LSAT Prep For Dummies E-Book

Lisa Zimmer Hatch

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 742

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Impress law school admissions committees with your high LSAT score! For prospective law school students, the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is a crucial part of the admissions process. Updated to reflect the latest changes to the LSAT, this revised edition of LSAT Prep For Dummies ensures you have the info you need to achieve your best score on exam day. With plenty of review materials, including five practice tests online, expert advice, and testing strategies, you'll find everything you need to help you succeed. * Get clear and easy-to-understand reviews of all the topics covered on the LSAT exam * Practice, practice, practice, with sample questions and full-length tests * Study for the new LSAT, so you aren't wasting your precious study time on outdated materials * Learn insider tips and strategies for maximizing your test preparation and boosting your score Law school is waiting--and Dummies will help you get there.

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LSAT® Prep For Dummies®

To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “LSAT Prep For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

About This Book

Foolish Assumptions

Icons Used in This Book

Beyond the Book

Where to Go from Here

Part 1: Getting Started with the LSAT

Chapter 1: The L Team: The LSAT and Its Administrators

Getting to Know the Enemy

Taking a Quick Look at the Types of Questions

You Gotta Score! Scoring the LSAT

Registering for the LSAT

Preparing for the LSAT

What Have You Done for Me Lately? The LSAC

Chapter 2: Test-Taking Basics: Setting Yourself Up for Success

Planning Your LSAT Test-Taking Tactics

To Guess or Not to Guess

Readying Yourself for Battle

Life after the LSAT: What to Do Now?

Chapter 3: The Lowdown on Law School Admissions

Choosing a Law School

Filling Out All the Forms — Applying to Law School

Part 2: Logical Reasoning: Picking Apart an Argument

Chapter 4: Analyzing Arguments: The Basics of Logical Reasoning

What You Can Expect in the Logical Reasoning Sections

Taking a Systematic Approach

Making a Case: Essentials of Informal Logic

Chapter 5: Conclusions, Inferences, Assumptions, and Flaws in Logical Reasoning Questions

