About the LSAT – Meet your new friend!

Welcome! This blog has been created by the Richardson LSAT preparation in Toronto, Canada.

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Bulletin!! LSAT Releases “Ten New Actual LSAT Prep Tests” – March 1, 2011

February LSAT scores are  out – Should you retake the LSAT?

Your chances of Getting Into Law  School

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Advanced LSAT Logic Games Workshop – Sunday May, 29 2011 – Toronto, Ontario

Where: University of Toronto – St. Michael’s College  – 100 St. Joseph St.

Who: John Richardson

When: Sunday May 29,, 2011 – 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

What: Advanced Logic Games Workshop

This  workshop is designed for people who are taking the LSAT on February 12, have taken prep courses or have used the Logic Games books and are still having trouble. It is not a beginners workshop.  We anticipate a small group and the level of difficulty will be tailored to the level of difficulty needed for the group.

Cost: $195 + HST

In order to register call  us at: 416-410-7737

http://www.lsatlogicgames.com

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Check out our Toronto LSAT Preparation Courses.

View the  video: Thoughts on LSAT Preparation.

Become a Fan at our LSAT Study Group Facebook Page.

Join our LSAT Study Group on Facebook.

Visit our LSAT Blog.

Look out for – New LSAT Publications from LSAT!

BULLETIN!! – Identifying world opportunities to study law – Pre-Law Forum – Toronto, Ontario – June 4, 2011

How To Get Into The Top Law Schools

Chinese Proverb:
‘When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others.’

If you find this blog to be “of value” – please pass it on.

This LSAT blog contains blog posts, pages and links. The posts, pages and links will help you find the answers to:

– everything you ever wanted to know about the LSAT; and

– information about LSAT preparation courses and free LSAT prep options
– some things that you must know, but didn’t know you had to know!

Posts will be to the LSAT blog added approximately once a week.

Before we get started you might also be interested in our:

– Pre-Law Forum Facebook Group

– LSAT Study Facebook Group

– article about the predictive value of the LSAT

– Genesis – The Story Of The LSAT

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LSAT Preparation – Getting Started – The “Bear” (Sorry “bare”have you seen the movie “Jungle Book”?) Necessities!

Before we get started you might also be interested in our:

What is the LSAT?

The letters “L S A T” stand for “Law School Admission Test. The LSAT is administered by Law Services based in Newtown, PA. The test is required as part of the application process to the overwhelming majority (there are few exceptions to U.S. and Canadian law schools).

When Is The LSAT Offered?

At present the test may be taken four times a year – usually in June (best time), October (very good time), December (a bad time of year for those in school) and February (suitable only as a retake or an early bird start).

When Should You Take The LSAT?

“Success Favors The Prepared Mind.”

Part of preparation is planning. Planning is so important that:

“Many people don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan!”

In an ideal situation you should:

Plan to take the LSAT in June. In a perfect world you will NOT have to do the LSAT again. But, if you must repeat the LSAT (and may people do), you will have the chance to take the October LSAT. You should try very hard to avoid the December (it is the first weekend of December) and February (it is very late) LSATs. I might add that you should consider taking the LSAT the first June that you are free to do so. If you are sure that you will apply to law school, then there is no reason to delay taking the test.

How and When Do You Register?

You register online. You should register well in advance of the deadline for registration. Major test centers fill up quickly. For example, registration for the June 2009 LSAT opened in January 2009 and the most popular test centers were filled within days.

You can never register for the LSAT too early!

What Is The LSAT About And Are There Specific Skills That It Tests?

The LSAT is a multiple choice test of reading and reasoning in context.

All LSAT question types test these skills. That is both good and bad news.

Good News: The LSAT tests only reading and reasoning – no specific background knowledge is tested.

Bad News: The LSAT tests only reading and reasoning – no specific background knowledge is tested.

It is easier to prepare for tests that test background knowledge. All you need do is learn that particular knowledge. LSAT preparation is NOT that simple.

What Is The Specific Format Of The LSAT?

The LSAT is composed of six thirty-five minute sections. Four of the six count toward your test score (reported on a scale of 120 – 180). One of the six is experimental (not counting toward your score) and one is a writing sample (which although does not count toward your score is used as part of your application file) at some law schools.

The four sections that count are:

– two separate and distinct LSAT Logical Reasoning sections (24 – 26 questions each);
– one Reading Comprehension section which contains three passages and one “LSAT Comparative Reading” set (total number of questions 26 – 28);
– one Analytical Reasoning (LSAT Logic Games) section (total number of questions 22 – 24).

Although these sections have different names, they all test reading and reasoning in context.

