Articles published in 2016

Taking the September 2016 LSAT? Matt and Mary Have Some Study Advice for You

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Introducing our Brand New 5th Edition LSAT Strategy Guides!

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Manhattan Prep GMAT Blog - Introducing Our Brand New LSAT Strategy Guides! by Matt ShinnersLearning science has come a long way in recent years, and we’ve been learning with it. We incorporate the latest discoveries in learning science into our LSAT course to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of your prep. Want to see? Try the first session of any of our upcoming courses for free.


Our brand new 5th Edition LSAT Strategy Guides have just been released! These new, improved books add more content, more drills, and more mastery to our prior editions, while still keeping the lessons that have served our students well for the past two years. Read more

How to Pick the Best Diagram for a Logic Game on the LSAT

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - How to Pick the Best diagram for a Logic Game by Allison BellLearning science has come a long way in recent years, and we’ve been learning with it. We incorporate the latest discoveries in learning science into our LSAT course to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of your prep. Want to see? Try the first session of any of our upcoming courses for free.


Summer is here, and it is full of decisions. Will you do your logic games at the beach or poolside? Will you re-apply sunscreen or get through this LG section on time? The LSAT’s logic games section is similarly full of important decisions. One of the most important is how you will diagram each game. To guide me through that process, I use a sort of “decision tree.” Here are the steps. Read more

Closer Reading: The Stories Behind LSAT RC Passages and LR Questions – PrepTest 56, Section 4, Passage 1

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - Stories Behind the LSAT: Amos Tutola by Matt ShninersUnder the time constraints of the LSAT, you won’t have time to appreciate some of the great content in the Reading Comprehension passages and Logical Reasoning questions. In this blog series, we’re slowing things down to tell some of the most interesting stories from the test and explain how they can aid in your LSAT prep.


Anyone who took PrepTest 56 learned a little about Amos Tutuola and his folktales (not novels), as the author classified them, in the reading comprehension questions of section 4, passage 1. He wrote in the African oral tradition, according to the passage, and his works should be viewed through that lens.

But what else can we learn about the man? Read more

Looking for Law School Admissions Advice? Check out Stratus Admissions Counseling

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - Introducing Our Newest Partner: Stratus Admissions Counseling by Manhattan Prep

Here at Manhattan Prep, we’re proud to announce our newest LSAT partner: Stratus Admissions Counseling. Stratus is a premier admissions counseling firm that can help you achieve your dream of attending law school. How does it work? Read more

Closer Reading: The Stories Behind RC Passages and LR Questions – PrepTest 37, Section 1, Passage 3

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - Stories Behind the Test: Ralph Ellison by Matt ShinnersUnder the time constraints of the LSAT, you won’t have time to appreciate some of the great content in the Reading Comprehension passages and Logical Reasoning questions. In this blog series, we’re slowing things down to tell some of the most interesting stories from the test and explain how they can aid in your LSAT prep.


Ralph Ellison and his most famous novel, The Invisible Man, featured prominently in passage 3 of PrepTest 37’s Reading Comprehension section, which suggests the writers of the LSAT felt that the average reader wouldn’t know much about him. After all, they try to pick more obscure subjects to avoid giving anyone an advantage. Hopefully, however, this post makes him slightly more visible to the average LSAT prepper! Read more

Enter to Have a One-Month-Out LSAT Study Plan Delivered Especially for you on Facebook Live

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - One Month Out Sept. 2016 LSAT Study PlanningThe September 2016 LSAT (soon-to-be PrepTest 79) is fast approaching, and you’ll want to use your time wisely from here on out if you want to be prepared for the test. Read more

I’m in Love with the June 2007 LSAT and I Need to Tell You All About It! – Part 5

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - I'm in Love with the June 2007 LSAT and I Need to Tell You All About It - Part 5 by Chris GentryThis is a continuation of a series of posts exploring the June 2007 LSAT in detail. My goal is to demonstrate where hidden opportunities lie; then, using these analyses as a template, you can find those hidden opportunities in other practice tests. And, of course, find them on test day! Why the June 2007 LSAT? Because this is the LSAT all potential test takers can freely access; this is where most test takers probably begin their prep. And I want to give you some help from the ground up, so to speak!


So, we’ve covered some basics in LR and RC. In LR, we looked at some problems that most test takers skip, and why they shouldn’t. In later posts, we examined speed in LR and in RC. If you haven’t read any of those previous posts, you can start at Part 1.

But we haven’t talked about LG yet.

 Why leave LG for last? Read more

We Reviewed the June 2016 LSAT on Facebook Live. Here’s How it Went.

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - June 2016 LSAT Review - Published!Last week, Manhattan Prep instructors Matt Shinners (180 LSAT, Harvard Law JD) and Christine Defenbaugh (180 LSAT, Columbia Law JD) broke down the June 2016 LSAT (Prep Test 78) on July 7th, 2016 on Facebook Live. Read more

How Does the LSAC Calculate Undergraduate GPA?

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - How Does the LSAC Calculate Undergraduate GPA? - by Daniel Coogan of Stratus Prep

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person LSAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


After submitting their transcripts to the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), many applicants are perplexed to find that the cumulative GPA that LSAC reports is not the same as the GPA as calculated by their undergraduate institutions.  When this happens, the discrepancy is the result of a difference between the GPA calculation policies of the LSAC and the applicant’s undergraduate institution.

But why, you might ask, does LSAC go through the trouble of conducting its own GPA calculation? And how does the LSAC calculate undergraduate GPA? Read more