UM Admissions Very Responsive

I had received a followup letter from the Umich Law Admissions office, asking if I was planning on taking the LSAT in February and applying for admissions for the summer or fall 2006. Delphine Byrd, the Associate Director of Admissions was concerned that it may put me at a serious disadvantage in regards to admission for Fall 2006 because its so late in their admissions cycle.

I really had to think about the answer to this question, and so necessarily had to take my time in responding. It could all be done in time, it might take a little extra effort and coaxing of the time management gods to get it all done, but it could be feasible. But is that what I wanted right at this moment, could my lifestyle sustain changing so drastically in the quickly fleeting months of the year?

The holidays are never a good time to make life changing decisions, there is always so much more going on this time of year than you are already reasonably expecting. Here's one big piece of advice for future LSAT takers...Do NOT try to take the December administration of the test! Its harder than you think to juggle demands of the holiday season, work or school winding down for the year, AND still effectively prepare yourself to do well on the test.

University of Michigan Law School Invitation to Apply

I received a nice email from Sarah Zearfoss and the Law School Admissions office encouraging me to apply. Now I know that this was a small form letter, but the very fact that I received it shortly before I was to decide on taking the December LSAT or not was such a pick me up!

Work travel and projects meant that I couldn't in fact take the December administration of the test afterall (thank God we're near Go-Live!) however just having this little affirmation in my back pocket was really nice. I did indeed reschedule the test for 2006--and yes I wrote back to Sarah Zearfoss and the Law School Admissions office to let them know that they haven't seen the last from me yet!

Suspiciously Absent

So its been awhile. I've realized that with the addition of my new job, I'd conveniently wiped every trace of the LSAT from my mind for the past month and a half. Turns out, the stress of studying for the LSAT is NOTHING compared to the stress of this new job. I've been so consumed by it, that I've been entirely oblivious to the fact that December 3rd was creeping up in the rearview.

I took some practice exam questions last night to see the extent to which my LSAT skills have rusted, and to my surprise: I'm in fairly good shape! I wonder if I shoud've just taken the test in October instead of psyching myself out. If I was going to be ignoring the LSAT anyway, I could've just have easily spent the time ignoring the stress of waiting for my LSAT scores to come in. Ah well. I didn't feel that I was ready. Of course I'm still gonna need to put in some time to bring up my scores higher than what I was middling in September. I'm also going to have to put in those requests for references soon huh?

Time to decide CE! ...Is it now, or is it waiting another year to apply?!

Accept? Reject? Dates to Ponder

These are the dates that people first reported acceptances and rejections on LSN for the last 2 years in the top 25 schools.

1. Yale- Accepted: 12/20/04 (This year: 12/19/05) Rejected: 12/28/04 (This year: 2/4/06)
2. Harvard- Accepted: 11/23/04 (This year: 11/25/05) Rejected: 01/12/05 (This year: 1/12/06)
3. Stanford- Accepted: 11/23/04 (This year: 11/21/05) Rejected: 01/15/05 (This year: 1/12/06)
4. Columbia- Accepted: 12/01/04 (This year: 12/12/05) Rejected: 12/10/04 (This year: 12/14/05)
5. NYU- Accepted: 12/01/04 (This year: 12/14/05) Rejected: 12/3/04 (This year: 12/14/05)
6. Chicago- Accepted: 12/17/04 (This year: 12/21/05) Rejected: 12/20/04 (This year: 1/3/05)
7. Penn- Accepted: 12/05/04 (This year: 12/15/05) Rejected: 12/2/04 (This year: 12/10/05)
8. Michigan- Accepted: 11/16/04 (This year: 11/22/05) Rejected: 12/15/04 (This year: 1/13/06)
9. Virginia- Accepted: 12/13/04 (This year: 12/1/05) Rejected: 12/15/04 (This year: 12/12/05)
10. Northwestern- Accepted: 11/15/04 (This year: 12/22/05) Rejected: 12/12/04 (This year: 12/29/05)
11. Cornell- Accepted: 12/09/04 (This year: 12/2/05) Rejected: 12/15/04 (This year: 12/16/05)
12. Duke- Accepted: 11/30/04 (This year: 12/10/05) Rejected: 12/30/04
13. Berkeley- Accepted: 12/01/04 (This year: 11/02/05) Rejected: 01/24/05 (This year: 2/3/06)
14. Georgetown- Accepted: 11/01/04 (This year: 11/01/05) Rejected: 11/20/04 (This year: 12/8/05)
15. UCLA- Accepted: 12/15/04 (This year- 12/20/05) Rejected: 3/7/05
16. UTexas- Accepted: 11/10/04 (This year- 11/05/05) Rejected: 11/23/04 (This year- 12/05/05)
17. Vandy- Accepted: 12/06/04 (This year: 12/12/05) Rejected: 12/08/04 (This year: 12/12/05)
18. USC- Accepted: 11/20/04 (This year: 12/15/05) Rejected: 01/25/05 (This year: 1/26/06)
19. Minnesota- Accepted: 12/02/04 (This year: 12/13/05) Rejected: 12/03/04 (This year: 12/16/05)
20. Boston U- Accepted: 12/20/04 (This year: 12/21/05) Rejected: 01/25/05 (This year: 1/31/06)
21. GWU- Accepted: 12/10/04 (This year: 12/7/05) Rejected: 12/08/04 (This year: 12/6/05)
22. Iowa- Accepted: 12/02/04 (This year: 12/20/05) Rejected: 01/24/05
23. W & L- Accepted: 12/01/04 (This year: 12/19/05) Rejected: 03/06/05
24. Notre Dame- Accepted: 12/01/04 (This year: 12/23/05) Rejected: 12/09/04 (This year: 12/27/05)
25. WUSL- Accepted: 11/23/04 (This year: 11/23/05) Rejected: 01/10/05

A person’s LSAT score is a reflection of how they will perform in law school

http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2005/09/12/65075/?print

LSAT veteran

Political science junior Khaled El-Sawaf is scared.

