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Part 1 - Objective Information

The Nuts and Bolts Of The LSAT - What Is It?
The letters "L S A T" stand for Law School Admission Test. The LSAT is required as part of the admissions process for all Canadian law schools except at the University of Moncton. The LSAT is developed and administered by Law Services in Newtown, Pennsylvania. A free sample LSAT (and basic information on each of Canada's law schools) is available in the LSAT Registration Book which may be obtained from your local law school or university career counseling centre. You may get one directly from Law Services by calling (215) 968-1001. You may also order one from their web site at: http://www.lsac.org.
Answers to all questions about the LSAT may be obtained by consulting the LSAT Registration Book - Canadian Edition. It is available at all Canadian law schools, many university career counseling centres, by telephone ((215) 968-1001), or online (http://www.lsac.org). The deadline for registration is generally about five weeks before the test date!

Answers To Some Commonly Asked Questions

When May I Write The LSAT?

The LSAT may be written four times a year. There is a test in October, December, February and June. Every administration except for the June administration is on a Saturday morning. The June administration is on a Monday afternoon. For Saturday Sabbath observers the October, December and February test dates are the Monday following the Saturday of the regular test date. Special arrangements can also be made for the handicapped. See the LSAT Registration Book for full details.

Where May I Write The LSAT?

The LSAT is administered at most universities in Canada and the United States. Does Everybody Write The Same LSAT?

Yes. The LSAT is a standardized multiple choice test. Exactly the same test is administered at all locations around the world on the same day.

How Do I Register For The LSAT?
The registration form may be found in the LSAT Registration Book. Although all test takers write the same LSAT, the LSAT Registration Book has separate Canadian and U.S. editions. The Canadian edition has a wealth of information about Canadian law schools. There is a fee to write the LSAT. At the present time there are three ways to register.

1. By Mail - Use the form in the LSAT Registration Book
2. By Telephone - (215) 968-1001
3. Online - http://www.lsac.org

When Should I Register For The LSAT?

It is common for certain test centres to fill up. Hence, it is to your benefit to register as early as possible!

When Should I Write The LSAT?

Time of year:
The deadline date for Ontario law school applications is now November 1. (At the present time the deadline for other Canadian law schools is later.) The application form for Ontario schools is available in the summer. It would be ideal to complete the law school application process during the summer. This would mean writing the LSAT in June or in October at the latest. In addition, the June LSAT is at a time when there is the least conflict with academic commitments. (The summer is also an excellent time to begin organizing your letters of reference and personal statements. In terms of work, the complete application process is approximately equivalent to a half course in university!)

Stage In Academic Career? :
LSAT scores are valid for at least two years. You are not required to write the LSAT in the same year that you apply. The best time to write the LSAT is the first June LSAT that you have the time to prepare. For example, it is common for students to write the LSAT in the June following their second year.

May I Write The LSAT More Than Once?

Yes, you may write the LSAT a maximum of three times in any two year period. But, you must remember that most law schools average multiple LSAT scores. Therefore, you should train so that you score as well as you can on your first attempt.

What Kind Of LSAT Score Is Required?

There is no passing or failing LSAT score. Each school is free to decide what score will satisfy its specific admission requirements. Different LSAT scores may be required for different categories of applicants. For example, at some schools, "mature students" may not need as high of a score as "regular applicants."

What Does The LSAT Actually Test?

The LSAT is first and foremost a test of your ability to do the LSAT on that particular day! (LSAT scores do fluctuate. If you don't score well the first time, just try again!) Reading, reasoning, analytical and verbal skills will play a role in your success. In addition to these intellectual skills the design of the LSAT tends to reward those with a certain emotional makeup. Those who are stable under pressure, have an ability to deal with the unfamiliar and have a tolerance for imprecision have a tendency to perform better.

What The Format Of The LSAT?

The LSAT is multiple choice. It is a sophisticated test of your reading and reasoning abilities. These abilities are tested by separately timed sections. At the present time each section is 35 minutes and contains one of the following three question types: reading comprehension, logical reasoning or analytical reasoning questions. The current format is:

1. Reading Comprehension - four passages - 28 questions
2. Logic Games - four sets of conditions - 24 questions
3. Logical Reasoning - 24 questions
4. Logical Reasoning - 25 questions

In addition, each test taker will have to sit through one additional experimental section. This section will have no effect on your LSAT score. It is solely so that Law Services can experiment with new questions. The experimental section will not be identified as such.

