I often get asked how people should prepare for the LSAT and what the best use of their budget is?
Here’s a break down of the options available…
- Where should I start?
- What books should I buy?
- Should I take a course or just wing it?
- Do I need to study?
Your first step is to decide on your budget. There are a number of ways to prepare and cost is a factor.
Here are some basic options for LSAT prep, their costs, and a look at the pros and cons. Yes, I am biased, but this does give you coverage of a number of options out there.
LSAT Prep Option 1 “I don’t need help”
Just the practice tests – Cost = $80+ shipping and taxes
- $19.95 The Next 10 official LSAT Prep Tests
- $40 Five more LSAT practice tests from LSAC – Get the more recent ones
- Use the free LSAT resources on Alpha-Score.com
Pros:
- It’s cheap
- You can say you didn’t need much help preparing for the LSAT
Cons:
- You only get practice questions and minimal help with explanations and lessons
Conclusion: If you take a practice test and score near where you want to be, this is a great option. You save cash and you probably don’t need help anyway. If you’re looking for any significant improvement on your score (e.g. more than 2-3 points) you’re going to need more help than this.
LSAT Prep Option 2 “Well maybe a little help”
Text books and practice tests – all book study option – Cost = $170-$230 + shipping and taxes
- $19.95 The Next 10 official LSAT Prep Tests
- $30-50 A logical reasoning text book
- $30-50 An analytical reasoning text book
- $30-50 A reading comprehension text book
- $40 Five more LSAT practice tests from LSAC – get the recent ones
Pros:
- You get help on every question type and lots of practice questions
- If you’re dedicated you can make great improvements on your score with minimal expense
- You save about $10-50 over our online LSAT course
Cons:
– You have to be very dedicated to read the 1,000+ pages of dense LSAT texts
– Most students do not retain information as well from a book as they do from animated visual and audio lessons
Conclusion: If you have the dedication to use the books properly and review them completely you can save some cash with this method. However, for $10-50 more you can have a more comprehensive and much more engaging course where you’ll learn faster and retain more due to audio and visual stimuli.
LSAT Prep Option 3 “Best Bang for your buck”
Online LSAT Course – Cost = $329 use coupon code “Option3” Enroll Here
Complete online LSAT course by Alpha-Score includes:
- Logical reasoning
- Logic Games (Analytical Reasoning)
- Reading Comprehension
- Actual LSAT questions
- Actual LSAT Prep tests
- Complete coverage of every LSAT concept and question type
Pros:
- Inexpensive compared to all other LSAT prep courses
- Because the lessons are animated and include audio explanations you are much more likely to retain information and learn faster.
- You can re-take lessons anytime you want unlike in the classroom – great for extra practice
- Complete coverage of everything you need to ace the test
- You get lots of help from professional LSAT teachers and not just some law student who scored high
- Online learning is better than the classroom – According to Department of Education Studies and the New York Times.
Cons:
- You still need some personal dedication to put time aside to study – but if you can’t find this now, law school is probably not a good choice
- You may not need all this extra help if you’re already scoring as high as you’d like
Conclusion: We’re biased of course, but we think this is the most effective way to study and it’s only a few dollars more than buy a bunch of books. With the interactive tutorials you are much more likely to improve your score quickly and it’s a lot more fun than text books. Another often over looked benefit is the ability to retake any lesson as often as you want to so you can really become an expert at the LSAT.
If you have any questions about LSAT preparation options feel free to give us a call or an email:
1-877-LSAT-Pro
LSAT Prep Option 4 “3 plus extra help”
Online Course plus Personal Tutoring – Cost = $629 use coupon code “Option4” Enroll Here
- Everything in option 3 plus:
- 6 hours of personal tutoring from a professional instructor
- Personal strength and weakness analysis
- Personal consultation for goals and time requirements
- Additional homework assignments to fit your needs
- Customized study plan to meet your timing needs and score goals
Pros:
- See Option 3 plus…
- You get the full course coverage plus personal attention from a professional instructor
Cons:
- See above Option 3
Conclusion: This gives you all the benefits of option 3 plus lots of extra help to get you through any problem areas or help you really maximize your score.
If you have any questions about LSAT preparation options feel free to give us a call or an email:
1-877-LSAT-Pro
LSAT Prep Option 5 “I like to spend money”
An LSAT classroom course – Cost = $800 – $1200
What this includes will vary with each course provider, but most will give you complete coverage of logical reasoning, analytical reasoning and reading comprehension as well as extra practice questions.
Pros:
- You are forced to sit in a classroom and learn so it’s harder to procrastinate – although you still need to force yourself to do practice exams and follow up on lessons in your own time
Cons:
- Very expensive and not necessarily going to provide you with a better education
- Being forced into a classroom for extended periods reduces retention
- If you miss a class you often cannot make it up
- Teaching quality varies dramatically even within good companies, most classes are taught by law students with little or no teaching experience
- Many people think going to class is enough and stop there, it’s not. You need to be dedicated and practice on your own time.
Conclusion: The cost of these courses is due to the cost of renting a classroom (or owning real estate), hiring a student instructor, and marketing to justify the huge cost. You don’t get anything more out of these classes than you can out of an online class. In fact you probably will learn less as you can’t re-take classes and you are more likely to doze off an hour or two into the lesson.
LSAT Prep Option 6 “Lots more help!!”
Online Course plus lots of personal tutoring – Cost = $1600
- Everything in Option 3 & Option 4 plus …
- A total of 20 hours of personal tutoring from a professional LSAT instructor
Conclusion: Like with option 7 below, you may not need this extra help. Your best bet is probably option 3 or 4 and then if you need the extra help you can always pick up this option later.
LSAT Prep Option 7 “If I don’t ace this test, shoot me”
Online course plus all the personal tutoring you could possibly want – Cost = $4875
- Everything in Option 3 & Option 4 plus …
- A total of 65 hours of personal tutoring from a professional LSAT instructor
Conclusion: Like with option 6 above, you may not need this extra help. Your best bet is probably option 3 or 4 and then if you need the extra help you can always pick up this option later. However, if you really want to hit the ground running and do the best that you can, this gives you total personal coverage and support for your entire LSAT prep period.
If you have any questions about LSAT preparation options feel free to give us a call or an email:
1-877-LSAT-Pro
Greg Smith
Greg took the LSAT in 2002 receiving a high score that got him into the law school of his choice. This led him to teach LSAT classes while attending law school at the University of British Columbia and continued teaching while practicing law with top international law firms Borden Ladner Gervais LLP and later Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP, in the area of Securities and Capital Markets. Read more