About LSAT Preparation – What Does It Mean?

To put it simply:

Your goal in LSAT preparation is to improve to the point where you are able to achieve the highest score that you can with your level of reading and reasoning ability.

LSAT Preparation And Anxiety

The LSAT preparation industry (books and courses) create the impression that you are hopeless without preparation. This is not true. Many people can answer many questions without any preparation. Don’t forget this! Your goal when you prepare is to improve your timing (there isn’t enough time) and to improve on the question types that give you trouble.

Sources Of LSAT Preparation

There are two sources.

Source 1 – LSAT Themselves – www.lsac.org

It is imperative that you begin by seeing how LSAT describes their own test. The LSAT Registration Book contains a free LSAT sample test and commentary on the questions. The contents of the book are also available on their site – www.lsac.org

Start with this! You must understand what LSAT says about their own test.

This is a rare example of the principle that:

“The best things in life are free.”

LSAT also sells most a number of actual LSAT exams. Use them!

Source 2 – Third Party Books And Courses

There are a large number of “third party” books and LSAT preparation courses. “Third party” means the book or course does not come directly from LSAT. This doesn’t make it either bad or good. A good book or course can add a great deal to your understanding of LSAT questions. Almost all test takers use “third party” sources. Just remember, to begin by understanding what LSAT says about their own test! Here are some steps to successful LSAT preparation:

Step 1 – Becoming Familiar With The LSAT

Start with the LSAT registration book. Read it from cover to cover. LSAT also publishes a book called “LSAT SuperPrep” which is an important part of your prep. After all, it does come directly from LSAT.

Step 2 – Take A Sample LSAT Under Timed Conditions

This will give you a sense of how much preparation you need. Some of you will not need any additional work and some will. There is at least one free LSAT sample test on the LSAT site.

Step 3 – Acquire A Number Of Actual LSATs

These can be purchased directly. They also come with the course materials of almost all LSAT courses.

Step 4 – Purchase Any Third Party Books You May Want

People are always asking the question:

What is the best LSAT book? Well, it really depends on the stage of LSAT preparation that you are at. This blog will provide some thoughts about LSAT books for whatever stage you are at.

You will see that the best LSAT books will be grouped into the following categories:

• Beginning LSAT Books
• Intermediate LSAT Books
• Advanced LSAT Books
• Specialty LSAT Books – Logic Games (Analytical Reasoning)
• Specialty LSAT Books – Logical Reasoning
• Specialty LSAT Books – Reading Comprehension

The site lsatbooks.com is another site that you may want to consider when evaluating or purchasing LSAT preparation books.

Step 5 – Enroll In An LSAT Course – If This Is The Route That You Want

LSAT preparation is a function of:

First, being prepared; and

Second, feeling prepared.

It is possible to achieve a high score without taking an LSAT preparation course. To put it another way – an LSAT course is (to use the language of certain LSAT questions) neither a necessary nor sufficient condition for a high score.

That said, a good course should help most people, improve their scores, most of the time.

I once heard an LSAT teacher with over 20 years of teaching experience offer the following insight:

“A good LSAT course will help some people a lot and a lot of people some.”

Since all LSAT courses teach from LSAT tests, you are paying the time with the LSAT teacher Hence, the issues are:

– who is teaching and (given that there is no universal agreement on what constitutes a good, medium or bad teacher)

– do you like the teacher.

Shop the market looking for a teacher. You may also want to consider private tutoring.

Although this blog is about the LSAT, the author or a recent GMAT book had the following to say about GMAT preparation courses:

“I’m a fan of test-prep courses and believe that every candidate should take one, notwithstanding availability, wherewithal, and the time required to complete a course. In my opinion, test-prep courses get results first and foremost because they provide structure. This should not be underestimated. We all know how difficult it is to motivate ourselves; any serious undertaking requires a schedule backed by commitment. The best test-prep courses typically provide live instruction and rely on “good” instructors. An experienced instructor is able to frame course material and add valuable examples and anecdotal information, which may not be part of the formal course offering. Many times the answer to the question, “Which company has the best GMAT course?” may very well be the same as asking, “Which company has the best GMAT instructor(s)?”

– Brandon Royal – Chili Hot GMAT”

The same may be said about LSAT courses.

There are basically two kinds of course formats – those offered on weekends and those on weeknights.

Step 6 – The Most Important For Last – Don’t Adopt Just One Method!

Please remember that there is NO best or universally correct way to answer LSAT questions. There is no shortage of books and courses trying to sell you on their method. Do NOT buy into one method. Your approach should be as flexible as possible and incorporate as many methods as you can. In some cases, the best method is:

No method at all. I just know the answer!