How to prepare for the LSAT exam – this question is the most important for law school applicants. Or, it should be the most important.
So, what is the best way or the easiest way to prepare for the LSAT exam? I should also say that one should find the fastest way to prepare for the LSAT exam.
I know a few people who did self-study and got 162 and 165 on LSAT. They did it well and they were smart disciplined people. They used regular LSAT prep material. I did too.
However, I think we all would have done better on LSAT if we took a good LSAT preparation course or training, or hired an LSAT tutor.
Here is advice – if you know a couple of more people who prepare for LSAT – try to join forces and maybe hire an LSAT tutor.
If not, then LSAT prep courses are the best way to prepare. You will have experienced trainers who got the top score on LSAT and now reveals tricks and tips of studying for LSAT.
I do not endorse any course, but I give my personal opinion based on education and life experience.
What is the best LSAT course – best top LSAT prep courses
Which LSAT preparation service is the best – the best LSAT preparation courses. Well, this is quite subjective, but there are a few brand names out there and that is what I will be talking about now – few brand test preparation services which did test prep works since ages ago.
If you need to find a good LSAT course or LSAT course prep training then you can go to one of the main test preparation companies in the country.
LSAT classes or LSAT courses are not cheap and will cost about $500-$1400 per course. Private tutoring can be very costly – up to $150 per hour, and aspiring law students can rack up to $5000 just for LSAT tutoring, courses, books, and materials.
But, it is well worth it. You can read my previous article about the true cost of LSAT.
Without further talking I will now list three of the best LSAT preparation companies which offer courses in-class and LSAT prep online courses. These are some of the top LSAT preparation courses, in my opinion:
- Kaplan LSAT prep
- Princeton LSAT prep
- LSAT Max
What LSAT prep courses usually teach?
LSAT preparation courses by major companies are usually complete LSAT preparation programs that allow as follows
- Practice logic games for LSAT. LSAT logic games are usually the most difficult part of the exam. You can find LSAT logic game example online.
- LSAT reading comprehension training. They teach reading comprehension strategies for LSAT and reading comprehension tips for LSAT. You can also find LSAT reading comprehension tips from their instructors.
- LSAT sample writing examples. Most programs provide those in their LSAT training materials and books.
I will do a short LSAT preparation by Kaplan review. Kaplan is a well-known brand name in the course preparation industry. Myself, I used Kaplan books or materials on several occasions.
I used the when I prepared for LSAT myself and when I prepared for professional responsibility nationwide exam for the bar exam, and a couple of law school classes.
In short, Kaplan makes good materials that are easy to understand. This is one of those companies whose books or training materials I would buy without much hesitation. I still own a few of Kaplan books and materials to refresh my memory on certain subjects.
Kaplan also offers good courses for LSAT and Kaplan created solid LSAT preparation classes.
Kaplan test preparation for LSAT offers student personalized approach.
They have several LSAT preparation courses at a different price, and their advantage option offers a money-back if a student does not increase his or her score after taking the Kaplan course.
Considering, that many students receive lower scores on LSAT retake than on the original exam, I think, this is a good deal when you can get money back if you do not succeed.
LSAT prep courses by Kaplan are considered the best for a good reason. LSAT prep course by Kaplan will cost you about
Kaplan was crated by Stanley Kaplan a long time ago. Currently, the company serves more than 2,000,000 students every year from all over the world. Kaplan offers preparation for about 120 different tests.
You may say that they are over diversified, but their instructor hiring program is quite good – I tried to get in as instructor but did not make it too far.
But I know they are serious about whom they hire – the demands for instructions are strict. I am sure their LSAT instructors are as good as their training and LSAT test prep materials.
Like other companies, Kaplan offers not only LSAT test prep courses and classes, but also LSAT tutoring. That will cost more, of course. Kaplan’s LSAT test prep course starts at about $800.00.
They offer life and on-demand programs. On-demand means that you can study when you can, at your own pace. Live classes require you to be on the internet at a certain time when class starts.
You can take part in live classes and interact with instructors and other students there. Or, you can watch classes later 24/7 if you are too busy to be online for a class.
Therefore, they offer LSAT prep online programs. If you are looking for LSAT online prep course – you can check out their web site. Kaplan offers hundreds of hours of online practice.
Kaplan LSAT test prep also offers 80 previously administered real LSAT exams for practice. And that is huge – more than you can handle.
Taking practice tests is one of the most important, if not the most important, components of preparing for the LSAT exam.
They offer every single official LSAT question ever released. I suggest you try to do the LSAT questions from the most recent few years because those will be the closest to questions administered on current LSAT exams.