Jumping to Logical Conclusions

Using Your Noggin to Make Inferences

Making Assumptions

Finding Flaws in an Argument

Chapter 6: Strengthening and Weakening Arguments

Understanding How These Questions Work

Build It Up: Strengthen/Support Questions

Tear It Down: Weakening Questions

A Twist: EXCEPT Questions

Chapter 7: Examining Other Logical Reasoning Question Types

Reconciling Discrepancies and Paradoxes

Finding Points of Agreement and Disagreement

Reasoning by Pattern

Exploring Arguments Based on Principles

Figuring Out an Argument’s Structure

Knowing the Role Played by a Claim

Part 3: Reading Comprehension: Read ’Em but Don’t Weep

Chapter 8: Rites of Passage(s): Types of Reading Passages and Questions

Presenting Reading Passages

Approaching Reading Questions

Chapter 9: Safe Landing: Mastering the Approach to Reading Comprehension

Reading Comprehension Strategy

Pacing Yourself through the Passages

Starting with the Questions

Giving Sample Passage 1 a Shot: Influenza Vaccination

Conquering Sample Passage 2: Manifest Destiny

Part 4: The Writing Sample: Penning a Persuasive Argument

Chapter 10: Pick a Side, Any Side: Responding to the Writing Sample Prompt

Picking a Side — No Ridin’ the Fence

Walking through a Practice Essay

Chapter 11: Practice Writing Samples

Topic 1: Choosing a Law School

Topic 2: The Sporting Goods Store

Part 5: The Real Deal: Full-Length Practice LSATs

Chapter 12: Some Rainy-Day “Fun”: LSAT Practice Exam 1

Answer Sheet for Practice Exam 1

Section I: Logical Reasoning

Section II: Reading Comprehension

Section III: Logical Reasoning

Writing Sample

Chapter 13: Practice Exam 1: Answers and Explanations

Section I: Logical Reasoning

Section II: Reading Comprehension

Section III: Logical Reasoning

Answer Key for Practice Exam 1

Computing Your Score

Chapter 14: Perfecting with Practice: LSAT Practice Exam 2

Answer Sheet for Practice Exam 2

Section I: Logical Reasoning

Section II: Reading Comprehension

Section III: Logical Reasoning

Writing Sample

Chapter 15: Practice Exam 2: Answers and Explanations

Section I: Logical Reasoning

Section II: Reading Comprehension

Section III: Logical Reasoning

Answer Key for Practice Exam 2

Chapter 16: Even More “Fun”: LSAT Practice Exam 3

Answer Sheet for Practice Exam 3

Section I: Logical Reasoning

Section II: Reading Comprehension

Section III: Logical Reasoning

Writing Sample

Chapter 17: Practice Exam 3: Answers and Explanations

Section I: Logical Reasoning

Section II: Reading Comprehension

Section III: Logical Reasoning

Answer Key for Practice Exam 3

Part 6: The Part of Tens

Chapter 18: Ten Myths about the LSAT

The LSAT Doesn’t Have Anything to Do with Law School

You Can’t Study for the LSAT

You Must Take a Prep Course to Do Well on the LSAT

You Can Spot Difficult Questions Before You Work Them

B Is the Best Letter to Guess

No One Reads the Writing Sample

Finishing a Section Is Better Than Concentrating on Two-Thirds of It

A Great LSAT Score Guarantees Admission to a Great Law School

The LSAT Is Used Only for Admissions Purposes

Your Score Won’t Improve if You Retake the LSAT

Chapter 19: Ten Kinds of Law You Can Practice

Business/Corporate

Criminal

Domestic Relations/Family Law

Employment/Labor

Intellectual Property

International

Personal Injury/Insurance Defense

Real Estate

Tax

Trusts and Estates/Probate

Index

About the Authors

Connect with Dummies

End User License Agreement

Guide

Cover

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Begin Reading

Index

About the Authors

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LSAT® Prep For Dummies® with Online Practice, 4th Edition

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2024 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Trademarks: Wiley, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and may not be used without written permission. LSAT and LSAC Law Hub are registered trademarks of the Law School Admission Council (LSAC)™. The LSAC does not endorse and is not affiliated with the owner or content of LSAT® Prep For Dummies®, with Online Practice. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

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Introduction

Welcome to LSAT Prep For Dummies, 4th Edition! This book contains updates to the content of the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). After the June 2024 test, the LSAT eliminated the infamous “logic games.” This edition reflects the change.

Yes, the LSAT is no walk in the park, but it’s not the hardest test in the universe. It doesn’t require you to brush off your math and science texts from high school, and it doesn’t expect you to remember anything from your history classes. It really just expects you to be able to read and analyze. If you can read carefully and quickly and then apply what you’ve read, you already have the skills you need to succeed on the LSAT.

This book helps you refine those skills and apply them to the particular tasks on the LSAT. If you go through this book and work through a healthy number of practice questions, you should have a good idea of what awaits you on test day.

About This Book

First, allow us to tell you what this book can do: This book introduces you to the LSAT and helps you get a handle on how to take it. It describes the two types of multiple-choice sections — logical reasoning and reading comprehension — and provides guidance on how to handle them, with plenty of practice questions and explanations. It also touches on the writing sample, which is unscored but still merits a bit of attention. The first three chapters discuss some basics of law school admissions, test-taking strategy, and other logistical entertainment.

On to what the book can’t do: This book doesn’t give you a bunch of tricks to help you “crack” the LSAT. The LSAT isn’t a nut; it’s a test, and to do well on it you have to apply your natural intelligence and experience. We give you plenty of advice on how to approach each question type to maximize your talents and train your mind to think in the most effective way.

Included in this book are three full-length practice tests, which you can use to try out the tips and techniques we provide throughout the chapters. The difficulty levels and thought patterns on the practice tests are similar to those on real LSATs. Actual LSAT test-prep instructors and LSAT-takers assisted us by massaging and tweaking the questions to make sure that they’re equivalent to the real LSAT questions. You can get real and valuable practice by using the questions in this book. But the fact is, no one makes real LSAT questions but the real Law School Admission Council (LSAC). If you want real LSAT questions, get yourself some LSAT PrepTests, which are real LSATs administered in previous years. That’s the most authentic practice you can find, and we highly recommend it.

Creating an account on the LSAC website (www.lsac.org) gives you access to LawHub, which, in addition to providing valuable information about applying to and preparing for law school, contains four official LSAT PrepTests for practice. For an additional yearly fee of just over $100, you can upgrade to LawHub Advantage, which gives you unlimited access to more than 75 PrepTests and enhanced law school prep features. The official PrepTests come with answers but (in most cases) not explanations, so they’re great practice, but to figure out why your answers are right or wrong, you should work through this book first to get a sense of how the questions work.

Because this book is a test-prep, you probably want to read most everything here. Besides, we worked really hard on this book! However, if you’re pressed for time or just have a short attention span, you can skip the sidebars and any text marked with a Technical Stuff icon without missing out on too much. We italicize new LSAT-related terms that you’re likely unfamiliar with when we use them the first time.

Foolish Assumptions

We make a few assumptions about you, the reader (we hope you don’t mind):

Call us crazy, but we’re guessing you’ve signed up to take the LSAT or you’re at least seriously considering taking the LSAT.

We know, of course, that you’re not a dummy. You’ve likely received or are in the process of receiving an undergraduate degree and are no stranger to thinking analytically. You simply need guidance regarding how to apply your already sharp skills to the unfamiliar question types on the LSAT.

Our third and final assumption is that you’ve chosen this book for one of several reasons — the fabulous

For Dummies

reputation for providing information in an easily accessible format, the price, or the attention-grabbing yellow-and-black cover — but mainly because you think you want to go to law school, and the LSAT is the primary way to that destination.

Icons Used in This Book

This book, like all For Dummies books, uses icons to help you spot important tidbits of information and break up the monotony of otherwise plain and ordinary pages. Here are the icons you’ll encounter in this book:

This icon marks useful bits of information that may come in handy when you study for or take the LSAT.

This icon reminds you of valuable strategies to keep in mind as you work through the test content.

