Do I really need to spend $1200 on a Kaplan course?

[Mr. Burnz]

The problem is people think that when they take a course 6 hours a week and that's all they need to do to get a good score.  So they just go to class those 6 hours and think that Kaplan is some kind of magical god that will help them get a 180 without doing anything on their own.  But it takes more than that--you need to have some initiative of your own.  Kaplan provides a good "basic training" guide to help get you started.  If you do ALL their available work (I GUARANTEE none of these complainers did ALL of the online exercises!), you will be in good shape.  But no, just going to class and doing the 1 hours' worth of required homework they assign is not going to cut it.

[JParker]

You're going to have to study hard on your own time regardless of whether or not you take the course, either with Kap HW, timed self-tests or whatever.

The question then becomes this: Does Kaplan provide a better method of study tailored to you than one you can come up with yourself?  Answer this, and all shall be made clear.

[Mr. Burnz]

One thing that can't be reproduced on your own are test conditions.  Unless you can get one friend to be a strict a-hole for 5 hours and 20 others to be real, live annoying test-takers.  This experience is priceless.  The first time I did it, my score was 10 points lower than my practice test average.  As I got more comfortable with it, I did much much better, right in line with the practice tests I did on my own.  Honestly, this simulated test experience will give you a MORE significant boost in your score than anything you learn in ANY class...

[sunfunliving]

I wish you good luck with your studies.

I wonder why you posted on here in the first place when you really did not want to hear what others had to say who have been down "the LSAT road" already?

Anyway...what people tried to tell you was that Kaplan does not have that great of a reputation because from people's experience they do not prepare as thoroughly as other prep companies.

In my prep, I bought almost every book, etc. that I could get a hold of, that included all of Kaplan's full length class material, along with other companies' full length materials, plus I took the Powerscore full length class (after I took the weekend class) and I did a huge amount of self-study.

Kaplan simply does NOT go in depth enough in terms of Logical Reasoning compared to Powerscore, for example.

Kaplan also does NOT go into reading comprehension deep enough either, the only thing they do is to classify reading section into genre types. They do not look at text structure which is very important in undestanding the type of passage you are dealing with and making sense of it, and most of anticipating what kind of information is important.

One of the BIG books they give you is nothing but previous LSAT tests to go through. Another BIG book is a book that has questions by genre type...but like mentioned, they are not broken down enough into the different types of questions.

The lesson book is a lesson book that goes through lessons...lol...but if it does not go deep enough? What use is it?

Most companies seem to do an okay job on games, but the big differences are in logical reasoning and reading comp.

Vera

[kennybattle]

I'll preface my remarks by saying I haven't read any of the powerscore materials, and everyone seems to rave about them.

I took the Kaplan prep course, and I found it to be pretty beneficial.  I was in a similar situation to you leading up to the Feb. LSAT.  I work about 50 hours a week, and go to school full time as well (online, thankfully). I read a Kaplan LSAT prep book last fall and a couple of weeks later I took a previously administered LSAT.  I got a 150. 

Obviously I figured a few monthes of study would push that score up considerably.  I also figured that $1300 would be a bargain if it helped me increase my score by even a couple of points (Every point could be the difference in getting accepted in-state, or how much scholarship money you get).

My instructor wasn't great, but the I found the materials, and the proctored practice LSATs to be very helpful. In the end, I scored a 159 on the LSAT.  I think I could've done better, and I'm sure if I had more time to study I would have (although I studied pretty hard in the limited free time I had).

I have no regrets about spending the money whatsoever. It provided helpful tools, and the structure of the class with the assignments, etc. made managing my limited time easier.  I will say I saw the most progress the more time I devoted to previously administered LSATs.  If you don't take a prep class, definitely go to LSAC and buy a couple books of ten actual LSATs and take them under strict time conditions.

Many people on this board who did far better than me, and have read a wider range of materials, feel differently about Kaplan and you should keep this in mind.

 

[krjs1908]

I can say that a Kaplan course is better in some instances than nothing as all....meaning...people who aren't aware of the great materials on the market and just do it because of the namesake. 

However, what I can tell you is based on feedback I got from several people in my Testmasters class who'd previously taken a Kaplan class.  Basically, I was told by 2 people that they thought their experience had been pretty good but wanted to take TM because they hadn't ultimately gotten what they thought they'd get out of Kaplan.  After the course got underway they said Kaplan basically had nothing on TM and I suspect PS (since they courses are very similar).  There were a few other students who really wanted their money back from Kaplan after taking the course and those too said the Kaplan class had nothing on TM.  It would be flawed reasoning on my part to make an assumption that this is always true...but this is simply my input based on comments from fellow TM classmates. 

[Rockie]

I am currently enrolled in a Kaplan course. I read all the negative feedback on here but it was the only prep course around here and so I enrolled.

If you are a highly motivated person who alread has a grasp of basic strategies and time management and can do it on your own schedule, then great, you probably don't need a prep course, Kaplan or otherwise.

The advantages I've found have been, like mentioned the proctoring of real full length LSATs in real test conditions. Having other people around you, a proctor timing you and strict adherence to the time is something you just can't replicate on your own.
You also get back personalised feedback with explanations for all the questions and reccomendations on which areas to focus on.
My instructor has been teaching it for almost 20 years and knows his stuff. It's beneficial to have someone to not only explain to you conecpts that you might not understand as well in a book but also actually be able to ask him questions back to clarify things.
The amount of homework assigned is vast and it's beneficial. You know you have to do it which makes the less motivated or structured keep pace, They give not only the regular homework and lesson books but mastery books with tons of questions rated by difficulty, and question type and books of full length tests and 35 minute sections for pacing. All real past LSATs of course.
In addition there's tons of optional online tutorials and quizzes to give even more practice in different areas that have been really extensive and helpful.

So, if you feel you don't need a prep company to help you, great, don't. Yes it's pricey but the whole Law School experience is, and if you can pay for it or get your parents to, and you feel it will help you, then you should. Don't be afraid of the Kaplan naysayers, the instructor says the course was totally revamped this year. So obviously if there were problems in the past, they took them to heart and changed for the better.

[Rockie]

Oh for God's 

No, I don't work for Kaplan.

I am taking their class right now and it's not the Boogeyman many of the elitists here make it out to be.

I've read the PS Bibles and they're great and highly reccomend them to everyone but I also reccomend the materials a Kaplan course provides as well.

[Rockie]

Then again, I take full responsiblity for being careless enough to structure a sentence as a logical assumption flaw in a post on a board of LSAT junkies! 

[LSATinator]

Absolutely do not take the Kaplan course! Instead use:

-Powerscore Bibles
-Real LSAC Practice LSAT's
-This message board

These resources listed above can save you SO much money!