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There’s a common sentiment among students andprofessionals alike that it’s never too early to startstudying for the LSAT. In fact, so compelling andpervasive is this advice that we often hear from highschool juniors and seniors (and occasionally theirparents) wondering how best to begin the journeyto law school. And while that’s a bit premature tostart seriously investing energy into hardcore LSATprep, college freshmen and sophomores are nearenough to test day that it warrants some legitimateconsideration.In order to help guide those in the early stagesof their college careers, we’ve developed acomprehensive set of recommendations that shouldmake the transition into more diligent, dedicatedLSAT study far more manageable. Follow thesepointers and you’ll be perfectly positioned to expertlytackle all things LSAT!
The focus in your first two years of undergradshould be on your grades. Establishing a solid GPAis paramount—there are no do-overs when it comesto that 4.0, after all—so you can’t afford to sacrificeyour grades for other pursuits if you’re serious aboutattending a top-tier law school. Leave the LSATheavy lifting for your junior year, which is typicallythe earliest that people looking to begin law schoolimmediately after graduating will want to startgearing up for the exam, and use the first two collegeyears primarily to lay academic bedrock.That said, there’s a degree of LSAT fluency that highscorers universally achieve, and there’s no harm intaking steps in that direction immediately! Part ofthat will naturally occur as you delve deeper intoacademia (your reading and reasoning skills are goingto improve significantly by simply being in college),but there are some more LSAT-centric moves you canalso make in the short-term.To that end, we suggest you begin incorporating thefollowing into your routine:
“your GPA iskey, and theearly collegeyears largelyanchor it.”
Prioritize Your GPAAs mentioned, your GPA iskey, and the early collegeyears largely anchor it. Forone, freshman and sophomorecurricula often include requiredcourses that can be particularly,even intentionally, onerous, sowork hard to secure As. Also,it’s worth keeping in mind thata high GPA in a less rigorousmajor is, perhaps surprisingly,generally preferable to a moreprestigious course of studywhere you don’t perform aswell. We’d never dissuadesomeone from pursuing adegree about which they’repassionate, but if you’re on thefence and one academic pathis far likelier to produce morefavorable credentials, take it.You’ll find that law school is, inevery sense, a numbers game,and your grades are weightedabove very-nearly all else.
Consider Letters ofRecommendationWhile we’re talkingacademics, consider lettersof recommendation early.Develop relationships withprofessors in your first years atuniversity, and maintain them.Law schools will want to hearfrom faculty that guided youthrough undergrad, so thesooner you can begin to forgethose bonds the better. In fact,the majority of sound freshmanand sophomore advice largelyhinges on establishing aforward-looking network,whether in-person or online, asyou’ll see in the following pages.
“Law schoolswill want tohear fromfaculty thatguided youthroughundergrad.”
“membershipin pre-lawsocieties oftengrants yousignificantdiscounts onprep courses.”
Join a Pre-LawGroupJoin a pre-law group, likePhi Alpha Delta. It’s hard tooverstate the value at thisstage of immersing yourself ina like-minded community. You’llexperience camaraderie, ofcourse, and a shared adventureas you all set sail towards acommon destination, but themore tangible benefits deserve amention too: Membership in pre-lawsocieties often grants yousignificant discounts onLSAT prep courses and otherofferings Most pre-law groupsmaintain a small library ofLSAT books for you to usefree of charge A host of other opportunitieswill present themselves, aswell, from school visits tolaw school fairs to insiderapplication tips.Get in early and participateoften!
Explore the TestPrep IndustrySubscribe to some LSAT blogsand familiarize yourself withnot only the test, but also thecompanies who can help youget ready for it. You’ll developa level of trust and comfort asyou journey deeper into theindustry’s ecosystems, andthat will help you make a moreinformed decision down theroad when your attentionsturn to prep in a more devotedmanner.
“familiarizeyourself withnot only thetest, but also thecompanies whocan help you getready for it.”
“keep yourultimate goalsin view andyour pathwayto achievingthem close athand.”
Stay in the LSAT LoopFollow some industry heavyweights onTwitter, as that will keep you abreastof LSAT news/developments. Theapplication and admissions landscapecould be a great deal different in threeyears than at present, so the moreaware you are of the ebb and flow theclearer various decisions will be whenthe time comes to make them.We personally like Dave Killoran’s(@DaveKilloran) and PowerScore’s(@PowerScore) twitter accounts.Similarly, immerse yourself in a numberof online LSAT communities! Check outour PowerScore LSAT Forum, whereyou can engage with our instructorsand your fellow test takers, as well asthe reddit sub /r/LSAT—both are wellpopulated and hugely informative.The objective in all of this is thatyou build a dynamic and immersiveenvironment to keep your ultimategoals in view and your pathway toachieving them close at hand.
Read DailyBecome, or remain, an activedaily reader. We can’t stressthis enough. Try to readsomething fairly dense andacademic every day, or atleast as often as possible,like articles in the Economist,Nature, the Wall Street Journal,Scientific American, and more.Not only will that make youmore comfortable when facedwith challenging ReadingComprehension passages onthe LSAT—many of which areactually drawn from sources likethose just listed—but it will alsomake the reading volume in lawschool feel more manageable.A more comprehensive listof recommended reading isavailable here:powerscore.com/lsat/help/rcrl.cfm
“Try to readsomethingfairly dense andacademic everyday.”
“The morecomfortable yougrow with thesetypes of analyticalreasoning puzzles,the easier you’llfind the LSAT’sLogic Gamessection.”
Play GamesFind some logic puzzle exercisesthat you enjoy and can try yourhand at solving on a regularbasis. Sudoku is a great option,as are games on apps or siteslike Brain Matrix and AddictingGames. The more comfortableyou grow with these types ofanalytical reasoning puzzles,the easier you’ll find theLSAT’s Logic Games section.the most unique and inarguablystrange component of the testfor most people.
Start SavingPut aside some funds for LSATprep and law school admissionsin general. It can be expensive,but if done right it’s one of thebest investments you’ll evermake. For example, our averagecourse improvement is about14 points, which translatesinto tens, even hundreds, ofthousands of dollars in bothscholarships and post-gradopportunities (given that you’llbe attending a far better schoolthan the old, lower-score youcould’ve hoped for). So youwant to be able to afford theprep option that suits you bestand is likely to produce themost profound results, withoutfeeling overly-constrained byyour budget.
“which translatesinto tens, evenhundreds, ofthousands of dollarsin both scholarshipsand post-gradopportunities.”
With such an early start you have an opportunity tosuccessfully pre-prep that few people experience.If you’ve made it here as a freshman or sophomoreyou’re off to a great start—don’t squander it! Followthe tips above and you’re well on your way to the lawschool of your dreams.Best of luck!Copyright 2021 PowerScore. All Rights Reserved.LSAT is a registered trademark of Law School Admission Council, Inc. (LSAC).
Play Games. Find some logic puzzle exercises . that you enjoy and can try your . hand at solving on a regular . basis. Sudoku is a great option, as are games on apps or sites like Brain Matrix and Addicting Games. The more comfortable you grow with these types of . analytical reasoning puzzles, the e
