<p>I'm new to this forum but I've found it to be an invaluable source of information for the stressful admissions process ahead--thank you everyone. Here's my question--I'm currently going into my senior year in school, and I have around a 3.65 cumulative with both undergraduate institutions I've attended (both are around the same level). I knew the LSAT was extremely important, but after reading many of the postings on this forum I now understand it is absolutely crucial.
I signed up for the Kaplan course this summer because I heard some positive things from people who took it and scored in the 170s. I've seen on these threads that the PowerScore and TestMasters courses and/or materials are the best, and Kaplan and Princeton Review seem to get trashed consistently. While certainly not the best course to take, will it do actual damage? I plan on devoting a considerable amount of studying time for the next five months, and I already have the Kaplan course materials--purchasing the two better brands of books is something I plan on doing. I just don't want to have to unlearn methods and strategies if what Kaplan teaches me is actually harmful.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>[Also, I'm a bit concerned about recommendations and my resume. I have two professors and one supervisor that will write me recommendations--while not negative, I'm not sure the academic recs will be glowing. I don't know my professors to the point of constantly going to their office hours and chatting them up. My work history is solid, but I'm not really active in college activities. With a 3.65 and a 168, for example, would merely good recommendations and a good resume be sufficient for 14-25 schools? Thanks]</p>
<p>I took the Stanley Kaplan course, in 1979, and taught LSAT preparation classes when I was in law school. I wasn't impressed with their materials, but thought that taking a lot of practice tests was very useful. </p>
<p>I remember arguing with my teachers about whether the answers they provided were right. The good teachers conceded that they might be wrong, but claimed that the actual LSAT questions had far fewer ambiguities than the practice tests, and that high scorers would accordingly find them easier. I found that to be the case. </p>
<p>The best piece of advice I received there was that it takes less time to fill in an answer bubble with a dull pencil than with a sharp one.</p>
<p>A 3.65/168 may break you into the lower T-14. I think you have a decent shot with a 168. LORs don't matter too much, unless they are bad. Adcomms just want to see that you haven't peeved every professor you've had and that you're sane. Work experience is great. If it's significant work experience, it may be better than college ECs. </p>
<p>Kaplan is pretty bad for the LSAT. I think it's decent for the MCAT, but I would not take it for the LSAT. The good ones are TestMasters, Powerscore, and Blueprint. </p>
<p>
[quote]
The best piece of advice I received there was that it takes less time to fill in an answer bubble with a dull pencil than with a sharp one.
<p>After a Kaplan course, my own score went down, as did those of the few other students I happened to talk to (two or so...the subject came up because we were all having trouble getting refunds, although I eventually did get one).</p>
<p>Might have been poor teaching, might just as easily have been our own faults, bad luck, or something else. Given the chance for a do-over, I probably wouldn't take it. That said, no other course was available to me, I did appreciate the structure, and all the Kaplan people I met were friendly/helpful. I got where I hoped to be, so things worked out. I have no major grudge, but I won't be recommending the course anytime soon.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. I was wondering if I could get some more input on this from everyone. Unfortunately, the TestMasters and PowerScore courses offered this summer extend into late August and September, and I'll be away at school by that time. Kaplan seems to be the only option before the October test. How bad is it?</p>
<p>That was my problem, too, Eric. Originally, I was signed up for a Princeton Review course and they were going to let me start it in one location and finish it up in another, but both sessions ended up being canceled due to low enrollment. If there will be TestMasters or PowerScore courses in both of your locations, check to see if you can arrange something similar.</p>
<p>I really thought I needed the structure of a course to get me to study, but like I said, given the option, I'd do it over differently. I'd also recommend self-study, or taking some of the money that you'd spend on a course and putting it towards a tutor.</p>
<p>my kid took Kaplan - went up about 15 points from diagnostic. So no complaints from her. But basically my kid is very disciplined and a self studier. The Kaplan course meet once a week- so it gave her plenty of time to review alot of material and do tests between each classroom session.</p>
<p>as I kept on hearing such terrible things about Kaplan, we had her take the Powerscore week-end class and she had the PS Bibles too.</p>
<p>both testmaster and powerscore seem very concentrated (many hours of classroom study) over a short time frame. I think this would have driven my kid nuts. I think the once a week class with plenty of time to self-study worked for her learning style. I think you have to take that into consideration too.</p>
<p>Hi again eric- just realized we're "neighbors", as we live about 15 minutes from Massapequa.<br>
anyway- there is a Powerscore week-end course in midtown on 5/31-6/1. </p>
<p>so it is a way of getting some Powerscore methods as well as getting alot of their study material. </p>
<p>my kid didn't think the methods contradicted each other, but I really didn't get into too much detail about a comparison of the programs. My kid doesn't talk about the law school admission process at all. In fact, I told her about the PS Bibles because of the stuff I read on these boards. </p>
<p>-but a Powerscore week-end may give you a jumpstart on the studying process and may help you focus on best study methods for you.