This icon marks stuff to avoid, potential mistakes, and traps for the unwary.

This icon identifies practice questions that demonstrate how to apply specific techniques.

This icon highlights extra tidbits of info that enhance your reading but aren’t essential to preparing for the LSAT.

Beyond the Book

By now we’re hoping that you’re impressed with the wealth of content contained in this book. But to quote your favorite infomercials: Wait! There’s more!

In addition to what you’re reading right now, this book comes with a free access-anywhere Cheat Sheet that includes tips to help you prepare for the LSAT. To get this Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and type “LSAT For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.

You also get access to five full-length online practice tests and approximately 500 flashcards. To gain access to the online practice, all you have to do is register. Just follow these simple steps:

Register your book or ebook at

Dummies.com

to get your PIN. Go to

www.dummies.com/go/getaccess

.

Select your product from the dropdown list on that page.

Follow the prompts to validate your product, and then check your email for a confirmation message that includes your PIN and instructions for logging in.

If you don’t receive this email within two hours, please check your spam folder before contacting us through our Technical Support website at http://support.wiley.com or by phone at 877-762-2974.

Now you’re ready to go! You can come back to the practice material as often as you want — simply log on with the username and password you created during your initial login. No need to enter the access code a second time.

Your registration is good for one year from the day you activate your PIN.

Where to Go from Here

If you bought this book, you must have some plan — definite or tentative — to take the LSAT. But just buying the book alone won’t help you much. To get the full benefit, you have to open it up, read it, and work the problems.

There are two approaches you can take:

Read all the explanatory materials, work your way through all the practice problems, and then take the practice tests at the end and see how you did.

Take one of the full-length tests to see how well you do. Score your test. Then study the sections that give you the most trouble, concentrating on the questions you find difficult.

It’s up to you. You’re the one taking the test, and you’re the one who has to decide what you need to study and how much time you want to allocate to the process.

Part 1

Getting Started with the LSAT

IN THIS PART …

Gain insight into the minds that create the LSAT.

Discover tips for managing the LSAT and each of its question types.

Be prepared for exam day by knowing exactly what and what not to bring to the testing site.

Discover other important considerations for getting into your top-choice law school.

Chapter 1

The L Team: The LSAT and Its Administrators

IN THIS CHAPTER

Exploring the sections of the LSAT

Understanding the LSAT scoring system

Knowing how and when to register for the LSAT

Studying for the LSAT

Meeting the LSAC

If you want to go to law school, you’ll likely take the Law School Admission Test, also known as the LSAT. Most of the more than 200 law schools that belong to the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) require the LSAT (see the later section “What Have You Done for Me Lately? The LSAC” for info about the LSAC). Some schools may allow you to substitute a GRE score for the LSAT. Testing requirements for law school have relaxed somewhat since 2020, but some law schools that don’t require either the LSAT or GRE for admission may not be approved by the American Bar Association (ABA), which in turn may not qualify you for admission to a state bar, so research throroughly a school that doesn’t require or highly recommend the LSAT.

The LSAT, annoying though it can be, provides a significant metric for law schools to evaluate their applicants on the same playing field. Colleges are different, backgrounds are different, and cultures are different, but the LSAT is the same for everyone. The LSAT is carefully designed so that the testing experience of test-takers is virtually identical. Each LSAT test is crafted so that test-takers have a 90 percent chance of scoring the same on a different version. So, law schools feel confident that the LSAT is an objective measure of student ability.

Grade point averages, unlike the LSAT, are highly subjective; they vary depending on the difficulty of a school, the difficulty of particular courses, and other random and unpredictable factors (like the grading policies of individual professors). Law school applications include other information like personal statements that can give schools an idea of a student’s abilities, but the schools still can’t know for sure that they’re getting the real goods — plenty of students get help writing those essays. That leaves the LSAT as one of the most reliable and objective means to compare candidates.

In this chapter, you get an introduction to the LSAT and its various parts and learn all about registering and preparing for the big day. You also get a peek at the organization behind all this madness, the LSAC.

If you’re going to be a lawyer, you have to get used to disclaimers, and here’s ours for this chapter. The technical information we offer about fees and procedures is subject to change, so refer to the official website (www.lsac.org) to verify the facts and figures for yourself.

Getting to Know the Enemy

If you want to get a decent score on the LSAT, you need to know the test. You can’t expect to walk into a test center cold, never having encountered an LSAT in your life, and just ace the questions.

You don’t necessarily have to study for a long time. If you’re good at standardized tests, you may be able to flip through one or two sample tests, work a few of the problems, get the idea, and score in the 95th percentile. Some people can. If, on the other hand, you find standardized tests generally challenging, and the LSAT difficult in particular, you probably need to devote yourself to more practice time to master the proven strategies provided by this book. Whatever your situation, keep motivated and prepare with the certainty that you can and will improve with dedicated practice.

The LSAT is offered digitally and consists of three different question types:

Logical reasoning questions

Reading comprehension questions

Writing sample

The logical reasoning and reading comprehension sections consist of multiple-choice questions. You take these questions at a testing center in a format called the Digital LSAT, which delivers these questions via electronic software (available through the LSAC’s LawHub) rather than a paper booklet. The testing center supplies you with the computer and scratch paper and pencil to work through problems.