Like many pre-law students preparing for the Law School Admission Test, fear is growing as they realize the importance of the test.

...

No miracle will happen on test day, said first-year law student Mac Fadlallah.

If students aren’t achieving a desired score on their practice exams in the week prior to the test date, he advises them to postpone the test.

Fadlallah’s scores on his practice exams were slightly lower than what he wanted to get on the LSAT, and he said he thought, “Maybe on test day, I’ll take it more seriously and a miracle will happen.”

“I was absolutely wrong,” he said.

Well reading this article, and rumblings from other 0Ls has gotten me scared too. I started the practice tests last week, and realized that I couldn't even make it entirely through the sections within the 35 minute time limit. This is quite distressing. My study plan essentially went in 3 stages:

1. Work through the Barron's studybook sections for each section of the test. Take the practice test at the end of each section. (I didn't like the Barron's book and would advise using a different publisher.) My first practice test section garnered me less than stellar results, but I noticed that as I went along my test taking skills came back to me, and my practice scores improved rapidly and markedly from that first time out around the track.

2. Do the Daily LSAT Blog test questions, which are pulled from actual administered tests. This is a friendly little website (see link to the right) put together by former 99th percentile LSAT test takers. Diligently I worked through the archives up until the present day in spare moments grabbed from the day. Happily, I was rocking those, and felt like it was a breeze. I was going to ace this test.

3. Do the 10 Tests that I ordered from the LSAC in the final weeks before the test to solidify my skills. This is where things got rocky. Sure, I should have started on this phase a bit sooner, but hey nobody's perfect, and the last week time crunch is inevitable for everyone. No matter how prepared you are, you still think you're behind the 8-ball.

I hadn't been timing myself on the tests up until this point. What it comes down to is that anyone can ace the LSAT if it were not for the time limit. If you had unlimited time to work away on that perfect games diagram, or re-read passages to find the closest reasoning match, then yeah, you and everyone else taking the test would have no trouble finding the right answers. The problem is the clock. When I started timing myself, I couldn't believe how fast 35 minutes was going by! At first I was so freaked out about the timer ticking down, that I would waste precious seconds glancing at it every few minutes. This only served to make me more anxious, and that test-taker anxiety started to set in. I've never been a nervous test taker. Sure I've always preferred to write a paper over taking a test anyday, but taking an actual test has never bothered me in particular. This time its different. Aside from the Bar itself, THIS test will be the biggest one I've taken in my life.

And at this point, less than a week before the test, I am not scoring where I need to be--largely due to the fact that I've yet to be able to finish any section on time! Sure statistically speaking, guessing will give you a few right answers, but come on, I can't just guess on the last 8-10 questions! Argh. I need to quicken up and change my answering strategy in tonight's test and see where I lay. I've decided that if I can't make it through tonight, I will need to postpone my test until December...and that's a whole 'nother can of worms in terms of applying (not to mention the major software rollout during that time period on my work schedule).
Argh. The damn LSAT :(

What Really Happens on Test Day

This resource is the first time I've really seen a breakdown of what will actually happen on test day, from an administrative standpoint. Good to know.

