How to Prepare for the LSAT
For any average student that aims to get into law school, the LSAT is the most important factor to consider, a standardized test that gauges if an applicant’s eligible or not. The LSAT can be nerve-wracking, but it won’t be so bad if you’re well-prepared. Here are a few tips.
What You’ll Need:
LSAT study guides
Timer
Pencils and erasers
Dictionary
Stress relief products
Understand What The Test Measures
Remember that the LSAT doesn’t just measure how smart you are and how wide your scope of knowledge is. It’s a standard measure of your acquired reading skills and verbal reasoning capabilities, assessing how good you are in comprehending and reading complex text and processing information in order to reach conclusions. These skills are necessary, used by law schools to assess their applicants. The LSAT also tests your accuracy and speed, so finishing the test within the given time limit is crucial.
Be Familiar With The Test Format
The LSAT is composed of five 35-minute sections with multiple choice questions of three different item types. Four of these five parts make up the applicant’s score, while the unscored part is known as the variable section, used for pre-equating new test forms. At the end, there is also a 35-minute writing sample, and although it’s not scored, it is sent to the law school where the applicant applied for.
The three types of multiple choice questions are:
Analytical Reasoning Questions - This tests your ability to understand relationships and draw logical conclusions about the structure. The relationships can be about people, events, things and places, and you will maker deductions from different statements, rules and conditions that describe them.
Reading Comprehension Questions - It measures your reading ability and your insight and understanding of the text. It has four sets of reading questions each with a reading text and followed by five to eight questions.
Logical Reasoning Questions - This evaluates your capability to criticize, complete, analyze and understand different arguments. You must read and understand a short passage and answer one question about it.
Practice
Practice, they say, makes perfect, and in LSAT preparation, this is probably right. Get test preparation resources from bookstores, or through the Internet. Books, audiotapes and CD-ROMs are good materials. Once you have these, take practice tests, and familiarize yourself with the structure and types of questions. Keep track of your scores, and use pencils and erasers, as well as a timer, to check that you’re within the limit.
Focus on your problem sections. Take numerous practice tests, and if you see a section where you get a very low score, review your answers and why you answered them wrong.
Study Vocabulary
Almost all the components and parts of the LSAT rely on reading comprehension, and you might find yourself stumbling once or twice on a question because you don’t know what a word means. Expand and review your vocabulary, and familiarize yourself with the words that commonly come up throughout the test.
The Night Before The Exam
Avoid last minute study-cramming.
Pack the essentials. Sharpen your pencils, ready your erasers, and prepare your snacks.
Set your alarm clock earlier, so if last-minute emergencies arise, you can fix them.
Make sure your transportation details to the exam venue are in order.
Sleep. A well-rested mind always performs well.
Passing the LSAT brings you one step closer to your dream of being a good lawyer. Just remember these tips, and you’ll pass the exam with flying colors.