LSAT Strategies -- Next Step Test Preparation

Introduction to the LSAT
John Rood
Founder, Next Step Test Preparation

• The LSAT in Law School Admissions

• What’s On the Exam?

• How Should You Prepare?

888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com John Rood

LSAT score and undergraduate GPA (UGPA) are the most important
factors going into law school admissions

LSAT GPA
Importance

Personal Letters of Education and
Statement Recommendation Work Experience


How is the test scored?

• Raw score: number of questions right out of total (usually 99-
101)
• Scaled score: 120-180
• Percentile rank

Typical Score Conversion Typical Score Distribution

Raw Score Scaled Score Percentile Rank

0 - 15 120 0%

37 140 13.0%
45 145 25.8%
55 151 48.3%
60 154 60.0%
70 160 81.0%
80 166 93.4%
90 173 99.0%


“Ok, so what do I need to do to pass?”
There isn’t a passing score. The higher your score, the better your chances of admission
(and financial aid) at more prestigious schools

For example, let’s say you wanted to go to school in Chicago:

School 75% LSAT 25% LSAT 75% GPA 25% GPA

University of 173 169 3.84 3.63
Chicago

Northwestern 172 166 3.81 3.40

DePaul 162 158 3.57 3.11
Chicago-Kent 163 157 3.69 3.21

John Marshall 156 150 3.53 3.00

Source: http://officialguide.lsac.org/release/OfficialGuide_Default.aspx


How can you decide what schools to apply to?

First question: Where do you have a good chance of being admitted?

http://officialguide.lsac.org/release/OfficialGuide_Default.aspx


The results…

It will be extremely difficult to “beat the numbers.”

Most students apply to 5-10 law schools. Apply to a mix of “safe” and “reach” schools.


Applying early can have big benefits

Almost all law schools practice “rolling admissions.” There are
more seats available in

October than there are in February.

888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com John Rood 8
Next Step Test Preparation 888-530-NEXT www.nextsteptestprep.com

What’s on the test?

Each LSAT consists of four scored sections:
2 Logical Reasoning (25-27 questions each)
1 Logic Games (22-24 questions)
1 Reading Comprehension (26-28 questions)
In addition, you will complete two unscored sections:
1 experimental section (random section type, not identifiable)
1 writing sample
You’ll have exactly 35 minutes to complete each section.


Reading Comprehension
Like the ACT/SAT, except way harder.

• 4 passages covering hard and soft sciences as well
as the arts

• 26-28 total questions

• The challenge: answer choices are cleverly
designed for you to get them wrong

• Significantly harder than 5 years ago


Logical reasoning
Half of your total LSAT score (!)

• 2 scored sections, 24-26 questions of (generally)
progressive difficulty

• A variety of challenges, such as:
• Strengthen the argument
• Weaken the argument
• Resolve a paradox
• Find the logical flaw

• Requires understanding not just of everyday or “informal”
logic but also basic formal or symbolic logic


Logic Games
How does a simple question
about dinosaur toys turn into
R M M __ __ (G, M, R, Y)
this?
S __ __ __ __ (I, L, P, S, T, U, V)

I G
I

P Y
P

U V
V U
L and U  at least one not M


Work questions strategically
The questions in any particular game are not ordered to the advantage of the student.

1. “List” questions

2. “If” questions

3. Rest of the questions except…

4. Rule Change

Why is this so?

14

Step 1: Take a free practice LSAT. How does your score compare to your
targets?

http://lsac.org/jd/pdfs/SamplePTJune.pdf

This test is provided by LSAC, the creators of the exam. Next Step licenses real LSATs for our
students, but since this one is free we can’t reprint it here.

What skills do I need to build?

Logic.
Ok, and reading, and time management, and tolerance
for pressure.


What materials should I use?

Good question.
• Only use real LSAT questions. This
eliminates every book <$20.
• A lot of distinctions without
differences in prep materials
• Any reputable prep company will
supply you with great material
• The foundation of your prep
should be tests from LSAC


Ideal Prep Calendars

Ideally, take 3-5 months to prepare for the exam.
• 6+ months is too long – you will run out of material
• Less than a month is not enough time to reach your top score

As of today, it’s possible to study for the December 2012 LSAT – but you must
start tomorrow and work VERY intensely (20+ hours per week).

If you are planning to start school in Fall of 2014, plan for the June LSAT. Start
studying in January or February.


How Many Times Should
You Plan to Take The
LSAT?


How many tests should I take?

Taking full tests or sections under
timed conditions is probably the
most effective means of studying
for the exam.

