# LSAT prep / tips



## ISFJ (Nov 26, 2015)

Hello, I'm taking the LSAT in June and was wondering if anyone who's taken the LSAT could share some prep books they found useful or just give tips/tricks that could perhaps increase my score. I'm currently reading The LSAT Trainer by Mike Kim and am planning to have it finished by the end of March.


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## JayDubs (Sep 1, 2009)

I did well after taking the Kaplan test prep course, though the price is pretty hefty. The books alone would probably help as well. 

Practice taking the test. A lot. Get a ton of practice tests, and take them. Review your answers after every test. Incorporate test stategy, like crossing out answers you know are wrong and taking educated guesses. Get used to the timing, as well as having to test for long periods at a time. Do it all under actual test conditions (timed, no distractions). 

You need to practice enough that you're confident in what you'll get on test day. You've already dozens of LSAT tests, and it's just one more. Good luck.


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## Iaokim (Oct 8, 2014)

Right now I am a solo-practicing attorney and I often tutor students seeking to take the LSAT or bar exam. For the LSAT, people tend to have the most trouble with the Logic Games section. If you buy any materials I would highly recommend The Logic Games Bible by Powerscore. I use it as the basis for my Logic Games tutoring. They also have books for the other sections as well. The courses such as Kaplan are incredibly expensive for what they offer. If you have the discipline and ability to teach yourself the material and supplement with a personal tutor you will get much more for your money!


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## ISFJ (Nov 26, 2015)

Iaokim said:


> Right now I am a solo-practicing attorney and I often tutor students seeking to take the LSAT or bar exam. For the LSAT, people tend to have the most trouble with the Logic Games section. If you buy any materials I would highly recommend The Logic Games Bible by Powerscore. I use it as the basis for my Logic Games tutoring. They also have books for the other sections as well. The courses such as Kaplan are incredibly expensive for what they offer. If you have the discipline and ability to teach yourself the material and supplement with a personal tutor you will get much more for your money!


The logic games is my strongest section and the reading comp is my worst. Any tips for the reading comp section?


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## Iaokim (Oct 8, 2014)

ISFJ said:


> The logic games is my strongest section and the reading comp is my worst. Any tips for the reading comp section?


Just like the logic games section you need to be able to spot the types of questions the reading comprehension section uses. Once you can identify the common question types, answer types, traps etc. and know the basic methodology for tackling those questions, the best thing you can do is simply practice as many questions as possible and thoroughly review the questions after you have taken them. Practice and review as many questions as possible once you know the basics. The questions will reinforce what you learn far better than passively reading the explanations over and over.

Powerscore has a Reading Comprehension Bible as well that I use for my tutoring. I don't get anything from them for recommending their materials, I just find them to be very effective. They are cheap to find new or even used. They really help you break down the questions and hone your methodology. For example, a lot of people have trouble with science based passages because of the host of long, complex terms, the book shows you how to ignore the science and attack the structure of the passage to arrive at the correct answer without wasting your mental energy trying to understand things you don't need to in order to answer the questions.

Good luck!


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## Iaokim (Oct 8, 2014)

@ISFJ Also in the interest of full disclosure, I would highly recommend considering alternatives other than law school. I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't warn you. The legal industry is highly over-saturated and that has been the case for quite a while now. The industry can't support the lawyers it already has and every year the problem gets worse as many more students graduate than jobs are available. Entry level jobs are almost impossible to find without 5-10 years of experience in the exact field the firm is seeking.You have to know someone or be in Ivy league and even then it is extremely hard. I know friends who graduated from Ivy League law schools and they are bartending right now. No joke.

If you have any interest in any other careers, I highly recommend you pursue one of those instead. I tell the same thing to all my students even though it loses me business. I say it to you because I wish someone had said it to me before I got into this! I'm actually in the process of transitioning careers after 3 years of scrapping by in solo-practice. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the work, but the opportunities aren't there.

Whatever you decide, best of luck!