The LSAC also offers the option to take the LSAT via remote proctor (at least through 2024). Taking the test remotely allows you to test anywhere you have a reliable internet connection and interruption-free space. A remote proctor monitors your every move while you work. The LSAC hasn’t committed to offering this format after 2024.

The Digital LSAT consists of four separate test sections presented in no particular order:

Two scored sections of logical reasoning

One scored reading comprehension section

One unscored section that can be another section of any of the three multiple-choice question types

You don’t know which section is unscored, and the unscored section looks just like any other LSAT test section. Every section lasts 35 minutes.

The unscored section that you take is a collection of questions that the LSAC is considering using on a future LSAT. The LSAC wants to see how well these new questions work when presented to actual LSAT-takers. This section can be logical reasoning or reading comprehension; you don’t know which section is unscored.

The writing sample isn’t offered at the test center. You prepare an essay on your own computer at home (or some other secluded place free of interruptions) in response to a specific prompt. The scheduled writing session is timed and remotely proctored. You must complete at least one writing sample before the LSAC will report your LSAT scores to law schools, but you don’t need to complete a writing sample every time you take the Digital LSAT.

The quickest way to get your hands on an actual LSAT is to take the free sample tests available in the LawHub on the LSAC website (www.lsac.org) or through http://khanacademy.org. Completing the samples is a good way to familiarize yourself with the test and its digital format.

Taking a Quick Look at the Types of Questions

The LSAT has two different kinds of multiple-choice questions and an unscored written essay. Each question type has its own virtues and vices, and you’ll come to know and love them all (though we won’t blame you if you pick a favorite).

Logical reasoning — putting your arguing skills to good use

The logical reasoning section consists of about 25 short (for example, three or four sentences) passages about various topics. Each of them is followed by one question. The questions ask you to identify the point of an argument, to make deductions about what the author is assuming, to draw conclusions, to identify principles or argument structures, to spot logical errors, and so forth.

Most of these questions involve informal or casual logic, the kind you use to make everyday decisions. All you have to do is read carefully (and quickly) and think clearly. Sometimes the wording is tricky, and you have to concentrate to avoid getting confused. Jotting down some notes or paraphrasing the passage in your own words can help you focus.

Every LSAT has two logical reasoning sections. Together, they’re worth about 50 percent of your LSAT score. Chapters 4 through 7 are full of information about logical reasoning.

Because the logical reasoning section is worth a considerable percentage of your total LSAT score, work hard on your technique for these problems. You get twice the benefit if you do well on this section!

Reading comprehension — concentrating and remembering what you read

In the reading comprehension section, you read three fairly long and one pair of shorter passages on particular topics and answer several questions about them. The questions ask about the author’s conclusion, the author’s tone, the meaning of words, how the passage is organized, and other points designed to test your ability to understand what you read. The good news: The LSAT uses a limited pool of question types over and over again. Because you can predict the types of questions being asked, you can practice reading to answer the questions you know you’ll see.

Topics range from humanities and science and social science disciplines to law-related writing. You don’t need any expertise in any particular area; in fact, if you have expertise in the subject of a passage, try to forget your outside knowledge. You want to answer all the questions from the information given to you in the passage. Outside knowledge may actually distract you!

This section tests your ability to read and understand a fairly long reading passage. Reading and understanding a long passage is applicable to law school because most law classes consist of reading long, densely worded passages on obscure topics and then answering questions about them.

The reading comprehension section accounts for about 25 percent of your LSAT score. See Chapters 8 and 9 for the lowdown.

The writing sample — jumping the final hurdle

The other part of the LSAT is the digital writing sample. You get 35 minutes to write your essay on your own computer. The essay topic lets you exhibit your skills at using a set of facts to defend one course of action over another.

For example, your question may ask you to decide which dog a widow should buy: a German shepherd, which would be a good guard dog but not very affectionate, or a Pekingese, which would make a good companion but be utterly useless for home defense. (You can explore this question further in Chapter 10.)

Your selection doesn’t matter. There’s no right or wrong answer. All you have to do is pick a side and justify your decision. Chapters 10 and 11 go over this process in detail.

You don’t get a score on the writing sample, but the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) sends a copy of your essay to every law school that receives your LSAT score.

Some folks wonder why they should prepare for the writing sample section if it’s unscored. Completing the writing sample isn’t optional, and law schools often read essays in deciding borderline cases or comparing similar applicants. If your profile is substantially similar to hundreds of others, law schools often look at the essays to compare like candidates.

You Gotta Score! Scoring the LSAT

The LSAT is scored on a scale from 120 to 180; every year a few people attain the Everest-like peak of 180, and (provided all of their other qualifications are top-notch) they can pretty much write their own tickets to law school. Although percentile charts vary slightly among test administrations, the average LSAT score is around 152. Any score higher than 160 is quite good and puts you in the top 20 percent of test-takers (80th percentile). A score of around 164 puts you around the 90th percentile, and a score of 173 or above is where the top 1 percent of test-takers usually reside.

