Top 10 LSAT Test Tips

LSAT Test Tips You Can Truly Use

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In case you haven't heard, the LSAT is no joke. You're going to need all the LSAT test tips you can handle to be successful at this bad boy of a multiple choice exam.

These ten LSAT test tips will increase your score if you follow them all. Read on!

LSAT Test Tip #1: Don't Be Afraid To Retake the LSAT

Law schools used to average LSAT scores across the board. Hence, it didn't make sense to take the LSAT more than once unless your score was so low you were ashamed to tell even your dog about it.

However, ABA changed the reporting rules and law schools are now required to report the highest LSAT score instead of the average for their incoming classes, so law schools are more inclined to look at the highest score instead of the average LSAT score. So, if you hate your sore, take it again. 

Also, it's likely that you will improve if you take it again. Most people generally improve their score 2 to 3 points on a retake whether that's from shaking off the nerves, familiarity with the testing parameters, or better preparation. No matter the reason, 3 points is a big deal. It can mean the difference between acceptance into your school of choice or not. 

But what if you're still unhappy with your LSAT score?

LSAT Test Tip #2: Determine Your Weakness Before You Prep

Take a practice LSAT test before you've done any studying at all to determine where you should concentrate your study efforts. Get a baseline score. If you find that you're rocking the Logical Reasoning section, but are falling short in the Analytical Reasoning section, then you'll know to beef up your study efforts there. You won't be able to get an accurate estimate of your failings if you study before you take a practice test.

LSAT Test Tip #3: Master Your Weakness

Master your weakest section first. If, when obtaining your baseline score, you've found that you need to work on the Reading Comprehension section, let's say, then by all means start studying there. Practice until you've mastered what that section holds, then move on to a section that's easier for you.

Why? You're only as good as your weakest point on the LSAT because all questions are created equally in the eyes of the grading machine. It only makes sense for you to strengthen the section that is going to hold you back. 

LSAT Test Tip #4: Analyze Your Incorrect Answers

If you're busily taking LSAT practice questions, but never taking note of the kinds of questions you seem to always miss, it will be difficult for you to raise your score. You have to know the why behind the misses. After you take a practice test, analyze the incorrect answers to see if you can find a commonality. Are you repeatedly missing the "strengthen the conclusion" questions on Logical Reasoning? If so, you can learn to master that one skill so you don't answer incorrectly any more. But you won't know if you don't bother to think critically about them.

LSAT Test Tip #5: Prepare Earlier Than You Think You Need To

The LSAT is not a test you want to wing or cram for, considering it's going to take you about three hours to complete, and the rest of your life to explain if you bomb it. Plus, you are busy. Chances are good if you are prepping for the LSAT, you are probably already leading a full life with a job, family, school, friends, extracurricular activities and more.

Get your test prep materials early (at least 6 months ahead of time), and plan a schedule that will help you manage your time so you can practice enough to get the score you want.

LSAT Test Tip #6: Answer Easy Questions First

This is good test-taking 101, but somehow, this skill eludes people on the day of the test.

Remember that every LSAT question is worth the same amount of points, so go ahead and skip around when you're in each section, answering the questions that are easiest for you first. You don't have to be a hero and tough it out through the hardest ones. Get yourself the most points you can in case time runs out before you're finished.

LSAT Test Tip #7: Pace Yourself

Which brings me to my next point: pacing yourself. The LSAT is timed; each section is 35 minutes long, and you'll have between 25 and 27 questions to answer in that time frame. It doesn't take a mathematical genius to figure out that you won't have a lot of time for each question. So if you get stuck, take your best guess and move on. It would be far better to get that one question wrong, then to not have the opportunity to answer seven questions (which may or may not be easier for you) at the end because you ran out of time.

LSAT Test Tip #8: Fortify Your Mental Stamina

Most people don't sit still for three hours straight with only one ten-minute break, doing highly focused, intensive brain work. It can be exhausting, and if you haven't built up your brain stamina to do just that, you could wear out before the big test day. So practice sitting at a desk (on a hard chair) and focusing through an entire practice LSAT test without checking your phone, getting up to walk around, getting a snack or fidgeting. Do it twice. Do it as many times as you can until you're sure you can focus for that long.

LSAT Test Tip #9: Get the Right Materials

Every test prep book is not the same. Every class is not the same. Do your research. Ask your law professors or past graduates which test materials were the most helpful. Read the reviews before you purchase! You're only going to be as good as your test prep materials are, so make sure you have the right stuff that can truly prepare you for the test.

LSAT Test Tip #10: Hire Help if Needed

Your LSAT score is a huge deal. Just a few points could be the difference in getting into the school that will propel you toward a great career, and one that could set you up for mediocrity. So if you're truly struggling with your own LSAT prep, then by all means, hire a tutor or take a class. Spending the cash is worth it if the future returns are big!

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Roell, Kelly. "Top 10 LSAT Test Tips." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/top-lsat-test-tips-3211999. Roell, Kelly. (2023, April 5). Top 10 LSAT Test Tips. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/top-lsat-test-tips-3211999 Roell, Kelly. "Top 10 LSAT Test Tips." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/top-lsat-test-tips-3211999 (accessed March 28, 2024).