Bring it on...

October 9th may seem to be barreling down the calendar towards you, nostrils flaring with sufficient assumptions. Indeed, we’ve only got a bit more than a month left until game day. So, what’s to be done with this last stretch?

It’s time to pile on the Preptests! It’s too easy to be a superstar just on short practice sets, or when you take a break between each section. Now is the time to be mean to yourself.

If I were an LSAT doctor, here’s what I would prescribe:

- Do at least two 5-section LSATs per week. If you’re seeing your accuracy drop on later sections (i.e. you’re pooping out), do some 6-section tests.
- Time these preptests like the real deal – use our online LSAT proctor to make it legit, or, depending on your location, attend one of our proctored exams.
- As you take your test, mark questions that you find challenging, time-consuming or all-around not super easy (as in anything that doesn’t fall into the I-would-bet-$100-on-this-question category).
- Review each test thoroughly. Don’t review just the ones you got wrong, also review the questions you starred. Read more about reviewing questions.
- Between tests re-play old sections, games, passages, etc.

- Work out a few times a week – it makes a difference!

- Cut down on the drinking

-Tie your shoelaces

- Wipe your nose

- Get to work!

Wrong! You should spend every waking second getting ready for the test! Even when you are not studying, you should be studying!

Okay, we’re not (totally) serious, but here are two ways to study while you don’t study:

1. Play video games

Have you checked out the Atlas Arcade?

2. Read

When you sit for the exam, you know you are going to get one passage in each of the following four areas: the law, natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Do any of these topics put a little fear into you? If so, consider the following summer reading options:

The Law

Most passages about law that appear on the LSAT are—surprise, surprise—from university presses and law reviews. If you want to be a lawyer but lawyerly language scares you, you may want to start browsing some of these publications (most law reviews have articles available online).

A caveat is that many of these articles will be far more detailed and convoluted than the truncated versions you are likely to see on the exam. So, unless passages about the law are your major hang-up, feel free to ignore this suggestion if sitting down with an online copy of the Harvard Law Review isn’t your idea of a study break.

Natural Sciences

Why do they have science passages on the LSAT! If you are a non-science person, this may have gone through your head once or twice. One thing to keep in mind is the organizational nature of many science passages – they are designed to compare one idea versus another, or to support a hypothesis through careful reasoning.  These are exactly the types of passages the LSAT writers want to test you with.

Scientific language can get very confusing to the ordinary, non-science person. The good news is that science passages on the LSAT tend to be of the type that are written specifically for non-science people. Because of this, if you struggle with science passages on the test, you might benefit greatly from reading some “casual” science magazines in your spare time. Scientific American, Discovery, and The Smithsonian Magazine are all great examples, and they have all supplied former LSAT passages!

Social Sciences & The Humanities

Here there is a plethora of options to choose from, and chances are you already read or subscribe to newspapers and magazines about the social sciences and humanities, such as the New York Times, Newsweek, or Time (Us Magazine doesn’t count). In particular, look out for articles that attempt to justify a main point through the use of reasoning, or articles that juxtapose contrasting ideas. One particular publication we specifically recommend is The Week, which is a magazine that complies contrasting opinions about current events from various publications – it’ll give you great practice at seeing the two sides of a debate and assigning opinions.

Good luck!

Six young children – K, L, M, N, O, P – gather in a circle and play a game in which they toss a ball to one another. One child starts the game by tossing the ball to one of the other five children, who then tosses it to another child, who tosses it to another child, who is declared the “winner.” A child may handle the ball more than once during the course of any one game, but cannot toss the ball to himself/herself. The following conditions apply:

* K can only toss it to P.
* P can only toss it to O.
* N can only receive a toss from M.
* L can only toss to P or M, and M can only receive a toss from L.
* N can only toss to K, and K can only receive a toss from N.

