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How long to study for LSAT to See Gains
OK, how long to study for LSAT? I will give you a simple answer right away – for as long as you can see improvement in your diagnostic or actual test scores. When you stop seeing improvement – maybe you have reached your potential and it is time to stop. Unless you can change study methods.
There is no single answer for everyone – the time necessary to study for LSAT depends on each individual. Therefore, these generic answers about how long to study for LSAT are almost always wrong.
Many times, I have seen the average number of 300 hours given by respectable LSAT test prep training companies. And, they are wrong. In my opinion, 300 hours is just the beginning for an average person. I mean, as a lawyer, you may have to bill 1800-2000 hours per year. So, 300 hours is an easy walk in the park.
I keep repeating in my blog posts that the higher the LSAT score – the higher-ranking law school will open doors for you. And after graduation from high-ranking law school, your career prospects will be significantly better.
Which, in turn, may yield over the lifetime of your career anywhere from $100,000 to $3,000,000 of additional income which you would not be able to obtain had you gone to a lower-ranking law school.
There are exceptions, of course, but having a well-ranked known law school name on your resume may keep opening doors in the future and not only in the legal career. Therefore, you absolutely must do everything possible and impossible to obtain as high LSAT score as you can.
To achieve that, for the majority of aspiring lawyers it WILL take more than 300-hour term. Why would you cut yourself short and stop improving just because someone gives you a number on the internet for how long to study for the LSAT? That would be utterly unwise, don’t you think so?
How Long Should You Study for LSAT? (No, For Real?)
Well, like I already mentioned, it depends on you and your progress. How long should you study for LSAT – depends solely on your progress metrics. Some people study for a month and achieve an LSAT score of 160 or even 165-170. Others, take months and months and still cannot reach 160.
In the latter case, you must change your LSAT study approach, tactics and methods. If you do not see any progress between the first diagnostic test and the second one, it means you are doing something wrong. You should see at least some improvement.
How long should you study for LSAT? For as long as you continue reasonable improvement. I think it is better to take an extra year to prepare for LSAT and go to a way better law school.
I never took any LSAT courses and I studied on my own for only about three weeks. I regret it – I could go to a way higher ranked school had I spent at least 3 to 6 months. But I had no choice – it was either I get into school or get a job. Or, had I? Do not repeat my mistake.
When you ask yourself “how long should I study for LSAT,” the average given online is about 3 to 6 months. I think three months can be enough is only if you do it more or less full time.
If not, then it could be 6 months, or a year, or longer, as long as you can master the LSAT and train yourself on how to take LSAT with a better score.
Take your time, it is not time to rush. My good friend, on the other hand, spent about 3 months part-time training on his own and his diagnostic test gave him a 167 score. His actual LSAT score, as I recall, was 162. Surprisingly, he never went to law school. He still may do it – I encourage him.
But, had he obtained proper training for LSAT exam for a duration of 6 months to 12 months – I am pretty confident he could score even up to 170 or slightly more, which would open doors of top law schools for him.
Therefore, the answer to the question of how long should you study for LSAT is – for as long as you can or as long as you can afford.
Put all your effort and a good chunk of time into it. Just do not stretch too much – have training sessions at least 3-4 times a week for at least 1.5-2 hours each LSAT training session or total per day. With this technique, you will gain traction sooner.
How long should I study for LSAT? How long do I need to study for the LSAT? (emphasis on “I”)
This is a more proper question to ask – for how long should I (you, and only you) study for LSAT. Only you can know if you feel confident enough to sit for the LSAT exam.
How long should I (you) study for LSAT? Here are a few questions to help you evaluate if you should study for LSAT:
- Did you take your first diagnostic test? Are you happy with results or not?
- Do you feel like you can study more and improve your score?
- Can you spare more energy and time and money for these additional weeks or months of LSAT preparation?
- Did you take your second diagnostic test after additional months of LSAT studying?
- Did you show improvement?
- Was your improvement good enough – do your effort and energy spent on more studying correspond to jump in your score, or it looks like you cannot jump much higher anymore?
- Are you willing to study even more to try to improve your score even more?
- Repeat.
Essentially, you have to break yourself and push yourself beyond the limits of what you thought was possible.
How long does it take to study for LSAT on average?
How long does it take to study for LSAT on average is a misconception based on some mythical “industry standard.” The test prep companies say 3 to 6 months. But, it depends on how many hours per day you study.
Essentially, if you properly study 5-6 hours per day, within 3 to 4 months you may see very serious results. If you are working full time, have family, and can spend no more than 2 hours three to four times a week, then most likely you will need to stretch that period two to three times longer – 8 months to one year of regular studying. I am not kidding here.
I knew a student who got 170 LSAT score after only a month and a half of preparation, but he did it full time, like a job, 6 days per week. Very focused, very motivated individual. Hence, the result.
