September LSAT - struggling with managing a plan

[Salvi627]

Hi!
I am planning on taking the September LSAT. I signed up for a 12 week course beginning on June 16th until the beginning of September. I have 2 questions
1. How many hours is it recommended to study a day? I understand that I will be assigned homework but I want to create a consistent schedule for each day but I am having difficulty figuring out how much work I should be doing everyday. Please advise!
2. Come September when the course ends, how should I spend the 2 weeks prior to the LSAT? Should I strictly do times exams?

Thanks!!
Sophia

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hi Sophia,

Thanks for your question, and congrats on signing up for a Full-Length course! From what you said, it seems that your course meets at most twice a week (correct me if I'm wrong). This would be awesome: it gives you plenty of time to complete the homework, and do the supplemental exercises available on the Student Center. Starting in mid-July, I'd also add at least one practice test/week to your schedule, in addition to the regularly scheduled proctored tests. These can be either timed or untimed, but should help build up your stamina and indicate any areas in need of improvement.

To answer your first question, you need not spend more than 15-20 hrs/week on LSAT prep. Exactly how much time you need will depend on many factors and is impossible to predict in advance. But your weekly training regimen should not take longer than a part-time job As far as figuring out how much work to do each day... probably between 1-3 hrs, in addition to class time. On the days you take practice tests, you will obviously need at least 4 hrs of uninterrupted study time. Needless to say, quality is more important than quantity: it's not enough to simply crank out practice tests or homework questions. You also need to perform a thorough and comprehensive review of all the questions, games, and passages that gave you trouble - this can take just as long as doing the homework itself.

As far as the last 2 weeks are concerned, you should spend a few days reviewing the fundamental concepts in LR, RC, and LG (which can also be done by accessing the virtual lessons on-line). And yes - you should do practice tests: min. 2 tests/week, timed, and thoroughly reviewed. This usually does the trick.

Let us know if you have any other questions, and good luck!