They also give a set of prep books to take home. Plus, instructors give feedback and recommendations. Kaplan LSAT prep plus books are quite good.
They do offer LSAT diagnostic test.
Kaplan logic games complete prep course is | $199 |
Kaplan All Access LSAT is | $1699 |
Kaplan private tutoring starts from | $2399 |
You can check most current prices here: https://www.kaptest.com/lsat/courses/lsat-courses
Kaplan All Access program offers everything: online or in-person live LSAT classroom instruction, LSAT channel live and on-demand lessons, 80+ official LSAT tests, 2 LSAT prep books, 3 hours of one-on-one sessions with a teacher. Online tutoring includes 2 books, 400+ hours of online resources, 2 LSAT test prep books and many other perks.
Overall, Kaplan’s LSAT test prep course is a very solid LSAT preparation program for any test-taker.
This is a younger California-based company, but it offers good LSAT preparation training. Some LSAT Max reviews consider this one to be one of the top LSAT courses, if not the best LSAT preparation course.
LSATMax is focused only on LSAT preparation – a true laser focus. It is a young and innovative company.
Essentially, their primary product is a comprehensive course on-demand 24/7. They offer flexible pricing, including financing with monthly payment.
LSATMax offers its course on mobile phones, unlike some of its competitors, which have version only for Windows or Mac. This makes course delivery convenient and more accessible for both the company and students.
It also offers lifetime access to its course. That includes 90 full-length LSAT prep tests. Plus, 100+ hours of whiteboard videos covering different LSAT topics.
They provide testimonials from students who increased their scores from 150s to 170s. But, I think those are exceptions. Most students raise their scores for up to 10 pints. Still well worth it – read my previous article.
LSATMax offers few guarantees. One is a 7-day money-back guarantee. The other one is a money-back guarantee if you do not receive a better score on the next exam in comparison to a diagnostic test or previously administered official LSAT test.
You can read about those guarantees here: https://testmaxprep.com/lsat/guarantee.
LSATMax also offers private tutoring, and that comes with a hefty price tag.
- The hourly rate is currently $200 an hour. And yes, they offer to finance.
- The basic 10-hour package is $1600.
- The Complete 20-hour package is $3000.
- And in-Depth 30 hours package is $4000. Essentially, the more expensive is the package the less you pay for each hour.
There lifetime access courses start at $749 (Apparently, their Pro version is $749.99, Premium version is $949.99, and Intensive version costs $1249.99) https://intercom.help/testmaxprep/en/articles/1761261-how-much-does-lsatmax-cost
Tutoring is conducted by top LSAT prep tutors who scored in 99th percentile and obtained scores like 178-180 – the highest possible scores.
Many of them are professional test-takers and tutors, who took many LSAT tests and know it inside out. I am sure Kaplan and Princeton have such top instructors too, though.
Tutoring is offered both on the computer and mobile. I would opt for a computer simply because the screen is bigger and if I was to pay so much money – I would want to receive the best visual experience possible.
LSATMax does NOT offer in-class training. I think they save bog money this way, therefore, more money goes to instructors vs. maintaining buildings and classrooms.
The company also sells LSAT prep tests separately, packaging them by price. You can buy them here. https://testmaxprep.com/lsat/prep-test-packages
The founder of the company, Mehran, is also a lead instructor. He stated with an LSAT score in 140s and eventually raised it to 174. He went to Harvard Law School. Is that good enough for the credential?
He positions his company the most affordable and most convenient LSAT online prep course, among other LSAT prep online courses like Kaplan or Princeton. Precisely, because LSAT Max offers only LSAT prep online program.
I would tend to agree that their mobile version makes them probably one of the most convenient companies out there. But, I am not sure they are the most affordable at all. Still, I have heard many good things about this company.
LSAT is an important investment and price tag should not matter when you are about to spend $100,000-$150,000 or more on law school.
I skimmed Mehran’s blog on their website and I liked one major point. He acknowledges that there are some naturally gifted and smart people whom he calls “LSAT naturals,” who score extremely well on LSAT but cannot explain and teach it to regular students.
I guess, he is watching carefully to hire instructors who can explain material well to students.
Plus, their instructors seem to have good flexibility due to a lack of in-class sessions. This may attract better instructors due to the convenience of teaching. Flexibility in scheduling for online classes is attractive to students.
Like other companies, LSATMax also offers law school admissions consulting. From all the information I have and hear and found, this company seems to be one of the top 3 best LSAT preparation companies.
