Experts compare LSAT prep to mastering a sport, emphasizing the need for practice tests to better your outcome and stay on target.
“And may the odds be ever in your favor.”
You may recognize this quote from “The Hunger Games.” It’s a wish for good luck in an uncertain situation.
Although the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) may seem scary and unknown, the odds are truly in your favor at this moment in time.
How so?
You can take the LSAT by June with logic games and retake it in August with no logic games but an added logical reasoning section. It’s a win-win situation.
The Law School Admission Council (LSAC), which administers the LSAT, is dropping the logic games section. In its place will be a second logical reasoning section, adding at least two more questions to the exam. This change will take place in August.
It results from a lawsuit in which a blind man said the logic games section, which relies on diagramming the questions, was unfair because it gave sighted test takers an advantage.
What does this change to the LSAT mean for you? How does it affect preparation for the test? What do you need to keep in mind as you decide whether to take the LSAT?
Steve Schwartz, CEO and founder of LSAT Unplugged, said this moment in time offers a unique opportunity. Test takers in the past had logic games; test takers in the future will not. But this year you can take the LSAT by June with logic games and retake it in August with the second logical reasoning section added. It’s the best of both worlds, since your highest test score will be the one that goes along with your law school application.
“If you’ve prepared and studied for the LSAT with logic games, know your preparation is not in vain,” Schwartz said. “If you believe your efforts will favor logic games, take the test by June and be done. However, if you are somewhat skeptical of the logic games section and it does not play to your strengths, then take the test in August or later.”
To know if you will do well on logic games or not, do practice tests.
“LSAC has released nearly 100 previously administered LSAT exams, so there are four logic games per exam, meaning there are roughly 400 logic games on which one can practice,” Schwartz said. “Think of logic games like Sudoku and crossword puzzles involving deductive reasoning where one piece of the puzzle builds on the next.”
Plan to prepare for the LSAT for three or four months, or longer. Schwartz recommends five to six months of preparation.
When you take the LSAT, do not be alarmed if you find it more difficult than you expected. It is not uncommon to retake the LSAT to score a few more points.
Schwartz recommends taking the LSAT at a testing center rather than doing a remote proctored exam at home.
“With a proctored exam, you may experience technical difficulty with your internet connection,” he said. “The proctor may also be experiencing technical difficulties on their end. To eliminate the stress of potential at-home issues and a disruptive environment, use a test center where the proctor can move you to another computer if there are issues.”
Gene Suhir, academic manager of Blueprint LSAT, said change to the LSAT was inevitable but the timing is a good twist of fate for anyone taking it this year.
“If you are taking the LSAT for the first time, prepare to have your world rocked,” Suhir said. “It’s not uncommon to prepare, take the LSAT, and realize you need to shore up on your deductive reasoning and critical logical thinking skills, and then, after another month or two, retake the LSAT to achieve a higher score.”
Law schools will not discriminate against you if you took the LSAT with or without logic games, Suhir said.
He also recommends using practice tests to learn pattern recognition for deductive reasoning.
“Do not think the removal of logic games means less time preparing,” Suhir said. “It is misguided and ill-advised to think it will be easier.”
Preparation time for the LSAT with or without logic games should be roughly equal. What will change is the allocation of time, spending more time on logical reasoning.
Blueprint has an LSAT diagnostic test with or without logic games that can help assess your accuracy. It allows you to see where you need to focus your prep for the exam.
“The change with a second logical reasoning section versus logic games does not ultimately influence how you prepare,” Suhir said. “Being able to use deductive reasoning and critical thinking will need to be part of your core prep-time allocation.”
Law schools no longer frown on you taking the LSAT more than once, he said. “Some admission officers have said [that] seeing you have taken the LSAT a couple of times shows how determined you are to do your best,” Suhir said. “If you can get good at logic games, strike while the iron is hot and take the LSAT by June. If you realize logic games are not your strength, then settle in for more prep to take the exam in August.”
Glen Stohr, senior manager of pre-law programs at Kaplan, said this change to the LSAT is the biggest one since 1991. He said that while logic games have a reputation for being hard, the new additions will be difficult as well.
“Do not think the LSAT will be easier without logic games,” he warned.
Logic games are patterned and strategic. Students often find the logic games section to be the area in which they experience the most improvement if they put in the proper preparation.
“My advice is to take the LSAT with the logic games before it is dropped and take the LSAT without logic games starting in August,” Stohr said. “Compare your scores and understand that logic games may be intimidating at first but certainly are something you can learn.”
He recommended asking yourself two questions before deciding that logic games are too scary to deal with: When do you want to go to law school and when is the best time for you to dedicate prep time?
“Do not make the decision out of fear about logic games and simply wait until August to take the exam,” Stohr said. “The worst that can happen is you take the test with logic games, decide you can do better, and retest in August or September of 2024.”
Stohr said you cannot cram for the LSAT.
“The exam is not like a college exam,” he said. “There are no facts to memorize. The LSAT can be compared to learning to play a musical instrument or playing a sport. The more you practice, the better you will become. The best guitar players in the world still practice the scales and finger work. The best tennis players still practice the backhand 50 times in a row… and look at tape of their performance to improve.
“Mastery does not mean memorization, and it does not mean having competence in a subject matter area. It means having skills and getting better, faster with the right mindset.”
Plan now to do the work for LSAT prep, then work the plan.