You wouldn’t consider yourself
ready to take the test before
you’d worked through at least 15
full tests, with at least 10 of those
complete, timed tests.

There are 61 real LSAT’s
released, ~40 of which are useful.


LSAT Prep Options

Self-Study Prep Course One-on-One
Tutoring
• Lowest price (~$200) • Generally good • Study plan completely
• Self-paced materials tailored
• Focus on need areas • Schedules keep • Help identifying and
students on pace fixing weak areas
• Work on concepts
until you understand
them

• Hard to know what • Lack of personal • Costs more than self-
you don’t know attention study
• Few resources to • Valuable time devoted • Fewer contact hours
answer questions to unnecessary areas than a course
• Score plateaus • Pace is never right • Cost more than a
• Every point counts • High cost-to-value ratio course (until now)


Next Step Test Preparation provides elite LSAT tutoring packages starting at the
same price as crowded prep courses.
• Incredible personal attention. Compare our one-on-one tutoring to an average class of 10-15 with classes
sometimes reaching 25-30 students. Each student gets an individualized curriculum and learning plan – not a
curriculum developed for average students looking for an average score.

• Competitive prices. We can provide a complete course of one-on-one tutoring, including all materials, for virtually
the same price as tuition in a crowded prep course.

• Incredible instructors. Your LSAT tutor will be a veteran of LSAT prep – never a first-timer

We provide a free consultation to any student interested in discussing LSAT prep.

LSAT Prep Comparison (Payment plans available)
Next Step Kaplan Princeton
Review
Instructional method One-on-one tutoring Class of 10-25 Class of 10-25

Package Price $1,399 (16 tutoring $1,399 (LSAT $1,249
hours and all Extreme) (Hyperlearning
materials); 24 hours course)
$1,999
Competitor rates from corporate websites; not guaranteed to be up-to-date or accurate for all geographies

Who Are These guys?
We believe that the quality of our instructors sets us apart. Unlike many larger prep companies, we make it clear to students
who they will be working with before we ask them to commit. Here is a sampling of our tutors (available to students anywhere
in the country working online).

• Rob: 174 LSAT, 10 years LSAT teaching experience, Penn Law

• Elana: 177 LSAT, 7 years LSAT teaching experience, Columbia Law

• Peter: 179 LSAT, 15+ years of LSAT tutoring experience

• Anthony: 176 LSAT, J.D. Georgetown Law Center

• Michael: 174 LSAT, co-author of LSAT prep material
Student Success
“I got a 173 on the test, and I am so thrilled! It puts me in a great “I highly recommend preparing for the LSAT with Next Step! The
position for the schools I want to go to. Michael really did a great lessons helped me strengthen my weak points and enabled me
job preparing me and I went in much more confident. Working to better understand why I struggled with certain parts of the
online was great, definitely helpful to use the online test. With my tutor’s help,, I was able to grasp the logic behind
blackboard. I just got accepted to Harvard!” the problems and greatly improve my score.”
-H., Virginia LSAT Student Talia, Northwestern
"I would recommend Next Step Test Prep to anyone. After
taking a course with [a national prep company] I was highly “The [popular prep course] program listed my strengths and
unsatisfied. Instead of taking my needs into account [they] weaknesses, but didn't provide me with any advice for
taught the classes with a one size fits all mentality. With Next improving them. My Next Step tutor gave me specific strategies
Step I got a tutor who knew MY strengths and weaknesses. In and suggestions designed to help me overcome my weaknesses
the end my tutor helped me create a test taking strategy and succeed on test day. He offered me advice based on my own
specifically tailored at achieving my LSAT goal score of 163." experiences, rather than those of a generic ‘student.’” Emily,
-Dan, Ohio State LSAT Student Indiana University

Next Step Test Preparation LLC
888-530-NEXT
www.nextsteptestprep.com
info@nextsteptestprep.com

Next Step students have been admitted to:
Harvard Columbia
Yale Georgetown
Stanford George Washington
University Of Chicago American University
Northwestern Chicago-Kent
Michigan Loyola Chicago
Wisconsin Akron
Duke Cincinnati
Cornell University of Washington
NYU Washington University in St. Louis
UC Santa Barbara Penn
UC San Diego UNC Chapel Hill
Arizona
And many more…

Our students have earned scholarships up to full tuition +
stipend – worth over $100,000

Next Step Test Preparation LLC
888-530-NEXT
www.nextsteptestprep.com
info@nextsteptestprep.com

Thank you for listening!

Please contact me if you have any questions
about the LSAT or law school admissions.

John Rood
john@nextsteptestprep.com
773-257-3391


LSAT Strategies -- Next Step Test Preparation

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