away.

you're right -- that's one of my worries. Could I ask how you'd recommend me dividing up the 8-12 months whilst utilizing both those books?

thedevilsarered wrote:

Barack O'Drama wrote:

USayinBoalt wrote:

thedevilsarered wrote:

USayinBoalt wrote:the general formula for studying is: learn the basics, drill by type, drill sections, take prep tests, drill weaknesses/blind review, and more prep tests with blind review

I would say not to follow the 4 month plans because they generally include taking more recent prep tests as well condensing material to fit within the 4 months prior to taking the LSAT. You can create your own effective plan just by following the general formula that I put above

Thanks for pointing that out. Just as a follow-up: which books do you recommend I start off with first? LSAT trainer and then the Bibles?

The LSAT Trainer is great, I would definitely get that to start and then I would recommend Manhattan instead of the bibles. The bibles are great but they don't necessarily go as in depth as Manhattan does. They are cheaper too

Yeah, big fan of The LSAT Trainer And Manhattan Prep's LSAT books. I am using both and can attest they are great. I'd also say to check out 7Sage's course I am a big, big fan of it. And I think it fits nicely into your time frame.

If you're just looking for books/schedule I think going with The LSAT Trainer 16 Week Schedule + Manhattan Prep books. That should give you everything you need. Be careful not burn through your PTS too soon, as 8-12 months if a long way away.

you're right -- that's one of my worries. Could I ask how you'd recommend me dividing up the 8-12 months whilst utilizing both those books?

I would go through the LSAT Trainer once. Do the drill inside and don't do any of the PTs or worry about following the schedule.

I'm not sure of your schedule or how much time you have to study over this next 8-12 months, so how long this will all take will depend on that. But here is a little customized study outline. I'll throw together for you. And feel free to adjust as you see fit. I'm going to make it for 12 months because I think it is better to give yourself more time and if you finish early and feel like you're ready, you'll know it and the PT's will be the evidence.

Think of your prep as a three-phase project. First, you want to immerse yourself in curricula and learn all the types of questions and the nuances they have. Second you want to drill and master the techniques you learned. Ans third, you are going to bring it all together to PT and Blind review.

Month 1,2,3,4: Go through the LSAT Trainer following the 16-Week LSAT Trainer Schedule. Don't do the PTs yet! Do make sure you begin to start drilling games though.
Months 4,5,6, : Read the Manhattan Prep Books (I figure one section a month makes sense to focus on, take more time if you need) and begin drilling question by types/Games after each chapter.

Month 6-12 PT, blind review, review lessons, drill weaknesses. Rinse and repeat.

Now this is meant to customize as is the 16 Week trainer guide. Some week you might be able to get through 2 weeks worth of the work and others may have you too busy to finish much of anything. So it is nice to have the longer timeline to account for uncertainties and whatnot.

Let me know if you need any more guidance along the way. I know how hard it can be to get statrted!

Barack O'Drama wrote:

thedevilsarered wrote:

Barack O'Drama wrote:

USayinBoalt wrote:

thedevilsarered wrote:

USayinBoalt wrote:the general formula for studying is: learn the basics, drill by type, drill sections, take prep tests, drill weaknesses/blind review, and more prep tests with blind review

I would say not to follow the 4 month plans because they generally include taking more recent prep tests as well condensing material to fit within the 4 months prior to taking the LSAT. You can create your own effective plan just by following the general formula that I put above

Thanks for pointing that out. Just as a follow-up: which books do you recommend I start off with first? LSAT trainer and then the Bibles?

The LSAT Trainer is great, I would definitely get that to start and then I would recommend Manhattan instead of the bibles. The bibles are great but they don't necessarily go as in depth as Manhattan does. They are cheaper too

Yeah, big fan of The LSAT Trainer And Manhattan Prep's LSAT books. I am using both and can attest they are great. I'd also say to check out 7Sage's course I am a big, big fan of it. And I think it fits nicely into your time frame.

If you're just looking for books/schedule I think going with The LSAT Trainer 16 Week Schedule + Manhattan Prep books. That should give you everything you need. Be careful not burn through your PTS too soon, as 8-12 months if a long way away.

you're right -- that's one of my worries. Could I ask how you'd recommend me dividing up the 8-12 months whilst utilizing both those books?

I would go through the LSAT Trainer once. Do the drill inside and don't do any of the PTs or worry about following the schedule.

I'm not sure of your schedule or how much time you have to study over this next 8-12 months, so how long this will all take will depend on that. But here is a little customized study outline. I'll throw together for you. And feel free to adjust as you see fit. I'm going to make it for 12 months because I think it is better to give yourself more time and if you finish early and feel like you're ready, you'll know it and the PT's will be the evidence.

