This 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!

If you haven’t seen part 1 or part 2, you may want to take some time to go back and read those.

Today we take a step away from Logical Reasoning, the focus of the previous two posts, and begin an exploration of Reading Comprehension (RC).

There are several aspects of RC that make it an intriguing component of the LSAT. One aspect that may be commonly overlooked is very basic: the number of questions! In terms of questions per section, no single section has as many questions as RC. And in terms of questions per source material, no question type has as many questions that focus on the same source.

This post will be broken into two separate components: analysis of the passage, and analysis of the questions and answers. There are two basic reasons for

So RC is unique in one unfortunate way: it’s possible you may be looking at 8 questions that completely freeze you, and that you have no idea how to efficiently answer, if you’re missing a core process to effectively read the passage. In the next post, we will look at some common challenging aspects to RC passages, but today, I’d like to consider RC from a different point of view: Read more

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.

Here’s the situation: The University of Arizona College of Law recently started accepting GRE scores in addition to LSAT scores from applicants for admission. Last week, The Wall Street Journal covered the move and the LSAC’s subsequent threat to ban the school from membership. Then, just yesterday, news broke that 148 deans of LSAC member law schools sent a letter to the LSAC’s president in support of Arizona Law. The issue has raised many pertinent questions about the merits of each test relative to the other as barometers for law school fitness. We wanted answers, so we turned to Mary Richter, LSAT (175) and GRE (166Q/168V) instructor and graduate of Yale Law School. Here’s what she had to say: Read more

Learning 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.

The LSAT is a hard test. No doubt about it. When well under 100 people out of 100,000 taking the test every year get a perfect score (with even fewer of those getting nothing wrong), you’ve succeeded in making a hard test.

But while the test overall is difficult, that doesn’t mean that each step of answering questions is (those in a class might recognize that conclusion as a whole-vs-part flaw). To me, the difficulty of the LSAT isn’t that it asks you to make huge, difficult leaps; it’s that it asks you to do a whole lot of small steps without making a mistake.

What learning science tells us is that, to master these small steps, you need to do a few things: Read more

This 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!

Miss our previous post? Check it out here.

In our continued struggle for LSAT mastery, there are many vital considerations: Read more

Learning science has come a long way in recent years, and we’ve been learning with it. On March 23rd, 2016, we’re launching a new kind of class that will revolutionize efficiency and efficacy in LSAT prep. Intrigued? Try it out for free.

Missed Part 1 of our Learning Science and the LSAT series? Read it here!

Here’s a weird—yet true—statement: You can’t really learn something until you’ve forgotten it.

Huh? Read more

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.

It’s your LSAT test day. Things are going smoothly. You’ve dominated the first and second logic games. You flip confidently to the third one and begin reading. Your stomach turns. This doesn’t look familiar at all! You have no idea what diagram to use! Rule number three looks like you’ll need the Rosetta Stone to crack it. If someone could take a picture of your face right now, you better believe you’d be an internet meme in no time flat. Thank goodness no cell phones are allowed. Read more

Learning science has come a long way in recent years, and we’ve been learning with it. On March 23rd, we’re launching a new kind of class that will revolutionize efficiency and efficacy in LSAT prep. Intrigued? Try it out for free.

We’ve all had this experience: We take a class with a few friends. It’s a hard class. Some of you spend more time studying than others. And, many times, those who put in the least amount of effort end up doing the best.

It’s painful. It seems unfair. And we could rally against the inequity of the situation—or chalk it up to natural ability, which really doesn’t help those who put in more effort.

Or we could learn from it. Read more

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.

February scores came out this week, and your score was either lower than expected, higher than expected, or right where you expected it. Brilliant analysis, I know!

If it went as expected, or better than expected, and you’re happy with your score, stop reading! Go celebrate. Send in last-minute applications, or update ones you’ve already sent in.

If, however, it didn’t go as well as you had hoped, this article’s for you. Read more

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.

One of the most unforgiving parts of the LSAT, especially in Reading Comprehension, is the vocabulary. It may be just one tough word that, like a big splotch of bird droppings on your car window, makes it hard to get the “full picture” of a question or passage. Even worse, sometimes there’s a whole slew of technical vocabulary, like a thick sheet of ice covering your entire windshield: if you don’t clear things up, you won’t have a clue where you’re going.

So today we’ll tackle two kinds of vocabulary challenges the LSAT throws at you. Read more

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.

It’s the day before the LSAT, but every piece of advice out there says you should be putting the books down and relaxing. And they’re right–you absolutely should not be doing any work today, as there’s almost no chance it will help you on the exam tomorrow. You’re very unlikely to have a breakthrough that translates to a huge score increase; you’re much more likely to tire yourself out before the big game.

But I know you. You’re type-A. You’re going to do something today.

So here are a few things you can do the day before the LSAT without tiring yourself out.

Go Over Your Game Day Strategies

Are you hitting all four games, or are you going to focus on three and then pick up as many points as you can on the last one? Are you leaving the Match the Reasoning/Flaw questions until the end? Are you leaving the science passage for last, or are you tackling it first while you’re fresh?

Maximizing your score on the LSAT isn’t just about learning the logic; you also have to know how you’re going to approach the test to score at the top of your score range. You don’t need to get everything right to hit your target score (even 180s can come from a few errors). So go over the strategies you’ve already practiced that resulted in the highest scores.

Go Over Your Question Strategies

For the love of everything that is dear to you, don’t do a practice section the day before the LSAT. Don’t do questions. Put the book down–you’re as likely to freak yourself out over every mistake as you are to actually learn anything new.

However, spend some time thinking about your approach to the questions. For a Necessary Assumption question, what are some trends in the answer choices? For an Ordering game, what are the common wrinkles (3D, mismatch, etc…), and how would you tackle each one? Remind yourself of the process so that it’s fresh when you go in to take the test.

Prep for Test Day

Go through the LSAC list of what you need to bring and what you’re allowed to bring. Figure out how you’re getting to the testing center and how you’re getting home. You can make plans for after the test (since your friends and family probably want to see you again), but give yourself a few hours after the exam so you don’t feel panicked if the test goes long.

Additionally, find 5-10 LR questions and a game or passage to bring with you to the test center to warm up. Make sure they’re easy questions you’ve done before and you completely understand–this is just to get your brain shifted into LSAT gear. Be sure to show up a little early so you can walk through them quickly, and then toss them in the trash. It’s highly cathartic.

Relax

At this point, there are two things that will determine how well you do tomorrow: the specific questions on the test, and how relaxed you are. You already know all the logic you’re going to know, and the questions are out of your hands.

So focus on the one thing you can control—your mental state. Go for a jog, if that’s your thing. Enjoy massages? Schedule one. Watch a movie or some television. Get yourself mentally relaxed so that you don’t go into the exam more nervous than necessary.

Because you will be nervous. There’s no way around that, and there’s nothing wrong with it. But you’ve got this. Seriously, you’re ready. So use those nerves to focus yourself on the test, and good luck! ?

Don’t forget 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.

Matt Shinners is a Manhattan Prep instructor based in New York City. After receiving a degree in Biochemistry from Boston College, Matt scored a 180 on his LSAT and enrolled in Harvard Law School. There’s nothing that makes him happier than seeing his students receive the scores they want to get into the schools of their choice. Check out Matt’s upcoming LSAT courses here!