<p>Since I will have a good amount of free time this summer, I was wondering if you guys think it would be a good idea to start studying for the LSAT. I am planning on taking it either June or October of '06. Would I just be wasting my time by studying this summer, or would it actually help. I figured it could not hurt, and since I plan on taking a prep course (Blueprint or ***********) before I take the actual test, my scores could only increase.
Thanks again for your help,
Kyle</p>
<p>(Also, this could be a good FAQ question for the list)</p>
<p>Yes, you are wasting your time; no, don't start already.</p>
<p>If you MUST study because you are horribly OCD, just READ through a test, and call it a day. Get a feel for it. No real point to taking a prep course - they don't help increase your score very much. Pick up 10 Previously Administered LSATs ($30) and go through those. If you take it in June '06, start your studying in December or February. Do light studying, just taking pieces of tests and getting a feel for it, and then really ramp up your study schedule as the exam approaches. It's a lot like an athletic event: you want to peak (not be burned out, but be well-prepared) at test time.</p>
<p>I say if you have time then study now, but if you plan to take a prep course then you should study after you learn their strategies or else you might develop bad habits. Of course, if you do study make sure you're consistent with it. Dont study for 2 weeks and then stop for a month because those two weeks will have been in vain.</p>
<p>thanks for the input. I am planning on picking up previously administered LSAT's and just going through some this summer so I can save the majority for when I really crack down before the test. Also, I think I am going get the Logic Games Bible and LRB since I have heard good things about them. Taking a prep course is not a certainty right now, and if I do not struggle to bad, I would rather save the $1000 and not take it. For now, my plan this summer is to read the LGB and LRB, take a couple tests, and just try to get acquainted. At least I will get a feel for the test if nothing else.
Again thank you for your thoughts,
Kyle</p>
<p>listen to aresathena. she knows a lot more about this stuff than i do. for me, constant semi-saturation seems to work, with a big push right before the event. but that's probably just me.</p>
<p>I think the best way to start preparing is by doing formal logic practice during the summer; I highly recommend the works of W.V.O. Quine, which contain basic logic precepts, as well as advanced methods that lead to the foundations of mathematics - also known as metamathematics. Through rigorous practice, you will start to perform the basic rules intuitively, and you will be better able to tackle the LSAT during practice and actual scenarios.</p>
<p>My professor, a continental philosopher, doggedly argues that logic does not require thinking; in fact, it is a substitute for thinking. Looking for symbols and rules within abstruse statements, logic games, and reading passages, has not failed me thus far in my practice tests. If anything, thinking too much can lead to a worse score.</p>
<p>The LSAT costs about $120 to take. Prep courses cost about $1,000. If you don't take a prep course, total costs are about $150-$200 - the test fee, the cost of previously administered LSATs, and maybe a Princeton Review or Kaplan book.</p>
<p>Yeah the test itself is not that much, but I am planning on taking a prep course (either *********** or blueprint, and those are around $1000, then there is the LGB and LRB as well as preptest books). I still plan on buying LGB amd LRB this summer so I can get a bit of a head start, but won't start hardcore studying until next april or so.</p>
<p>My friend and I took practice LSATs at a test-prep center last summer...you could check and see if they offer that in your area, because it was a good way to get acquainted with the test under formal conditions, and it helped me realize what I needed to focus on. </p>
<p>She got a 164 on the practice test, bought the Logic Games Bible, a book called LSAT 180 or something, and the 10 real LSATs, worked through all of the first two and part of the 3rd, and went up to a 170 in January. </p>
<p>I got a 163 on the practice test, and I bought the same books as her (well, I got the 10 real lsat book from the library). I've been scoring pretty well, and I take the test on Monday. </p>
<p>Neither of us studied for more than 2 months, and we didn't take any prep courses. But I think it really depends on how many hours a day you're willing to study, and what areas need improvement. The two of us were really fine in everything but logic games, so we decided not to take prep courses...because why spend $1000 for a course where you really only need 1/3 of it? </p>
<p>Taking a practice test might help you decide whether it's worthwhile to take a course at all, or if you're better off studying on your own. That's about the level of prep I'd suggest for a year before the exam. Good luck!</p>