To get a 160, you need to answer about 75 percent of the answers correctly. To get a 150, you need to answer correctly about 55 percent. If you get 95 percent or more right, your score will be up in the stratosphere, around a 175. The LSAT scoring is straightforward. Your raw score is the number of questions you get right; no points are deducted for wrong answers. You plug that raw score into the score chart to determine what your LSAT score would be. So if, say, your test has 100 questions on it, and you get 75 of them right, your raw score is 75 and your LSAT score may be 161. If you get 44 right, you’d get more like a 144. The raw score to scaled score conversion changes very slightly from test to test to account for the minor differences in difficulty of each test.

The LSAT-writers work hard to ensure that the test is reliable. That means that the same test-taker should get scores in a similar range on two or three different tests and that luck in getting an easy test shouldn’t be a factor in scores. In practice, luck is always something of a factor, but it shouldn’t be a major one.

Still, you’ve probably taken a metric ton of tests by now, and you know that everyone has good days and bad days, good tests and bad tests (hey, even good hair days and bad hair days!). The combination of a bad test and a bad mood (say, for instance, despite our advice to the contrary, you pull an all-nighter before exam day) can lead to a misleadingly bad score. If that happens, you can cancel your score and try again (see more about doing this in Chapter 2). On the other hand, you may be in the test-taking zone on test day, and every question seems laughably easy to you. It can happen that way. If you have a good day, thank your lucky stars because that’ll probably result in a good LSAT score and law school admission.

What if you get a 160 and your friend gets a 163? Does that mean your friend is a better law school prospect than you? Probably not. Small differences among test-takers aren’t usually due to actual differences of ability. Your score will be in the range of scores you’re capable of, but if you take the LSAT several times within a short period of time, you probably won’t get the same score every time. It may go up or down slightly, but it should be within 3 points up or down of your original score (though your mileage may vary).

Registering for the LSAT

The LSAT typically happens eight times a year: one Saturday every month except for March, May, September, and December. If you want to enter law school the next fall, you should take the LSAT by the prior December, or February at the latest, though we recommend taking it earlier. January is the most popular test date. And, because some law schools start taking applications in the fall and accepting applicants early in the winter, August, October, and November dates also fill up quickly. Generally, the earlier you apply, the better your odds of acceptance, so make sure you register as soon as you’re ready.

The registration fee for the LSAT is currently $222. (Prices are subject to change — and likely will — so be sure to check with the LSAC to find out current charges.)

First, you need to choose whether you’ll take the LSAT at a testing center or with a remote proctor. Regardless of where you take it, the content is the same. Which method is best for you depends on several considerations:

The remote proctor option

allows you to take the test in your own home on your own device. You download the secure software and set up your test space. A human proctor virtually oversees the remote exam throughout the testing experience, and you’re responsible for meeting stringent specifications for setting up the testing space. The advantages of the remote exam include testing in a familiar environment and avoiding commuting issues.

The testing center option sets up the testing space for you. Although testing at home may seem more desirable at first, there are several reasons to choose the testing center:

The testing center provides all supplies.

You don’t have to worry about a reliable internet connection.

You aren’t responsible for securing your environment.

To maintain the integrity of the home testing experience, you must follow stringent guidelines. Testing at a center guarantees that you won’t be penalized for an interruption by a family member or failure to pass a room scan. Chapter 2 explains the difference between these two options in greater detail.

Keep the following things in mind when registering for the LSAT:

Be sure to register.

Okay, duh. But really, be sure to register. The deadlines for registration fall well ahead of test dates, so you need to be on the ball. You can find the deadlines on the LSAC website (

www.lsac.org

). Plan accordingly. And make sure you’re free the day of the test!

When you register to test at a testing center, be very careful to enter the correct code for your test center.

If you get the code wrong, you may be assigned a test center in a different state — not convenient. (The LSAC doesn’t check for accuracy; the LSAC has no idea where you really want to take the test, so it doesn’t know if you make a mistake.) Driving several hours the day before your test definitely won’t calm your nerves. You can change your test center through the LSAC website for a fee, but you don’t want to have to worry about that if you can avoid it.

Upload your picture before the deadline.

When you register for the LSAT, you need to include a picture of your face. You don’t need to upload the picture at the time of registration, but you should. Your picture must be in the system by the upload deadline (about a month before the test date), or you won’t be able to take the test on that day.

If something comes up — you catch the flu, you get sent overseas to war, you go into labor — and you’re unable to take the LSAT, you can get a partial refund.

Granted, you get only a small portion of your registration fee back, but that’s better than nothing. The LSAC website has deadlines for sending in the request.

If you discover before the test date that you won’t be able to make it that day, you can change your test date.

Of course, you have to pay a fee. The LSAC website has the deadlines for sending in a written request.

If you absolutely can’t afford the cost of the LSAT, you can apply for a fee waiver on the LSAC website. The LSAC doesn’t want to deny access to the legal profession solely on the basis of economic disadvantage. Be warned, though; the requirements are quite strict.