http://www.west.net/~stewart/lsat/lsatcd.htm

Countdown to Test Day

30 Days to the LSAT (2nd Ed.) Mark Alan Stewart

HERE YOU'LL FIND a procedural checklist for the weeks leading up to your LSAT, for exam day, and for the weeks that follow your test. Click on the links or scroll down. 8 Weeks Prior to the Exam 4 Weeks Prior to the Exam 2 Weeks Prior to the Exam 2 Days Before to the Exam The Day Before the Exam The Day of the Exam—Before Arriving at the Test Site The Day of the Exam—At the Test Site During the Week After the Exam 5 Weeks After the Exam 8 Weeks Prior to the Exam Obtain the registration book. Use the form included in the book to register for the LSAT. Read the book from cover to cover. Most procedural questions about the LSAT and about the LSDAS are answered in the book. Decide where you want to take the LSAT. A complete list of all available LSAT test sites is included in the registration book. On the LSAT registration form, you will be asked to specify your first two test-site choices. Most test takers prefer to take the exam at the nearest available location. However, if you are in college and away from your home, you may prefer to go home for an extended weekend and take the LSAT there, away from the distractions associated with the collegiate living environment. Another consideration is the testing accommodations themselves. Some testing rooms are equipped with long tables, others with standard classroom desks, while others are equipped with theater-style fold-away desktops. If possible, avoid a test site equipped with fold-away desktops. Register early for the LSAT. Make sure that you register for the LSAT on or before the regular postmark registration deadline—4 to 5 weeks prior to the exam date. (Precise dates are specified in the registration book.) Late registration is permitted up to a certain date with payment of an additional late-registration fee. (Deadlines and fees are specified in the registration book.) Telephone registration with payment by credit card is permitted only for late registration. Walk-in (exam-day) registration is not permitted. Register as early as possible to ensure a seat at your first- or second-choice test site. Early registration is particularly crucial for the October exam, which is by far the most popular of the four exams offered during the year. 4 Weeks Prior to the Exam Make a final determination about where you wish to take the LSAT. After registering for the LSAT and paying the registration fee, you can request a change of test site for an additional fee up until about 3 weeks prior to the exam. 2 Weeks Prior to the Exam Look over your LSAT admission ticket. If you mailed your registration form by the postmark deadline but have not yet received your LSAT admission ticket in the mail, contact the testing service to be sure that your registration is being processed. When you receive your LSAT admission ticket, look it over to make sure that you are properly identified and have been assigned to an appropriate test site. 2 Days Before the Exam Get a good night's sleep tonight. Most people can get by without a lot of sleep for one day. Insufficient sleep is more likely to catch up with you on the second day. The Day Before the Exam Take the day off. Clear your mind and engage in relaxing activities. Don't think about or talk about the LSAT. Having already worked through this book, no amount of last-minute preparation for the LSAT will be of any real benefit. Arrange for backup transportation to the test site. In case your first means of transportation is unexpectedly unavailable on exam day, make sure you have a "Plan B." Remember: automobiles do break down unexpectedly from time to time. Go for a drive to the test site. Find the building and room where the test will be administered. If the building and room are open, go in and check out the facilities so that you know what to expect the next day. Check the size and style of the desks and chairs, check to see if there is a clock and whether there are vending machines, water fountains, and rest rooms nearby. You will be under enough stress the next morning without worrying about finding your way around a strange place. Set out everything you need for tomorrow. Have all of the following items ready to go before you retire for the night: Required: one current form of photo identification that includes your signature your LSAT admission ticket two or three #2 pencils with good erasers Recommended: directions to the test site a silent timing device a highlighter pen liquid paper a comfortable sweater, sweatshirt, or light jacket a pencil sharpener snack foods (fruit, nuts, granola bars, etc.) Set two alarms to wake you up on exam day. In case of a electrical-power outage, one alarm should be battery operated. Also, ask a friend to give you a wake up call to ensure that you don't hit your alarm's snooze button and go back to sleep. The Day of the Exam—Before Arriving at the Test Site Eat a good breakfast. No lunch break is provided during the exam. Be sure to eat enough to keep you going for at least five hours. Leave early for the test site. The LSAT admission ticket will indicate when you should arrive at the test site. Make sure you depart early enough to arrive by that time. Take along the morning newspaper. Plan on delays and idle time before (and possibly during) the LSAT. Keep your mind off the test by taking along some reading material to pass the time. Don't forget your admission ticket, photo identification, etc. Review the list of items that you (should have) set out the day before to take with you to the test site. WARNING: Don't inadvertently leave any of these items in your car at the test site. (Any LSAT supervisor will tell you that last-minute dashes back to the parking lot for forgotten items are very common.) If you are ill on exam day. If illness or some other emergency prevents you from taking the exam, you do not need to contact the testing service or anyone at the test site to cancel. Your absence at the test site will not be reported per se, although cancellations are reported on your score report. Rest assured: the fact that you canceled the test or canceled your score will not adversely affect your chances of admission to law school. The Day of the Exam—At the Test Site Checking in. To be admitted to the test site you must present your admission ticket and one form of photo identification that includes your signature. An acceptable form of identification might include a driver's license, student identification card, or passport. The supervisor will check the examinee roster for your name. Prepare to be thumbprinted! Sure, the testing service trusts you; but it does not trust the suspicious character seated next to you. Every test taker is thumbprinted when checking in to help ensure that no registrant has sent someone else to take the test for them. After completion of all multiple-choice sections, testing staff-members will check photo identification once again (to ensure that the individuals who checked in are the same individuals who actually took the complete exam). Seating arrangements. The exam supervisor will separate test takers with empty desks or chairs to reduce the likelihood of cheating. You are not permitted to choose your own seat. Nevertheless, if your chair squeaks, or if you are seated near a drafty, poorly lit, or uncomfortable area, ask to move. Supervisors are instructed to honor all reasonable requests to relocate. Bringing personal belongings into the testing room. Your personal belongings are permitted in the testing room but must be stowed under your desk or table at all times during the exam. Beverages and food. Beverages are not permitted in the testing room. You are permitted to bring snacks into the testing room, but you must stow your snacks beneath your desk and cannot eat in the test room. If either during or between exam sections you wish to eat snacks that you brought, you must take your snacks outside the room and eat there. Instructions and more instructions. Once you are settled in your seat, expect to spend at least 20 minutes filling in circles on your bubble-sheet to provide information about you and about the test you are taking. The supervisor will then review the testing procedures as well as the rules for examinee conduct. As with any standardized test, the exam supervisor will recite all instructions from a pre-written script. All test booklets are not the same. On the cover of your test booklet will appear a large bold letter—either "A," "B," or "C"—that indicates which version of the LSAT you will be taking. Although the four scored sections will be identical for all test takers, the test sections are ordered differently in different versions. Also, the trial section will vary among different versions. The primary purpose of administering different test versions is to safeguard against cheating. Starting and stopping each section. The supervisor will keep time during each section and announce when you may start and stop each section. During each exam section, you are not permitted to work ahead or go back to other sections. Recording your answers. You must record all your answers with a #2 pencil on a separate answer sheet provided by the supervisor. Answers recorded in the test booklet will not be scored. Be sure to blacken in an answer for all questions, since there is no penalty for incorrect reposes. Timing devices. Silent timing devices are permitted. It is recommended that you take a watch with you to the exam, since there is no guarantee that there will be a functioning clock in the testing room. Supervisor announcements concerning remaining time. The supervisor will issue one verbal 5-minutes-remaining warning during each exam section. The purpose of this warning is to allow you to adjust your pace so that you can finish the section and fill in all of the bubbles on your answer sheet. Breaks between exam sections. A 10–15 minute break is provided after the third test section (1 hour, 45 minutes into the exam). At the completion of the multiple-choice portion of the LSAT, the testing staff will collect test booklets and distribute Writing Sample materials, so a break of sorts occurs at this point as well. Otherwise, there will be no break between test sections. Leaving the room during the exam. You may leave the room at any time during the exam, although you must first obtain the supervisor's permission. If you do leave the room, you will not be permitted to make up that time. Be forewarned: A member of the testing staff might accompany you to and from the rest room! Unexpected delays and problems. A variety of unexpected problems can interfere somewhat with the administration of the LSAT. Unexpected noise from the outside, windy or unusually cold or hot weather, and power failures are the most common uncontrollable problems. Some problems can be solved by relocating to another room in the building or to another building altogether. If any environmental problem occurs that might distract you, by all means bring the matter to the supervisor's attention. Canceling your test at the test site. At any time during the test or immediately afterwards, you can cancel your test simply by completing a specified portion of the answer sheet. If you cancel your test in this manner, no score will be tabulated. Cancellations are irreversible; accordingly, think twice before hastily canceling your test while still at the test site. Instead, reflect for a day or two on your performance; the testing service allows you to cancel your score within five days after the test. As noted earlier, your score report will indicate cancellations, although canceled scores will not be included in the report. (Also remember that cancellations will not adversely affect your chances of admission.) Take home some souvenirs of the LSAT. The supervisor will of course collect all test booklets after the exam. Remember, however, that a carbonless copy of your writing sample and the black pen provided for the Writing Sample section are yours to take home with you! During the Week After the Exam Requesting a refund if you do not take the exam. If you do not actually take the exam for which you register, a partial refund is allowed if requested in writing anytime before the exam or within one week following the exam. Applying your registration fee to a later LSAT. If you decide to postpone taking the LSAT, for an additional fee the service will apply a portion of your registration fee to a subsequent exam, but only upon written request up until one week after the original exam date. Canceling your test score. If you wish to cancel your score for the exam that you just took, the testing service must receive proper written notification of cancellation within 5 working days after the exam. 5 Weeks after the Exam Your LSAT score report. An LSAT score report is mailed to you 4 to 6 weeks after the exam. The report will include: a 5" by 8" copy of the entire exam (see the "NOTE" below, however), except for the Writing Sample Topic, a copy of which you took home with you on exam day your raw score, your scaled score, and a conversion table to determine your percentile ranking your response to each question and the correct response to each question Thus, you will have all the information to assess your strengths and weaknesses on the exam. This should help you determine whether you should retake the test and, if so, what areas you should focus on in preparing for the test again. Note: If you take the exam in December, you will not receive a copy of the exam. December exams are not disclosed. Decide whether to take the LSAT again. Take the LSAT with the attitude that you will be taking it once and only once. Your most recent three scores (excluding cancellations) are reported to the law schools, most of which use the average (arithmetic mean) of those scores to assess your candidacy. Nevertheless, consider taking the LSAT again if you feel strongly that you did not perform as well as you could have the first time. The testing service reports that over ninety percent of repeat test takers improve upon their prior scores! Act early to register for the exam again. If you decide to retake the LSAT, keep an eye on the registration deadlines! If you took the LSAT in October, you may not receive your score by mail until after the regular registration deadline for the December LSAT! If you are considering retaking the exam, the testing service now allows you to obtain your scores by telephone request earlier to allow you time to determine whether to register again before the next deadline. Filing complaints and challenging the integrity or fairness of the test. With every LSAT, a few test takers will attempt to find fault with the test and will complain to the LSAC about the integrity or fairness of the exam. Only on rare occasions have particular scored questions later been thrown out and exam scores adjusted due to an ambiguity or error on the exam. More common complaints involve irregularities and problems in testing procedures. The LSAC is receptive to reasonable complaints about the exam administration if submitted in writing and in good faith. (Complaint procedures are outlined in the registration book.) Should you encounter a problem during the test, however, your best course of action is to ask the supervisor to solve it then and there rather than waiting until later to complain to the LSAC.

