LSAT Blog: Ace the LSAT

Negation and Necessary Assumption Questions

2012-01-27T09:00:00.001-05:00

In this blog post, I discuss a common, and effective, strategy for approaching necessary assumption questions.I also talk about shortcomings in the way prep companies often teach test-takers to think about necessary assumption questions.Finally, I give some examples of necessary assumption questions and explain some frequent patterns in each.A Common and Effective Strategy for Necessary

LSAT Diary: Retaking and Improvement

2012-01-26T22:00:00.007-05:00

This installment of LSAT Diaries comes from LSAT Blog reader Andy, who improved his LSAT score by 15 points after following one of my LSAT study schedules.If you want to be in LSAT Diaries, please fill out this survey. (You can be in LSAT Diaries whether you've taken the exam already or not.)Thanks to Andy for sharing his experience and advice, and please leave your questions for him below in the

Logic and Games

2012-01-26T13:00:00.003-05:00

* An assistant dean at Northwestern talks about how law schools are adapting to changes in the legal market. [ABA Journal]* You might start seeing advertisements for legal services on Groupon soon. Let's hope that isn't you one day. [WSJ Law Blog]* If it happens, they might have to update this Groupon spoof to include "Better Call Saul"-style ads. [Funny Or Die]* Time Magazine appears to a

Necessary and Sufficient Assumptions: Arguments and Contrapositives

2012-01-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

I spend a great deal of time talking about the difference between Necessary Assumption and Sufficient Assumption questions in the LSAT's Logical Reasoning section.Arguments assume a link between the evidence and conclusion presented - this link can often easily be framed as a conditional statement.Because the contrapositive of this statement is simply a rewording of the argument itself, the

LSAT Diaries: Struggling with Test Anxiety

2012-01-24T22:00:00.001-05:00

Jenny writes, "Thank you for allowing me to participate. It's really helping me to hold myself accountable and really stop and think about my LSAT practice, what I've learned, what's working, what isn't, etc."Want to be part of LSAT Diaries? Fill out this survey!Jenny's newest LSAT Diary:Monday – Overcoming Test AnxietyAs I become more and more familiar with the LSAT, I have to admit, I am

Logic and Games

2012-01-24T13:00:00.002-05:00

* Good news, everyone! Applications to law school are down 15% so far this cycle. [Above The Law]* "I regret that we must inform you that Princeton University has no Law School." [Letters of Note]* Yale Law School professors propose that law schools offer cash to students who want to drop out. [Yale Daily News]* Great roundup of advice on reforming law school education. [AM Law Daily]* Supreme

Pre-Law Podcasts / Videos

2012-01-20T09:00:00.003-05:00

I'd like to point everyone toward a pre-law podcast series (complete with accompanying PowerPoints) on Facebook. You can also access the podcasts on iTunes. They're put together by Rebecca Wood, Prelaw Advisor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.Judging by the titles, you can see that they're geared primarily towards beginners, but some of them are relevant to anyone compiling their

LSAT Diary: Studying in Singapore

2012-01-19T22:00:00.004-05:00

This LSAT Diary is from T, an American who's studying for the LSAT while living in Singapore.If you want to be in LSAT Diaries, please fill out this survey.Leave T some encouragement below in the comments!T's LSAT Diary:I have been considering law school since my first year of college, but going into my final year after my second summer abroad, I realized that I wanted to take some more time to

Logic and Games

2012-01-19T13:00:00.004-05:00

* 2 lawyers argue that law school should be replaced with an undergraduate law major. [WSJ Law Blog]* Death row inmate's case is screwed up by defense attorneys, Supreme Court is understanding. [Above The Law]* The Supreme Court rules that Congress can re-copyright public domain works. [Ars Technica; NYTimes]* News Corp finally settles the whole phone hacking mess. [Reuters]* A brief political

Law School Admissions: LSAT and GPA

2012-01-18T09:00:00.003-05:00

How exactly do admissions officers weigh your LSAT score and GPA? Well, it's complicated.Law School Admissions Index: LSAT and GPALSAC's website will help you calculate your chances at various law schools. It uses each law school's "admissions index" (a formula unique to each school weighing LSAT scores and GPAs).Enter your undergraduate GPA and (presumed) LSAT score. Sort the results by

LSAT Diary: Studying With ADHD and Anxiety

2012-01-17T22:00:00.008-05:00

This LSAT Diary is from Jenny, a 25-year-old paralegal. She talks about studying for the LSAT with ADD / ADHD and test anxiety.One of her tips involves studying in a tunnel.Why? You'll have to read on to find out.If you want to be in LSAT Diaries, please fill out this survey.Leave Jenny some encouragement below in the comments!Jenny's LSAT Diary:Monday – Introduction, Issues, Goals, and Study

Logic and Games

2012-01-17T13:00:00.003-05:00

* Lawyers are one of the groups most likely to be in the 1%. [Above The Law]* Many law schools still won't release job placement data. [WSJ Law Blog]* What is law school for, anyway? A debate over proposed reforms. [National Law Journal]* A study says turning off your smartphone can help reduce stress. But what if disconnecting yourself from the Internet causes stress? [Lifehacker]* A knitting