Preparing for the LSAT

Helping students prepare for the LSAT has become a multimillion-dollar (at least) industry. Test-prep companies promise huge score increases; students spend thousands on semester-long courses and tutors. Every major bookstore is full of books to help prospective lawyers on their way.

Be wary of expensive classes or snake oil salesmen that promise to reveal secrets or give you huge score increases. Usually, all that most people need is a good LSAT prep book (such as this one!) and a few recent LSAT tests to do their best on test day. Save your money for law school! But be warned: Many folks lack the motivation and discipline for self-study. If this describes you, buckle down and sign a contract with yourself, form a study group, or consider enrolling in a reasonably priced test prep course.

WHAT STUDY METHOD WORKS BEST FOR YOU?

No one wants to spend too much of her life thinking about the LSAT. Studying as efficiently as possible makes sense. Here are some possible plans for your LSAT studying.

The slow and careful approach: You should go with this approach if you take preparing for the LSAT very seriously and are willing to spend a good deal of time on it. Start at least two months before you plan to take the LSAT. Go to the LSAC website (www.lsac.org) and order official LSAT exams, either the paper books or the digital access or both. Read all the chapters in this book carefully, working all the practice questions. Then take the three practice exams at the end of the book and the others available online. When you feel comfortable with the material, take as many official LSAT tests as you can. When the time comes to take the real LSAT, fear not — you’ll be ready for anything it throws at you.The quick and dirty route: Okay, so you’ve put off studying for the LSAT to the last minute (a habit we recommend you overcome before you enter law school!) and need to maximize the little amount of time remaining before you take the test. Here’s what you should do: Begin at least the week before the LSAT. Read Chapters 4 through 9. Work some of the questions available online. If you can’t answer the questions quickly and easily, check back to the appropriate chapters to find out more about your problem areas. Access the four full-length Digital LSAT practice tests from the LawHub on the LSAC website, take one of the tests under timed conditions, and review your answers to discover your areas of weakness. Work as many of the practice problems in this book as you can, concentrating particularly on the question types that give you the most trouble. Outline a writing sample essay in your head to make sure you’re familiar with how to organize a response to an essay prompt. Take the other official practice tests. Show up at the LSAT and do your best.Riding the fence: Most of you probably fall somewhere in the middle. That’s fine; you’re the one who knows what you need and how much time you can afford.

No matter how you choose to study, start sooner rather than later. The more time you spend working on the LSAT, the better you’ll get at it, so you don’t want to shortchange yourself by procrastinating.

What really helps

What really helps you succeed at the LSAT is exposure to the test. Exposure may mean something as simple as taking one or two sample tests the days before you take the official one. More often, though, it may mean several weeks — or even months — of practice.

If you need extra prep materials, you can’t do better than the official LSATs sold by the LSAC; compilations of prior tests are available as PrepTests, and they’re the actual LSATs that have been administered to willing victims over the last decade. You’ll get your most valuable practice from the most recent tests. You can take four Digital LSATs for free from the LawHub on the LSAC website and more than 75 for an additional yearly fee through LawHub Advantage.

Practice makes perfect

Any book you consult will recommend that you prepare for the LSAT by taking a full, official practice test or two under simulated test-day conditions. That means sitting down on a Saturday morning (or some other day when you have three hours unscheduled) with access to an official Digital LSAT practice test from LawHub on the LSAC website, some scratch paper, a No. 2 pencil, and an eraser, working your way through the test, section by section, stopping work when the timer buzzes.

Taking a timed, full-length practice test is ideal, but if you’re unable to carve out three hours to complete this useful exercise, don’t despair. Your valuable (and presumably limited) study time may be better spent working through questions slowly and carefully, making sure that you really know how to work the analytical reasoning problems and analyze the logical reasoning questions. Then take timed practice sections to hone your time-management skills for each question type.

However you decide to practice, just be sure you give yourself enough time. Try to start at least a couple of weeks before the test date. The more exposure you have to test questions, the more comfortable you’ll be on exam day.

What Have You Done for Me Lately? The LSAC

Did you ever wonder who makes up the LSAT? It comes from the minds of the Law School Admission Council, or LSAC, a nonprofit corporation in Newtown, Pennsylvania. The LSAC comprises the majority of law schools in the United States and Canada; the member professors and attorneys volunteer their time to the council. The LSAC offers a number of services designed to facilitate applications to law school and improve legal education, and it also sponsors research into issues such as minority representation in the legal profession.

If you’re serious about applying to law school, familiarize yourself with the LSAC and its offerings because the LSAC will be part of your life for a while. You can visit the LSAC, register for the LSAT online, access LawHub, and do various other fun activities at the LSAC’s website, www.lsac.org.

Creating and administering the LSAT

The LSAC administers the LSAT to more than 100,000 people every year. The organization creates at least eight complete tests every year and constantly works to develop new questions and refine the LSAT’s accuracy — that’s one reason why you get to take an extra, unscored section of multiple-choice questions when you take the LSAT. The LSAC compiles statistics on the number of people that take the tests and the scores they receive, schedules test dates, fields questions and complaints from test-takers, and generally makes it possible for many people to apply to law school every year.