1. Which of the following could be the order of tosses, from the child who starts to the child who wins?

(A) M to L to P to K

(B) M to P to O to N

(C) M to N to K to L

(D) L to N to K to P

(E) L to M to L to P

2. If K starts the game, it could be true that

(A) L receives the second toss

(B) M receives the second toss

(C) M is the winner

(D) N is the winner

(E) P is the winner

3. If O is the winner, each of the following could be true except:

(A) N started the game

(B) M started the game

(C) L started the game

(D) K started the game

(E) P started the game

4. How many different orders of tosses would result in N being declared the winner?

(A) 0

(B) 1

(C) 2

(D) 3

(E) 4

5. If O starts the game, how many different children can receive the second toss?

(A) 1

(B) 2

(C) 3

(D) 4

(E) 5

6. Which of the following can’t happen in the same game?

(A) N starts and N wins

(B) M starts and M wins

(C) L starts and L wins

(D) K starts and P wins

(E) K starts and L wins

And so it shall be...

It’s always strange to see the LSAC embroiled in a legal issue since it’s the group that assesses everyone’s ability to be a lawyer, but unlike with the Testmasters lawsuit, in this one LSAC found itself a defendant.  The case was US vs. LSAC. And they’ve settled (with LSAC paying a $20K fine…)

From what I’ve heard from students, it’s been rather difficult to receive accommodation on the LSAT. Mostly folks have complained about accommodation for learning disabilities – but this case is actually about physical disabilities. In the settlement, LSAC has agreed to a streamlined process for evaluating whether candidates should receive accommodations. Obviously good news for those who need these accommodations!

I’ve heard LSAC talk – it’s a very ethically-minded organization. So why would LSAC find itself in this boat? Probably it’s because LSAC works hard to maintain the LSAT’s usefulness as a predictive tool. There’s a line of thinking: if folks receive accommodations during testing that they would not receive in law school, should we do it? The thing is, law schools will accommodate those with physical difficulties — and if they don’t, I’m sure the ADA will be after them! If you’d like to hear more about how this case fits into a broader struggle for greater accessibility, take a look at the New Hours broadcast that discusses the LSAT case.

To be clear, this agreement only covers physical disabilities – for those who are seeking an accommodation because of ADHD or something similar, here’s a run-down by Steve Schwartz of what you should do to apply for extended time. It’s pretty interesting how the LSAT is different than other tests out there. Sort of the same way that the LSAT is still paper and pencil. No doubt the LSAC is saying that if it ain’t broke…

That’s the first game-breaker we’ve seen (other than from our geeky curriculum developers who spent hours playing each game).

Break-away, Derek! Break-away!

(but which game was this?)

Going to law school is a big decision in and of itself, but figuring out what you want to do AFTER law school can also be a challenge. One decision to think about is whether you looking to work in a big firm or a smaller one. A recent article on Lawyerist.com laid out some important questions for lawyers to ask themselves when considering whether they would like to work for a big firm. It notes:

“For the most part, the bigger the firm, the farther away you are from being in a courtroom (or at least speaking in a courtroom). At the same time, when you do get the chance to talk, you will be extremely well prepared. If you are working in a small firm, or working with one other attorney, you are much more likely to get thrown into the fire quickly.”

So getting into a big firm is certainly a trade-off. Often it means a lot of money, but sometimes it means a year or two in the basement, looking for misplaced commas and other errors in endless pages of contracts. Yes, you’ll lose all color in your skin, but you’ll be able to pay for a great vacation to go tan it back!

If you’re unsure of where you want to land once you finish law school, you may want to consider environmental law. According to this article in the National Jurist, thanks to new EPA regulations and certain oil spills, there looks to be a big demand for environmental lawyers on both sides of the argument. Amber Maclver, an associate at Baker Botts, said “Environmental law attorneys are involved in every stage of a business’s life cycle. As a new attorney, there is a lot of potential to become an expert in a niche area of this practice. This is a great field to pursue with amazing opportunities.”

Whether it’s a big or a small firm, or whether you’re looking to help actors or oil-coated seagulls, there are definitely a lot of options for you and for many of us it’s worth thinking outside the box (or basement).

Can You Unlock the Dragon? (or the Mixer?)

Congrats to all the teachers, developers and web-savy folks who put lots of sweat into this game – it’s a beauty! We’ll talk more about how to use it as part of your prep – it’s not just for kicks…

Go Little Blue Man, Go!

Summer is here and it’s time to get off your butt and start studying for the October LSAT. But, it’s also time to get off your butt in general. It’s now fact (until proven otherwise) that exercise improves brain function! I first read about this in The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge – a mind-blowing book. When he discussed the exercise-brain link, Doidge was a bit more focused on preventing Alzheimer’s disease. But, now I’ve read in Science Daily that it’s also true for the pre-geriatric crowd.

