How to Prepare for the LSAT

Do you aspire to be a lawyer? If so, there are many steps you can take as a student to position yourself for future success. One such step is preparing thoroughly for the LSAT.

The score you get on the LSAT can play a major role in which law schools will accept you. Because the law school you attend can significantly influence your career prospects, you want to perform as well as possible on the LSAT. 

The following prep tips will help. To boost your odds of success when you finally do take the LSAT, prepare beforehand in the following ways:

Focus on Cultivating Skills

The LSAT isn’t necessarily a test of one’s legal knowledge. That’s the bar exam. Instead, the LSAT is designed to help law school admissions officials gauge the degree to which an aspiring lawyer has the skills necessary to succeed in their career as an attorney.

That highlights an important point: by preparing for the LSAT, you’ll theoretically develop skills you will need as a practicing lawyer in the future. Thus, your approach to studying should be one that involves an emphasis on cultivating skills instead of knowledge. 

When you approach prepping for the exam from this perspective, you’ll be more likely to accurately identify where your skills are lacking, allowing you to focus on developing them.

Study Alone

Experts who advise students on how to effectively prepare for the LSAT point out that it’s a unique exam when compared to many others. Often, studying for a test with a friend or as part of a group is a wise idea that can result in a higher grade than one might have achieved had they studied alone.

However, studying for the LSAT is different. This is because of the nature of the questions. Virtually all LSAT questions serve to test a certain skill. The skills that you need to develop may not be the same as those of a friend. As such, if you study for the exam together, they might figure out the correct answer to a problem before you do. This robs you of the opportunity to develop a skill you might need to focus on cultivating.

Experts also recommend not to offer your friends much study help as well, even if they request it. Although you might think you’re doing a friend a favor, it’s possible you’ll actually be hurting their chances of LSAT success in the long run.

Learn Where You Went Wrong

Taking practice tests is obviously an essential element of LSAT prep. That said, it’s important to not simply tally up your score and move on to the next practice test after you complete one. To truly prepare yourself for the actual exam, once you complete a practice test (or a section of one), carefully review the questions you missed. 

Your goal is to determine where you went wrong so you can address a weakness. Additionally, analyzing your mistakes in this manner can help you become more familiar with the formats of common LSAT questions.

Of course, you also need to start preparing early. As soon as you decide you want to be a lawyer, it’s smart to start preparing for the LSAT. Doing so will pay off eventually.