She's probably hanging out with your December LSAT score

@*&%$#^!!!

That pretty much sums up the collective sentiment of December 2011 LSAT takers everywhere. Forget Waldo and Carmen Sandiego, where the #$&% are the December LSAT scores?! Well, the wait is over:  LSAT scores started rolling out at approximately 5:20pm EST. The curve for the December exam was -14 for a 170, -28 for a 160.

Remember, it is inadvisable to open up that email from LSAC while driving a car, operating heavy machinery, or standing in the same room as minors or others who might object to vulgarity.

Lastly, remember to check out our free review of the December LSAT happening next Tuesday night. Two of our geekiest instructors will be on hand to review some of the more difficult games from the exam, as well as give their sage-like advise on whether or not you should consider a retake.

Best of luck!

In some ways, the wait for the December LSAT scores to be released by LSAC may be a little easier than the other three test implementations, given

The Art of the Sketchy Attorney Billboard - via Copyranter

the number of distractions that this time of year can provide. Try telling that to someone who has spent the last 8 months studying, however, and I’m sure they could convince you otherwise. When it does finally get released, be sure to join our Free December 2011 LSAT Review Session.

Regardless, I know most December 2011 LSAT takers are craving some sort analysis/advice as to when that crucial  email will hit inboxes. Past trends tell us that you can anticipate scores being released some time either shortly after Christmas, or shortly after New Year’s Day. Last year, scores were released on January 6th – but for SEVERAL years prior, scores were  released before the New Year.  It remains to be seen if last year’s January release date was an anomaly, or the start of a new trend of later December LSAT score releases.

In the meantime, if you’re looking for lawyer-ly things to pass your time, check out this hilarious blog entry from ‘copyranter’ depicting six hysterical roadside billboards advertising local attorneys. It’s worth a click- I promise!

T-2 days until the December LSAT. For those of you who are going to take the plunge, we’ve got some last minute tips for you. There are many great nuggets of advice in that article, so definitely check it out if you’re wondering what the best use of your final hours might be.

This post, however, focuses on a very specific piece of advice for your LSAT day. We’ve written in the past about the relatively new LSAC policy which requires test takers to present photo ID upon entering their testing center.

Amazingly, LSAC has posted a litany of unintentionally hilarious photos on their website as example of what type of photo is NOT acceptable on test day. How is one to resist poking some fun at this?!

Here are my favorites of the unacceptable photos:

“Head too big” is the heading on this one. If only the LSAC really did deny test takers who suffered from an inflated ego – or people with mustaches.

Artistic types need not apply.

Phillies fans are out of luck..

The family portrait is frowned upon as well. Save it for the Holiday card!

All kidding aside, here’s the nitty gritty in terms of what you need to have with you on test day in terms of photo identification:

• The photograph must be clear enough so there is no doubt about your identity.
• It must be no larger than 2 x 2 inches (5 x 5 cm) and no smaller than 1 x 1 inch (3 x 3 cm).
• Your face in the photograph must show you as you look on the day of the test (for example, with or without a beard).

Good luck on Saturday!

New statistics released by LSAC show that the number of LSAT-takers has declined over the past few years.

According to the statistics recently posted on LSAC’s website, there was a 16.9% decrease in LSAT ‘administrations’ (LSAC’s term for tests given) in October 2011 compared to October 2010. The number of October 2010 LSAT administrations was also down 10.5% from the previous year (when a record number of students–60,746– took the exam). October administrations aside, the data shows that overall, there have been fewer LSATs administered over the last two years:

Law School Aspirations, in Line Graph Form

Notice that there are two major “spikes” in LSAT administrations over the years.  Did law school suddenly become the “in” thing to do? Did LSAC and the ABA run some sort of blockbuster ad campaign for law school in 2002 and 2009?  Not quite. In 2002, right after the ‘dotcom bubble’ burst, LSAT administrations were up a whopping 23.5%!  In 2009, shortly after our economy plunged into a recession (that we’re still trying to climb out of), LSAT administrations increased by 19.8%. Correlation certainly does not mean causation, but hey – this isn’t an LSAT question – and I’m proud of my theory!

