The Importance of the LSAT

The Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) is the single most important factor in the admissions decisions of nearly every law school in the United States. To give a rough estimate, I would gauge the breakdown of the weight given by admissions committees to each element of an application is as follows:


“Soft” factors can be considered all elements outside of the LSAT and undergraduate grade point average including graduate school GPA, choice of major, professional, international, leadership and volunteer experience, application essays, foreign language fluency, letters of recommendation, academic research, and legacy admissions. For soft factors to be weighed more in relation to the LSAT, they have to be AMAZING, ie. founding a very successful company, winning an Olympic medal, or spending ten years of your life caring for HIV-infected orphans in sub-Saharan Africa.

If you come from a university that admissions committees would be unfamiliar with, or graduated from a school outside of the United States, the LSAT may be weighed much more than 60%. Likewise, if you have been out of school for a long time, the LSAT may also be looked at as a clearer representation of your abilities than your undergraduate GPA.

It may seem hard to believe that the results of a 3.5 hour test substantially outweigh everything else you have accomplished in your life up to this point. However, with GPA inflation running rampant at universities across the country, and many applicants likewise inflating their accomplishments on resumes and CVs, law school admissions committees are left with the LSAT as the only clear measuring tool for the thousands of applications they receive yearly. The LSAT likewise has proven through several statistical studies to be most highly correlated of all admissions factors with first-year law school success. Students with high LSAT scores generally perform much better in law school than those with low LSAT scores.

To further illustrate my point, take a look at the following self-reported application data from the website www.lawschoolnumbers.com for Georgetown Law School 2009-2010 admissions cycle outcomes:

All those applicants accepted to Georgetown with an LSAT score of less than 168 are as a result of the underrepresented minority (URM) boost which is given to those of African, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Native American decent. While the lowest LSAT score of a non-URM candidate is a 168 (96th percentile of LSAT scores), the GPAs of those accepted dip all the way to 2.7 (around the 15th percentile of law school applicants). Just by eyeballing the graph, it is clear that applicants with exceptional GPAs (3.8+) and good LSAT scores (160-169) are almost always rejected. However, those with exceptional LSAT scores (170+) and good GPAs (3.3-3.8) are almost always accepted. Those with bad GPAs are sometimes accepted and many times out on the waitlist.

The point I am trying to make is that the LSAT is very, very important in getting accepted to whichever school you'd like to attend. This link has a list of the 25th/75th percentile LSAT scores for most law schools in the United States. If you are able to achieve the 75th percentile LSAT score for the school you wish to attend, you have a very good chance of being accepted. However, having a 75th Percentile GPA gives no assurance at all that you will be accepted.

Many applicants do not necessarily want to attend top schools like Harvard, Chicago, and Stanford. However, almost everyone wants to graduate from school with as little debt as possible. Getting an LSAT score which is high in comparison to other accepted students at your target school will open up the door to large amounts of financial aid. In many cases, a one point difference on the LSAT may make the difference between $60,000 and nothing offered in scholarship money.

Preparing as best as possible for the LSAT is a great investment. Whenever you lack motivation to study, remember that there is a great chance that you are paying yourself hundreds, if not thousands of dollars per extra hour of study you put in.

Start your personal preparation early and enroll in a good LSAT preparation course to gain an edge in the preparation process.

Improving at Reading Comprehension

The advice contained in this post will be most helpful if you already understand 1) the fundamentals of LSAT logical reasoning, and 2) the basics of reading for structure.

LSAT reading comprehension passages demand the ability to read for very fine detail while still understanding the main arguments made in the passage. In order to get a great score, you must be able to accomplish both of these objectives efficiently; rereading more than a few portions within an entire section will prevent you from finishing.

The following approach should limit the amount of rereading you have to do while increasing the speed at which you read. This system will improve your ability to consciously identify the important and unimportant elements of any passage, regardless of its topic or structure.

I would recommend taking 5-7 reading comprehension test sections (20-28 passages) and attempt each passage and then review. You should not take entire sections as once. Instead, take time to review each passage after you've attempted it. Every time you attempt a passaage, systematically mark the following items off:

1. Proper names and special jargon. Underline any proper names or terms which are pertinent to the topic at hand. This includes anyone not directly related to the topic, but still sharing their opinion on it. Unique terms or technical jargon should most definitely be underlined.

