LSAT Pitfalls & Tips
Before you go on to the LSAT Study Material and the free test & Questions , here
are a few Pitfalls to avoid and some Basic Strategies that will help you get a
higher LSAT score.
- Do NOT leave any section unfinished
There is no penalty for incorrect answers, so leave yourself enough time to take a
quick intelligent guess if you cannot fully solve the question.
Do NOT become emotionally involved with any question. Even if you think the
questions is outrageously difficult or outright incorrect. Just guess and move on.
You need to be very careful of this pitfall and if running short on time, take a
random guess and try to finish the section, rather than leaving questions
unmarked.
- Take it Sooner rather than Later
Given that LSAT scores can indeed be improved with practice, If possible, take the
LSAT in October or February of your junior year. This will allow you to do the bulk
of your studying over the summer or winter break when you have more time. You
want to ensure that studying for the LSAT will not detract from your junior-year
grades. Too many students wait to take the LSAT until the October or December
of their senior year. However, since law school applications are reviewed and
decided upon soon after they're submitted, early applicants face less competition.
By taking the LSAT earlier, you avoid the scrutiny that those taking it in the 11th
hour will face.
- Know that time can be your biggest enemy
Certain questions by their very nature take more time to answer. The first step to
better time management is to recognize these questions.
While doing your practice tests, try to become more aware of how much time you
have taken to answer a question. You will soon begin to develop an Internal Clock
that will help you meet the pacing requirements of the LSAT and reduce test
anxiety.
- Make good use of the Paper
Many of the LSAT questions, especially in the Games section, require use of the
paper for diagrams. Please keep in mind that you will not get any scratch paper at
all. Learn to confine your rough work to a minimum in order not to run into
problems at the actual LSAT Exam.
- Make good use of the Scratch Paper
Many of the LSAT questions, especially in the Games section, require use of the
Scratch paper. Please keep in mind that you may not be able to get as much
scratch paper as you need. Learn to confine your rough work to a minimum in
order not to run into problems at the actual LSAT Exam.
- Compare & Discard
This is immensely useful for the Logical Reasoning section of the LSAT Exam.
While there may be a 'Perfect' answer to a question, it may not appear as one of
the options. What you need to do is compare the different answer choices and
choose the best one available. In fact you can usually zero down on two choices
and discard the ones that are distinctly different from these two.
- Analyze your Strengths & Weaknesses and create a study plan unique to
these.
The important thing here is to stick to your study plan.
- Managing Test Anxiety
More than anything else, the LSAT is an test of your nerves. There are hundreds
of brilliant students who score MUCH lower in the LSAT than they do in their
practice tests. It is important to manage your test anxiety. You can try using
techniques like 'Thought Stopping', 'Self-Talk' and 'Visualization.
I have detailed out these and other advanced strategies for getting a score of
170+ in the ebook Ways of the LSAT Winners
are a few Pitfalls to avoid and some Basic Strategies that will help you get a
higher LSAT score.
- Do NOT leave any section unfinished
There is no penalty for incorrect answers, so leave yourself enough time to take a
quick intelligent guess if you cannot fully solve the question.
Do NOT become emotionally involved with any question. Even if you think the
questions is outrageously difficult or outright incorrect. Just guess and move on.
You need to be very careful of this pitfall and if running short on time, take a
random guess and try to finish the section, rather than leaving questions
unmarked.
- Take it Sooner rather than Later
Given that LSAT scores can indeed be improved with practice, If possible, take the
LSAT in October or February of your junior year. This will allow you to do the bulk
of your studying over the summer or winter break when you have more time. You
want to ensure that studying for the LSAT will not detract from your junior-year
grades. Too many students wait to take the LSAT until the October or December
of their senior year. However, since law school applications are reviewed and
decided upon soon after they're submitted, early applicants face less competition.
By taking the LSAT earlier, you avoid the scrutiny that those taking it in the 11th
hour will face.
- Know that time can be your biggest enemy
Certain questions by their very nature take more time to answer. The first step to
better time management is to recognize these questions.
While doing your practice tests, try to become more aware of how much time you
have taken to answer a question. You will soon begin to develop an Internal Clock
that will help you meet the pacing requirements of the LSAT and reduce test
anxiety.
- Make good use of the Paper
Many of the LSAT questions, especially in the Games section, require use of the
paper for diagrams. Please keep in mind that you will not get any scratch paper at
all. Learn to confine your rough work to a minimum in order not to run into
problems at the actual LSAT Exam.
- Make good use of the Scratch Paper
Many of the LSAT questions, especially in the Games section, require use of the
Scratch paper. Please keep in mind that you may not be able to get as much
scratch paper as you need. Learn to confine your rough work to a minimum in
order not to run into problems at the actual LSAT Exam.
- Compare & Discard
This is immensely useful for the Logical Reasoning section of the LSAT Exam.
While there may be a 'Perfect' answer to a question, it may not appear as one of
the options. What you need to do is compare the different answer choices and
choose the best one available. In fact you can usually zero down on two choices
and discard the ones that are distinctly different from these two.
- Analyze your Strengths & Weaknesses and create a study plan unique to
these.
The important thing here is to stick to your study plan.
- Managing Test Anxiety
More than anything else, the LSAT is an test of your nerves. There are hundreds
of brilliant students who score MUCH lower in the LSAT than they do in their
practice tests. It is important to manage your test anxiety. You can try using
techniques like 'Thought Stopping', 'Self-Talk' and 'Visualization.
I have detailed out these and other advanced strategies for getting a score of
170+ in the ebook Ways of the LSAT Winners
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