One explanation for these increases could be that during times of economic uncertainty, people are more attracted to careers that are seen to be secure routes to a comfortable income. Historically, a career in law has been held in this regard (although the New York Times would disagree). Perhaps this mini-dip in administrations means the recession is finally over!?

What does this news mean for you, the prospective law school student?  Well, you’re probably encouraged by these trends, as this likely means that there are fewer students applying for those coveted 1L spots in our nation’s law schools–here’s hoping!

What do you think?  Is the spike in LSAT-takers during times of economic hardship strictly coincidence? Are you feeling better about your chances based on this data?  Or do you think competition for the top law schools will be as stiff as it’s ever been?

After weeks of anticipation, the October LSAT scores have finally been released by LSAC!  The curve was -13 for a 170, -28 for a 160, and -45 for a 150 (out of 101 questions).  This is a generous curve, as we typically see 170 scores around a -10.  How did you do?

He just heard the news of the October LSAT score release

Hopefully you’re where you need to be and thus can start focusing on applications. For the rest of us mere mortals, there is still some work to do.

I would suggest attending our free online review of the October LSAT on Wednesday of this week. Two our our geeky-est instructors will be going over the more difficult questions on the exam, and providing some insight in to the “should I retake?”  dilemma that many of you are likely facing now.

If the December LSAT is in your future, be sure to get yourself registered before Monday’s (October 31st) deadline.

Be sure to tweet your LSAT score @ManhattanLSAT for a chance to win a cool prize!

Things to Stay Clear of on Test Day

As we close in on the October LSAT, I thought I would share our usual tips to keep you on track as game day draws near. What’s that you say – you’re not sure if you are ready, willing, or able to take the October LSAT?  Before you go pushing the panic button, make sure you are making all of the proper considerations about which test administration you should take.

If you’re full steam ahead for the October exam, here is some advice for the final hours that our Managing Director, Noah Teitelbaum, wrote for our good friend Ann Levine on LawSchoolExpert.com’s blog:

1. Focus on the main event. Right about now we see on our LSAT forums  lots of questions about unimportant topics and students freaking out about the hardest LSAT questions in written history. Rare question and game types are rare! If you find them tough, that’s not a big deal. What is important is that you are able to get the easy and common ones correct without wasting too much time, leaving you enough time for the rare question or game. And, games are generally more consistent today than in days of yore, so don’t freak out if you think CD game or the Zephyr airlines game is hard – they were! Focus on capitalizing on your strengths, not trying to do an emergency patch-up of a minor weakness. Read more

Did you put up the numbers you were hoping for?

If you took the June LSAT and didn’t know that the scores were just released, you are a hermit! Go check your e-mail inbox!

For the rest of you non-hermits, if you’d like to review that LSAT with us, we’re holding a free Live Online Workshop on July 11^th, at 8pm ET.

You rocked the LSAT? Awesome – good luck with your applications.

You didn’t rock it? Let’s talk. If you decide to retake, you should know that the average re-taker only does a few points better, so you better dig deep to beat that statistic! Don’t just repeat what you did last time and expect a different result – that’s the definition of insanity. Take a look at our various prep options. And, if you already took a class with someone else (gasp!), we’ve got a discount for “refugees” – folks who took another course and need to get down and dirty with us.

You kind of rocked it? Same advice as above – if you simply go and re-take, you’ll probably score about the same as this time. If you’re going to go for it, go for it. If you’d like to talk through this decision (and no, we don’t try to get everyone to take a class with us!), feel free to give us a call – (646)-254-6480 or shoot us an e-mail at studentservices@manhattanprep.com/lsat/.

The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) has put a new policy in place that benefits LSAT takers.  Starting with the upcoming (June 6^th ) exam, LSAT takers now have the option to withdraw their registration up until midnight (EST) the day before the exam (i.e. June 5^th).