2. Viewpoints. If a viewpoint is ever shared, make sure to underline the first few words and put a “v1,” “v2,” etc. to differentiate each of the viewpoints in the passage. These viewpoints may present themselves as theories, causes, hypothesis, and explanations. Make sure to also identify and underline whoever holds the particular opinion.

3. Author’s opinion. If the author’s feelings or opinion is ever provided, underline this item immediately. It is likely one question will ask you to restate the author's opinion.

4. Time periods and dates. Underline shifts in time (1960s to the 1980s) and dates. These will serve as easy reference points for questions relating to particular time periods.

I’ve employed this annotation method in the following example. I've bolded words that would normally be underlined, annotated viewpoints, and written summaries underneath in italics.

“The Kuckamongo tribe of Ghana has authored ancient folk music played on the tiboro, a wooden wind instrument, for thousands of years. Music played on the tiboro had come to carry significant religious significance as early as 1400 AD. Some believe (v1) that the composers of tiboro music during this time wanted their music to convey ‘the deep spiritual devotion which overcomes all else in life.’ This is evidenced by wooden etchings portraying Phantosos (Kuckamongan diety) providing ordinary men and women glipses into the afterlife while several other men played tiboro music to accompany the Phantosos' arrival.

Tiboro music has religious significance

The first tiboro music, along with other melancholy African folk music made its way to the slave plantations of Georgia. This music evolved over centuries and eventually involved the accompanyment of other wind and string instruments in its composition. However, as its modes of music performance changed, Tiboro music still retained its deep spiritual meaning. Tiboro music is the forerunner of many types of popular American music genres today.

Tiboro music evolved into current American music genres.

It is clear that the blues has its roots in tiboro folk music (author's opinion!) Why else would blues music seem to mirror the melancholy patterns which have served to identify tiboro music for millennia?(author's view) Dr. Sam Allen, a musicology professor at the University of Toledo agreed with this explanation (v2), “How else would blues have evolved if not for its predecessor, the tiboro?" However, not all agree with this argument. “I do not believe that blues has major African roots, instead it is classic American music that evolved exclusive of outside influences," (v3) said Professor James Frankfurt of the University of Southern California. In addition to Frankfurt, other music history experts have dismissed Dr. Sam Allen's claims about the roots of many forms of music as being "shallow-minded."(v4)

Blues has roots in Tiboro music even though some argue against it.

Additionally, practice writing out the main point of the entire passage in addition to each paragraph in the margins (as italicized above). This annotation could be as simple as “African folk songs impact the blues” for the above passage. Use as many abbreviations as possible so as minimize the amount you have to write down.

Sometimes, the LSAT will contain large blocks of text instead of neatly divided paragraphs. These are essentially 2-3 paragraphs combined together. Use your pencil to bracket and divide these paragraphs and write the major themes of each in the margins.

When you get to the point that you are seamlessly underlining important details and identifying the passage and paragraph main points, I would stop marking as much as possible. Your brain should still look for and take note of the aforementioned details. It may be worth underlining an item if you are fairly sure it will be discussed in a question about the passage. However, the best practice at this point is to underline and annotate as little as possible. Instead, work on reading at the fastest speed which will allow you to identify these details.

After you have mastered this technique, review as many reading comprehension passages as possible. If you find yourself missing important details, return to passages which you have already tested and underline and annotate these elements. Make sure to always review your completed practice and attempt to identify those important ideas or words that you missed. Conversly, if you find yourself identifying too many details, practice to only underline those which are most important, ie. those asked for or commonly referenced in the answer choices.

Five Logical Reasoning Skill Sets

The two 25-problem logical reasoning sections are critical to LSAT success. They cumulatively make up 50% of the final LSAT score, and the skill sets required to master this section will heavily impact one’s reading comprehension score as well. I would estimate that 70% of the points on a given LSAT directly involve LSAT logical reasoning skill sets.

To master LSAT logical reasoning, the first step is to gain foundational knowledge of both the problem types and methods of argumentative reasoning found within the LSAT. A quality prep course is valuable in gaining this initial knowledge. In my time as an instructor for the BYU LSAT preparation course, those students who came to class consistently and carefully learned the logical reasoning methods and problem types prior to practicing many full logical reasoning sessions tended to show quicker and more sustained improvement than those who haphazardly practiced without mastering the basics of the section.

