<p>I am going to start studying for the lsat now (I plan on taking the June '08 lsat) but I need some help deciding what my best options are. I have read past threads but I am still struggling over what to do.</p>
<p>Background: I am a junior at a large, public university. I have a 3.9 gpa and I want a 160+ lsat score (I would be disappointed with less than a 160). I took a practice lsat last week and I got a 151. The first time I ever took a practice test was my freshman year and I got a 143, so I have already improved dramatically through my college courses. </p>
<p>Options: 1) Self study (I just bought the powerscore books and all the old prep tests with explanations). I would learn the powerscore strategies then apply them to numerous tests, 2) Testmasters or Powerscore class right before the June test. This would hone my skills right before the big test, but I feel like I would already know the material by then. Is this true? If I self-study at first will a prep course really help me? 3) Take a prep course that prepares students for the Feb. test. This would teach me the material early and allow me to self prep for three months with the proper skills. 4) Testmaster allows student to take their course, which costs $1250, then take their course again for a reduced price, $650. So I could take a Feb. course then take a June course, with self prep in between.</p>
<p>Bottom line: I want to do whatever will raise my score the most. I am motivated enough to do some self-study but I do not want to leave anything to chance. In other words, I am willing to spend the big bucks on a course (or two, even though I don't have the big bucks) if it is the best option to reach my highest potential. </p>
<p>I would really appreciate some different perspectives on this. Thanks a lot in advance.</p>
<p>Plan on signing up for the June test course, but don't actually do so yet. Find out when the deadline to sign up would be.</p>
<p>Self-study until then.</p>
<p>When that day comes, maybe you'll have already surpassed your goals (or at least come close to them.) In that case, don't bother with a prep course. (Nine points should be achievable on self-study, by the way.)</p>
<p>However, maybe you're still stuck in the 150s. In that case, sign up for the course.</p>
<p>In any case, you should definitely not sign up for a class which preps you for Feb, as courses are generally designed to have you "sharp" at the end of it and you don't want the four-month layoff.</p>
<p>I took a Stanley Kaplan course the summer after my junior year, and took the LSAT in the fall of my senior year. (I taught at Stanley Kaplan when I was in law school.)</p>
<p>I don't think prep classes have any special secrets to impart to you (other than to use a somewhat dull pencil; sharp pencils take more time when you're filling in the dots). Taking lots of practice tests does help you to maximize your own scoring potential, however. Take as many practice tests as you can get your hands on.</p>
<p>One last bit of advice: you should have the instructions for each section of the test virtually memorized before you take it. Confirm that they haven't changed when you take the test. The more familiar you are with the instructions, the more time you'll have to concentrate on getting the right answers.</p>
<p>Princeton review said something like your score will go up if you read the first two answers only. If they're both wrong in your opinion, then you guess one of the other two. If one of them's right, you go with that one.</p>
<p>My science professor said it worked when his daughter took the GRE....</p>
<p>devo- the only thing I will pass along, is sometimes testing centers fill up quickly- (especially in NYC area). I have heard of kids who had to travel quite a distance (to Connecticut) as they were closed out of nearby centers. so you may not want to wait too long before you register.</p>
<ul>
<li>i've also heard that once you begin to study, alot of kids have an initial dip in their score. (this may be more true with kids taking a review class, as they are adjusting to a new way of going through the material) and then the scores start to adjust and increase. That happened to my kid and I read that from alot of posters on LSD- so don't be too discouraged of your scores dip a bit at the beginning of your studies.</li>
</ul>
<p>-my kid did a once a week Kaplan review. This allowed her alot of time for self-study (which is probably the best way to go) and still gave her a bit of structure.
Testmasters/powerscore were not available in her area, but she felt it was too many hours and preferred having the extra time to study using her own methods and what she learned from her course.<br>
Good luck!</p>
<p>she also used the powerscore bibles which she thought was a big help.</p>
<p>FNS: That's horrible advice. Some answers will seem correct until you read subsequent, more correct answers.</p>
<p>OP: Yes, I think marny's wise to recommend signing up for the exam itself pretty early -- but I don't think it's necessary to sign up for the prep course itself with that much advance warning.</p>
<p>There's no need to sue anybody, since they didn't do any damage to me. And it doesn't matter where it comes from. It's still terrible advice.</p>
<p>My guess is that that's not what PR said at all. I suspect that they suggested working your way through the five answers pair-wise. That's still really slow and not sustainable on a timed exam, but it's a good exercise for the early stages of prepping for RC.</p>