How to Start Preparing

[mkcm311]

I'm planning on taking the LSAT in June 2011. I do not plan on taking any prep courses and I'm going to start studying in January. I'm giving myself 5 months to prepare. On average how many hours a week should I put in? I've read 7 hours/week.

Thanks!
mkcm311

[cvargas84]

I'm taking the LSAT in June too, so I'm no expert, but I have heard 2 hours/day on weekdays, off on weekends, 1 full length exam per week (Fridays for example)  is a good regimen if you are not taking a course. I will be taking a course but will follow a similar routine starting in January.

[marcus-aurelius]

I would say you are looking at a minimum of 8 hours per week.  That 8 hours is one test, plus going over it to determine what you got right, what you got wrong, and WHY you did so.  IF you get something right because you guessed, that does not really help you. 

You also want to spend a couple of hours per week going over concepts such as question types and formal logic.  FOrmal logic I believe is what separates a 160 from a 170

[EarlCat]

The amount of study you need depends on where you're scoring now, and where you need to score to get into the schools you want to go to.  If you're scoring 160, and you only need a 150 to get in, your required study hours are zero.  Without knowing you or your stats, there is no way to tell you how long to study.

I will, however, encourage you to go for the highest score you can get.  Even if you are geographically attached to a school, high scores make for good scholarships.  That being said, I highly recommend taking a class or hiring a tutor.  It's a worthwhile investment.

[mkcm311]

Thank you for the great suggestions. I will look into taking a prep course.

Thanks again for responding. 

[LSAT Freedom]

Aurelius brings up a great point that often is overlooked.  The LSAT is an exam that tests logical principles.  Unless you took a logic course in college or high school (unlikely), you've probably never been exposed to most of the logical principles the LSAT tests.  The LSAT tests your deductive reasoning, ability to find weaknesses in arguments, ability to find points that strengthen an argument, recognition of various argument types (like ad hominem, etc.), and many other logical concepts.  Studying formal logic will help familiarize you with these concepts.  Understanding what they are and how they work will give you a significant advantage when you study and do practice questions and tests.  To the extent you can get someone to teach you these concepts and show you examples of where they occur on the LSAT, that would also be a huge advantage.

[Thane Messinger]

The amount of study you need depends on where you're scoring now, and where you need to score to get into the schools you want to go to.  If you're scoring 160, and you only need a 150 to get in, your required study hours are zero.  Without knowing you or your stats, there is no way to tell you how long to study.

I will, however, encourage you to go for the highest score you can get.  Even if you are geographically attached to a school, high scores make for good scholarships.  That being said, I highly recommend taking a class or hiring a tutor.  It's a worthwhile investment.

As always, EarlCat provides good advice.  A note from a colleague struck me: the LSAT is one-half (or more) of the admissions decision for most schools, for most applicants.  To combine this with EarlCat's second point, there's almost no level of preparation that's too much.  (The same applies for the bar exam . . . and, ahem, just about every case you'll ever work on as an attorney.) 

I couldn't afford a prep course, way back when, which is perhaps why I share this:  You should take an  intensive course AND also study about as much as you would for a full semester's coursework.  Overboard?  Perhaps.  But chances are you'll relish every one of those additional points.

[Julie Fern]

june test be hardest ever.