This is another old and reputable test preparation and education company. Princeton review provides test preparation not only for LSAT but for several other tests such as GRE, GMAT and more.
However, Princeton Review LSAT test preparation courses are what I am going to talk about now.
On their website, they claim about 12-point average score improvement after taking their LSAT classes or LSAT courses.
This is claim comes with reservation as each result may vary. Some students go from 145 to 175. And some can improve their score by only a few points.
The Princeton Review offers several different LSAT courses, designed to improve test results. Those include 165+ course, fundamentals, self-paced, tutoring,
They also offer select LSAT prep services as follows:
Self-paced | All released LSAT questions with detailed explanations and 150+ hours of LSAT prep online lessons to cover the maximum number of questions | $799 |
Fundamentals | 30 hours of actual classroom time focused on picking up points. Also, four full-length proctored exams to get a hand of testing and keep you prepared. | $1,099 |
The $165+ Score course (guaranteed, with reservation) | I assume is one of their most popular ones. Its price is $1699, which also not too expensive. Yes, in the legal world, this is cheap. Attorneys have large overhead expenses. A subscription to monthly Lexis Nexis services can run into thousands of dollars each month. | $1,699 (as of march 2020 they offered a discount down to $1,299 – which is great, I think). |
Private tutoring program | A personalized tutoring program tailored to each strength and weaknesses. Private tutoring is always a good thing, in my opinion, because over thousands of years of our society nothing is still better than explanation by another person. | Starting at $1,800 |
They also offer free LSAT practice test online to test your current abilities, and in-person info sessions are also available.
The 165+Score course deserves special attention. This is course is designed to try to raise the LSAT score to at least 163 because top law 25 schools generally require at minimum 163 on LSAT to even consider your application.
And getting into top law school vs. not-top law school generally defines your legal career and ability to make lots of money vs. just money. To succeed, one needs a score of least 165 – this can be considered a good LSAT score.
This option includes 84 hours of instruction by LSAT expert (according to The Princeton Review’s website). Plus, 150 hours of LSAT online prep course materials. And 8000+ LSAT exam-style questions.
They require your starting score to be at least 158 within the 90 days before the start of this 165+ course to be eligible for a guarantee of 165+ score. Or, the score of 158 on their diagnostic LSAT test.
You can still take it with the lower original LSAT score, but the guarantee will not apply. Additionally, it is required that you attend all scheduled class sessions, complete all practice tests online and complete all homework online.
This option also includes 6 full-length practice tests, and practice tests are a very important factor in better preparation for different tests, not only LSAT. Plus, 35+ hours of on-demand recorded lessons. And verbal section specific practice tests.
The Princeton Review LSAT prep also uses officially licensed LSAT questions for practice.
They offer this course at different times of the day to accommodate students of different walks of life.
Another decent starter option is the LSAT Fundamentals course. It is a targeted preparation by a top-scoring instructor – a combination of online self-prep with guidance by such instructor.
Includes 30 hours of in-class LSAT prep with an expert instructor, online lessons to supplement in-class prep, 4 proctored tests under real-life conditions, 150+ hours of online LSAT prep videos, questions & answers by an instructor and few other perks. All, for $1099 as of Spring 2020.
Self-paced is probably the easiest option, but you should not settle on the easiest, but strive for a better option.
Are you thinking Law School or Grad School? I will provide some info to make your law school vs. grad school choice easier. Here is a short answer: Do not make hasty decisions getting into significant student debt if you are not sure what you want to do with your life. Give it a good thought, research, and analysis and choose something that is marketable based on recent modern trends.
I do get this question sometimes. I also see people asking this question on forums – Law School vs. Grad School – should they go to law school or should they go to graduate school instead? You will receive one million different opinions about the pros and cons of either going to law school or graduate school but you are the only one who can make a decision that fits you best. The choice for law school or grad school is ultimately your responsibility.
Alpha Score LSAT Preparation is also a good option for self-study. The company was created in 2003, so they are not brand new and have a good track record.
They offer several inexpensive options making it easier to pick up knowledge in the areas where you feel weak. Their study methods include videos, animations, explanations, which you can review at your own pace.
They do not offer live LSAT online class options, unlike companies above. Essentially, most of their methods are through online materials and homework. But, they do offer personalized one-on-one guidance by experienced instructors.
This company also offers some inexpensive options. Like other companies, they offer options to practice logical reasoning, logic games for LSAT, LSAT style sample writing, reading comprehension strategies for LSAT, and official LSAT exams to practice, practice and practice.
Logical reasoning training covers over 20 question types with official LSAT exam questions and explanations and options to improve your timing on the test.
