<p>Any suggestions? My main weakness is the Logic Games section. Also, I reember remember hearing the LSAT was/is changing recently... will it still be applicable?</p>
<p>If your aim is scoring very high, I would get the Logic reasoning Bible and Logic games bible from Powerscore. I have heard from many sources they run circles around Princeton Review, Kaplan, etc. It's what I'm using right now and they're very good.</p>
<p>I agree, for anything LSAT-related, Powerscore is the way to go. The 2004 LSATs Deconstructed is also another great publication from them. It gives their tips on Reading Comprehension, which is also a lot better than the NOVA book (which others say is the best Reading Comprehension section). Lawschooldiscussion.org ! Go wild on the Studying for the LSAT forum.</p>
<p>Thanks for the tip. I'll order one of the following (found by searching "logic bible" on Amazon), but I'm not sure which. Any advice?</p>
<p>The PowerScore LSAT Logic Games Bible by David M. Killoran (Paperback - Feb 1, 2006)</p>
<p>The PowerScore LSAT Logical Reasoning Bible: A Comprehensive System for Attacking the Logical Reasoning Section of the LSAT by David M. Killoran (Paperback - Jun 1, 2006)</p>
<p>yep, those are the books. If you can purchase both because logic games and reasoning are both on the lsat</p>
<p>If you can only afford one, go with the Logical Reasoning Bible. Logical Reasoning makes up two parts of the exam so it is more valuable. However, the Logic Games Bible brought my initial Logic Games score of -12 (didn't finish the last game) to a -0 (finishing with 10 minutes left over). It's a GREAT book, they both are. However, if you're going to self-study, I personally think you need a lot more than just these two. </p>
<p>My self-study materials (I increased my score 13 points through self-study so far and am now studying with a Powerscore private tutor) were:
Logical Reasoning Bible
Logic Games Bible
Ultimate Logic Games Setup Guide (I never used this because after reading the LGB I never needed it)
NOVA (For Reading Comprehension although I didn't think it helped much)
The 2004 LSATs Deconstructed
Preptests-as many as you can get your hands on from amazon, ebay or the LSAC itself.
Kaplan's The Big Orange Book of Real LSATs-This book is absolutely great. You'll need to look for it though. I found it from Amazon sellers, so try there or ebay. The best part about this is the fact that sections are broken up so if you have one particular area where you are having trouble, you can target it ie Humanities passages, Natural Sciences passages, assumptions, principles, strengthen/weaken. It's just a lot of practice questions and decent explanations for Kaplan material (Powerscore is always better for explanations).</p>
<p>If you really can't afford everything, LGB and LRB and Preptests are the essentials.</p>
<p>Keep in mind though that if you intend to go to law school, you'll come out with a lot of debt and that paying $1000 or more now is relatively little compared to that. I wish I thought about it sooner because then I would have hired a tutor sooner. Good luck!</p>
<p>Hmm... I'm thinking of doing a private tutoring course with Kaplan for the next few weeks instead now... is that worth 2k? Thanks for all the help so far, I appreciate it.</p>
<p>kaplan is generally regarded as one of the worst, if not the worst, test prep company</p>
<p>Kaplan and The Princeton Review have the worst ratings. People on the lawschooldiscussion.org forum call Kaplan Kraplan. </p>
<p>Go for Testmasters180.com or Powerscore.com. It all depends on instructors and I'm sure all of these companies have at least one good instructor, but Powerscore and Testmasters generally have a higher proportion and their materials are better. If you go to lawschooldiscussion.org you can find PLENTY of threads about people who have taken Kaplan and have regretted it and those that endorse Powerscore and Testmasters180. Check out each of the websites. I believe that Powerscore and Testmasters require their instructors to place within the 99 percentile whereas Kaplan and Princeton Review do not.</p>
<p>For the next month I don't have anything to do, but the place I'm in doesn't have testmasters or powerscore, however Kaplan is available. I could cram things into a week or two when I get home... do you think those other two are so much better that it's worth it?</p>
<p>When are you planning to take it? I don't understand what you mean by cramming it into a week or two. Within two weeks the June exam will be over. If you're planning to take it in the Fall, buy the LGB and LRB and study on your own, then if you still want to take a prep course do Powerscore. If you haven't studied at this point, don't take the June exam.</p>
<p>^i know people debate about whether testmasters or powerscore is better, however, do you have any idea which one is generally considered the better course?</p>
<p>thanks for the advice</p>
<p>Oh an also...is the material in the LGB and LRB books the exact same as in the powerscore course. In other words, if you were to start studying from those books before the class started, would taking the class be pointless? Or do they use different books with different examples?</p>
<p>thanks again</p>
<p>Thanks for the tips. I ended up ordering the two PowerScore bibles (logic reasoning and logic games) from their website for about $100.</p>