What About The Writing Sample?

In addition to the multiple choice LSAT questions there is a 30 minute writing exercise. Law schools receive a copy of your writing sample. The writing sample is not graded and is placed in your file for possible consideration. Some U.S. schools have begun to use the LSAT writing sample to compare with the applicant's personal statement. Is it conceivable that this particular applicant wrote this particular personal statement?

How Is The LSAT Scored And What Does The Score Mean?

Your LSAT score is based only on the number of questions you answer correctly and is reported on a scale of 120 - 180. The LSAT is not a pass fail exam. Your score is a percentile ranking and is a reflection of how you perform relative to everybody else taking the test. A score of 180 indicates that you performed better than 99.9% of all test takers.

Is There A Penalty For Putting The Wrong Answer?

No. There is no penalty for putting the wrong answer. Therefore, select an answer for every question. If you guess, take steps to ensure that it is an educated guess.

Do Hard Questions Count More Than Easy Questions?

No. All LSAT questions count the same. Therefore, you should gravitate toward the questions that are easier for you. The chances are that you will run out of time. You should try to run out of time when you are reaching the harder questions.

Part 2 - Understanding LSAT Reality

The starting point to any preparation is to understand the "reality of the LSAT." LSAT Reality is sixfold:

1. It Doesn't Matter What You Know - It Matters How You Reason!
The LSAT is a test of your ability to exercise a particular type of reasoning skill. (Primarily inferential reading and conditional reasoning) It is designed to test skills more than knowledge.

2. You Can Neither Pass Nor Fail - But You Can Score Poorly!
Each school is free to decide what score will satisfy its specific admission requirements. There is no designated pass-fail score.

3. It's Not How You Perform - It's Who You Perform Better Than!
Your LSAT score is a percentile ranking of how quickly and accurately you perform the basic reasoning skill relative to other test takers.

4. Anybody Can Answer The Questions - Given Enough Time!
Given unlimited time most test takers would be able to correctly answer the majority of the questions. The LSAT is administered under strict time constraints. Few test takers finish. This makes it easy for the test designer to measure your performance relative to that of other test takers.

5. LSAT Questions Are Entirely Predictable
The integrity of the LSAT depends on each edition of the LSAT testing the same things in the same ways. Hence, the passages, questions, and both right and wrong answer choices must be designed the same way for every LSAT.

6. Multiple Choice Is Your Friend!
In non-multiple choice it is the job of the test taker to construct an answer. In multiple choice the test maker constructs the answer. In order to understand the question types; it is not enough to recognize different categories of logic games; it is not enough to simply practice questions. Your objective is to train yourself to the point where you can perform better than other test takers!
Any great athlete can play his or her sport. But, all athletes continually train so that they can perform better than other athletes.
When it comes to the LSAT, many people know what to do, they just can't do what they know!

So, How Do I Train?

Effective training for the LSAT must be rooted in the fact that the LSAT is a multiple choice exam, where your score reflects your performance relative to all other test takers, and where you are working under difficult time constraints. Each of these factors is important.

Multiple Choice Is Your Friend!

On a multiple choice test the answer is on the page in front of you. You can see it. You just have to identify it. Nobody will ever know if you understand it. Multiple choice rewards you for eliminating answers that are clearly wrong. Pay attention to the wrong answers! For most questions you can eliminate at least two answer choices. On the LSAT it is just as valuable to know what is wrong as to know what is right!

Some questions you will find easy. Some you will find more difficult. Some you won't have time to look at. It is impossible to select the "credited response" for every question.

But, it is possible to put the best answer that you can for every question. For every question try to "position yourself for the best guess." This will allow you to incorporate an element of "damage control" into your approach.

Train yourself to be a compass that is always pointed toward the credited response!

So, What's The Credited Response Anyway?

