<p>My daughter is taking the LSAT in October and wants to take a prep course. I posted an initial question in the Parents Cafe, and posters there suggested also posting here.</p>
<p>She is in Memphis, and I originally thought Kaplan was the only option, but I now see that Powerscore also has a live class. Any thoughts about which one is better?</p>
<p>I know that a live class is not necessarily a necessity, but she is aiming pretty high and wants to have every advantage in getting a top score.</p>
<p>My daughter’s score went up 9 points when she did a Kaplan classroom course. She (and we) were surprised that her self-study results hadn’t been what she wanted, given her previous success with the SAT/ACT and the fact that she is a poster child for self-discipline. Perhaps the individual classroom teacher has a significant impact - my daughter thought her teacher, who had received a 180 a few years previously, was simply exceptional.</p>
<p>She could see her scores rising with each practice test. One of the major benefits of the class, as far as my daughter was concerned, was that the final practice test was held in the actual test location under test conditions, which made my d very comfortable on test day. It was a struggle to get to several classes a week, because she had a full-time job and was taking other classes as well, but she thinks the cost and effort were absolutely worth it.</p>
<p>She wound up with a very successful cycle, several T14 admits with merit aid, and now is happily at UVA Law with a generous scholarship. Best of luck to your daughter!</p>
<p>As an initial matter, there are more classes in Memphis than just Kaplan and Powerscore. [url=<a href=“http://www.testmasters.net/Lsat-Prep/Tennessee/Memphis]TestMasters[/url”>http://www.testmasters.net/Lsat-Prep/Tennessee/Memphis]TestMasters[/url</a>] also teaches a class there. LSAT instruction, I find, turns a lot on how good your teacher is. I think the Kaplan methods are a bit inferior to both TestMasters and Powerscore (Powerscore is an offshoot of TestMasters), but if Kaplan has a really great instructor you should probably still go. Look into who is teaching the classes in your area before you settle on a course. </p>
<p>When I did my LSAT a few years ago, my research suggested that Kaplan and TestMasters/Powerscore were also better depending on where you started. Kaplan was better if you were scoring a bit lower and wanted to move to onto the competitive side of the curve. TestMasters/Powerscore were better if you were already scoring reasonably competitively and wanted to move to the top bracket. I think this mostly has to do with the differing methods. Your daughter should take a practice exam under times conditions. If she scores under 155 or so, Kaplan may be a better option.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. I am sure that the particular teacher is just as, if not more, important than the particular brand of course - but I am at a loss as to how to find out about the particular person who would be teaching her course. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Also, she has already done the tests in one of the official LSAT practice books, and on all three (?) of the tests, she scored in the 165 - 167 range. She did not find the explanations in the book at all helpful and that is what prompted her to decide she wants to take an in-person course.</p>
<p>166-67 is a great start if that was taken under real test conditions. If not, it doesn’t count and she needs to do a real diagnostic. The websites of the various test prep companies are usually more than happy to tell you who is teaching what, where. Barring that you can always just call them and ask.</p>