After gaining knowledge into problem types and reasoning methods, consistent practice is necessary to develop the rest of the skill sets required for logical reasoning success. I’ve found the following five skill sets all must be developed through practice if one hopes to get a great score in logical reasoning (and the LSAT in general):

1. Identifying Main Conclusions of LSAT Arguments. If the question stimulus (the block of text at the beginning of the argument) contains an argument, the main conclusion should always be identified. It is not necessary to box-in or otherwise mark each conclusion, but it is very important to be consciously aware of the main conclusion (main point) of every argument analyzed

2. Identifying Assumptions which Underlie Arguments. Assumptions are the unstated/unwritten premises (supporting facts) that must be true for the argument to be valid.

Review the following argument:

“There are only giraffes and zebras in the cage. Therefore, no zebras will be eaten in the cage.”

Two major assumptions of this argument are 1) that giraffes do not eat zebras, and 2) that zebra-eating animals will not be released into the cage in the near future.

Major argument assumptions should jump out to the prepared test taker.

3. Reading for Structure. Essentially this skill entails identifying the role played by each of the major elements of the passage. However, throughout our schooling, we have been trained to read for detail more than structure. College exams require students to restate the facts of what they have read, not describe the argumentative structure which the textbook author happens to employ. For this reason, students many times struggle with reading for structure while also reading for details of each passage. I’ve addressed this topic more thoroughly in my post on reading for structure.

4. Reading for Detail. Any of the details in a logical reasoning passage may be essential. It is unwise to assume that any part of a passage is unimportant. Every LSAT contains questions which purposely contain information that the test makers believe a large portion of students will scan over and miss. To succeed, test takers must fully understand what the author of each passage is actually saying. Do not add to, subtract from, or incorrectly paraphrase authors’ statements—you will get the question wrong be doing this.

For those who tend to struggle with reading comprehension or haven’t read a significant amount during college, the best way to improve in this area is to read through as many LSAT questions as possible. Re-read problems you’ve already attempted and highlight those words which you missed or did not fully understand. This is a much more effective practice than reading other dense periodicals such as The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, etc.

5. Reading for Speed. It is easy to read too quickly and miss important passage details. It is likewise simple to read too slowly and not finish the section. Test takers must develop individual plans which maximize their reading accuracy while allowing them to finish the entire section. My personal strategy has been to finish the first fifteen questions in fifteen minutes and use the remaining twenty minutes of each section for the last ten questions and checking my work. I practice with a watch and remain aware of my adherence to section timing. Develop a section timing plan that works for you and approach each section using it until test day.

I’ve found that those test takers who master the aforementioned skill sets will find themselves missing two or less problems in each logical reasoning section. If you are missing more per section, it is because you still need to develop in one or more of these areas. Review your section practice and gain the guided help of a mentor, instructor, or individual tutor to identify which of these areas you are struggling in.
 

Not Choking on Test Day

Not enough emphasis is placed on the mental preparation necessary to succeed on test day. I knew a student who rarely, if ever, received below a 180 score on her practice tests. However on test day she dropped seven points to a 173 score. A six point or more drop (with some students experiencing up to 15 point drops) from LSAT prep test averages is not uncommon. Conversely, many students have also been able to outperform their practice test average by six or more points.

I would suggest that those students who see a significant drop in their score have not adequately mitigated the stress surrounding test day. While eliminating all stress the day of the test is almost impossible, the following tips may help tremendously:

1. Choose the right testing center. Choose a testing center within comfortable traveling distance of your home. Visit the testing center a few days prior to taking the test. Take note if the room you will be taking the test in and take note if the room is cooler or hotter than you are accustomed to and dress accordingly on test day. If possible, take a practice test at the center where you will be taking the actual test. Achieving a good practice test score in the room where you will be taking the actual test is a huge confidence booster. If you feel it may make you nervous or lose focus to take the test with people you know, schedule the test at a location other than your own university.

2. Develop a uniform sleep and practice regimen. More than two weeks prior to test day, establish sleeping habits which will optimize your level of focus for the exam. Remember that all administrations of the LSAT except for June will occur early in the morning around 8:30 am. Establish a pattern of waking up at least an hour and a half before your scheduled exam time. I would not recommend taking caffeine or any other stimulants or study aids which may impact your sleep schedule. During the last four weeks leading up to the exam, take a proctored practice test every Saturday and attempt to mirror other aspects of the test morning such as the time you wake up and the breakfast foods you will eat. Change your breakfast if it leaves you with an upset stomach or insufficient energy during practice sessions.