Prior to the implementation of this new rule, students were required to decide if they wanted to withdraw from the test before the Test Date Change Deadline– which was usually about three weeks before the test date–leaving little leeway for those who remained unsure about their readiness during the last few weeks of their prep programs.This policy was especially unfair to those students who encountered unforeseen life events that hindered their ability to take the exam.Now students may withdraw their registration without the worry of having an “absence” on their future score reports, which can sometimes be interpreted negatively by admissions councilors.

It should be noted that students who wish to transfer their registration fee still need to postpone their exam registration before the Test Date Change Deadline in order to retain the money they have paid.

Deep breath. It’s not the end of the world, but it is surprising: LSAT testing center security has increased. Red Alert LSAT Geeks! LSAC now requires a full-body scan of anyone who enters the testing site. They will use the same equipment used in airports and all images will be reviewed by T14 law school graduates. Those who refuse the scan will be subjected to a hearty frisking. Not surprisingly, students are pretty angry; all of the test-takers from UC Berkeley have announced they will arrive in kilts and opt for the frisk.

No, no – it’s not that bad. But, it is slightly more inconvenient: you now need to bring a photo of yourself (along with your approved photo ID, your ticket, etc. – read about all of it on LSAC’s website). The picture must be of you within the last 6 months, and if right before test day you dye your hair, put your beard into dreadlocks, or pierce your forehead with a horseshoe, be sure to have  a picture of you with your new look. The photo needs to be no larger than 2 x 2 and no smaller than 1 x 1. Basically, get a passport photo. It’s definitely annoying – and what irks me most is that I now have to wonder whether people have actually gotten away with sending in an LSAT geek-double to take the test for them (or is the question, how many have gotten away with it?). Apparently, the usual photo ID and the affidavit that LSAC has you write in cursive were not enough to scare away evil-doers. (In case you’re wondering about the cursive requirement, studies prove that writing in cursive legitimizes a statement more than any other type of writing except for using Comic Sans.)

On a related ridiculous note, back in the 70s, a guy traveled the world using a passport in which he had replaced his photo with that of his dog. This speaks volumes for one of several things: the sense of security that existed in the world in the 70s despite the cold war, the theory that people look like their dogs, or the general state of that guy’s face or his dog’s.

So, off to your local drugstore for the picture. Say something witty as the camera clicks to bring a smile to your face as you prepare to destroy the LSAT on test day.

Apparently, everybody is writing a book these days. John Beer, our Chicago teacher-poet penned an award-winning collection of poems. And LSAC released another book of LSATs. These are the most current ones out there (I guess I could be referring to John’s poems, but I’m talking about the LSATs now). The nice thing about this is that all of these tests included a comparative passage in the reading comprehension section. It’s good to get more practice with this passage type. LSAC started using those in June 2007, so there aren’t  too many examples out there.

The other good news is that this is another way to study on the cheap! Since so many LSAT preppers are ramen-noodle fueled college students, let me outline a cheapo method for prepping for the LSAT on your own:

1. Buy some LSATs: 10 More… The Next 10… and, introducing…. 10 New Actual LSAT PrepTests w/Comparative Reading. (Only a lawyer could appreciate these gripping titles.) By the way, you can no doubt get most of these on Amazon for cheaper. Also, you can buy some pretty cool collections of questions from Cambridge LSAT – (if you go this route, you probably you won’t need the first book above, 10 More…)

2. Buy our guides. (And hey, go right ahead and save a few bucks and buy them on Amazon – let’s be real.)

3. Download our syllabus (you get free access to a syllabus and a bunch of online resources when you buy our books). Follow the directions. Stir frequently over medium-high flame.

All in all, this should cost you about $120. Then, if you need to, you can buy recordings of our classes for a couple of hundred. Boom, you’ve got quite an arsenal.

Anyway, congrats, LSAC! I will say that the covers are getting increasingly depressing, but let’s face it, this is the LSAT, not The Master and Margarita (my favorite book).