The directions to every section of the LSAT require test takers to choose the "best answer." This is often different from the "objectively correct answer." Many test takers read the question, decide on an "objectively correct" answer and then search for that answer as one of the choices. This misses the point.

The issue is not what is the objectively correct answer to the question asked, but rather which of the five choices comes closest to fitting the requirements of the "best answer." Hence, success depends on keeping one's eyes on all of the answer choices.

Percentile Rankings - The Consequence Of Time Constraints

Time is the currency of the LSAT! If test takers had unlimited amounts of time most would be able to correctly answer the majority of the questions. The fact that your score reflects how you performed relative to all others taking the test means that:

You will do better than a large number of people and worse than a large number of people.

The test maker ensures that the LSAT is difficult for all by forcing test takers to work at a rate of speed that is uncomfortable. Test takers are almost always behind schedule. This ensures that most test takers will be unable to finish the test in any meaningful way. Again, the issue is how you do relative to all the other test takers.

The Principles Of Time Management

Time is your most precious resource. Where should you invest it and for how long? The following questions and answers will help you think about the problem of time management.

How Many Questions Should You Attempt To Solve?

How fast should you work! There is always a speed versus accuracy tradeoff. Selecting an answer for every question is necessary and (since you can always guess) easy. The real question is: how may questions should you actually allocate time to?

For example in the Analytical Reasoning Section there are four games. Each game is followed by six questions. It is not unusual for test takers to do better by attempting to solve only three of the four games (and guess on the last one).

What Order Should You Try The Questions That You Attempt?

In Analytical Reasoning you should leave the hardest game to last. In Reading Comprehension you should leave the hardest passage to last. In Logical Reasoning you should skip any questions that seem too difficult. Each of the Analytical Reasoning And Reading Comprehension sections consists of four groups of questions. Each group is based on one passage or set of conditions. Within each group of questions the individual questions vary tremendously in level of difficulty. Do the easier questions before the harder questions!

How Much Time Should You Spend On An Individual Question?

Not too much! Remember that all questions count the same. Practice "cutting your losses" by putting an educated guess. Those of you who have studied economics understand the concept of "opportunity cost." Efficiency Means Selecting An Answer Then And There!

Always select an answer before leaving the question. This will ensure that your best guess is on record. It is unlikely that you will have time to go back.

Time Constraints And Emotional Mastery!

It is normal to feel that the test is difficult! Don't forget that your score is a reflection of you perform relative to all other test takers. The effect is that all students will get many answers wrong. You will not feel that you are in control. To master your emotions you need a goal that is based on what the LSAT really is and not what you wish it were.

Finally - A Workable Goal
For a goal to be workable it must be achievable by anyone. This does not mean that everyone will get the same LSAT scores. The goal is to: Identify the best answer to as many questions as you can. Let's break the goal down.
Identify - You are concerned with the identification of answers and not with the understanding of answers. Learn to aggressively eliminate wrong answer choices. Best Answer - The significance of this is two fold.
First the directions to each section of the test tell you to select the best answer and not the objectively correct answer. In Reading Comprehension and Logical Reasoning the "best answer" is often not objectively correct but is simply better than the other choices. (For the Logical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension sections of the LSAT you need to develop a tolerance for imprecision.) In Analytical Reasoning the best answer is objectively correct.

Second, there will be many times on the test when you will eliminate three choices and guess one of the remaining two. In this case ensure that your best guess is on record. As Many Questions As You Can - Although you will put an answer to every question it is impossible to solve each question. There will be questions that will simply be too difficult or that you will not reach. It is common for test takers to leave out a complete set of Analytical Reasoning questions. Don't let it upset you!

Part 3 - Realization Of The Goal
The Importance Of Effective Training According to Law Services:

"... it is clear that in order to be mentally prepared to take a difficult, timed, objective examination designed to test skills more than knowledge you can take certain steps. Make sure you know what the LSAT is about, practice under test conditions and understand the directions. It is impos sible to know when an individual has prepared enough, but very few can achieve their full potential by not preparing at all."