3. Take proctored practice tests. Honestly enforce the 35 minute section time constraints on all practice tests. Cheating on practice test timing will lead to running out of time on test day. It is best to take practice tests proctored by someone other than yourself. It is beneficial to take the tests in a classroom setting with other students. Have a friend or family member proctor tests for you whenever possible. Knowing that you have succeeded on correctly proctored practice tests will increase your test day confidence markedly.

4. Practice in noisy areas. Take occasional practice tests in areas that are reasonably noisy such as restaurants, university quads, public libraries, or the food court at the mall. Such practice situations will train your mind to block out any outside noises or considerations. You will be grateful for this conditioning when the kid sitting next to you won’t stop coughing during the real test.

5. Do not cram for the test in the last few days. Cramming may overly stress your mind and is indicative of not having prepared adequately. If you are not achieving the score you’d like on your practice tests, consider postponing until the next test administration instead of cramming at the last minute. Along these lines, take your final practice test two days before the test and try to rest as much as possible the day before the actual test. Going into the test well rested is very beneficial.

6. Insulate yourself from outside stresses. Clearing your plate of as many stressors as possible will make your final preparation and test go much better. If significant personal or family problems arise before the test, consider rescheduling to a later date. Let your friends, family, and significant other know that you are going to be taking the LSAT and should be expected to drop off the face of the earth for the month leading up to the test. Try to avoid taking the LSAT around the same time major school exams and avoid a heavy work or school load if possible. This may mean taking the LSAT during your 2nd year of College or after you’ve graduated from school.

7. Do not take the February administration. If you plan to apply to law school during the same admissions cycle in which you take the LSAT, do yourself a favor and avoid the February test if possible. Not only will you have to score higher on the February test to get into the law school of your choice you also do not need the added pressure of knowing that this is the last chance of the cycle to take the LSAT.

8. Be cool. When taking the actual test, have a positive and focused mindset. Managing stress is key to a high score. Treat problems with the same weight that you would a practice test. Avoid changing any timing or marking strategies that you have used during your preparation. Do not compare yourself with those around you, they will be working on different sections of the test and may be flipping pages faster or slower than you as a result. If a section seems unusually difficult to you, it may be the practice section. Know that you will do well and remember that you can always cancel your score and retake if things go badly.

When Should I Take the LSAT?

There is not a single right time to take the LSAT. I would shoot for an administration which would give you at least four months to prepare. If you approach test day and need more preparation time you can always wait for the next administration. You are ready to take the LSAT if and only if the average of your last three practice tests are within a point or two of a score which you would be happy applying to schools with. The LSAT is designed so that the great majority of students will fall within +/- three point margin of error “score bands” of the average of their final three practice tests on test day. You are playing against heavy odds if you believe you will break this trend.

While I do not have a universal answer for each person’s situation, keep the following considerations in mind about each of the administrations of the test:

(Click here for a list of BYU Test Prep’s LSAT courses which correspond to these test administrations)

June. This is the first administration offered for each admissions cycle (even though you perceivably take the test a year or two early if you’d like). Many students like to take the June test because it will give them the rest of the summer to relax, write application essays, and assemble the rest of their application package. Knowing your LSAT score this early will also give your time to visit the schools you will be competitive at numerically and figure out which schools you might want to attend. Many schools give special consideration to those first few students who get their applications in each year. Because law schools operate on a rolling admissions basis, your application (if remotely competitive) will be reviewed many more times by admissions committees if you get it in very early.

Nevertheless, a major pitfall students fall into is not preparing adequately for the June test. Because it lies very close to the end of school, some students wait until school gets out to begin studying. This schedule will simply not allow enough time to prepare. If you are taking the June test, I would strongly recommend taking a prep course to remain focused during the school semester.

September/October. While the June administration will allow applicants to get their applications in extremely early, the October test will still allow applicants to get their applications in before the deadline of most schools’ early admissions programs. These programs will increase the chances of an applicant being admitted to each school and may or may not be binding. Another major advantage of the October test is having an entire summer to prepare for the LSAT.

December. This is the last time I would recommend taking the test for the same-year admissions cycle. Have all of your application materials ready, as every day you delay in sending in your applications after receiving your LSAT score in late December will place you behind hundreds more applicants. However, it is worth taking the December test if you believe you can score more than two points higher on the LSAT than you would have in June or September. Getting your applications in very early (around Halloween) can be worth up to two points on the LSAT. If you are scoring more than two points below your goal as the September/October test approaches, December may be a great alternative.