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## ISFJ (Nov 26, 2015)

Iaokim said:


> @ISFJ Also in the interest of full disclosure, I would highly recommend considering alternatives other than law school. I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't warn you. The legal industry is highly over-saturated and that has been the case for quite a while now. The industry can't support the lawyers it already has and every year the problem gets worse as many more students graduate than jobs are available. Entry level jobs are almost impossible to find without 5-10 years of experience in the exact field the firm is seeking.You have to know someone or be in Ivy league and even then it is extremely hard. I know friends who graduated from Ivy League law schools and they are bartending right now. No joke.
> 
> If you have any interest in any other careers, I highly recommend you pursue one of those instead. I tell the same thing to all my students even though it loses me business. I say it to you because I wish someone had said it to me before I got into this! I'm actually in the process of transitioning careers after 3 years of scrapping by in solo-practice. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the work, but the opportunities aren't there.
> 
> Whatever you decide, best of luck!



How much do you know about patent law? I'm finishing up a chemistry BS and wanting the JD for patent attorney.


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## Iaokim (Oct 8, 2014)

ISFJ said:


> How much do you know about patent law? I'm finishing up a chemistry BS and wanting the JD for patent attorney.



I actually considered patent law at one time, but ultimately decided not to go that route. To qualify for the patent bar you do need at least a B.S in a relevant field and a J.D. However, firms hiring patent attorneys especially BigLaw type firms require a master's level degree or even a Ph.D depending on the field. The biggest field for patents is biotech and pharmaceuticals by far and generally you need a Ph.D for those areas. Engineering patents are a distant second and you can usually get away with having a master's in addition to having excellent grades from a first tier law school.

A lot of patent attorney positions are filled from people coming from a scientific background with years of experience. And given that it is extremely competitive and difficult to get into patent law coming right out of school. If you get your B.S., go to law school, and are fortunate enough to land a job at a firm you'll be working in pretty much whatever the firm wants you to do. Patent firms are also very region specific depending where the tech industries are. Most patent jobs are in the D.C. area with differing hubs like the tech centers in California or the Oil and chemical industries in Texas etc.

If patent law is what you are really passionate about, I would recommend finding a STEM job in your field first while working on your master's and Ph.D. Once you get the experience and connections in the STEM and legal industries you'll be in a better position to go to law school and become a patent attorney. Alternatively, you can bypass law school altogether and became a patent agent, which can do most of what a patent attorney does without needing a law degree.

Right now a law degree is a big expense and a big time sink with little to show for it. It is going to be that way for a long time. Experienced patent attorneys are highly valued, but it definitely takes a lot more education, experience, and work to make it.

What made you want to go into patent law?


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## Kitty23 (Dec 27, 2015)

Study right before you go to sleep. Worked for me, and then I later learned this tip was true when I got my bachelor's in psychology!


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## ISFJ (Nov 26, 2015)

Iaokim said:


> I actually considered patent law at one time, but ultimately decided not to go that route. To qualify for the patent bar you do need at least a B.S in a relevant field and a J.D. However, firms hiring patent attorneys especially BigLaw type firms require a master's level degree or even a Ph.D depending on the field. The biggest field for patents is biotech and pharmaceuticals by far and generally you need a Ph.D for those areas. Engineering patents are a distant second and you can usually get away with having a master's in addition to having excellent grades from a first tier law school.
> 
> A lot of patent attorney positions are filled from people coming from a scientific background with years of experience. And given that t is extremely competitive and difficult to get into patent law coming right out of school. If patent law is what you are really passionate about, I would recommend finding a STEM job in your field first while working on your master's and Ph.D. Once you get the experience and connections in the STEM and legal industries you'll be in a better position to go to law school and become a patent attorney. Alternatively, you can bypass law school altogether and became a patent agent, which can do most of what a patent attorney does without needing a law degree.
> 
> ...


I'm interested in diseases so I'd like to work in a field related to that. Plus the money's great and I'm not interested in a masters/phd. It seems like it'd be harder to find as a job as a patent agent because the skills are more limited and finding an entry level job would be hard, and a JD would open more doors for other practices. But I'll definitely look into other careers, thanks for your posts


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## Iaokim (Oct 8, 2014)

ISFJ said:


> I'm interested in diseases so I'd like to work in a field related to that. Plus the money's great and I'm not interested in a masters/phd. It seems like it'd be harder to find as a job as a patent agent because the skills are more limited and finding an entry level job would be hard, and a JD would open more doors for other practices. But I'll definitely look into other careers, thanks for your posts


Whatever you decide good luck!


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