Charles Hillman, the brainiac behind the study, says that “regardless,” he said, “the importance is the same. Physical activity is related to better cognitive health and effective functioning across the lifespan.”

Another study, as reported in Entrepreneur explained:

1. As you exercise, your muscles contract.
2. This releases chemicals, including a protein called IGF-1.
3. IGF-1 travels to the brain and stimulates the release of several chemicals, including brain derived neurotropic factor (BDNF).
4. Regular exercise increases levels of BDNF.
5. BDNF stimulates neurons (brain cells) to branch and connect in new ways.
6. New junctions between neurons are the basis of learning.

(Why exactly is Entrepreneur reporting on this? I guess the same reason I am…)

Boom! And this is at the heart of getting truly better at the LSAT. Since most of us were not born holding a golden gavel (i.e. thinking like a lawyer), going beyond the usual LSAT score increases means switching from the B.S.-production-write-a-10-page-paper-about-what-YOU-think mindset that we develop in high school & college to the legalistic mindset that is needed to be, well, legalistic. A few new neural pathways could definitely help!

So, the daily 12-hour LSAT study marathon may not be such a great idea this summer- instead, do a 6 hour LSAT marathon, then an actual marathon, and then another 6 hour marathon. Well…maybe just a half-marathon. Actually, you probably should limit your study sessions to a few hours – the brain needs a break, and a jog.

The Wait

If you’re already trying to figure out whether to re-take, take a look at a discussion of the re-take issues or marvel at our re-take flowchart – a true breakthrough in flowchart technology.

While you’re waiting I suggest you sign-up for our review the June LSAT workshop.  The workshop will include:

• A review of one or two logic games.

• A review of several logical reasoning questions and a lesson on improving your approach.

• A discussion of  your re-take options.

• A special test-analysis spreadsheet – one of our LSAT trackers – to help you analyze your results to identify your strengths and weaknesses.

Our fingers are crossed for you!

How Can This Not Work?

I was reading an Atlantic Monthly article, “Beating Obesity” by Marc Ambinder. Even in the overly air-conditioned doctor’s waiting room, I couldn’t help but raise an LSAT eyebrow at one claim:

“[A] Stigma [against overweight people] might be more bearable…if diet and exercise, the most prescribed solutions to obesity, worked. But they don’t. Qualification, if you eat less and exercise more, you’ll lose weight. But the chances that you’ll stick with that regimen are slim, and the chances that you’ll regain the weight, and then some, are quite high.”

First of all, how frustrating! Diet and exercise don’t work? Perhaps that’s good because going to the gym and dieting both suck. But then, this requires a bit of thought: Ambinder states that eating less and exercising more DOES work! So, there’s a bit of a disconnect here. It must be that Ambinder’s point is that diet and exercise would work, if people did them. Really, he should have written: “Prescribing diet and exercise doesn’t tend to work.”

If you’re knee-deep in inferences questions, you should already be suspicious of those numbers. The chances are “slim” and “quite high.” What’s “slim” mean – especially in an article about obesity? And “quite high”? Experienced LSAT jockeys know that this sort of language doesn’t give us a lot to work with. On the LSAT, some, a lot, etc. mean nothing more than at least one. Let’s help out the author a bit and amend his writing (and make up some facts): “The chances are less than 10% that you’ll stick with a diet and the chances are 70% that you’ll actually regain the weight and perhaps then some.” Now can we say that prescribing diet and exercise doesn’t work? No! What’s the definition of “working”? But, let’s give Ambinder a break – he’s writing an article, not a legal brief. (And it’s a rather interesting article).

That said, when you get to one of his main points – that bariatric surgery is a great way to cure obesity – it makes sense that he would want to show that dieting and sweating to the oldies does not work. It’s no surprise that Ambinder was able to go from 235 lb to 150 by having that surgery done (what happened to eating Subway fresh?).

Aspring lawyers – this is the sort of critical reading you’re going to need to do! But, be warned, according to the article, sitting at desks is contributing to obesity. Meet your clients in the gym?