Think of your prep as a three-phase project. First, you want to immerse yourself in curricula and learn all the types of questions and the nuances they have. Second you want to drill and master the techniques you learned. Ans third, you are going to bring it all together to PT and Blind review.

Month 1,2,3,4: Go through the LSAT Trainer following the 16-Week LSAT Trainer Schedule. Don't do the PTs yet! Do make sure you begin to start drilling games though.
Months 4,5,6, : Read the Manhattan Prep Books (I figure one section a month makes sense to focus on, take more time if you need) and begin drilling question by types/Games after each chapter.

Month 6-12 PT, blind review, review lessons, drill weaknesses. Rinse and repeat.

Now this is meant to customize as is the 16 Week trainer guide. Some week you might be able to get through 2 weeks worth of the work and others may have you too busy to finish much of anything. So it is nice to have the longer timeline to account for uncertainties and whatnot.

Let me know if you need any more guidance along the way. I know how hard it can be to get statrted!

Bless you. Seriously. I really appreciate you taking the time out to provide me with some guidance. I think I'm most likely going to follow a similar plan.

Also how does this sound: utilizing the Trainer, LG bible and the Manhattan LG books for each individual month (respectively) between months 1-3? And then repeating that method for RC and LR for months 4-6 and 7-9 respectively. And then spending the last three months just to PT, blind review, review lessons and drill weaknesses? Basically months 1-9 would involve me familiarizing myself with the concepts/methods of each book + drilling.

Also, is there a particular reason why you don't recommend the Powerscore Bibles? I kinda already bought those books a few months back...

thedevilsarered wrote:

Barack O'Drama wrote:

thedevilsarered wrote:

Barack O'Drama wrote:

USayinBoalt wrote:

thedevilsarered wrote:

USayinBoalt wrote:the general formula for studying is: learn the basics, drill by type, drill sections, take prep tests, drill weaknesses/blind review, and more prep tests with blind review

I would say not to follow the 4 month plans because they generally include taking more recent prep tests as well condensing material to fit within the 4 months prior to taking the LSAT. You can create your own effective plan just by following the general formula that I put above

Thanks for pointing that out. Just as a follow-up: which books do you recommend I start off with first? LSAT trainer and then the Bibles?

The LSAT Trainer is great, I would definitely get that to start and then I would recommend Manhattan instead of the bibles. The bibles are great but they don't necessarily go as in depth as Manhattan does. They are cheaper too

Yeah, big fan of The LSAT Trainer And Manhattan Prep's LSAT books. I am using both and can attest they are great. I'd also say to check out 7Sage's course I am a big, big fan of it. And I think it fits nicely into your time frame.

If you're just looking for books/schedule I think going with The LSAT Trainer 16 Week Schedule + Manhattan Prep books. That should give you everything you need. Be careful not burn through your PTS too soon, as 8-12 months if a long way away.

you're right -- that's one of my worries. Could I ask how you'd recommend me dividing up the 8-12 months whilst utilizing both those books?

I would go through the LSAT Trainer once. Do the drill inside and don't do any of the PTs or worry about following the schedule.

I'm not sure of your schedule or how much time you have to study over this next 8-12 months, so how long this will all take will depend on that. But here is a little customized study outline. I'll throw together for you. And feel free to adjust as you see fit. I'm going to make it for 12 months because I think it is better to give yourself more time and if you finish early and feel like you're ready, you'll know it and the PT's will be the evidence.

Think of your prep as a three-phase project. First, you want to immerse yourself in curricula and learn all the types of questions and the nuances they have. Second you want to drill and master the techniques you learned. Ans third, you are going to bring it all together to PT and Blind review.

Month 1,2,3,4: Go through the LSAT Trainer following the 16-Week LSAT Trainer Schedule. Don't do the PTs yet! Do make sure you begin to start drilling games though.
Months 4,5,6, : Read the Manhattan Prep Books (I figure one section a month makes sense to focus on, take more time if you need) and begin drilling question by types/Games after each chapter.

Month 6-12 PT, blind review, review lessons, drill weaknesses. Rinse and repeat.

Now this is meant to customize as is the 16 Week trainer guide. Some week you might be able to get through 2 weeks worth of the work and others may have you too busy to finish much of anything. So it is nice to have the longer timeline to account for uncertainties and whatnot.

Let me know if you need any more guidance along the way. I know how hard it can be to get statrted!

Bless you. Seriously. I really appreciate you taking the time out to provide me with some guidance. I think I'm most likely going to follow a similar plan.

