With modest preparation, my score jumped almost 10% the second time
If you’re looking to apply to law school in the near future, then you’re probably already thinking about the LSAT. You may have even already taken the LSAT once or twice, or perhaps you’ve taken a practice test. If you have, you should know that your score isn’t static. You may have earned slightly different scores on different versions of the test. Not only will your LSAT score fluctuate somewhat from test to test, but you can also do a lot to improve your score over time.
When students come to us wanting to improve their LSAT score, we often use a 10-point increase as a benchmark for an initial goal. Something we’ve notice over time is that most students fail to recognize A) how significant a difference a 10-point increase can make in your law school eligibility, and B) how much work it takes to increase your score by 10 points.
The LSAT score ranges from 120-180. Scoring right in the middle equates to the 46th percentile, meaning you’re scoring better than 46 percent of test-takers. While 160 may not sound much different from 150, an LSAT score of 160 actually equates to the 82nd percentile. That’s a huge increase in your competitiveness compared to a 150.
While 10-point LSAT increases do require a serious investment of time and energy, they’re definitely not impossible. In this article, we’ll provide 10 powerful tips for boosting your LSAT score by 10 points.
Start with a Diagnostic Test
The first step toward a 10-point score increase is to take a diagnostic test. This means taking a previously administered official LSAT test while adhering to the test’s rules and conditions as closely as possible. If you’ve already taken an official LSAT test, you can use this as your diagnostic score. The point of a diagnostic score is to tell you where you’re starting at. Your LSAT diagnostic score will give you a sense of your overall score, and it will also help you identify which areas of the test are your strengths and weaknesses.
Give Yourself Meaningful Prep Time
After learning your diagnostic score, then you can start building a schedule for your LSAT prep. Your diagnostic score can help you figure out your goals. For example, if you score at 145, but you know you’ll likely need a 165 to get accepted at your target schools, then you’ll need to increase your score by 20 points.
At MyGuru, we regularly help students achieve increases of 10, 20, and sometimes more than 30 points. But we usually tell students to start with a goal of 10 points, which is realistic but significant, and it’s a useful benchmark.
No student’s progress with their LSAT prep looks exactly the same, but speaking generally, every 10-point increase typically involves 100 hours of prep. Hopefully you won’t be operating on too tight of a schedule, so you can spread those 100 hours out in a healthy way.
Design and Stick to a Study Schedule
Don’t just presume that you’ll be able to cram from the time you start your LSAT prep until test day. This usually doesn’t produce the best results, and you’re likely to burn out. It’s better to build an LSAT study schedule like a work schedule, and to stick to it.
Go at a Healthy Pace
If you’ve got two months to get your 100 hours of LSAT prep in, that comes out to an average of about 12 hours a week. Again, don’t cram. It’s better to spend six days a week studying two hours a day than two days a week studying six hours a day. And don’t forget to leave adequate time for things like rest, relaxation, socializing, exercise, and other hobbies. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Buy a Logic Games Guide
The LSAT logic games—otherwise known as the Analytical Reasoning section—are typically one of the hardest sections for most students. However, it’s also the section where dedicated practice can produce the most results. This is because there is a finite number of logic game types, and each comes with tried and true strategies. Investing in a dedicated logic games guide—sometimes called a logic games bible—can help you take a systematic approach that will significantly improve your ability to do well on this section of the LSAT.
Invest in Flashcards
Flashcards are a tried-and-true study method for a reason. There’s something about distilling the vast quantity of information you need to learn into single, digestible chunks that helps the brain store that information more effectively. Flashcards are also great because you can take them anywhere, and squeeze extra LSAT prep in a few minutes at a time.
You can buy sets of LSAT flashcards with LSAT concepts, vocab words, logic games tips, and more. You can also use app-based flashcards if you don’t want to be lugging a deck around.
Attack Your Weaknesses
If you’re trying to make a 10-point increase to your LSAT score on a short turnaround time, you’ll want to pay most of your attention to your weakest areas. This is where the most growth is. Your diagnostic score should tell you the areas you can use the most improvement. You can also keep a log of wrong answers as you go through your LSAT prep, so you can identify problem areas and return to specific questions to measure your progress.
Study Testing Strategies
You’ll succeed in achieving that 10-point LSAT score increase with a lot more efficiency if you don’t just learn the concepts covered by the LSAT, but learn the proven testing strategies for each section. For example, with logic games, there are proven methods for drawing the most efficient diagrams. For reading comprehension, it helps a lot to read the questions first before reading the passage. These are the kinds of strategies many students overlook, either presuming that they’re not very effective or else finding that these strategies conflict with students’ testing instincts. But actually putting them into practice can have a significant impact on your score even before you start focusing more on content in your LSAT prep.
Build Your Speed
The LSAT is a hard test, and many students leave points on the table because they don’t finish in time. Focusing on building your speed—and beyond that, on practicing good LSAT-specific time management skills—will ensure you get the most out of your LSAT score.
Invest in LSAT Tutoring
The most effective thing you can do to improve your LSAT score by 10 points is invest in LSAT tutoring. A skilled LSAT tutor will help you implement every strategy we’ve listed above. Expert tutors like the kind we employ at MyGuru will help you interpret your diagnostic test in a way that reveals your strengths and weaknesses, and they’ll work with you to design a personally tailored study plan to meet your LSAT goals. LSAT tutoring remains the gold standard for improving your LSAT score as much and as efficiently as possible.
Conclusion
Some LSAT students might think a 10-point score increase isn’t very significant. Others might presume that it’s impossible. In reality, neither of these things are true. We often advise LSAT students to start with an initial goal of a 10-point score increase for a reason. Improving your LSAT score by 10 points makes a huge difference in your competitiveness as a law school applicant. And by implementing the tips we’ve listed in this article, you’ll be well on your way to achieving it.