How to Take an LSAT Practice Test
Certification: Test Prep LSAT - Law School Admission Test
Any test you take is going to require a certain amount of studying. The LSAT is a like the K2 of becoming a lawyer, so you need to put in a lot of practice and training before you’ll be ready to take on the challenge. Here are some ways you can get ready for the LSAT.
While you won’t be able to get a hold of the actual questions your test will ask, you will be able to find practice materials online. You can find sample questions with explanations and strategies on the LSAC website and a free writing sample. You can also find a complete sample test you can print out or take online (the test is from June 2007). They even offer a practice test in Spanish and test prep videos offering tips and advice. You can find all these materials at http://www.lsac.org/jd/lsat/preparing-for-the-lsat.
Here are a few sample questions from the LSAC. The first is from the Analytical Reasoning section and the second is from the Logical Reasoning section. Check the website for the answers and a detailed explanation:
Analytical Reasoning: Passage for Question 1
A university library budget committee must reduce exactly five of eight areas of expenditure — G, L, M, N, P, R, S, and W — in accordance with the following conditions:
- If both G and S are reduced, W is also reduced.
- If N is reduced, neither R nor S is reduced.
- If P is reduced, L is not reduced.
- Of the three areas L, M, and R, exactly two are reduced.
Question 1
If both M and R are reduced, which one of the following is a pair of areas neither of which could be reduced?
- G, L
- G, N
- L, N
- L, P
- P, S
Logical Reasoning: Question 1
Laird: Pure research provides us with new technologies that contribute to saving lives. Even more worthwhile than this, however, is its role in expanding our knowledge and providing new, unexplored ideas.
Kim: Your priorities are mistaken. Saving lives is what counts most of all. Without pure research, medicine would not be as advanced as it is.
Laird and Kim disagree on whether pure research
- derives its significance in part from its providing new technologies
- expands the boundaries of our knowledge of medicine
- should have the saving of human lives as an important goal
- has its most valuable achievements in medical applications
- has any value apart from its role in providing new technologies to save lives
If you want a bit more to work with, the LSAC sells a wide range of materials in their online store (https://os.lsac.org/Release/Shop/Publications.aspx). These include test prep books, the LSAT Handbook, and even an online tool you can use to take practice tests (each costing roughly $15 - 25). You can also purchase PrepTest62 through 71 as an eBook for $5.99 through Kindle, Nook, or iTunes (http://www.lsac.org/jd/lsat/preparing-for-the-lsat/ebooks).
Remember, if you are preparing for this test on your own, only practice on tests issued after June of 1991. The LSAT changed a lot after June 1991, so anything issued earlier won’t help you prepare for the test. The good news? There have been 71 LSAT tests made available as practice tests since June 1991, so you still have plenty of practice material. Certain tests (1-6, 8, 17, 39, and 40) are no longer published, but you can still access them through certain test prep companies. Personally, I’d just stick to the ones that are published.
Also, if you’re preparing on your own, it’s a good idea to take the test using the timing constraints you will have in the actual exam. Most people feel that the hardest part of standardized tests is the timing, so you want to be sure to practice the timing as well as the test. Be sure to practice all three aspects of the test, too: Analytical Reasoning, Logical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension. Also, be sure to practice the sample essay within the time constrains you would have that day. Finally, don’t just practice the test once – take as many practice tests as you can and take every one of them with the timing constraints you would have in the real exam. That way, you will be familiar with the format and the timing, so you can concentrate fully on the questions.
This may sound like a lot to handle on your own. If you’d like some professional help preparing for the test, there are several study agencies that run LSAT Test Prep courses. Kaplan is probably the best well-known, but there are also the Princeton Review, TestMasters, PowerScore, and many others.
Kaplan offers private tutoring, an in-class course with an instructor, a live online course, or a pre-recorded online course. The cheapest option (pre-recorded online course) costs $649, while the most expensive (private tutoring) costs $2,599.
Princeton Review offers several tutoring packages. The Comprehensive programs run for 24 hours and cover 6 practice tests, while Pay-as-you-go packages run for as long or as little as you want them to. You can meet with a tutor in person or online, wherever is most convenient for you. Prices range from $499 to $7800.
TestPrep offers a certain number of live courses throughout the year as well as online courses, a weekend course, and in-person, online, and telephonic tutoring. Prices range from $450 to $8750.
PowerScore also offers live and online courses and tutoring, and also offers logic games and logic reasoning courses to focus on specific areas of the test. They also offer telephonic tutoring, like TestPrep. You can attend one seminar for free either live or online to test out their service, too. They also have a free help area with certain basic lessons. Prices range from $199 - $6850.