<p>I will spend some time studying on my own before deciding about whether I need a course or not.</p>
<p>Any idea how much improvement one could expect from going through those bibles? I am mid 160s on practice tests and have never studied for the test yet.</p>
<p>(Oh, and I am going into my junior year, so I won't be taking the june one but I'm still not sure which I should be taking, as in, how early I should take it for the first time for real).</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>If you're scoring in the mid-160s right off the bat, you're in great shape! I actually envy you. My score went up 13 points from self-study (using the bibles and doing lots of tests). I think if you're already in the mid-160s, you should just use the bibles and take preptests until you feel you can't get any further on your own. Then you you should hire a private tutor because if you're going to be scoring in the upper percentiles, large courses won't be as beneficial to you because they are geared towards people that have not studied on their own or are not as advanced. A private tutor can tell you exactly what you want to know and the plans they create are just for you. You don't have to sit through 8 hours of Logic Games if you've already perfected it.</p>
<p>Testmasters was the original course and one of its tutors left and created Powerscore. I haven't taken the course but I am using a Powerscore private tutor and let me just tell you that he is amazing. He scored a 179 and is very helpful and a great teacher. Going through the bibles helps, but for me, there is a point where knowing how to go through a problem isn't enough. Having someone to tell me what I'm doing and what I need to be doing is helpful to me. You may be completely different. The course itself has its own materials, so many many more problems. They have huge coursebooks with their course package. I'm a firm believer that (if you use Powerscore's materials) if you prepare before a course begins, you are in a better position to know where you need work and how to best utilize your time. </p>
<p>If I could go back in time, I would have done a Testmasters course because it was the only one in Claremont. Otherwise, I would have done Powerscore.</p>
<p>^Thanks again for all your help. But just to understand your case a little better, from what i understand is you took a powerscore course AND enrolled in private tutoring. Am i right? How many hours of tutoring have you signed up for and do you think it is worth just not taking the course and instead just using all that money to sign up for ~20 hrs. of pivate tutoring?</p>
<p>And my last question was, if i were to take the powerscore class do you think i should take the class that prepares you for the exam (i.e. last day of class is days before real LSAT) or a class that prepares you for say the June exam if I were to take the Sept. exam (so that i could use the time between the end of the class to study on my own or with a tutor)?</p>
<p>Thanks again so much for your all your help</p>
<p>To clarify my last post, the main reason why i am worried about taking a june class to prep for the sept. LSAT is b/c i have heard that i might forget some of what i learn in the course, despite studying for the test in the interim</p>
<p>"My score went up 13 points from self-study (using the bibles and doing lots of tests)."</p>
<p>"I haven't taken the course but I am using a Powerscore private tutor and let me just tell you that he is amazing."</p>
<p>I never took the course because I figured I could study on my own but I regret that. I should have just taken it after studying on my own for a month of so (I studied on my own for about 4-5 months). However, I did manage to do really well on my own and bought 10 hours of private tutoring which I feel is great. He helps me with just what I need. I don't need to sit through lessons about topics I've already perfected. However, if I had studied on my own as much as I did, I would not have taken a course. They really start with the basics and sitting through 8 hours a week of information I already knew would be useless. Only asking questions would help which is why I opted for a tutor.</p>
<p>June courses are over. All of the Fall courses begin in August. Please look up the site information yourself.</p>
<p>I think private tutoring is only effective once you've studied on your own and mastered the basic concepts. I think it's best used to refine skills. It would be a waste of money if you did private tutoring and didn't study on your own. If you don't plan on studying until a professional is there with you, take a course. If you don't think you have the discipline to sit down every day for hours doing this stuff, take a course. Again, go to lawschooldiscussion.org. There are literally tons of threads all about prep courses and Powerscore and Testmasters.</p>
<p>Sorry for the confusion, Im not planning on taking the June '07 class, but rather the June '08 class to prep for the Sept. '08 exam.</p>
<p>So, your best suggestion would be to study on my own for a month or so and then take a class (and not do private tutoring)?</p>
<p>I know i have the motivation to study on my own for a few months, so that isnt a problem. So, in that case, do you think studying on my own and then tutoring for 10 hours is better than the above scenario?</p>
<p>Thanks for the link to lawschooldiscussion.org by the way.</p>
<p>Sorry for taking up so much of your time.</p>