Help with my Lsat study plan

[mab2013]

Hi,

I was wondering if you guys could give me some help with how I should approach the Lsat. I was originally planning on taking the Lsat in June, but now I'm thinking about moving it further down to October. I have already bought the PS LG Bible and I'm half way through with it. I'm strongly considering taking a power score course from April - June, and then using the rest of the summer to work on the remaining practice tests and sharpen the skills I learned from the course. My fear is that by taking the practice course in April-June, and having already completed all of the Bibles before then, I wont have enough resources left. I graduate in May so I have all summer to study. Should I take the course in June and just work with old materials and the remaining PTs I'll have remaining? Should I think about studying independently and then taking a course in August (dont know if i will be able to at that point because I might be moving in September)? I have alot of time to study, but I want to make sure i take the best approach.

I was told that after taking the PS course, there will still be 24 PTs remaining to use. Does anyone know what those tests are? Thanks for all the help.

[Dave Killoran]

Hi M,

Thanks for the message, and thanks also for buying the Logic Games Bible!

You ask a good question, and the short answer is: yes, there will be enough material to study after you take the June course and before the October LSAT

We make a tremendous amount of LSAT prep material available to our course students, from lessons and homework, to additional practice tests, and even course supplements and additional lectures. This means that the typical student doesn't get through all of the material in the Homework for each lesson, let alone the extra practice tests and other material. which is ok--part of the reason there is so much is that some students do want to do everything, and some students just want to do a lot of one thing (like Logical Reasoning, or Logic Games). By making the maximum amount available, everyone is happy. And, of course, we provide critical elements lists so if you don't have the time, you know what is most important to do first

I mention all that in order to provide you with some reassurance that there is a ton of material available. And, in my opinion, to produce the best possible score, you shouldn't look at each question just once, but at least two times, which really uses up a lot more time. I'm pretty sure we have a blog about that, so I'll check around for it and link it here for you.

So, I think there is plenty of material and that, if done properly, you wouldn't run out before the October LSAT. That said, let's turn to the idea of when to take the course.

Right now, you have three main time periods when you could take a course in prep for the October LSAT:

• 1. Take a course for the June LSAT that starts in April.
  2. Take a course for the October LSAT that starts in June/July.
  3. Take a course for the October LSAT that starts in August.

Those aren't the only start dates, but they fall very roughly into those three groupings for our discussion purposes.

Moving in September means that you want to be done with classes by then, so that means I'd take Option 3 off the table given your situation.

With option 3 out, that leaves options 1 or 2 as the optimal solution for you. Here it becomes a bit more tricky as to what's best for you. Let's look at each option and toss out some pros and cons:

• Option 1: You mention that you have school until May, and that means a lot of schoolwork and finals through the first part of any course for the June LSAT. But taking the June course gets a lot of the strategies and concepts into your mind as early as possible, giving you the maximum amount of time to absorb and learn the ideas.
  
  Option 2: School's done, so you have no conflicts there any longer. But, the timeline is now a bit narrower, and if you run into anything that stalls your progress--Grouping games, for example, or test timing issues--your ability to correct it in a relaxed fashion is reduced.

In my experience, students who start preparing early are better prepared and more relaxed, so that would tend to make me suggest option 1, but how do you feel about school and finals, etc. Would it be too much to add an LSAT class into that mix at that time?

Finally, as for the 24 extra practice tests, I don't have the comprehensive list of what is available to you here (I'm not at the office), but we can get that, or they can provide that to you through our chat or phone lines when open. If I can get it before tomorrow, I'll PM it to you asap for reference purposes.

Please let me know your thoughts on all of this, and we'll keep discussing it. Thanks!

[mab2013]

Thank you so much for getting that cleared up. I'm think I'll go with the April-June course because although I graduate in May, I only have one online class that I'm taking right now. I have a full time internship that should be over by mid April, and I'm free on nights and weekend so I can use that time to study. So considering I dont have any homework and dont have to worry about finals or the stress of the end of the semester, I think it would be better to do it in June, like you said. By that time, I will have completed the three bibles and the course. The remaining time would be for PTs, reviewing and improving speed. Does that sound like a good plan?

[Dave Killoran]

That sounds very good!

As you go through the Bibles (and then the course), please feel free to come back and ask about any questions that you have about those books. We're happy to help

Two blog posts that I wrote that might help you as you put your plan into place:

• 1. http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/bid/243 ... Your-Score -- this one is about taking some breaks in your studying, both to avoid burnout and to let the ideas sink in. It's relevant to you since you have a generous amount of time to prepare, and will definitely want to take a few short breaks from the study regimen.
  
  2. http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/bid/239 ... -questions -- this is the one I mentioned in my first answer to you. It isn't perfectly applicable since it is written for people retaking the LSAT, but ti does explain why studying each LSAT question multiple times is really helpful.

I hope those help, and I look forward to talking to you again. Thanks and have a great night!