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Alicia
LIF Toddler
Member since 4/07 390 total posts
Name:
We Are So Grateful!
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Question for those who are in law school/went to law school?
Did you take a LSAT prep course or did you study on your own?
If you studied on your own, did you feel like you were prepared for the test?
If you took a prep class do you feel like it really helped you?
TIA
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Posted 1/21/08 12:33 AM  |
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DebG
Pick a cause & stand up for it
Member since 5/05 18602 total posts
Name:
The cure IS worse!
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Re: Question for those who are in law school/went to law school?
My sister and her husband are both lawyers so I am going to answer based on my memory of what they told me. Both of them had jobs with firms already. Firms that made sure all they did was STUDY for that darn test . The were READY for that test but still stressed like nothing else while waiting for results.
Years later, she is a senior partner in an international firm under the age of 35. The partner decision was made all the WHILE taking off for months to take care of me during cancer therapy.
Man, she amazes me.
ok, :toot: :toot: to her. Getting off the brag now. 
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| Posted 1/21/08 1:02 AM |
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bluegreen08
LIF Adolescent
Member since 10/07 574 total posts
Name:
a
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Re: Question for those who are in law school/went to law school?
Posted by DebG
My sister and her husband are both lawyers so I am going to answer based on my memory of what they told me. Both of them had jobs with firms already. Firms that made sure all they did was STUDY for that darn test . The were READY for that test but still stressed like nothing else while waiting for results.
Years later, she is a senior partner in an international firm under the age of 35. The partner decision was made all the WHILE taking off for months to take care of me during cancer therapy.
Man, she amazes me.
ok, :toot: :toot: to her. Getting off the brag now.
Are you thinking of the Bar Exam? Most law students have jobs lined up by the end of 1st semester second year, and spend the summer after graduation studying for the Bar.... once they have jobs lined up.
I'm a 2L law student and as for the LSAT, no I didnt take a course. I didn't take a course for the SAT either (and did well on that too) but I had a lot of willpower and motivation.
I took the LSAT on a June test date and started studying in Feb. I bought the Princeton Review book, and 10 Real LSATs (and also 10 More Real LSATs, and Another 10 Real LSATs) and took an old exam every Saturday morning.  The more real exams you can take, the better. It paid off. However, a course (while expensive) is well worth it if you arent motivated enough to study on your own or you aren't improving.
FM me if you want more specifics. I'd be happy to help. My LSAT score helped get me a full ride to my top choice law school (top 20).
Message edited 1/21/2008 2:04:02 AM.
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| Posted 1/21/08 1:59 AM |
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Domino
Always My Miracle
Member since 9/05 9923 total posts
Name:
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Re: Question for those who are in law school/went to law school?
I did not go to law school but I did take the LSAT...without a prep course. I couldnt afford it. No matter how hard I studied, I could not get a grasp of the logic games. I am certain that if I had taken the prep course they would have shown me the trick to it. I wound up cancelling my score after the test and have never taken it again.
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| Posted 1/21/08 6:17 AM |
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KrisT
Two Boys for Me!!
Member since 1/07 5213 total posts
Name:
Kristin
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Re: Question for those who are in law school/went to law school?
I didn't take a prep test and "studied" on my own. I did well, but I think a course would have been beneficial.
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| Posted 1/21/08 8:27 AM |
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Carolyn
.....
Member since 5/07 5351 total posts
Name:
Twin mommy
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Re: Question for those who are in law school/went to law school?
I studied on my own. I think it depends how much motivation you have to do it on your own to determine whether a course would be beneficial. Why don't you buy a prep book, take a look at it (really the most difficult part is the logic stuff) and if you think you need addiitonal help then sign up for a course?
Good luck!
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| Posted 1/21/08 8:37 AM |
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2girlsforme
LIF Adult
Member since 8/06 3071 total posts
Name:
XXXXXXXXX
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Re: Question for those who are in law school/went to law school?
I didn't take the prep course but I went to law school a long, long time ago. I was only 20 and very much in the mode of being a student. I do believe that people generally score the way they are going to score on these types of tests and that you can familiarize yourself with the test format with prep books. However, I might be inclined to take a course if I had been out of school for a while.
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| Posted 1/21/08 8:53 AM |
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Alicia
LIF Toddler
Member since 4/07 390 total posts
Name:
We Are So Grateful!
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Re: Question for those who are in law school/went to law school?
Thank you!!!!!! I was really leaning towards not taking the course and your answers helped.
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| Posted 1/21/08 9:14 AM |
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BRod-Cheng
I'm going to be a big brother!
Member since 6/07 1860 total posts
Name:
Betty
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Re: Question for those who are in law school/went to law school?
