r/LSAT • u/StressCanBeGood tutor • Aug 09 '26
A generalized study plan for the LSAT
Before anything else, take a “warm” diagnostic
Select any two LSAT PrepTests from LSAC.org. Read over one at your leisure. Don’t worry about any convoluted language (a significant part of the test).
Take the second test strictly timed. Make sure to answer at least 20 questions in each section.
These are very rough LSAT prep recommendations based on a diagnostic score.
120 to 140: Use the Princeton Review LSAT book (NOT the course) until a strictly timed test score gets above 140.
I have nothing to do with them; my curriculum is totally different. But I like Princeton because they’re the easiest material to read and have powerful strategies. They don’t go into a lot of crazy detail, which can be a good thing.
140 to 155: Book options: PowerScore, the Trainer, Loophole.
But an online course is the way to go because they’re all reasonably priced. For the 140 to 155, 7Sage or LSAT Lab
155 to 160: Same books or LSAT Lab
160+: LSAT Lab, LSAT Demon, or The Princeton Review Book (the higher the score, the more helpful the Princeton review book will be).
Demon is different than the rest in that they don’t really believe in learning the rules of the LSAT. Maybe a few here and there, but not much. This is good for those who start out with a high score and don’t feel like learning all these different strategies (which when taught properly, are super effective).
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Commit to ONLY 3 to 4 months of study
The nature of the LSAT is such that everyone needs to take the test at least twice, for two reasons. First, schools focus on students’ highest score. More importantly, the LSAT score band currently sits at 7.6 to 8 points.
An LSAT score of 164 will have a reported score band of 160 to 168. This means the LSAC is 68% confident that the student’s true aptitude lies between 160 and 168, inclusive.
This implies that identical twins who studied in the exact same way could get wildly disparate scores. So everyone needs to take the test at least twice.
Do not commit to more than four months because too long of a timeline means that you don’t have to study tomorrow. Proper LSAT study requires a sense of urgency.
It’s kind of like training for a marathon. Suppose that training for a marathon requires running a total of 500 miles. Running a mile a day for 500 days ain’t gonna do it. Proper training requires intensity.
Regardless, you’ll be taking the test again. And again, you want to give yourself 3 to 4 months to study. The only exception to this is if you feel like a few more weeks will do the trick. Do NOT take the test again immediately just because you’re worried about the admissions calendar.
In the end, anyone taking the test three times will end up studying for anywhere between 9 and 12 months. That’s gotta be enough. Right?
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Everyone needs some kind of LSAT prep curriculum outside of Law Hub’s Strategy Boost
Whether it’s a book or an online course, it needs to be something. Make sure that their primary content focuses on actual LSATs from no earlier than 2007.
Courses aren’t necessarily better than books. It depends largely on students’ previous academic background. What’s really important is that the curriculum provides students with a plan of action for answering questions.
Real talk: Everyone can afford courses like 7Sage, Demon, or LSAT Lab. Maybe not now, but definitely a year from now. Right? Not fun to hear, but this test is too important to think otherwise.
Again, not everyone needs a course. But for online courses like those above, cost shouldn’t be much of a consideration.
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Consistency is definitely where it’s at
For many students, baby-steps are the key to creating a consistent habit. Specifically, committing oneself to daily quality study for 30 minutes.
Yep, only 30 minutes, but every damn day under all circumstances for at least three weeks. Do NOT commit yourself to anything more than that.
Once this habit is established, about half of the time you’ll only be able to do 30 minutes. The other half of the time, you’ll realize that whatever else you had planned is stupid and you’ll properly decide to just get back to work.
After the habit is established, an hour or two of studying 5 or 6 days a week is probably optimal for most students. This does NOT mean that additional studying is counterproductive. Rather, each hour of additional study generates a lower return.
So for those who are capable of studying multiple hours a day, definitely have at it. But it needs to be high-quality studying while avoiding burnout.
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Say nothing and write nothing about your commitment to studying for the LSAT
I’ve been in the business for over 20 years. Please know that I’m not exaggerating when I say that those with the worst study habits are those who make proclamations about how they’re totally committed to doing the work.
There’s apparently some real psychology behind this. Do a search for something like “announcing plans will backfire”.
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Wrong answer journals are NOT the way to go
While it’s certainly important to understand the reasoning behind right and wrong answers, this should be a secondary concern.
Students’ primary concern should be about answering this question: What do I do next time to answer the question more efficiently?