How to Survive—and Even Prosper—On the LSAT

Excellent paper that makes you think a little bit more clearly about THE BEAST.

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~rcoas/prelaw/survivelsat.pdf

Reposted below in case the original disappears:

How to Survive—and Even Prosper—On the LSAT

James Yoho, J.D., Ph.D.

From the Spring 2004 issue of NAPLA Notes

For most who aspire to attend law school, the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) looms as an

academic rite of passage that is, at best, an annoyance-and, at worst, downright intimidating. You may hear

whispered Wes of other pre-law wannabes that approach the status of urban legend: the college

valedictorian (known by 'somebody's' cousin) who became a broken person after doing no better than 152

on the LSAT after three tries, or the Type-A Ivy Leaguer (knowingly profiled on an Internet bulletin board)

who decided to become a telemarketer following a poor performance on the test that came even after

investing a few thousand dollars in prep courses.

Part of the task for one who is preparing for the LSAT, then, is to somehow cut through the near-

paranoia about the test in order to do well and get into law school (for which the reward will be to go

$100,000 into debt in order to spend three years studying subjects with strange names like 'torts' and

'remedies' for 10 or more hours a day—but that's another story). This paper is intended to give LSAT-takers

the proverbial "big picture' about how to navigate these rapids; after all, we need more telemarketers even

less than we need more lawyers.

Setting a goal for your LSAT score

Most LSAT-takers back into their target score for the LSAT: in effect, they say "Given my GPA, in order

to get into the law school of my (optional insert: parents') choice, I'm going to need an LSAT score of

about 195, so that's my goal.

2

The obvious problem here is what happens if it eventually comes to pass that

you can't score that high. After all, the LSAT produces a bell-shaped distribution curve of its scores, and so

only so many people are going to attain any particular score.

There certainly are those who, trying to be encouraging, contend that anyone who's willing to work hard

and long enough can attain a particular target score, whatever it may be. They quite understand that, say, a

176 will be achieved by only a fraction of 1% of LSAT-takers (the precise figure varies a bit), but believe—as

the major commercial preparation firms are fond of saying—that the LSAT tests only one's ability to take

the test. Thus, this theory goes, with sufficient dedication you will be one of those three or four test-takers

per thousand who gets a 176 or better.

It's dear enough that diligent preparation for the LSAT can improve one's score, even significantly:

more people improve from, say, a 140 to a 165 or from a 152 to a 173 than you might suppose. However,

it's also clear that even the most dedicated test-takers eventually will take their score, as they said in the

musical Oklahoma about the metropolis of Kansas City, “About as fur as you can go.” In short, it never

should be assumed that one can reach a certain score on the LSAT.

