Questions about the Digital LSAT

[ArizonaRobin]

I am getting ready to take the LSAT on January 13th and just tried one of the 3 tests provided by LSAC to familiarize myself with the interface. I did the test on a desktop computer and plan to try one of the others on an iPad to simulate a more realistic test day experience. I have a few questions that will help me prepare mentally for the test:

1) The LSAC interface was lagging for me, especially with RC. The highlighting function was so inconsistent in responding to me that I found it completely unusable. Throughout the whole section, I had to pause and wait for it to accept my answer before clicking the next question and then I had to wait a few seconds for the next question to appear. At the end, the timing started jumping from one time to another and, according to the system, I had about 24 minutes left when I finished. My question is whether or not the digital section of RC is as unresponsive under real test conditions. Should I be practicing RC without marking the passage at all?

2) In the real test, does it automatically put you into the next section once you finish a section or does the proctor have to manually start the next section for the students?

3) Khan academy has a diagnostic LSAT. I don't plan to use Khan to study as the Powerscore Bibles have been much better for me, but am interested in using their diagnostic test as another digital practice test. Do you know if their diagnostic test uses real LSAT questions and, if so, which PT it is?

[Jeremy Press]

Hi Arizona,

Great questions, and I'll number my answers to them according to your post.

1. While I've heard some complaints about the highlighting/underlining responsiveness on actual digital administrations, those complaints have not (in my experience) been as serious as the problems you're discussing in your post. I've been recommending to my students that they do two things: practice generally by trying to limit the amount of highlighting and underlining you do in reading comprehension passages (no more than 2-3 markings per paragraph, if possible). Also practice two or three full-length exams without doing any marking on reading comprehension passages (use scratch paper to take some very brief notes instead). That way, you'll be ready either way on test day.

2. The proctors will begin subsequent sections for you. The system will not automatically carry you from one section to the next.

3. The Khan Academy diagnostic test is the full real LSAT from June 2016 (Practice Test 78), so you can feel comfortable using that as additional practice.

I hope this helps!

Jeremy

[Dave Killoran]

Let me also add that Khan only uses a few tests, and if you want to access every LSAT, section, or even specific collections of questions, we have them at: https://www.powerscore.com/lsat/publica ... tal-tests/

Thanks!

[yrresnik]

Hi Arizona,

Great questions, and I'll number my answers to them according to your post.

1. While I've heard some complaints about the highlighting/underlining responsiveness on actual digital administrations, those complaints have not (in my experience) been as serious as the problems you're discussing in your post. I've been recommending to my students that they do two things: practice generally by trying to limit the amount of highlighting and underlining you do in reading comprehension passages (no more than 2-3 markings per paragraph, if possible). Also practice two or three full-length exams without doing any marking on reading comprehension passages (use scratch paper to take some very brief notes instead). That way, you'll be ready either way on test day.

2. The proctors will begin subsequent sections for you. The system will not automatically carry you from one section to the next.

3. The Khan Academy diagnostic test is the full real LSAT from June 2016 (Practice Test 78), so you can feel comfortable using that as additional practice.

I hope this helps!

Jeremy

My personal opinion is NOT to use any of the free prep tests from Kahn I feel like it was bad for me. 2 reasons 1. If your trying to prepare for the digital it’s a different format. 2. (More importantly). It is painstaking to review. They won’t let you see the qs and answers “blank” to attempt them again or just view them in a clear manner. If your able to spend the extra $10-15 on buying a test.

Ps I do not work for powerscore

[ArizonaRobin]

Thank you Jeremy and Dave. Your answers were very helpful! I am taking the LSAT on Monday but won't be attending law school until fall of 2021. Therefore, if I don't get my desired score, I plan to do more studying and will likely avail myself of the digital tests on Powerscore, especially since diagnostics are already built in. That way I can take the test again in the summer and apply early this fall to law schools.

BTW, I just wanted to mention how much I have benefited from the Powerscore Podcasts. They are so full of little tips that make a HUGE difference in my test prep. The most recent tip I used was timing how long setup and each question was taking on LG. By doing that on a few sections, I discovered some little tweaks that are saving me 2-3 minutes per game. This is obviously game-changing on the LG section.

[ArizonaRobin]

My personal opinion is NOT to use any of the free prep tests from Kahn I feel like it was bad for me. 2 reasons 1. If your trying to prepare for the digital it’s a different format. 2. (More importantly). It is painstaking to review. They won’t let you see the qs and answers “blank” to attempt them again or just view them in a clear manner. If your able to spend the extra $10-15 on buying a test.

Ps I do not work for powerscore

Thank you for this input. I agree with your reasoning. If I don't get my desired score on this test, I will take your advice and just buy them through Powerscore.

[cargostud]

I don't know how well the highlighting and underlining on an actual Digital LSAT performs. I didn't use it when I took the test in November. However, there is a difference in how this function responds and performs on the Powerscore Digital Practice Tests versus the LSAC Official Digital Practice Test found at https://familiar.lsac.org

This feature works well on the Powerscore practice tests; you just have to tap a single word with your finger or stylus and it highlights or underlines. (Very easy and reliable) The LSAC practice test is more difficult in that you have to drag your finger or stylus across the length of the word(s) to get the same result. (Requires a steady hand with more precision) I found this feature on the LSAC digital practice test to be less reliable in that what I intended to highlight didn't, and what I didn't intend to highlight did. I also got the occasional runaway highlight of the whole sentence or paragraph. Runaway sometimes happens on the Powerscore practice tests too.

I wish I knew how this function works on the actual Digital LSAT. Does it perform more like the LSAC practice test? or like the Powerscore practice test? My suspicion is that it performs more like the LSAC digital practice test. Don't get to used to how this feature works on the Powerscore practice tests, it may not work the same on the actual test. You don't want to find out the hard way, that tapping doesn't work, but highlighting & underlining is a real drag.

[cargostud]

I have found the Powerscore Digital Practice tests to be an awesome resource. The simulation as far as I can tell is nearly identical to the actual tests. This works best if you use an iPad or Surface with a touch screen. The environment allows you to open the test after you have completed it so you can review your answers. I do this review process by opening the test results on a separate computer screen while looking at the test on my iPad. I also open another browser tab to the discussion forum so I can look up information about specific questions. Finally, I open my digital copy of the relevant Powerscore LSAT Bibles.

[cargostud]

Update on how highlighting and underlining works on the digital LSAT. It is exactly the same as the practice tests found on https://familiar.lsac.org/ You have to drag the stylus across each word or words you want to highlight. This is different from the Powerscore practice tests. You can drag the stylus or you can simply tap on a word you want to highlight.

Note about the LSAC pen/stylus - I got to practice with it today. Its really important to test the actual stylus provided on the actual device for the LSAT. Here is my review - I find that this stylus glides with too much resistance and the rubber smashes down too easily, thus making you stylus fatter as it glides. This causes diminished accuracy in your selections, or they may not select at all. Ain't nobody got time for that! In other words, its total crap!

Fortunately, bringing your own stylus (passive only) is not on the prohibited list of items you can have for the test. I wasn't sure if they would allow it or not. The proctors didn't question it, so I used a felt tipped stylus that holds its shape and glides with very little resistance across the surface. I had fairly accurate results with it.