Also how does this sound: utilizing the Trainer, LG bible and the Manhattan LG books for each individual month (respectively) between months 1-3? And then repeating that method for RC and LR for months 4-6 and 7-9 respectively. And then spending the last three months just to PT, blind review, review lessons and drill weaknesses? Basically months 1-9 would involve me familiarizing myself with the concepts/methods of each book + drilling.

Also, is there a particular reason why you don't recommend the Powerscore Bibles? I kinda already bought those books a few months back...

Of course! I love the LSAT/helping people with it believe it or not. I've spent a lot of time studying how to study if that makes sense lol.

I think your plan looks good! I do not think you need 2 books on LG, but I also don't think it will hurt to get another perspective.

Particular reasons I don't recommend the Powerscore Bibles? Well, it is not that I don't recommend them per say, I just think they have their place in the prep process. I think they are a bit gimmicky whereas the MLSAT books are more rooted in logic. So I think it is very useful to start with them to learn the basics. MLSAT really teaches you to attack arguments and find the argument cores with surgical precision.

I still think the LRB and LGB are useful, but after having read through them AND Manhattan LSAT Prep it became very clear that the bibles are great to start off with and geared towards the average LSAT student. (BTW, the average LSAT student scores in the 150s) Manhattan Prep books just feel more geared towards students aiming for a score in the 99th%-tile.

I do think they are useful though when starting out. Because Manhattan takes a very high-level approach to the different sections and I think it might be more difficult for someone who is just starting off to appreciate/learn right away. So the Bibles in that way seem a bit better.

That said, The RC Bible I felt was 100% useless, so I definitely do not recommend it because of that. To me, it felt like passages and explanations with no real strategy or concepts to learn that were useful.


So if you want to go through the LR and LG Bibles I think that is wise. I think both are still great books for learning the fundamentals.

PowerScore used to be a savior for me because I thought "Yay, I know logic and reasoning!"
But that was when I was a beginner... If I could go back, I would've never wasted my time with the Bibles.
The LSAT Trainer and Manhattan Prep are also really great, and I'd recommend them, but 7Sage is the best of the best.

Deardevil wrote:PowerScore used to be a savior for me because I thought "Yay, I know logic and reasoning!"
But that was when I was a beginner... If I could go back, I would've never wasted my time with the Bibles.
The LSAT Trainer and Manhattan Prep are also really great, and I'd recommend them, but 7Sage is the best of the best.

Thanks for your responses! What differences did you notice between the Bibles and the Trainer? I ask because it seems as though both books are recommended to solidify one's basics.

Additionally, Deardevil, are you referring to 7Sage's online courses or their free LG explanations?

Barack O'Drama wrote:Of course! I love the LSAT/helping people with it believe it or not. I've spent a lot of time studying how to study if that makes sense lol.

I think your plan looks good! I do not think you need 2 books on LG, but I also don't think it will hurt to get another perspective.

Particular reasons I don't recommend the Powerscore Bibles? Well, it is not that I don't recommend them per say, I just think they have their place in the prep process. I think they are a bit gimmicky whereas the MLSAT books are more rooted in logic. So I think it is very useful to start with them to learn the basics. MLSAT really teaches you to attack arguments and find the argument cores with surgical precision.

I still think the LRB and LGB are useful, but after having read through them AND Manhattan LSAT Prep it became very clear that the bibles are great to start off with and geared towards the average LSAT student. (BTW, the average LSAT student scores in the 150s) Manhattan Prep books just feel more geared towards students aiming for a score in the 99th%-tile.

I do think they are useful though when starting out. Because Manhattan takes a very high-level approach to the different sections and I think it might be more difficult for someone who is just starting off to appreciate/learn right away. So the Bibles in that way seem a bit better.

That said, The RC Bible I felt was 100% useless, so I definitely do not recommend it because of that. To me, it felt like passages and explanations with no real strategy or concepts to learn that were useful.


So if you want to go through the LR and LG Bibles I think that is wise. I think both are still great books for learning the fundamentals.

Can't multi-quote for some reason, so I'm copy-pasting the above question again:

Thanks for your responses! What differences did you notice between the Bibles and the Trainer? I ask because it seems as though both books are recommended to solidify one's basics.

The Logical Reasoning Bible rambles about useless mumbo jumbo, like percentages,
though it did help me realize the difference between volume and ratio.
It also introduces a double-not arrow, which is never used... Overall, the methods for tackling question types just do not click.

The Logic Games Bible is slightly better, but I found 7Sage to be superior in both LG and LR.

The LSAT Trainer includes LG, LR, and RC, doing a fine job in all aspects in terms of building a foundation.

Manhattan Prep goes more in depth, as it assumes you would already have the basics down.

Take the 7Sage course; you will not regret it! Good luck with your prep.

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