A less obvious problem with backing into your goal for a score on the LSAT is that it may well limit

your potential. If you set your sights on, say, a 155, then you might well quit preparing once that score has

been reached in practice. However, suppose that you actually have the ability to reach 165? With that

higher score, you'd have the option of attending a few dozen additional law schools. And even if you don't

want to change your first choice for law school, that higher LSAT score may well translate into more

financial aid.

So, the I-can-score-whatever-I-need approach to arriving at a target LSAT score is, for most, pretty much

a recipe for disappointment, if not heartbreak. A better approach is to set a goal of scoring as well as one

can, whatever that may prove to be; let's call it the go-as-fur-as-you-can-go plan. In other words, prepare for

the test to the point where your score peaks. Whatever that score proves to be, accept it.

The odds are that you can go to law school somewhere- although, certainly, the higher the score, the more options (and

financial aid) you'll have. Note that you don't need the best LSAT score, or other credentials, among your entering law school

class. If you're in, you're in: it's not as though, at graduation, the dean will intone something like “And

graduating now, the last person to be offered admission to his class, is Sasquatch L. Peabody, Jr.” Given

the levels of competition these days to gain admission to law school, if you're offered admission then you

probably can handle the work. (Most of those who don't get through law school have some sort of

significant personal distraction, such as being bored by the work or paying too much attention to pinball

machines, rather than an intellectual inability to handle the work.)

Thus, the obvious question is how to reach one's highest score on the LSAT.

How to reach one's highest score on the LSAT

First, you must come to understand why the right answers to the questions on the LSAT are right and the wrong

answers are wrong. This is not really a matter of your knowledge or intelligence, by the way, as the LSAT is

primarily a test of reasoning skills. Happily, the reasoning tasks presented by the LSAT are limited in

number and so they also are quite repetitive. Put another way: the question types are predictable. Thus, the

careful study of fewer questions than. You might suppose prepares you for all of them and allows you to

move accurately. Additional study beyond this point allows you to improve speed without sacrificing

accuracy. Once you're moving at your maximum speed while retaining accuracy, you're ready!

Second, you must employ a sensible procedural approach to the test; this is necessary to maximize your efficiency.

After all, the whole game here is to maximize the number of correct answers. It's beyond the scope of "

paper to address this in a comprehensive fashion, but consider just one strategic example: most people

move through an LSAT section too quickly. That's somewhat understandable, as it's likely that every single

test one has encountered before the LSAT (with the possible exception of college admission tests like the

SAT and ACT) was structured so that it could be finished easily enough within the allotted time. It's also

the case that much of the advice given. to LSAT- takers holds that one should move at a pace such that a

timed section is finished. Even many LSAT-takers who are advised to slow down fail to heed it; the habit of

finishing a test is just too strong to break.

When an LSAT-taker moves too quickly, three bad things happen. Only the first is recognized very

often: when we do anything too quickly, we make more mistakes-and wrong answers on the LSAT don't

raise our score. This much is obvious enough, but what escapes most test-takers is that the move-at-a-pace-

to-do-all-of-the-questions approach really suits only those who can move that quickly without seriously

compromising accuracy.4 All but the rare test-taker would do better to bet the rent on the state lottery: the

LSAT-taker who can miss only one or two questions at the most and score a 180 is, literally, fewer than

one in 1,000-and likely something more like one in every 10,000.

The second problem with moving too quickly should be obvious enough once you think about it: the

time that's spent on missed questions does nothing to raise your score. So, if you miss, say, half of the

questions, you have—all else being equal—spent half of the allotted time without raising your score. If,

instead, you were to emphasize accuracy over speed, you might get another 10% or 20% correct.

That's connected to the third problem that's caused by moving too quickly: during timed practice in

which you move too quickly, you learn to be sloppy rather than accurate-and this complicates learning

why the right answers are right and the wrong answers are wrong. It's possible to overcome this even ff

you're moving too quickly during practice testing, but it's much more likely that such a test-taker will,

instead, make the problem even worse by making the additional strategic error of emphasizing the quantity

of practice at the sacrifice of its quality--which guarantees only that you'll get a lot of practice missing

questions.

Finally, you must practice applying those sensible procedures to real LSATs until your practice scores peak. As

already intimated, to practice less-than-sensible procedures is no guarantee of success, or even of

significant improvement. Many LSAT-takers say something like this: 'I've spent a few hundred hours

taking every practice LSAT that I could find, and my scores still haven't improved much.' It's possible that

such a person simply has gone as "fur" as he or she can go, but it's much more likely, given the sheer

quantity of practice, that this is mostly reflective of confusion about what and how to practice and so all of

these hours of practice are reinforcing some bad test-taking habits. It's like a beginning tennis player who

endlessly practices serving while standing on only one foot: he might well practice more than anyone else

and could be the best one-footed tennis server in the whole state, but-all else being equal-he's going to be

at a real disadvantage with an opponent who practices less, but with both feet on the ground.

Even sensible procedures must be practiced until your score has gone as high as it will go. There is no

magic number of hours of practice before this happens, and it's fairly idiosyncratic. I suggest that a test-

taker take at least three full (real) LSATs under timing, each to be followed by a careful, untimed review of

the wrong answers. This includes doing the questions that there wasn't time to answer during the initial

timed practice of that section. Once all of this has been done, take careful stock: how close does your score

seem to be to peaking? How much time is left before test day?

A related issue here is under what sort of timeline you're operating. If you're scheduled to take the test

in, say, 10 days, then it's simply not feasible to plan to take and review 10 more LSATs before then.

