preLaw - Back To School 2008 - (Page 27) In the highly competitive law school admissions environment, it’s no surprise that you — the pre-law student — are busily preparing for the LSAT exam. The amount of time you spend really depends on your score goals. In general, three months is a good rule of thumb, said Glen Stohr, director of pre-law programs for Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions. But your individual goals may dictate a bit longer, and a good prep course could help you reach your goal somewhat faster. The first step is purchasing the LSAT book. Through taking practice tests and grading yourself to find weaknesses, you’ll figure out the best plan for you. Some may choose an LSAT course or a tutor, while others will decide to tackle the studying all on their own. But there are other things to consider — like remembering to breathe. Relax and follow these 10 essential tips to getting through the LSAT courtesy of our experts. 1. Prepare, prepare, prepare Preparation is always important, said Wendy Margolis, director of communications for the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC). “You need to prepare so that you are familiar with the test and can work to the best of your ability,” she said. “Make sure that you are familiar with the kinds of questions asked.” PowerScore Director of Operations Jon Denning believes the amount of preparation needed tends to vary greatly for individual students, and is largely dependent on three distinct variables: natural ability, desired result and the quality of the preparation. Andrew Brody, national content director for LSAT programs with the Princeton Review, said it is important to register for the LSAT, circle the date of the test in red on your calendar, decide on a plan to be ready for that date, and then stick to that plan. “Do a little bit of work every day, rather than overloading on one day of the week,” Brody advises. LSAT preparation is actually linguistic reprogramming, said Eva Lana, author of the Binary Solution course. An LSAT course must help students develop a semantic net so that functional language is captured, while extraneous language flows through and is ignored. “The bulk of the language on the LSAT is irrelevant, hence the philosophy ‘less is more’ and ‘never multiply steps’ are the twin pillars of any successful LSAT approach,” Lana said. “In the course we say, ‘If arriving at an answer hurts, then it’s the wrong answer.’” 2. Set individual goals Margolis believes that you have to look at the test individually and not do what everyone else does. Especially when it comes to how much time should be spent studying. It all varies from individual to individual, depending on how strong basic reading and reasoning skills are. Those whose skills are strong may need little more than familiarization with test format and content. Others may need instruction or review in basic reading and reasoning skills. All can benefit from taking practice tests. Should a student come up a little short in his or her score, Stohr says Kaplan advises students to prepare for the LSAT and then to take it only once, unless it’s absolutely necessary to repeat. 3. Curb anxiety Even after all the preparation, Brody says if you get into that test room and you still feel a bit panicky, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and remind yourself that it’s just a test, not a measure of self-worth. “One of the myths about the LSAT is that you can’t do well unless you get to every single question, but that’s not necessarily true,” he said. Many people make the mistake of rushing through the test in order to answer every question, and their scores suffer as a result. For those people, slowing down, especially on the logic games and reading comprehension sections, can result in a higher score due Back to School 2008 27
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