Aiding in law school applications

The LSAC also plays a major role in law school applications. When you register for the LSAT, you can also sign up to participate in the Credential Assembly Service, or CAS, for an extra fee. Law schools require you to use the CAS to send your application documentation.

The CAS streamlines the law school application process by assembling most of the information needed to apply to law schools and sending it to the schools in one package. A CAS report includes

Summaries of transcripts from all your undergraduate and graduate schools

LSAT scores and copies of the LSAT writing sample section

Letters of recommendation

The LSAC gets you coming and going. In addition to paying the CAS fee, you need to purchase a report for each law school on your application list. CAS registration lasts five years. Almost all the law schools approved by the ABA require that their applicants use the CAS, which makes your life much easier. Rather than having to assemble all that information for every school to which you apply, you just give the information to the LSAC (along with your money), and it takes care of everything. When you apply to a law school, the school requests the report from the LSAC, the LSAC sends the report, and you just sit back and wait.

You can register for the CAS on the LSAC website (www.lsac.org) at the same time that you register for the LSAT. When you do this, you authorize the LSAC to release information about you to eligible law schools, which means law schools that are interested in you may contact you.

If you don’t register for the CAS at the same time that you register for the LSAT, you still must register before you apply to law schools. Do this at least six weeks before you start applying.

Providing other goods and services

The LSAC does a number of other good deeds for the legal education system:

The

Candidate Referral Service

allows law schools to search CAS data for students who match particular profiles (for example, LSAT scores of a certain level, minorities, women, students from a certain region, and so on) so that they can contact them and invite them to apply.

Law school forums held in different states give prospective law students an opportunity to find out more about law school and the legal profession.

The LSAC’s LawHub provides LSAT prep materials and other information about choosing a law school and making sure you’re ready for law school. Taking recently administered LSATs is one of the most useful tools. They come with answers, but (usually) no answer explanations, but they’re the real thing and make great practice tests.

The LSAC also works to increase minority representation in the legal profession.

Chapter 2

Test-Taking Basics: Setting Yourself Up for Success

IN THIS CHAPTER

Using certain strategies to maximize your test score

Going about guessing the right way

Preparing yourself for the test the night before and the morning of

Deciding what to do when the test is over

If you’re contemplating law school, you’re almost certainly a veteran of standardized tests. You know what to expect. Just like the SAT, ACT, GMAT, and GRE, the LSAT is another morning of eliminating wrong answers and maintaining your cool under pressure. You’ve been there, done that. Getting up early, walking into an unfamiliar testing center, and joining a group of nervous strangers tapping ubiquitous No. 2 pencils (now replaced by a keyboard) is old hat. You know this drill.

In this chapter, you discover some strategies and considerations specific to the LSAT, as well as some general test-taking basics, in the hope of making your experience as painless as possible. You also find out what to do after the test, including considering whether you need to retake the test.

Planning Your LSAT Test-Taking Tactics

You’ll have an easier time on test day if you consider some strategic matters beforehand. The following sections provide a few simple strategies to ease your test-taking venture.

You can’t “beat” the LSAT; no one can. These strategies aren’t tricks to outsmart the test, but they can help you do better.

Maximizing your chances

Some people are naturally good at taking standardized tests. This strength doesn’t mean they make better law students or better lawyers; they just find these tests easy. Other people have a harder time. They find tests stressful in general and LSAT questions especially annoying. Whichever type you are, you can undertake some basic strategies to help you improve your score and have a more pleasant test-taking experience. (Well, maybe not as pleasant as a spa visit, but better than a root canal.)

Here are a few things you can do to maximize your chances of getting a good score:

Answer every question.

The LSAT test-makers don’t penalize you for guessing, so you’d be crazy not to make sure every number on the answer sheet has a bubble filled in, even if you don’t have time to read the question that goes with it. See the section “

To Guess or Not to Guess

” later in this chapter for more on guessing.

Take your time.

You may get better results by answering three-quarters of the test accurately and then guessing on the last quarter than by racing through the whole thing too fast to be accurate.

Budget your time.

You get 35 minutes for each section. Decide how to spend it. Allotting each question exactly 1.3 minutes may not be the most effective approach, but be careful not to get so caught up in the first analytical reasoning problem that you have only 5 minutes to work the last three.

Don’t worry about answering questions in order.

Especially in the reading comprehension section, some questions may be easier to answer after you tackle others regarding the same passage. You don’t get extra points for answering the questions in the way they’re presented, but you may earn points by answering them in the order that works best for you.

If you get stuck on a question, forget about it.

Move on to another question. (But be sure to flag the question in case you have time to come back to it.)

Stay on target.

You may get bored, and your mind may want to wander somewhere more pleasant, but don’t let it. Use visual cues to help yourself stay focused. Point to questions with your pencil or finger and use the software tools to highlight key words in the questions that help direct you to the correct answer.

Don’t forget to answer every question!

Taking the straight or the winding road

Should you start with the first question and work every subsequent question until you get to the last one? Or should you jump around? It’s entirely up to you.

