How to Improve Your LSAT Score
I know, I know — could I have made a more terribly generic title??? This is kind of the holy grail of test preparation: a one-stop, explain everything article that immediately gives all the answers to how to improve scores on test day!
And I wish I could write that post. I really, really do. But sadly, this won’t have all the answers.
It will, however, have some of the answers! As you read, I would imagine at least one of the answers will sound like a ‘common sense’ or ‘captain obvious’ recommendation. If you’re wondering why I still feel it’s worth writing here, just know that I speak here from too many observations of people severely hindering their progress when they neglect one or more of the following ideas.
So, “how do I improve my LSAT score?”
Improving Your LSAT Score Tip #1: Study Consistently
The LSAT is not a test built around content: learning facts and formulae will not do much for your score. Instead, it’s a test built around developing specific skills, applying those skills under pressure, and making a persistent change to the way you think.
Those kinds of developments and changes do not happen without consistent efforts. So if your study plan is to slap all your efforts into one weekend day, and not touch the LSAT at all the other days of the week, you’re going to have a bad time.
Make a daily effort, even if some days are only 30 minutes. You need consistency in your studies, or you’re not going to see the improvement you want.
Some people have the internal discipline to stick to this kind of schedule without external deadlines or limitations. I was, and to some extent still am, not one of those people. I would say I work best under a deadline, but let’s be real: it’s not that I work best under a deadline, it’s that I only work under a deadline! If you’re like me, you don’t want to try this solo: find a study partner or class to join. Get something with external accountability for yourself!
Improving Your LSAT Score Tip #2: Don’t allow your feelings to override numbers.
This may sound cold, but it’s pretty basic: are you scared of the logic games? Or reading comprehension? Many, many people allow their discomfort in one of these two sections to dictate their studies, when the logical reasoning sections are actually where they have more points to gain.
Take a practice test, and see where you can gain the most points, not where you felt the least comfortable! If those two are the same, then fine: but if they’re not, be very aware of how much you plan your studies around your anxiety versus how much you plan your studies around point gains.
Improving Your LSAT Score Tip #3: Study conditional logic!
For the love of all that’s good and beautiful in your life, don’t put off studying conditional logic!!! Learn how to diagram even the most complicated conditional statements. Make sure ‘unless’ statements are second nature to you. Know what a biconditional is.
And really, really understand what conditional statements do and do not tell you!! Beware those subconscious incorrect reversals!!
There is an irony to Answer 2 and Answer 3 that you may not realize if you’re just beginning your studies. In Answer 2, I recommend not allowing discomfort to override actual points opportunities. And in Answer 3, I recommend you study an admittedly narrow band of LSAT content: something that likely does not have the greatest actual points return!!
What gives?!?!
Conditional logic, when you know it, allows you to answer a decent number of LR and LG questions correctly and quickly. And it’s certain: you move on to the next problem absolutely confident that you just answered a question correctly.
So the return here is based not only on points but also on speed. The pacing returns from solid conditional logic studies are substantial.
So don’t go into the LSAT without a solid understanding of conditional logic diagrams!!!
(In other words, could you diagram the previous sentence if it were an LR problem???)
Improving Your LSAT Score Tip #4: Study slowly.
Most people move much, much too quickly to question explanations. Explanations can be a necessary evil, but they are not your friend! If you’ve answered a question correctly, can you explain why the other answers are wrong? (Without merely saying ‘it’s out of scope’…ugh, please don’t let your explanation die with that sentence!!) If you’ve answered a question incorrectly, knowing the correct answer, can you articulate on paper a path to get to that correct answer?
Try each of the above for all your right and wrong answers to questions. (I’ll give a slight path to explaining all the wrongs on some logic games questions, but only if you’ve got a concrete diagram proving your correct answer.) Try it before you read an explanation.
As needed read the explanation, but read as little of the explanation as possible! The moment you think you could maybe retry the problem, retry it! Always push to make the path to the correct answer as much as possible a path you built yourself!
One last remaining component to Answer 4: delve deeply into LSAT-adjacent reading opportunities. Grab 5-10 official LSATs and turn to the last pages, near the answer sheet and answer keys. You’ll find there an “Acknowledgements” page, citing the source material for the RC passages. Any source that shows up in multiple LSATs is a source you want in your weekly reading repertoire. If you don’t see a source show up multiple times, pick some that you know you can find. (Scientific American, various law school Law Reviews, etc…) The more you can immerse yourself in the world of the LSAT, the more easily you’ll adapt to the demands of the test!
That’s it for the answers right now.
If all of this sounds like a lot…well, it is. It should be. You’re preparing for a test that you hope will showcase your ability to dive into a multi-year program of study that has a massive time commitment. If you could master the test in a week, it wouldn’t be a good test.
To recap:
- Consistent studies. Slow studies. Put a little bit of work in at least six days a week, and don’t cheat yourself by relying too readily on what other people did to find an answer. And read what the test writers read!
- Put your efforts where the points are! Don’t study a part of the test only because it feels good to study that part of the test…where are your major points gains?
- There is one content area pretty unique to this test, and it can be a major boost to your speed, confidence, and to a lesser extent, points achieved: conditional logic. Start your study of this topic yesterday!
Good luck!
NEXT: Top 3 Tips for Fitting LSAT Studying into a Busy Schedule
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.
Chris Gentry is a Manhattan Prep LSAT, GMAT, and GRE instructor who lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Chris received his Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from Clemson and JD from Emory University School of Law before realizing that he genuinely enjoys the challenge of standardized tests, and his true passion is teaching. Chris’ dual-pronged approach to understanding each test question has helped countless of his students to achieve their goal scores. What are you waiting for? Check out Chris’ upcoming LSAT courses here.