Obviously, one option is to delay taking the test; how- ever, that also may delay your entry into law school,

depending on the circumstances. Generally, an earlier application is better than a later one during the

same application cycle and thus an early start on LSAT preparation

The ideal timeline for a law school wannabe is to take the June administration of the test; if in college

at the time, that's the June that follows the junior year. This allows for the final 4-6 weeks of preparation

to be uncomplicated by classes. Obviously, once the test date has been ascertained you must decide when

to start preparing for the LSAT, but this can be a bit trickier than you may suppose: if the timeline is too

short, you'll run out of time; if it's too long, you may not follow through and, if you do, you may burn out.

Consider adopting a preparation timeline that's designed to get you ready one test administration earlier

than your true target (e.g. the February test), as you may well find that, for various reasons, you're not

ready then and so have some extra time. If the June test date arrives and you're just not ready, then

postpone taking the test until October.

Preparation books and courses

The primary rationale for obtaining assistance in preparing for the test is that this will both save time

and increase even your long-term effectiveness-not to mention short-term. After all, those who write the

books and preparation courses have taken studying the LSAT for a long time and so probably can get you

off to a faster start. It's also entirely possible that they know a few things about the test that you wouldn't

discover through the trial-and-error that's the hall- mark of self-preparation.

By far, the cheaper way to go here is to buy one or two commercial preparation books that contain test-

taking strategies. For a rather small investment, you'll get lots of ideas on strategy. Keep in mind that some

of them are better than others. Therefore, be ready to discard any particular bit of advice if your practice or

common sense tell you that it just doesn't work for you. On the bright side, even the process of thinking

critically about what you find in these books- whether you eventually accept or reject any particular bit of

advice-will sharpen your ability to think strategically about the LSAT.

Note carefully that the practice tests found in these books are not worth your time. They aren't real

LSATS, which is to say that their difficulty level has not been calibrated like the real thing; thus, the

practice 'scores" that they yield are not necessarily accurate. Also, the quality of the questions often is rather

poor, especially on the three-fourths of the test that are the Reading Comprehension and Logical

Reasoning sections; thus, they don't show what the real LSAT is like as well as they should. The only

positive attribute of unofficial LSATS, really, is that explanations for the questions often are provided.

However, explanations really aren't all that helpful.

Luckily, there's a cheap way around this problem: you can purchase real LSATs for a relative pittance

and use them for your practice. Some like to make sure that some of the more recent tests are used for

practice, as they reflect certain trends in the evolution of the test.

Preparation courses are more expensive. Even if you have the money, that doesn't mean it's necessarily a

good use of it-or of your time. The trick to making this decision is to be clear about why you would be

taking a course. If your eventual decision is to take a course, then find the one that best meets those needs;

by no means are all courses equal.

Above all else, you'll want an effective instructor. Unfortunately, it's often the case that you can't

ascertain even the identity of the instructor of a particular course, much less something about his or her

credentials. This is never a good sign, and often it's meant to hide that the instructor has few or no teaching

credentials-and having scored well on the test is a test-taking credential and only slightly relevant to teaching

ability. Often, instructors still are undergraduates themselves!

Instructors must know both how and what to teach. If you're thinking about taking a preparation course

mostly for its test-taking strategies and the company that offers the course also publishes a book on the

LSAT, you'd probably be better off just buying the book. After all, do you really think they saved any

"secrets' for the course?

A preparation course that's longer than 15 or 20 hours is too long for most people. Undue length

suggests intellectual disorganization-not to mention an unnecessarily high price. There are other problems

associated with undue length, such as lots of meetings; beyond a certain point, you're better off using this

time to practice. Still, the biggest problem associated with an overlong prep course may well be that you

never learn to work on questions while away from the instructor. After all, the instructor won't be able to

help you on test day!

The LSAT-takers who most benefit from a long prep course seem to be those who need the 'structure'

that it provides. However, even these test-takers still must find time to practice on their own. It also makes

you wonder if someone who needs this sort of coddling really belongs in law school, where there's very

little 'structure.' (For example, in most law school classes there are no papers, quizzes, or even midterms-just

a final exam!)

If you opt to take a preparation course, try to find one that's offered through a college or university it's

likely to be a short and relatively inexpensive course that's taught by someone with better qualifications

than is likely with a commercial course.

Retaking the Test

It's surprising how many people take a half-hearted stab at preparing for the LSAT, figuring that they

always can take it again. The most obvious problem with this approach is that whatever your score may

prove to be, it clearly won't be as high as it might've been. A second effort will require preparation any-

way, so why not get it right the first time? Also, note well that law schools usually average multiple LSAT

scores, so a low first score will continue to haunt you.

If you prepare using real LSATs taken under timing, your score m test day should not surprise you.

Conclusion

Chin up! If you believe you can handle law school, to be followed by a glamorous and lucrative career

in the law, then presumably you can handle the LSAT, too. While a certain contempt for the whole

process is healthy, you should not fail to respect the test-for it is what it is. Above all else, you should

understand the beast, and plan for how you're going to tame it.

Notes

1. Dr. Yoho is a denizen of Pennsylvania who holds a law degree (Juris Doctor) from the

University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in Government from the University of Virginia. He also has

12 years of experience teaching at colleges and universities, including two law schools, and

served for seven years as a university pre-law adviser. He now works full-time as a coach on

standardized tests of general reasoning ability (like the LSAT), offering preparation courses

since 1996 at the request of several well-known colleges and universities. Well-published in law,

political science, and test preparation, his principal research interests are in the areas of

American constitutional law, interest groups, and the strategic dynamics of standardized tests.

2. Yes, the author knows that the scaled score for the test ranges from 120-180; he was just

kidding around, which was the only recreation available to him during a youth misspent in the

Midwest. He figures that you know the scale, too (or can find out easily enough), which is why

he's not focusing here on basic details about the LSAT.