The reading comprehension section is divided into four passages, and if you want to pick the easiest passage first and work your way to the hardest, by all means do so. Just remember that initial assessments of difficulty are rarely accurate; a more productive way of choosing your first problem is to pick the reading comprehension passage with the largest number of questions — that way you maximize the number of questions you actually answer.

Although starting with a reading comprehension passage that isn’t the first one in your test is okay, after you pick one, stick with it until you’re done. Trying to jump between two or three passages at the same time will likely confuse you.

Skipping around on the logical reasoning sections works too. If your practice reveals that you’re great at answering questions that ask for the answer that weakens the argument, tackling all questions of that type first fosters confidence and ensures that you have time to maximize your strengths.

If you don’t answer questions in order, make sure you mark those you skip with the tool included in the software, so you know to go back to them when you’re ready.

Some test-prep experts recommend that if you really can’t finish a reading comprehension section in the time provided, you cut your losses and just do your best on three of the four problems, tackling the scariest at the end if you have time. Sounds crazy, but this approach actually makes more sense than trying to speed through all four passages; you maximize your accuracy on the parts you do instead of doing the whole section too fast and getting half of it wrong. If you do three-quarters of a section and get all those questions right, you get 75 percent, which is better than finishing the section and getting only half right. Of course, you should still mark answers for the questions you don’t answer because there’s no penalty for wrong answers. See “To Guess or Not to Guess” later in this chapter for more info on guessing.

Taking the occasional break

When you take the LSAT, you spend about two and half hours staring at a computer screen full of questions. The only break you get comes after Section II, and it only lasts about 10 or 15 minutes — enough time to dash to the bathroom and wolf down an energy bar.

So the LSAT is a test of stamina as much as anything else. It’s a long test, and it’s tiring.

That’s why pacing yourself is crucial. When you finish a chunk of test — a reading comprehension question set or seemingly endless logical reasoning questions — take a break. Close your eyes, twist your neck, loosen those tight muscles in your shoulders, breathe, and let your eyes focus on a distant object. Don’t take more than ten seconds or so, but do take the break. It helps you more than fretting about how little time you have left.

Have you heard the story about two guys who were cutting wood with axes? They worked side by side from morning until evening. The first man worked straight through without a break, swinging that axe from dawn ’til dusk. The second man sat down and rested for ten minutes every hour. At the end of the day, the men compared their piles of wood. The man who rested every hour had a pile much bigger than that of the other man. The first man asked the second one how he managed that feat, especially because he spent so much of the day resting. The second man replied, “While I rested, I sharpened my axe.”

Your brain is like that axe. You bring it to the test sharp, but the LSAT is designed to make it dull. Take those breaks and sharpen (and rest) your brain — the breaks really help.

To Guess or Not to Guess

When in doubt about the answer to a question, guess. Always guess. The LSAT test-makers don’t penalize you for wrong answers, so guessing doesn’t hurt, and you always have the chance that your random pick may be the correct answer. What’s certain is that you won’t get credit if you don’t answer it at all.

The joy of statistics

How likely is it that you’ll get a question right by random guessing? Not very.

On questions where you have no idea of the correct answer, you have better luck if you pick a letter and stick to it for all your shots in the dark. Why? Each answer choice appears at more or less the same frequency. If you answer an entire test with one letter, you’ll probably get about 20 percent right. You’d get the same results if the test were in a language you couldn’t read or if you didn’t bother to read the questions or answers. If you vary your answer choices from question to question, you just may miss everything.

Is Choice (B) really best?

Many people talk about which letter is statistically most likely to be the right answer. Many people recommend Choice (B) (the second answer) as the best choice. We conducted a little survey of some recent LSATs to see how many times each answer choice was correct.

In some sections, Choice (B) was more frequently correct; in others, the winner was Choice (D) (the fourth answer). All in all, the percentage that each of the five answer choices was correct didn’t vary greatly. Based on this information, we can’t come up with any letter that would always be better than any other, though we’d probably stick with Choice (B) or Choice (D) if we had to choose.

Increase your odds: Eliminate the duds

A better strategy than random guessing from a pool of five choices is random guessing from a pool of two or three choices. Your odds of getting a right answer improve if you can eliminate a wrong answer or two.

To increase your odds, use a process of elimination to get rid of wrong answers on every question. Take this step first, unless you get one of those rare questions where the right answer jumps out at you. Crossing out the wrong answers using the software’s marking tool makes spotting the possible right answer easier.

Readying Yourself for Battle

All your preparation will be in vain if you don’t get to take the test. And if you don’t feel calm and collected, you may blow questions that you should get right. So keep in mind the following checklist to help you before and during test day:

Don’t stress yourself out that evening.

The night before the LSAT, if you feel compelled to study (I know, you can’t help yourself),

don’t

do a new test. Instead, review a section you’ve already done and know the answers to, which can reinforce strategies and boost your confidence.

Get enough sleep the night before the test and several nights before that.

Don’t stay up partying. Definitely don’t stay up studying; you’re not going to discover anything extra at that point.

Wake up on time.

If you live far away from the test center, set your alarm extra early — or even consider spending the night at a hotel nearby. Staying alert through the test is hard enough without combating a lack of sleep, too.

THE TEST-DAY DIET