It is really about how much energy you put into this and how much you focus on the process. The same hours can yield different results between a person who is focused during those same hours or the one who is either daydreaming or gets distracted often in the process. Such people will get distinctly different scores.
How Many Hours to Study for LSAT?
Tip: it is not only about how many hours you spent on this but about the quality, focus, and depth of your attention while studying. Focus on LSAT prep only. Do not text message, do not take calls from friends during a study session. Feed your cat before you study.
Also, daily practice is more important than just putting some number of hours. But, how many hours to study for LSAT must be spent on average to achieve noticeable results? For, example, 20 minutes per day every single day will yield a better result than 2 hours and 20 minutes on the weekend.
Daily training sessions will keep your brain focused on LSAT a million times better than trying to do it once a week for a couple of hours.
Many trainers and instructors recommend studying any topic not less than 10 hours per week. And many say that spending 15-20 hours per week studying new material is optimal.
I usually try not to cram everything in one-two days. I spread hours over the week more evenly. This helps to process information and create a memory. Like a computer. The brain needs time off between sessions to process what you have learned and record it for your use in the future.
Tip: Shoot for a minimum of 15 hours of LSAT studying per week, if you have the time.
How long does it take to study for the LSAT if you start with the low score?
Say, you have got 145 on your first LSAT. Is it a bad score? Yes. You should improve without any questions. How long does it take to study for the LSAT if you start with such a low score? How long you need to spend to prep for LSAT under such a scenario?
In my opinion – you need to spend years unless you can somehow improve the score to 160+ within few months. I say always shoot for over 160. How much to study for LSAT depends on you, but spending 6-12 months is sufficient to show whether you can seriously improve LSAT score.
If you see solid improvement in one year, then it probably makes sense to spend even another year to shoot for 165-170+. Especially, if you study on your own and your cost is essentially a cost of books and materials.
Tip: Some test prep companies recommend 500 hours as kind of the maximum number of hours to study because, as they say, you eventually will run out of quality preparation and practice test materials.
I say – screw that. A person spending 1000 hours will almost always beat one spending 500. Practically always.
If you do run out of LSAT materials, then go back and reread those materials and redo those tests 2, 3 or even 4 times. Because each time your brain will register something new, thus improving your score. Getting deeper each time.
I tried this technique and it worked wonders for me. Just wonders. When you are evaluating how long do you need to study for LSAT keep in mind that repetition is key to learning.
In my opinion, it is OK to cover the same material several times. I suggest redoing older actual released tests over again and saving newer ones for the last month or two when you aim at the high score.
How long to Study for LSAT while working full time
How long to study for LSAT while working full time is a legitimate question but the answer is easy – you should study as much as you can find time for it but not less than 4-6 hours per week. I suggest finding at least 6 hours per week for your LSAT prep sessions. For at least 4 -8 months.
I think the “industry standard” recommendation of 3 months of study should not apply to full-time workers unless they can manage to allocate 12-15 hours per week to study LSAT.
Also, if you work full time, I suggest taking one of the LSAT prep courses designed for self-paced LSAT study on your own. You can read that in my other LSAT article.
Taking the LSAT course will help to keep you motivated. At least, take the course first, and then you can expand on your LSAT training and study on your own. Now you will learn to know many techniques from LSAT course and will be able to figure out what works for your LSAT prep if you study on your own.
Working full time should not prevent you from achieving a high score. It is all about your focus and the wise use of study time. I had a friend who worked as a manager at a huge biotech company and he worked 60 hours a week there. Still, he studied early in the morning before work, and late in the evening and on weekends.
He was able to get a 160+ score and went to the top 50 law school in his city. Yes, he probably could have gotten 170 had he studied for LSAT full time. But he is a respected IP attorney now. And well-paid too, I assume. So, things worked out.
As usual, the time necessary to prepare for LSAT varies depending on individual ability – there is no single answer suitable for everyone. Some can achieve a high LSAT score in only 2 months, others need 12 months or more to achieve just a good LSAT score of 162+.
How long to prep for LSAT while working full time
To make a good judgment you must do diagnostic tests about one each month. If you see decent progress – keep working until you achieve your target score or the highest possible score.
This is the point – extra 6 months of LSAT study can yield your acceptance to higher-ranking law school and an extra $10,000-$30,000 added to your annual earnings multiplied over the life of your career.
It can also mean the difference between having or not having a job after graduation and a bar license.
It also can mean a full scholarship ride at a regional or local school. Having less debt makes a huge difference in the life of any person.
Do you see the stakes here?
I do not believe in cutting sleep hours – this is a pretty stupid idea because the brain needs enough sleep to comprehend information. This modern trend of cutting sleep deserves a series of special tirade using extremely profane words which I cannot express here for the respect of the reader.