3. It's acknowledged that reasonable people can disagree on when an LSAT-taker knows that his

or her practice scores have gone as 'fur' as they can go. Without tying to address that issue

comprehensively here, it will be said that the notion is rejected that an apparent peak in

practice scores necessarily is just a score plateau that will prove to be temporary if additional

practice is undertaken. As already has been argued here, you can reach your limit of

achievement on the test; the problem is knowing when you can't go any higher. In addition,

the additional practice that will be necessary to raise your score even more may not be feasible,

and the possibility of preparation burnout also must be considered.

4. "Accuracy" doesn't necessarily mean 100% accuracy. The standard that the author urges upon

students is to be about 90% confident that an answer is correct unless there is an extenuating

circumstance with that question, in which case you should move on rather than get bogged

down. (The move-on-ff-you're-truly-stuck idea may seem either contradictory or suspiciously

similar to the move-fast-enough-to-finish approach, but this is as much a matter of emphasis as

anything else: as a matter of routine, does a test-taker emphasize accuracy or speed?

5. You may not want to hear this, but here it is: once you have been told what types of reasoning

tasks are on the test, you're better off being self-reliant when it comes to applying those

principles to particular questions. Explanations are a crutch that you should discard as soon as

you can.

6. Law schools sometimes say that they'll 'consider" an applicant's higher or highest LSAT score,

but this always was true. However, they'll still average them for such purposes as describing the

qualifications of their entering class, should they offer you admission to it and should you

attend- so beware: law school prestige is most closely linked to selectivity in admissions, and so

a law school's prestige is, in a sense, only as good as the official LSAT scores of the applicants to

whom admission is offered.

ACK

Its coming up fast!

Craving Satisfied

Interestingly enough, now that I've been home to A2, and had my personal tour of the law school, my mind seems to have been freed up a bit to start considering other law schools. Gasp!

Crazy for me, I know. I took a tour of Penn last summer when I was visiting my friend in Philly, and I of course have access to other law schools around here if I want to get the full spectrum of different campus lives. There ARE other schools out there, and though I do love Umich so, I still have to recognize that other places will afford me other opportunities. It is something to seriously think about.

Its just that its a different thought process for me. I usually have single minded determination, in that I pick a goal and work towards it. For instance, I only applied to 2 undergraduate schools, and 1 graduate school. I got into them all. This is a tactic that has worked well for me in the past. Another example, years ago I set my sights on working for particular companies (Accenture, PeopleSoft) and have now achieved those goals as well. However, I suppose though that I could adhere to the commonly held belief of scattering your net wide, and seeing what you come back with, at least when it comes to law schools.

Just visiting the Umich campus was good for me because it got the burr out of my side. (The burr is still riding along with me, its just not poking me in the side anymore) I have now started to notice the other great campuses out there beckoning me with their shiny pamphlets and constantly reminding emails. Yes, this law journey of mine is an interesting one, in more ways than I would have thought.

Ann Arbor

I am in Ann Arbor now, and had my personal guided tour of the Law School this morning. First off, it is a gorgeous day in Ann Arbor. What a great morning to be walking through the Law Quad!

At 9:30 am, I went to Hutchins Hall, where I noticed a nice buffet of breakfast foods and giant carafes of coffee in the middle of the hallway. Thank the Law Gods! (UM constantly has special functions and events with good spreads laid out--I worked for the Michigan Union Catering for 2 years in undergrad, and its amazing how many different meals are going on at any given time around these parts). Offering up a silent prayer to the gods watching over the non-morning people, I grabbed a cup of coffee, and continued on to the Admissions office.

When I walked into the office, I was greeted by a gaggle of people (including if I recognized her picture correctly, Sarah Zearfoss, the Asst. Dean and Director of Admissions). She apologized and explained that they were trying to work through a little crisis. No problems, I said (looks like this was going to take precedence over my personal VIP guided tour, ah well!) I quietly listened to them discuss "applications from 2Ls and 3Ls as they moved into the conference room. My tour was instead conducted by a very friendly Admissions office worker, and she told me that the crisis referred to the mass of Tulane Law students displaced by the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina. I had heard on NPR this morning that hundreds of students were seeking alternate schools nearby so they could continue their educations while the relief efforts continued down in New Orleans. Looks like the admissions offices of law schools across the country can look forward to being inundated with applications from hopeful provisional students. I commented that they might have a bunch more students for a couple of years then, and she responded that no, they would be under consideration for temporary status as visitors only. Interesting.

After watching a cute 20 minute video on Umich Law, we went through the quietly impressive reading room, and my guide rattled off random facts about the height of the ceilings, and the inlays in the stained glass windows. We ducked into classrooms both large and small, the Moot Court room, and went into parts of the Law Library that had been off limits to me as an undergrad. I spotted the Law Review offices in the basement of the library and felt like rubbing the door for good luck as we passed. Coming back around, we ran into a sudden and huge crowd of chattering people. Surprise, surprise, the group was surrounding the breakfast buffet table from which I had previously liberated the cup of java. She was surprised for a minute, but since this is Orientation time, concluded that these must be admitted students here for a function. Squeezing our way through the crowd of youngish looking people, each of which holding a yellow binder and full of an air of nervous excitement, she smiled at me and noted that it could be me next year.

Our tour concluded with going out of doors to the Law Quad grounds where my guide pointed out the Lawyers Club, which mainly consisted of law student housing, the Lawyers Club lounge, and the law cafeteria. Unfortunately these areas were still locked up for the summer, so I didn't get to see inside the last few off limits areas of the Law Quad--but I suppose that some mysteries are best saved for Fall of '06 ;)

I thought briefly of going back and blending into the near hundred person crowd, tagging along for the 1L ride, and scoring some more inside knowledge (not to mention, free bagels).
But with my lack of a yellow folder, they would've found me out for sure ;P

Lucky Me

So it just so happens that I'm going home for a visit over Labor Day. I figured that I'd call up the University of Michigan Law School and see if they have any events going on, since the students are back in town. Lo and behold, there is an Admissions Tour of the Law School being conducted the day after I arrive. I even get bonus points because the tour is being conducted by the Associate Director herself--yesssss, perfect brown-nosing opportunity! ;p

Now yes, I did indeed grow up in Ann Arbor.
Yes, I did attend the University of Michigan as an undergraduate.
And yes, I've been in the Law Quad many a time during those carefree days. Then why do I need a dang tour, you ask? (In fact, this was exactly what a friend of mine said when I told her of my plans. She is not understanding at all of why I'd return to Michigan--and some days I even wonder myself.)