How To Train Effectively

Obtain a copy of the LSAT Registration Book and read the section about the LSAT. Look at the sample test which has been included. Understand how the question types are different and how the directions differ. Although the answers to the questions have been provided the book contains very few explanations to the questions and very little discussion about how to respond to LSAT questions. In other words, the book provides little guidance for how to actually do the questions. Most students need training tools. There are two kinds of training tools. The first is books and the second is formal preparation programs.

Training Tools

Books

All test takers buy books. There are two kinds of books. First, Law Services sells books of actual LSAT exams. Although they don't contain explanations they are essential because there are few other books that contain actual LSAT exams. Because these books do not contain commentary they are unlikely to be sufficient. Second, a number of "after market" books exist. These books do not come directly from Law Services and are unlikely to contain actual LSAT questions. They do, however, teach you how to do the questions in a way that the books from Law Services do not. You should have both kinds of books.

Formal Courses

"Courses help some people a lot and a lot of people some."
Everybody buys books and some people take courses. Courses should be used to provide focus to your own training and not as a substitute for your training. In other words, they should be used to help you and not to do the job for you!

What Is Effective LSAT Training?

Whether you use books or courses or both, effective LSAT training has certain necessary requirements. Let's call them the "basic necessities." There are four "basic necessities."

The Necessity To Learn The Design Requirement Of The LSAT

LSAT questions do not repeat themselves. But, every edition of the LSAT must test the same things in the same ways. The test designer must design questions that have the same characteristics but are different. This can be done only if LSAT questions are designed according to a formula. For example, the reading passages are always edited in the same way. The wrong answer choices in logical reasoning and reading comprehension are designed in the same way. This list goes on and on.

The Necessity To Learn Principles Of Approach

Effective LSAT Training involves learning and internalizing specific principles of approach which are rooted in the design requirement of the test. A principle of approach will teach you how to proceed when you don't know the answer to the question. In addition to teaching you how to identify right answers, it will teach you how to identify wrong answers.

The Necessity To Familiarize Yourself With Real LSATs

Work with as many real LSAT exams as possible. Most of the LSAT exams (since June of 1991) are available from Law Services. This does not mean that you should never work with books that don't contain actual LSAT questions. (There are some excellent ones on the market.) It simply means that your training is not complete without maximum exposure to real LSAT exams.

The Necessity Of Focused Practice Testing

Many people know what to do, they just can't do what they know. There is no substitute for doing full length actual LSATs under timed conditions. It is the only way of determining where you are scoring at that point in time. You can't do too much practice testing. Always work on the speed versus accuracy issue. How fast should you work before too much accuracy has been sacrificed? Remember, anybody can (and you will fill in an answer for every question) finish the test. The question is, what is the optimal number of questions to attempt to solve in order to maximize your score.

When To Do Practice Testing

Do your LSAT practice testing early in the day. The later you leave it, the more tired you will be. The more tired you are, the more likely you will make mistakes. The more mistakes you make, the more it will undermine your confidence.

What To Do During Practice Testing

Practice does not by itself make perfect! It is perfect practice that makes perfect. During your training you will be learning specific ways to go about certain types of questions. Make sure that you practice these principles of approach while doing your practice testing.

Keeping The Faith!

LSAT training can be a frustrating experience. There are two reasons for this. First, people tend to improve gradually. Second, people often do not understand what is a significant improvement. The LSAT is primarily a test of reading and reasoning skills. The background knowledge that is important for the LSAT is minimal. Since the LSAT is a skills based test (as opposed to a knowledge based test) improvement is often more gradual.
An improvement of six to nine right answers sounds like a small improvement and many students think it is a small improvement. This is not so. On the LSAT this translates into a big improvement on the percentile ranking scale! It is crucial for students to understand the scoring scale before they get too far into their training!

You Can Improve! Believe It!

We live in a world where people are reluctant to take responsibility for themselves. LSAT training is a lot of work. It is convenient to believe that you really cannot improve your score. This is false! Those who make the decision to do what is required to improve always improve!

Conclusion

For the foreseeable future the LSAT is likely to remain a major factor in Canadian and U.S. law admissions. You owe it to yourself to take it seriously and train for it in the appropriate way! If you make the decision to improve your LSAT score and if you take the appropriate steps your LSAT score will not impede your entry into law school!.

Try some sample questions.