How to Study?

[DJ Cartwright]

Hello,

I started studying for the LSAT towards the end of last October until the middle week of this February. My diagnostic score was around 145-147 and the last PT I took I managed to increase my score up to 150-151. I'm self-studying and have been using the PowerScore LSAT Bible Books (Logic and LR thus far). I took a two week break due to life getting in the way and recently returned last week, the problem is I'm not sure if I'm studying the correct way. My goal score is 168+.

I know that studying for the LSAT is different from studying for college courses. But what I have planned for right now is studying 3-4 hours/day: reading and finishing a chapter or two in the books per day (focus one whole month on LR, then next month on Logic, then RC), do a 35 minute section in the PT for that particular question I focused on in the chapter I'm reading on, the answers I got wrong or skipped I use for drills at the end of the week, end of the week I review the chapters I completed by re-reading, and reviewing flash cards on important concepts and terms.

The plan above I'm not sure is the correct route to go and I'm also unsure if I should take notes in a notebook while reading the Bible books because it will be too time consuming. Should I just read and re-read the chapters while taking notes in the Bible books as well as jotting down flash cards on important concepts and terms? Is a notebook necessary and helpful to retain information? I plan to take the June LSAT or July LSAT, last case scenario the September LSAT. Please let me know of any study tips and any suggestions on my study plan and how to best study and prepare for the LSAT. Thanks!

DJ

[Robert Carroll]

DJ,

It sounds like you're well on your way and have the motivation and discipline to continue. If you need a more structured study plan, I suggest you look at the self-study plans here: http://students.powerscore.com/self-study/#plans

Addressing your specific concerns, I think taking notes in a notebook is entirely appropriate. You need to be absorbing material and incorporating its advice into your own thinking. If taking notes in a notebook facilitates that, by all means, do so. It's also nice to have something written in your own words to which you can refer later.

It doesn't seem like this will be too time-consuming, and that doesn't seem like a valid objection to the practice anyway. You're planning to take the test in a few months. You have time to study. Why not make the most of the time by taking notes, encouraging yourself to think about the material? Ultimately, the amount of time consumed isn't as important in your circumstances as the quality of studying. If neglecting to take notes means you only incompletely grasp the material, then you're missing out. Further, you'll probably have to re-read the material if you don't cover it thoroughly enough in the first place. You might even find that you want to take notes during your second pass through the material! But then you'll be wasting time not taking notes in the first place.

Although there are important differences between the two cases, this reminds me of the value of outlining in a law school class. The assigned material has all the information you need for class, but distilling that down to the important parts while recasting it in terms more comfortable for you can be useful in law school. The same seems to apply here - the Bibles contain what you need to understand all LSAT content, but putting it into a form you understand will enhance your comprehension. Then you can review your own notes as required, supplementing that will review of the Bibles when your notes indicate that you want to go directly to the source for further explanation.

Robert Carroll

[DJ Cartwright]

Thank you Robert! I will definitely check out the self-study plans and work my schedule on that. Appreciate the tips and encouragement!

DJ

[ericau02]

Hi I came across this thread and I am in the same boat I started studying around the same time my diagnostic was a 141 and the highest I have scored has been a 152. I was originally signed up for the March LSAT but I am gaging for 168+ range because my PT'S were not up to paR. i started blind reviewing and it take sm time but I feel like i have no other option. I am looking to take the June exam but I am worried there may not be enough time to see such a score increase my lowest section is LR.Is it possible for me to imporve my score by the time of june 3rd exam. I am so anxious and have lost my confidence inthis whole exam and i did the powerscore course as well. Do you have any advice during blind review? Thanks

[Stephanie Oswalt]

Hi ericau02,

It looks like an instructor responded to your initial questions on this thread: lsat/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=27250&start=10. I have notified an instructor to reply to your follow-up questions on that thread as well.

Thank you!

[ericau02]

okay thanks

[DJ Cartwright]

Hello,

I was just curious about the structured study plan. Do I have to have the Training Type Collections and Workbooks or is it not necessary to have for the structured plan? I'm not really trying to buy extra books as I already have the other required materials needed. Will it impact the study plan negatively if I don't include the Training Type Collections and Workbooks?

[Stephanie Oswalt]

Hello,

I was just curious about the structured study plan. Do I have to have the Training Type Collections and Workbooks or is it not necessary to have for the structured plan? I'm not really trying to buy extra books as I already have the other required materials needed. Will it impact the study plan negatively if I don't include the Training Type Collections and Workbooks?

Hi DJ Cartwright,

Thanks for the post!

The LSAT Bibles, Workbooks, and Training Types are designed to go together, so it is ideal to use all of the resources listed in those study plans! This is because you want to learn concepts (with the Bibles), then develop your comfort with those ideas and skills (using the workbooks), and then finally practice them on additional real questions (with the Type Training Books). Skipping one or more of these study aids is not going to be as effective.

However, if you can’t obtain the training type books or workbooks for some reason, then the next best option would be to take former LSAT practice tests, and manually isolate the question types you're studying each week. That’s not the easiest thing to do, but it would allow you to practice with the questions you are studying, which is extremely important.

Thanks!

[DJ Cartwright]

Thank you Stephanie, I will look at other options and if I can't find a suitable one I will be interested in purchasing the workbooks and training types and use the study schedule.