Lack of sleep leads to diseases, including diabetes, accidents on the roads and so on.
Do not fall for this corporate slave scam – you will have enough reasons to sleep less during law school exams and when you work as an attorney. So, enjoy your sleep now as much as you can.
When should I start studying for the LSAT
When should I start studying for the LSAT – start right now! Not tomorrow, not this evening – right now. Do not wait until the future.
If your intention to go to law school is more than 50% rather than not, then you should start today. Order a book, or buy a course, or do something to study right starting today.
Take a break from this article and search online for sample LSAT questions or two and try to guess the answer(s). Read them carefully, see how they ask questions, read answers carefully, and see which answer you think is correct.
If you are only thinking of maybe going to law school in the future – still, try to study for LSAT starting today, so that you will be a little bit familiar with the test once you make up your mind and start seriously preparing for the LSAT.
And when you start preparing for LSAT more seriously, just make sure you allocate time for it. Make it a priority. Grab 20-30 minutes where it is possible. You will get it eventually and it will become a routine.
How to study for LSAT in 2 months – is 2 months enough time to study for the LSAT?
Be prepared to spend months and months on your own pace because if you start from zero, then 2 months most likely will not be enough to master the LSAT. And we are looking for mastery here, not for the average level of LSAT prep.
Do not try to cram – go in gradually but deeply, instead of shallowly hoarding things on top of each other. You need to train your brain for taking the LSAT test and it takes time.
But if you are not working and have means to live for the next two months, you can dive in and spend 50-60 hours preparing for LSAT each week over the next 2 months.
Then, you may be able to master LSAT within 2 months. We are talking about at least 400 hours of effort to prepare for LSAT here over 2 months. This brutal approach may work if you do not get distracted and do not lose your steam.
Other than that, 2 months is not reasonable for the majority of people because of life, work responsibilities, which will take time away from studying. Most people will not maximize their LSAT results and will not achieve the highest LSAT score potential.
And you want to achieve the highest LSAT score potential instead of settling for average. Become Master Jedi of LSAT exam taking. Unlike law school exams – here you are on your schedule.
Allocating time for LSAT prep and LSAT study schedule
I love schedules. And I never follow them. I always improvise. You never know which part will take more of your time, and in this case, you need to be thorough rather than shallow.
So, I suggest to simply allocate, say, 10 -15 hours of study time each week, and then each week you simply make sure to use up all of those hours, regardless of what section you use it for.
Keep track of the time you have spent to make sure you meet your weekly goal of 10-15 hours. Just make sure that you spend those hours each week.
And for each session you will decide for yourself what you need to study – logic games, or reading comprehension, or sample test, or view LSAT training video from a course you have purchased – it is entirely up to you.
Treat LSAT prep as work – you will have ups and downs, but in the end, the volume of the energy you put in will transform into a result – a good LSAT score. Try to do some studying in the morning – that is when your natural clock is set and you are fresh. Plus, most exams are administered in the mornings, so you may want to get used to it.
I would say that with this approach you may be able to master LSAT within four to six months of studying for the LSAT exam.
Conclusion
Well, nothing in this or other articles on this blog must be treated as advice. You are the master of your life and you better take responsibility for your actions and decisions. All articles, all recommendations anywhere on the internet are just that – recommendations.
You are the only person in the world who truly knows how you feel and what you can do. Just work through those LSAT study hours, and weeks, and then months, step-by-step, one session at the time.
Keep track of the hours you have spent just for yourself, and focus not only on the total time you spent but on the results, which you can test by taking diagnostic tests. Your study should be not schedule driven but driven by trying to achieve improvement in results – by number – LSAT score. And only that will determine how long to study for LSAT.
As you go, you will understand LSAT better and better, will develop your study and comprehension methods, and will gain the ability to see your strengths and weaknesses to address.
So, do not cut short your study time – you may miss on those few extra points on LSAT exam which could put you in the top law school and propel you in society beyond your imagination.
Learning about LSAT does not count as LSAT exam training. You still need to learn general concepts and what LSAT exam is. But nothing replaces actual LSAT training like doing sample questions, reviewing results, and repeating the process.
Do not get distracted or discouraged – keep working on it. You will have many moments when you will be frustrated that you do not gain any extra points. DO not let that discourage you.
It takes time, and we improve in waves or jumps if you know what I mean. The amount of your work, will at one single moment propel you to the next level, where you will remain for some time, and then you will propel to the next level, and so on.
So, do not cut yourself short from opportunities by rushing into putting that application for law school.
Shall you decide to go to law school – check my detailed reviews of recommended LSAT preparation courses for getting a top LSAT score.
Check out my best recommended laptop guide for law and graduate students.
More information about LSAT from LSAC. Some info from ABA.