Preparing for the February 2012 LSAT Experimental Section

2012-01-13T09:00:00.004-05:00

In my LSAT study schedules, I recommend that you include extra sections in your practice exams. Why would I recommend such a cruel and difficult task?Because LSAC uses test-takers as lab rats (like many organizations that administer standardized exams - think back to the SAT). LSAC includes an unscored experimental section on the LSAT and doesn't tell you which one it is. If you knew which one it

LSAT Diary: Timing LSAT Practice Tests

2012-01-12T22:00:00.005-05:00

In past LSAT Diaries, Rosemary gave some tips on getting started with LSAT studying, dealt with the distraction of watching TV, found a study space, visited her first-choice law school, and balanced her final semester of college with LSAT studying. In this week's, she starts thinking about how to time her practice tests. If you want to be in LSAT Diaries, please fill out this survey.Rosemary's

Logic and Games

2012-01-12T13:00:00.004-05:00

* Cardozo Law student chooses to be homeless because he's bored. [Gawker]* How to get out of an argument with an irrational person. [Lifehacker]* Cop issues speeding ticket to girl, asks girl on date, gets sued. I'm sure the love story went down differently in his head. [Salon]* Infographic about the economics of spam. [Businessweek]* Get together with a friend and see who can correctly pronounce

LSAT Test Dates for the 2012-2013 Admissions Cycle

2012-01-11T09:00:00.001-05:00

This post is about LSAT test dates for the 2012-2013 admission cycle (PDF) (June 2012 - February 2013).The October 2012 LSAT is the first Saturday in October once again.The December 2012 LSAT is the first Saturday in December once again.The February 2013 LSAT is the second Saturday in February once again.Below, I've included some thoughts about what a late February LSAT test date means for you -

LSAT Diary: Early in the Game

2012-01-10T22:00:00.003-05:00

This installment of LSAT Diaries comes from Lucy, who's in graduate school. In this diary, she tells us a bit about some of the obstacles she's facing in her LSAT prep, and how she deals with them.If you want to be in LSAT Diaries, please fill out this survey. Please leave Lucy some encouragement below in the comments!Lucy's LSAT Diary:I've wanted to attend law school since a pre-law course in

Logic and Games

2012-01-10T13:00:00.007-05:00

* You can now tell your professors that going to lecture is a waste of time. [NPR]* You can study for law school finals, or you can advocate violent overthrow of the government. [McSweeney's]* The health benefits of spending just a half-hour exercising every day (walking counts) are huge. [YouTube]* The NYPD devotes inordinate resources to arresting subway nappers who put their feet up on empty

LSAT PrepTest 65 (December 2011 LSAT) PDF Download

2012-01-06T09:00:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that the December 2011 LSAT (LSAT PrepTest 65) is now available for instant PDF download through LSAT Blog!Every exam available for instant PDF download through LSAT Blog comes with free Logical Reasoning explanations.***If you'd like only the Logical Reasoning explanations for this exam, you can get them here. (In order to benefit from this second option, you'll

LSAT Diary: Studying for the LSAT in the Final Semester of College

2012-01-05T23:00:00.007-05:00

In previous LSAT Diaries, Rosemary gave some tips on getting started with LSAT studying. She dealt with the distraction of watching TV, found a study space, and visited her first-choice law school.In this week's, she describes how she balanced her final semester of college with LSAT studying and gives some tips on making copies of Logic Games.Rosemary's 3rd LSAT Diary:I am officially down to

Logic and Games

2012-01-05T13:00:00.002-05:00

* An important message from LSAC about how to avoid a charge of misconduct or irregularity when taking the LSAT. [LSAC]* The head of the ABA has little sympathy for jobless lawyers. [Reuters]* The ABA elaborates on its reasons for denying accreditation to Duncan Law School. [WSJ Law Blog]* "Hope" is correlated with better undergrad and law school GPAs, but maybe all of these are simply caused by

February 2012 LSAT vs. June 2012 LSAT

2012-01-04T09:00:00.001-05:00

Law schools consider applications on a rolling admissions basis. The earlier you apply in the admissions cycle, the easier it is to gain acceptance. The cycle begins in September.For top law schools, it's especially important to apply early in the cycle because admission to these schools is particularly competitive.February is towards the end of the cycle. Many top law schools (such as

LSAT Diary: 20-Something Military Veteran

2012-01-03T19:00:00.000-05:00

This installment of LSAT Diaries is from Nicholas in Wyoming. He has some great insight into what it'll take for him to rock the exam, and his background's pretty interesting, too.If you want to be in LSAT Diaries, please fill out this survey.Leave Nicholas some encouragement below in the comments!Nicholas' LSAT Diary:Greetings all from sunny Wyoming, which prides itself on being a such a

Logic and Games

2012-01-03T13:00:00.001-05:00

* The best things the folks at Gawker read in 2011. [Gawker]* Above The Law's 10 most popular stories of 2011. [Above The Law]* If you're lucky, you might end up going to law school with Rob Kardashian. [Celeb Dirty Laundry]* The science behind New Year's Resolutions, and how to use it to your benefit. [Lifehacker]* Columbia University to offer a course that gives credit for participating in

LSAC Official Guide to Law Schools

2011-12-30T09:00:00.006-05:00

Want more law school data than you'll ever need?LSAC's site can be difficult to navigate, but it's full of useful information. One especially useful section is its "Official Guide to Law Schools."Play around with it. You can calculate your chances at various law schools, and you can also get a great deal of information about every ABA-accredited law school.Enjoy!