LSAT Course Dilemma

[dmanashirova]

I want to take the full LSAT classroom course but am limited to only two options because I keep the Sabbath and therefore, cannot travel to Manhattan for class. (I'm Jewish) I found 2 courses that are not given on Saturday and both classes don't interfere with any religious holidays. However, I am not sure which class to take for the June Exam. Please give your opinions on which class to take and why. Thanks!

Okay, so there are 2 Full Course Classes in Manhattan that are not given on Saturday:

1. Dec. 3 - Feb. 6 http://shop.powerscore.com/PSStore_Clas ... 007dfydIAA
8 Weeks: 4 weeks - 3x a week and 4 weeks - 2x a week
Time Period:
Sun - 10:00am - 2:00pm - 4 Sunday Classes
Tue. & Thu. - 6:30pm - 10:30pm
Will only get home around 11:30
Fall Semester ends DEC. 23
First 3 weeks will be around Final Time - but I only have 2 classes to study for (not much)
More condensed class - (will it help keep me on track or will I get lost?)
Don't need to take winter and just focus on studying - (but will me not having full, total concentration (because of finals) in the beginning hurt me later on?)
Gives me extra time to study, get tutoring, etc. to help make me more ready for the June exam.
Time until June exam is a while away - will this hurt me or help me?
2. Mar. 18 - May 22 http://shop.powerscore.com/PSStore_Clas ... 008Xda2IAC
11 Weeks: 9 Weeks - 2x a week and 2 Weeks - 1x a week
Time Period:
Sun - 2:00pm - 6:00pm - 2 Sunday Classes
Tue. & Thu. - 6:00pm - 10:00pm
Will be home by 11:00pm
Starts much later - (Will I actually start reading the books on my own? - Trying to be realistic - I like classrooms more because I don't get sidetracked.)
More extended class over several more weeks - (will this help me understand concepts more and really learn them or will I not be as focused?)
Don't know Spring Schedule yet - (How many classes can I take and still be able to focus on the LSAT? I'm a History major and Phil. minor - will being a full-time student hurt me?)
Ends in May - may be around Final time
Won't give me extra time to study if I feel that I won't be ready for June exam.



Also if it helps, I took the 2007 June LSAT Diagnostic and got a 146 (horrible, I know) although my best section was Reading Comp. Please tell me which course I should take and why...and if you have any other advice, that would be greatly appreciated! Thanks a ton.

Sincerely,
Dayana

[Morgan O'Donnell]

Hi Dayana,

I'm sure one of the developers will want to chime in on this one, but I work with students daily to help work out these same scenarios so I wanted to give you my personal opinion. You raise a lot of valid pros/cons with each option. Let's try to break it down a bit and see if it helps you make a decision.

One thing you want to consider when deciding on a prep course is figuring out the best time to take it--when do you feel like you have the most time to dedicate to studying? The Full Length Course is a highly in-depth review of all aspects of the LSAT. It can also be a fast-moving course and if you are distracted by a lot of other things (family, work, school, finals, etc) it can daunting and sometimes over-whelming task. So, you definitely want to take it when you feel like you can give the most concerted effort.

In my experience, students seem to absorb the information a little easier with the more spread out classes (which is usually connected to starting earlier). If you fear that you will get bored or be working ahead, rest assured, that is not the case Even in our most spread out schedules, students have more than enough material to work on to keep them busy. However, if you fear that your spring semester is going to be a full load, then you may want to consider taking the class when you know your load is light, and you only have to worry about two classes.

The other thing I wanted to mention about the Mar-May course, is that you probably won't want to work ahead in the course books before the class actually starts (as in, you won't want to read about lesson in January that don't occur until April). This can cause you to get a little confused because you won't have access to the Online Student Center nor will you have the actual lecture that accompany each lesson. We strongly recommend to students who want to get a head-start, to purchase one (or a couple) of the PowerScore LSAT Bibles. For example, if you want to get a foundation on Logic Games before the class starts, then invest in the PowerScore Logic Games Bible. The Bibles will give you a great foundation prior to the class and, because the concepts and methods are the same as the ones in the course, you will only be helping yourself understand the concepts quicker. This will come in extremely helpful when it comes to developing speed on the exam

If you are leaning towards that Dec-Feb class, you will have access to the Online Student Center for one additional testing period, so you will be able to prepare on your own with all the material until the June exam. You would give yourself ample time to enlist the help of a private tutor or continue working through the material on your own prior to the June test.

The biggest thing you need to remember is time--only you know your schedule, and only you know when you think you will be able to focus the most on preparing. So, just keep that in mind when deciding on which course to take

Like I said, I'm sure the course developers will chime in here, but that is my perspective on it. Best of luck to you!!

Morgan O'Donnell
PowerScore Test Prep

[Dave Killoran]

Hi Dayana,

Thanks for the question!

I really appreciate you pointing out the many considerations that go into a choice like this. In particular, it helps to know your school schedule.

I think this is a close call, and both classes have positives (and negatives) for your schedule. When that happens, I usually opt for the class that starts earlier. In my experience, there are many people that wished they had more time to prepare, but I never hear people say they wished they had spent less time . So, I'm going to recommend the December 3rd class for you.

With that in mind, let's talk about some of the conflicts in that schedule. First, you have Finals at the start. Because your GPA is extremely important, at the beginning of the course focus on your schoolwork, and as far as the LSAT is concerned just attend the classes and be 100% engaged during each LSAT class. Use the rest of your time to ace your school tests. Don't worry about the LSAT homework unless you find that you have extra time on your hands. Will you fall behind? Maybe a bit, but you have plenty of time to catch up thereafter. A a counterpoint, the other course also has a Finals conflict, which occurs at the end (and you may be taking even more courses, which would make absorbing the material initially even harder). That is actually more of a concern for me, because in mid-May you will start to feel some pressure with the LSAT approaching. That's not the time you want other priorities pressing on you.

Second, I really like the fact that you have more time after the end of the December course to prepare for the test than you do after the March course. That allows you to build some breaks into your schedule, and it will allow you plenty of time to solidify all of the concepts, including any from the start of the course that you may need to review. Because you will still have access to all of the online course materials after your class ends in February, you have no limitations on accessing resources. That offsets the more accelerated scheduling of classes in the December course (vs the March course).

Last, you ask whether being a full-time student will hurt you. Sure, having other academic work to do will take away from your LSAT study time, but preparing for the LSAT while in school is very common, and the two can be juggled successfully. Having more time overall makes that easier, however, hence my preference for the December course. And, there's also an advantage to being in school that many people overlook, namely that you are already in an academic/studying mindset. That makes absorbing and mastering the ideas easier.

As far as your 146, don't worry about that at the moment. As one of our students proves over here, you can make significant strides from where you are at right now. If you work hard, you will improve. The fact that RC is your best starting section is also a very favorable setup, and students who come in being better at RC than LG and LR are typically the ones who show the biggest scoring increases. So, knowing that, knowing that you can get the ball rolling early with the December course, and knowing that you have friends who understand the LSAT very well makes me optimistic for your chances down the road

Please let me know your thoughts on the above. Thanks!