February. This is the last opportunity to take the test for most schools you will be applying to. However, applying to schools this late will cause you to be rejected from schools whose median LSAT and GPA scores you do not far exceed. Students tend to score worse on this test administration than any other. However, this may be more related to the composition of students who take the February test and not its actual difficulty. LSAC will also not release a copy of the test to students who have taken it, unlike the other administrations. The only two good reasons exist for taking to February test that I can think of are 1) taking the test for the following application cycle or 2) attempting to achieve a higher score to get in to a school that you have already been waitlisted by.

Five BIG LSAT Mistakes

I thought it would be helpful to share five of the top mistakes made by individuals who are preparing to take the LSAT:

1. Not allowing enough time to prepare.

This may be the single biggest problem faced by those preparing to take the test. The LSAT is a very learnable test, meaning that much improvement can occur by taking an LSAT preparation course. Even those who have excelled on the SAT, AP, IB, and other standardized tests without much preparation must prepare or fail. The LSAT is a skill-based exam (analytical reasoning, reading for argumentative structure, logical reasoning, reading comprehension, etc.) and not a curricular knowledge-based exam like most other standardized tests which exist. Students must prepare in order to succeed.

Students who do not allot enough time to prepare many times do so by forcing themselves into taking the test in an earlier administration than is necessary. Click here for more information on when to take the test. Many students also “prepare” for a significant amount of time but in reality have not put in as much focused preparation time per day as many others who are preparing for the test. This mistake can be avoided by enrolling in a test preparation course which provides guided practice schedules and expectations for each student.

Additionally, individual practice time outside of test preparation coursed must be quality and not wasted. Sacrifices must be made in order for an individual to train their brain to succeed on the LSAT. I remember taking LSAT preptest 39 instead of watching the first three quarters of the BYU-Oklahoma football game. While in the short term such sacrifices hurt, in the long run I was rewarded with a score which helped me get into a top-five law school.

2. Focusing too much preparation time on one section.

Everyone has a section which is comparatively harder to them than the other sections of the test. However, all sections in the LSAT must be given attention if one is to succeed on test day. While it seems that a large portion of test takers struggle most on either the logic games or reading comprehension sections, remember that missing five on each of the two logical reasoning sections is like missing ten on logic games or reading comprehension.

Also, just because you are succeeding on a particular section does not mean that you can stop paying attention to it. I did not miss a point on nearly twenty logic games sections in a row. Eventually, I stopped reviewing my logic games answers. Before the actual test, I was surprised to see that I had missed two questions on two logic games sections in a row during practice. Instead of reviewing my mistakes and finding solutions to my deficiencies, I dismissed these tests as flukes and refused to practice more on logic games. I was then surprised to see that I had missed two points on logic games on my actual LSAT because I had not corrected my logic games mistakes. Neglecting logic games toward the end of my preparation likely cost me tens-of-thousands of dollars in scholarship money.

3. Not adequately reviewing completed tests.

One of the best tools one has in preparing for the LSAT is the problems they’ve missed on previous tests. Each problem you’ve missed stands as a snapshot into your individual weaknesses. Review every problem you’ve ever missed. Try to write down why you missed each problem in the margin near the problem. If you aren’t sure why you are missing particular problems, consult your test prep instructor. Look for common deficiencies you’ve shown in the problems you’ve missed and develop ways to improve in these areas.

4. Not seeking the help of others.

No man is an island. Test preparation course instructors can be very valuable in identifying individual weaknesses within their students and helping them improve. Also try to meet with other students who are preparing for the LSAT in your preparation course, or will be taking the test at the same time that you will be. It is extremely helpful to take proctored tests and discuss previous practice exams in such groups. Make sure to also keep in regular contact with your family and friends while you prepare. The encouragement of my wife was essential to enduring through months of preparation and having the confidence to succeed on test day.

5. Having a self-defeating attitude.

Initial test diagnostics tell little of the ceiling on one’s LSAT score. Practicing initially at a 145 does not procure you from achieving a 175 on the test. There are also those who initially test at a 160+ and stay the same or drop from their diagnostic on the actual test. Those individuals who have the positive mental outlook and faith to work diligently through months of preparation courses and individual preparation will find great success at the end of their preparation. Likewise, those who have no faith in themselves or label themselves as unintelligent or not able to improve will find their attitude to become a self-fulfilling prophesy. While I did horribly on my initial practice tests, I pushed forward and worked for months to get the score necessary to get into a top school. A positive mental outlook kept me going and focused during these times.