Logic games training includes training on strategies and tactics to use for the LSAT test. Reading comprehension covers strategies to deal with different passage types.
They build their training around official LSAT exams and all their LSAT prep online courses come with official LSAT exams to ensure good practice.
Like at all companies, the Alpha Score LSAT prep course is designed as an effective course for improving the LSAT score. Their goal is to boost the LSAT score for each student.
The instructors have a minimum of five years of experience.
The company offers a free trial to try 3 HD video lessons, 1 official LSAT exam, 125 LSAT practice questions, and a 1-month subscription. If you like it, you can take their complete LSAT course below.
You just need to provide your email and you will obtain instant access to some practice questions and practice LSAT exams. You can take advantage of their free trial course here: https://www.alphascore.com/resources/free-lsat-course-prep/
Their complete LSAT prep course, their most popular one, is simply cheap – only $389. That course includes 50+ HD video lessons and tutorials, 10 official LSAT exams for practice, 1000+ LSAT practice questions and 12 months subscription – one year.
And, it comes with personal instructor assistance. In my opinion, this is a very good value and a great option for those who work at least part-time and do not plan on studying for LSAT full time. You can take this course and still have money for other, more expensive courses.
However, if you plan to spend months studying for LSAT full-time to master it, it makes sense to buy their premium LSAT course. Finally, their premium LSAT course is $789. Also 50+ HD video lessons and tutorials, 61 official LSAT exams, 6000+ LSAT practice questions, 12 months subscription and personal instructor assistance.
Again, this is value for those who are planning to spend months working hard on their LSAT preparation, because 61 LSAT exams and 6000+ questions is a LOT. There will be no need to buy any extra from outside.
If you have weakness in any specific section on LSAT, then they offer separate training for Logic Games ($189), Logical Reasoning ($198), and Reading Comprehension $99.
And find out more about pricing here: https://www.alphascore.com/pricing-enrollment/
Alpha Score LSAT prep online offers guides both for US and Canadian law schools. I have not checked the Canadian option at other companies I mentioned above, but you can check those for yourself if you need them.
They also have own blog. And, according to reviews and testimonials, their course is somewhat fun – they try to make it easier.
You can speed up their online video lectures to up to 2x speed. That is a good option if you repeat any of them – to save time.
By the way, they also offer a free trial of logic games courses. You can find free trial here https://crushthelsatexam.com/alpha-score-lsat-review/
Overall, Alpha Score beats the competition in terms of price due to its cheap complete LSAT prep course. But you should not look only at a cost – look at value.
The Conclusion
Tip: I suggest you check blogs of all companies I have mentioned – they provide excellent advice based on their multi-year teaching experience.
They have first-hand knowledge because they are training companies, their instructors often retake LSAT exam regularly to keep up with new developments. Read their blogs for tips and strategies.
Did you know that about 100k-150k LSATs are administered each year? I did not know that – I learned it from their blog. This is stiff competition, so make sure you do use all available resources to improve your score.
Overall, these are a few of the best LSAT preparation courses in my opinion. These are not all – there few more, which I will mention in my next article.
But these were first that came to my mind because I was familiar with them. Under any circumstances, if you are set to go to law school, make sure that you use their free and paid resources to improve your score.
I would say that Princeton and Kaplan have a more traditional approach to teaching. Alpha Score and LSAT Max use slightly more innovative ways to beat the competition and to attract more young students.
It is up to you what to do. I am well familiar with Kaplan myself, I used Princeton review materials for various tests, I have heard good things from other law students about LSAtMax and Alpha Score. You decide.
According to LSATMax founder, your LSAT weight 3 or 4 times your GPA, and that is hugely important. That is why no matter what your GPA is, you must attain an excellent score on LSAT to have a shot at top law schools and a meaningful respectable career in the future.
Many LSAT takers do not take LSAT courses. Therefore, taking the LSAT course alone may distinguish you from the crowd. Again, if you are strong-minded for law school unless you individually can prepare and score 165 or more, then it is well worth taking any of the courses above – any course has the potential to improve your score.
What I do recommend, however, is that once you choose the course – stick with it. Make sure you complete it. Do not jump from course to course. The courses are designed as a whole program, and jumping courses may mess up your studies and eventual score on the LSAT exam.
When studying something new, always focus on one thing at a time. Because our brain does learns well when not distracted. Set aside time, place, so you could have at least one hour or two per each session.
Dive deep, learn well and succeed immensely.
Have a nice career!
#lsat #lsatprep #prelaw #lsatstudying