The LSAT or Law School Admission Test is a standardized entrance exam that happens seven times every year for prospective law school students. Hundreds of aspiring attorneys take the test, but only a portion pass and are allowed to proceed to study law.
The exam is used to evaluate a prospect’s reading comprehension as well as their logical and verbal reasoning ability. Its primary purpose is to predict student success in law school with the proficiency they’ve shown during the initial assessment.
The importance of passing LSAT has led to the development of prep courses that aids potential students in passing the test. Study and review centers equip you with the necessary knowledge that increases the likelihood of acing the exam.
Here are the ways that LSAT prep courses can help you achieve a perfect score:
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Be Familiar with the Exam Format
One of the primary reasons why you should invest in an LSAT prep course is to become familiar with the type of exam that you’ll be going through. These review centers have access to tests and materials with questions that were used in the previous years.
You can achieve higher scores with prep because your brain will be trained for the right format. You know what to expect. With this, you no longer need to spend a lot of time and mental energy in reading and deciphering the test sections on the day of the exam.
These are the different areas that compose the LSAT:
- Logical Reasoning – This exam portion evaluates the test-takers proficiency in dissecting and analyzing arguments. The questions for logical reasoning include a short case that you should scrutinize for logical omissions and alternative conclusions.
- Reading Comprehension – This section consists of four passages that are between 400 and 500 words. You’ll be asked to get the main idea of the text and draw inferences or describe its structure.
- Analytical Reasoning – Here, you’ll have to group, match, and order the elements provided. You will also need to draw conclusions from the statements that you read.
- Unscored Variable Section – The LSAT also has an experimental section, which serves to assess new questions that may be used for future exams. Your performance in this section isn’t calculated into your overall score, but you won’t know which one is the variable portion.
- Writing Sample – This is the final part of the exam, where you have to read a problem and criteria for making a decision. You’ll then have to choose a position and argue over its merits.
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Build Mental Stamina
Aside from training you on the right exam format, prep courses also help you build mental stamina. The LSAT takes 4.5 hours to complete, which may be overwhelming to think about.
Fortunately, an LSAT prep course trains your brain weeks before the exam so that you can keep up with the mental marathon on the day of the test. You’ll be exposed to timed practice quizzes that gradually increase in duration to accommodate the requirements of the LSAT.
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Study Topic Coverage In-Depth
You may not be able to go through all of the critical subjects when you study by yourself. LSAT prep courses, on the other hand, have a schedule of the topics that you’ll tackle each day and week.
This means that you can review all aspects of the law as long as you don’t miss a session. You’ll know the lessons that you have to focus on for that period and study them comprehensively.
- Learn How
to Answer Effectively
More than training your brain to handle the test duration, you will also learn some tips and tricks in answering the LSAT. The most crucial tip to remember when taking the test is to read all the items carefully.
Avoid skimming through the questions. Understand the sentence entirely before you answer so that you can get the right answer. This is valuable advice for those who are trying to study effectively for exams.
If you just scan haphazardly, you’ll most likely miss a crucial keyword that changes the meaning of the entire statement.
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Get Encouragement and Support
Another benefit of joining a prep course, especially if it’s in a review center with other aspiring lawyers, is that you can encourage one another in your preparation for the test. This emotional support can get you through the grueling journey of getting into your dream law school.
Conclusion
Enrolling in an LSAT prep course can help you get a higher score on the test by becoming familiar with the exam format and building your mental stamina. You also learn how to answer the test items effectively since you studied the topics in-depth. Plus, you get to enjoy emotional support from others on the same journey.