Luck and the LSAT
By PowerScore Test Preparation • July 05, 2016 •Law School, Pre-Law
Previously, I've written about the role that chance plays in the composition of each LSAT. The basis of that idea is that certain LSATs feature some concepts more than others, and if you get an LSAT that favors your skill set, you benefit. This isn't to say that you don't control your LSAT fate, because you do. You have the opportunity to prepare for each of the question types and concepts you see on each LSAT, and to closely examine the style and wording they use in constructing the test. Properly preparing for the LSAT is critical to producing your…
Why LSAT Registration Deadlines Are Earlier Than Ever
By PowerScore Test Preparation • May 24, 2016 •Law School, Pre-Law
Recently, LSAC released a statement indicating that the registration deadline for the February 2017 LSAT would occur before the scores from the December 2016 LSAT were released. This places December test takers in a tough spot if they think they might want to retake the LSAT since they will need to decide on registering prior to knowing how they scored on the December test. And unfortunately, this isn't the last time this is going to occur. Let's talk about why this is occurring, and what it means for test takers going forward. A look at the registration deadline for the…
Is the June LSAT really the hardest LSAT?
By PowerScore Test Preparation • April 12, 2016 •Law School, Pre-Law
I've been speaking with a lot of students lately as they gear up for the June LSAT, and one particular conversation from last week really stood out and is the reason for this post. In short, a student in one of our Live Online classes asked me to confirm that the June test is, in fact, the "hardest of the four." After all, this student reasoned, this is the exam that the early-bird folks take, the LSAT most popular with the high-achieving first wave of annual test takers....shouldn't that skilled competition result in a harder test? It should come as…
What are Splitters, Reverse Splitters, and Super Splitters?
By PowerScore Test Preparation • February 29, 2016 •Law School, Pre-Law
If you are applying to law school, you will come across an unusual and somewhat confusing term: Splitter. And no, it has nothing to do with baseball pitches, cutting down trees, or a certain Atlanta Hawks basketball player. In admissions parlance, a "splitter" is someone who has LSAT and GPA numbers that are split between high and low marks (and often the medians for a law school play a role in detemrining if one is truly a splitter). While this concept is relatively easy to follow, over time a number of variations have cropped up, so let's look at each:…
A New Year, A New LSAT Cycle, and A New Chance to Dominate: Part Two
By PowerScore Test Preparation • January 28, 2016
It's been a little while since I first discussed the kickoff of the 2016 LSAT cycle—the upcoming four exams typically taken for admission in the fall of 2017—and if you'll recall I noted that I'd be addressing these tests in two parts: general advice on why you should start preparing immediately, and a detailed look at each of the cycle's LSATs, June through February, in an attempt to steer you towards the most appropriate one. This post will provide that test-by-test breakdown and comparison. But before I launch into it let me take a moment to recap what I covered…
A New Year, A New LSAT Cycle, and A New Chance to Dominate: Part One
By PowerScore Test Preparation • January 19, 2016
With the administration of the February 2016 LSAT a few weeks away, we will soon find ourselves entering a new cycle of LSATs geared towards a 2017 admission. For students with a 2017 start in mind, the next several months present a host of interesting, and often difficult, choices: which LSAT to take?, when to begin preparing?, and how to best prepare? all deserve serious consideration. So consider them I shall. The following discussion is in two parts, the first of which will offer some advice for those at the outset of their LSAT journey, while the second will lay out the…
Should You Take The LSAT In February?
By PowerScore Test Preparation • December 14, 2015
This year, unlike in years past, our answer is: Yes, you probably should. The February LSAT gets a bad rep. It's administered in the dead of winter, the questions are kept secret even after the fact, and you'll be cutting it close with the admissions deadlines for most law schools. But, just because it is the administration of "last resort" doesn't make it a terrible option: on the contrary, the February test may be your last - and best - chance to get the score you need and still apply for admission in the Fall of 2016. Admittedly, this is…
LSAT Consistency and the Illusion of Change
By PowerScore Test Preparation • October 18, 2015
I tell people all the time that one of the greatest things about the LSAT is that it’s remarkably consistent! That is, for the test to be considered a legitimate measuring device where people taking different LSATs can still be compared to one another in a meaningful way, the measuring device itself (the LSAT) absolutely CANNOT change! That, in a way, is the very definition of a "standardized" test. I mean, what good is a ruler if yours has 13 inches to a foot, and mine has only 12? And while that may seem like a pretty obvious statement, think…
Good News! You Just Bombed Your LSAT Practice Test
By PowerScore Test Preparation • September 27, 2015 •Law School, Pre-Law
The next LSAT is just around the corner, you're regularly taking practice tests in preparation...and you suddenly score 5 points lower than last time. What?? Why?! You are (understandably) freaked out. You call your best friend, your shrink, your tutor—all the same person if you're lucky— to ask the crucial question: should you postpone your LSAT? Turns out, there is nothing wrong with bombing a practice test. Just ask the NYTimes. In a recent feature piece titled, "Why Flunking Exams Is Actually a Good Thing," the Times discusses an exciting new development in learning-science: pretesting. (In case you're wondering, "pretesting" is…