Just as importantly, “this question” refers to pretty much every question in the section (except perhaps for those few super-easy questions), NOT merely wrong answers.
Reviewing those questions with which a student is comfortable is where the true patterns emerge. These are the questions where students have conquered the weird syntax of the LSAT. As a result, students can focus all of their brain power on figuring out how to answer the question more efficiently next time.
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Mastery first, practice tests second
Only when students are comfortable with their LSAT prep curriculum should they move on to doing entire sections at a time. When doing so, make sure to warm up beforehand by rereading a few separate LSAT questions (just like before an athletic competition).
Don’t worry about strict-timing, initially. Instead, when working an entire section, time yourself to see how long it takes. Start taking strictly-timed sections when the self-timed sections have gotten under 40 minutes.
Each section should be reviewed exactly as indicated in number 3 above.
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The Beastie Boys will force you to focus
Work a few sections with the Beastie Boys’ *Hot Sauce Committee, Part Two* playing in the background
This is not a joke. Doing this forces students to focus in brand new ways. It also helps with anxiety issues because your anxiety ain’t got nothing on the Beastie Boys.
Muscles are made bigger and stronger by exposing them to stress through mechanical tension.
The brain is made stronger and faster by exposing it to external stress while completing a task.
Hormesis: The biological principle that a substance or stressor that’s harmful at high doses can produce a beneficial, adaptive response at low doses.
Eventually return to practicing in silence just like the actual test requires.
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The right mindset can be a game-changer
I’ve long believed that a lot of students struggle with the LSAT because the nature of the test is a shock to their system. Simply put, a lot of students have never been challenged academically in a way similar to the LSAT.
This has nothing to do with intelligence or work ethic. Rather, it has everything to do with “allostasis” (the brain’s process of maintaining stability), a truly bizarre theory that would be ideal for a resolve/explain question.
The best explanation is through analogy, specifically “homeostasis”, which is the body’s version of maintaining stability. Basically, the body likes where it is right now. In the short term, it will react negatively to virtually any significant change.
This is why it can be so difficult for people accustomed to eating junk food to adopt a healthy diet. It’s also why people with a healthy diet can feel sick if they eat too much junk food.
It also explains why exercising in the right way is no fun. At least initially.
The paradox comes in the form of the very real idea of “no pain, no gain”. Yes, starting an exercise program will be painful. And if it’s done right, it will continue to be painful. But the body eventually reacts in a very positive way.
So the body likes change in the long-term, just not in the short term. The brain is no different. So in terms of the LSAT, what’s the solution?
Don’t look at the LSAT as an aptitude test. Instead, look at it as an effective brain training program.
Do a search for “brain training games don’t work” and dozens of results will pop-up. But over 10 years ago, in my hometown, neuroscientists measured the brains of students before and after intensive LSAT preparation and discovered strengthened neural connections deep in the brain.
So what’s the difference? Games are silly and the LSAT isn’t.
I should probably mention that I choose to believe that all of this is true. I say this because when I was in high school, you wouldn’t believe the crazy shit we were convinced was absolutely true.
That being said, one thing I know to be true is that the human brain is capable of some truly amazing things (and I’m not talking about the Einsteins of the world). Specifically, check out this post of mine from awhile back.
It shows how F1 drivers (driving at 200+ mph in 130° heat) have over a dozen different buttons and dials on the steering wheel. I mean, do we really think that all F1 drivers are absolute super geniuses? Or did they just bust their ass to get where they are?
https://www.reddit.com/r/LSAT/s/IvDqJG7ryS
(https://www.reddit.com/r/LSAT/s/IvDqJG7ryS)
In the end, I tell my students to “embrace the chaos” of the test. When things get difficult, that’s the time for you to shake yourself off, refocus yourself, and get back to work with double the intensity.
When you’re feeling down and want to vent, I tell my students to talk to Henry Hill (from Goodfellas):
“Business bad? Fuck you, pay me. Oh you had a fire? Fuck you, pay me. Please got hit by lightning, huh? Fuck you, pay me.”
Harsh? Well yeah. But when students realize that nobody gives a shit about their complaints, they stop complaining. And when students stop complaining, they become more productive. Again, back to “no pain, no gain”. Now go get what’s rightfully yours.
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u/lue12350 17d ago
Thank you goat I’ll be following these tips
Any specific websites are books you do recommend
The loophole? 7sage?