Good luck!!</p>
<p>I want to disagree with the idea that LORS don't matter unless they are bad. While I freely admit--see previous posts--that LS admissions is mostly a numbers game, for those at the margins and at the top LSs, LORS can be EXTREMELY important. </p>
<p>LSs want student who talk in class. A LOR that says that you are an active participant in class discussions with THOUGHTFUL comments--you don't just talk to hear yourself talk--can help. That's just one example. It may be too late for the OP, I don't know--but getting to know your UG profs well does help.</p>
<p>what is so bad about Kalpan? is it their problem solving strategy that is too complicated to follow or is it their tutors that are not qualify to teach? what is it that gives so many negative comments on these boards?
From what I hear about Kaplan and princeton on CC they should be out of business by now :-)</p>
<p>Part of my trouble was specific to my own course, and not necessarily representative. There was some trouble finding an instructor, so we ended up with kind of a patchwork-quilt of tutors...very little consistency, multiple canceled classes, a late night to make up for the cancellations...just a bit of a mess. The up-side to this was that I clicked much better with one main tutor than the other--one really taught to the low end of the class (leaving higher scorers bored and w/o useful new tactics), while the other taught to the higher end of the class (leaving lower scorers flustered and confused). </p>
<p>In general, the course didn't feel geared toward those who were already scoring on the high end. That's not necessarily a flaw with Kaplan (really, it makes perfect sense), but it is an important piece of info for anyone thinking about the course...it didn't feel very "one size fits all." If your baseline score is already decently strong (160+, I'd estimate), my personal opinion is that your money would be better spent on a private tutor, another course, or self-study. </p>
<p>As always, only one opinion based on one experience.</p>
<p>My experience is that Kaplan course relies on materials that are full of errors and the arguments they use are not even close to the types tested on the LSAT. I took their course once and did not even bother attending the sessions after the second one. The instructor was awful and did not know the difference between inference and assumption.
Then, I took the Testmasters course in hopes of improving my skills. Some of the strategies that testmasters teaches you (such as diagramming arguments) are a total waste of time. I heard that powescore is an offshoot of testmasters and is no better. As my hail Mary pass, I took the prep course by an unknown company MLI and found their materials and training methods far superior to any I have seen with Kaplan or testmasters. Their guides for LR and RC were the best and easily outclass the materials of both kaplan and TM. When you choose a course, avoid the sizzle. Go for the meat. Kaplan and Testmasters are more sizzle than steak. All soda and no whiskey.</p>
<p>Back in '79, Kaplan let me switch locations mid-course.</p>
<p>The quality of teaching was inconsistent.</p>
<p>The only prep they gave me as a teacher was to hand me a set of tapes of someone teaching an LSAT class. He wasn't an impressive teacher. He was better than one of my teachers (a practicing assistant D.A. in a small city in Upstate New York), but not as good as my other teacher (who was in his second or third year of law school at Stanford).</p>
<p>One of my issues was that many of the practice questions were poorly written, and the written explanations for why one answer was right and the others wrong were unconvincing.</p>
<p>Some of my students seemed upset when I acknowledged that fact.</p>
<p>My kid took Kaplan because it was the only course available by the time he decided to take the LSAT. He supplemented the 6 week course with the Powerscore Bibles. He went up about 8 points from his diagnostic (ultimately scored mid-170s), but found the most helpful part of the course to be the discipline it afforded him, and the timed tests administered on a regular basis. He was working full-time when he was studying and knowing that he had to be in class at a certain time during the week kept him focused on the task. Clearly he spent plenty of time outside of the class studying and working the problem sets, but I think the regularly scheduled class helped immensely. Might he have performed even better having taken one of the other courses, who knows. But to answer the OP, I doubt that Kaplan would have a negative effect if you are diligent in your preparation.</p>
<p>Hi, my name is Marta
I’mplanning to go to law school, but needhelp with which book are good to prepared for the LSAT exam.
Want to know your opinions.
Thanks ;)</p>
<p>These days, Kaplan only uses previously released LSAT questions; their tests are all previously released LSATs. They also do an LSAT Advanced for people who are already scoring in the 160s and 170s. </p>
<p>The downsides: some of the questions used in the course are very ambiguous. While more proficient LSAT takers may be able to understand the fine distinctions, it only confuses people who are new to the test. Most people are not used to thinking about things like, “Not hot does not mean cold,” or “The question is about tall people; any answers about short people are wrong.” </p>
<p>Ultimately, no test prep can skip over the fact that you have to (a) understand what the test is asking you to do, (b) understand the subtle language of the test, and (c) really THINK about all of the answers. I taught the LSAT for several years, and the biggest problem I saw with students is that some tried to brute-force it, rather than dig down into the logic and the language.</p>
