Usefulness of old Practice Tests

[Davem]

Hi,

Apologies if this question has already been addressed! I was wondering whether it would be to my advantage to take older practice tests to practice for the LR section (and for that matter, RC as well). I've been taking every logic game section since the release of the modern LSAT format (or thereabouts, starting with PT 7; following the advice in the LG power bible)--but I wasn't so sure about RC and LR. I don't want to be wasting my time, or worse, practicing and developing the wrong skills. Thank you for your help!

[James Finch]

Hi Dave,

There have been a few tweaks to the LSAT since the modern format was formalized in the early '90s. For one thing, Logic Games are on the whole easier, with fewer absolutely killer ones, and more middling difficulty. To compensate, the other sections were made somewhat more difficult, but still within reason. There are no longer any LR stimuli with multiple questions attached (ie it's always 1 question=1 stimulus now), and the reading comp section now always contains a comparative passage. There are also some language differences, most notable with question stems: stems now tend to be clearer and more exact, with the obtuse language being in the stimulus or the answer choices. Aside from those differences, the test is still covering the same types of questions/games/RC passages, so the old preptests are certainly valid. Just be sure to note the differences, and also take a look at the newer ones if possible.

If you're buying the PT 10-packs, there are now 3 post-2007 (the last minor format change), meaning 30 tests total, plus the free June 2007 one. That should be plenty to study with for starters, so if you're concerned at all about the format changes you can stick to just the newer ones. Otherwise, the older books are still useful, so if you have some, don't hesitate to use them!