Well the fact is, undergrad was more than a few years ago; and the chance to take a guided tour of all the secret areas that weren't a part of my UG life, *while* having access to the brain of the Assoc. Director, *and* while in the mindset of actually seeking to attend law school this time around, makes the whole experience a brand new enterprise, and an opportunity not to be missed.

I do have fond memories of the Law Quad. I remember wandering through the campus in the wee hours of the morning and watching sunrise hit the towers of the majestic Reading Room.

I remember tramping through the snow blanket that covered the Law School grounds, while taking a shortcut to the Student Union and savoring the peace and old world charm of the gothic architecture.

I remember spreading a blanket on a sunny day and lounging about with my friends, watching law students throwing a frisbee around and biking through the quad.

I remember wandering through the quad in the Fall when Ann Arbor's magnificent trees were turning colors and strewing leaves across the ground in a thick pelt of orange, red, and yellow. Growing up in Michigan, Fall has always been my favorite season, and you just don't see all those colors out here.

Whether I go to the University of Michigan again or not, I hope to hold onto those uncomplicated memories of an outsider looking in. Next year at this time, I'll be just getting started, and my idealistic memories will be threatened by the knowledge of what learning the law actually entails. I am truly looking forward to gaining that knowledge and building those new memories, but at the same time I know that once I enter that hallowed hall, everything I thought it was will be replaced by what it actually is. I just want my old memories to be able to live comfortably alongside my new ones.

The Next Ten

I received my practice test book from the LSAC today. (As an aside: when linking to this title on Amazon.com, I also discovered that I paid $10 more than I could have for it. Grrr. I was worried that not buying it from the LSAC might mean it wasn't authentic, but comparing them now, the coverwork appears to be the same. Grr.) Anyway, this edition contains prep tests 29-38. If anyone out there in cyberland has other tests to trade, shoot me a message. You can also shoot me a message if you'd prefer to trade my book for Neil Gaiman comics instead. Its about time I see what all the hubbub is about--while I still have time for pleasure reading. :P

Here We Go

Its official. I am now registered for the October 1st LSAT.
I am also now out $251 bucks.
Lol, oh well. Might as well start the law school debt accumulation now!

There is a lot going on with the LSAC website, I'm still picking my way through it, getting familiar with all its nooks and crannies. I started filling out my 1st application (Umich), and I'm also re-drafting a letter to a past professor whom I previously tapped for a recommendation. The University of Michigan Law School bulletin was also waiting for me when I came home from work today. I expect the other school's info packets will start rolling in soon too.

Yep--here we go!

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Advice from the Greedy Law Students Board

Opinions on the Importance of the LSAT, the First Year, and Picking a Top 14 School

"#1: the LSAT is THE most important thing. i wish i had realized that before. everything else is details. your Ivy name should help (names always help), but forget about "science and engineering" being held in higher regard. "

1. True. True. True. A great LSAT can even overcome a not-so-stellar (but above 3.0) GPA, as it did for me. Schools talk about how they take the whole person into account when selecting from among candidates for admission, but the truth is, for the vast majority, it's LSAT, GPA and nothing else. There's just no time for them to carefully dissect every applicant, especially nowadays when everyone and their step-mom is applying to law school. I got into a better law school than several of my friends who went to Ivy-league schools (and who outperformed me GPA-wise) simply because my LSAT score blew theirs' away.

#2: Basically any of the top 14 (HYS down to Georgetown) can get you a job anywhere you want. Granted if you go to NYU, are from New York, and all of a sudden decide you want to live/work in Los Angeles you'll have to answer some questions about why you want to live there as firms want people who aren't coming for a summer/1-2 years of fun before bailing back home, but very few firms in any market will turn their noses up at any of these schools. The rule is if you can't go to a top 14 school go to a school near where you want to practice. If you get into a top 14 and aren't a complete social retard you will be able to get a job wherever you want. Period.

"#3: hit the ground running; the first semester in law school is the most important, and they decrease in importance from there. and yes, that is a bit twisted."

3. Unfortunately, this is very true. If you flub first semester, it's not pretty. It sucks, but so does law school. Of course, due to the intense competition, steep forced curve, and complete inigma that is law school teaching, most students will be sorely disappointed, and many who have spent their whole lives at the top of the class will suddenly find themselves merely average, or below average. I literally had to talk some friends off a ledge. If you dig yourself in too deep a hole after first year, no number of 3.6 semesters thereafter will save you, thus the sizeable attrition rates. To be honest, I don't understand why the whole bottom 1/3 of the class doesn't just drop out (not that I'm anywhere near the top 10% myself, but respectable). Case and point, my good friend from college, who just graduated cum laude from a top 20 law school. Sounds like a shoe-in for a big job, but he was in the bottom half of his class after first year and worked his ass off to recover the next two years. He's still jobless. Likewise, my friend, a 3rd year associate at NYC BIGLAW who made law review, but only graduated in the top 50% of his class from a 2nd tier school. In most professions, such a slacking-off after achieving top 10% after first year would be looked upon unfavorably, but such is the law. As grim as it sounds, the second two years of school don't matter to most recruiters. IF you do well first year, regardless of what comes after, you're golden. If you don't, forget it. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?