If you want to try studying on your own I would recommend the ARCO or Princeton Review LSAT study books. I found it to be the closest to real tests. I think they may have even had past tests in the book.
I would NOT recommend the Barron's book. The Barron's book had very easy questions and logic games which were nothing like the actual test, and gave you a false sense of confidence.
GOOD LUCK!!!
Message edited 1/21/2008 10:06:51 AM.
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| Posted 1/21/08 9:57 AM |
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Shelly
She's 7!!!
Member since 8/05 14624 total posts
Name:
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Re: Question for those who are in law school/went to law school?
I took a prep course in my senior year of college. It really helped me learn the "tricks" of the test. And oh yes, there are tricks.
I think if I took the LSAT later inlife, I probably wouldn't take a course (especially if I were working). try studying on your own and see how you are doing.
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| Posted 1/21/08 10:09 AM |
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nov04libride
big brother <3
Member since 5/05 14672 total posts
Name:
Me
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Re: Question for those who are in law school/went to law school?
My brother took it with no prep course, and got into all of the 1st tier schools he applied to. I think if you are self-disciplined you should be able to do it yourself.
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| Posted 1/21/08 10:12 AM |
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charon54
My two boys!
Member since 5/05 7279 total posts
Name:
Rebecca
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Re: Question for those who are in law school/went to law school?
Let me preface my answer by saying that I work for Kaplan, so I am a bit prejudiced.
However, I have taken the LSAT and I did do an LSAT prep course. I highly recommend an LSAT prep course, and in particular Kaplan's course. I began the course with a 159 (75th percentile) and on the actual LSAT I got a 168 (96th percentile).
The LSAT is not a content based exam, it is a test of critical thinking. It is all about strategy and timing. If I gave you an LSAT to take home and said take two days and bring it back, you would probably do okay. The difficulty of the LSAT is that you only have 35 minutes per section. You need to be able to find the correct answer quickly and that's what a prep course teaches you.
My company (and others as well) do offer free LSAT practice tests and we also offer free LSAT workshops, so you can come in and see what we have to offer with no requirement to make a purchase. Please feel free to contact me via FM to find out more.
Remember, the LSAT can count for up to 60% of the admissions decision at a school and is also a key determinant of financial aid, so it is really important to score well.
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| Posted 1/21/08 10:14 AM |
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MrsS2005
Mom of 3
Member since 11/05 13118 total posts
Name:
B
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Re: Question for those who are in law school/went to law school?
I think it's beneficial for some, but not for others. I took a prep course. Some of the things I learned were helpful, but most of it was a waste. I think I probably could've gotten a similar score by taking practice tests on my own.
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| Posted 1/21/08 11:16 AM |
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DebG
Pick a cause & stand up for it
Member since 5/05 18602 total posts
Name:
The cure IS worse!
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Re: Question for those who are in law school/went to law school?
I was thinking bar I should pay better attention. My apologies.
Now that's it been my refrehed and clear in my head she didn't study for the LSAT, period.
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| Posted 1/21/08 12:47 PM |
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bluegreen08
LIF Adolescent
Member since 10/07 574 total posts
Name:
a
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Re: Question for those who are in law school/went to law school?
Posted by BRod-Cheng
If you want to try studying on your own I would recommend the ARCO or Princeton Review LSAT study books. I found it to be the closest to real tests. I think they may have even had past tests in the book.
I would NOT recommend the Barron's book. The Barron's book had very easy questions and logic games which were nothing like the actual test, and gave you a false sense of confidence.
GOOD LUCK!!!
The PR book is good for reading about strategy, but for practice tests you're best off buying "10 REAL LSATs" and "Another 10 Real LSATs" etc because.... they are real LSATs!  The other books are just Qs made up by the review companies, not the real company who writes the LSAT. The only thing to keep in mind is that the LSAT has gotten "harder" over the years so it's best to start with the older tests and then work up to the modern ones.
Practice practice practice - under test-conditions (timed, no hour-long breaks, etc) and if you really aren't improving on your own then maybe a course would help.
Message edited 1/21/2008 12:53:43 PM.
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| Posted 1/21/08 12:51 PM |
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starhead
LIF Zygote
Member since 5/05 48 total posts
Name:
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Re: Question for those who are in law school/went to law school?
I did not take a course, but I bought and studied from a variety of the LSAT prep books. I did fine, but who knows, taking a course may have helped me more! They are very expensive and I couldn't afford it.
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| Posted 1/21/08 12:56 PM |
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Kara
Now Zagat Rated!
Member since 3/07 13217 total posts
Name:
They call me "Tater Salad"
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Re: Question for those who are in law school/went to law school?
I did not take a prep course. If I had to do it all over again, I'd DEFINITELY take a prep course.
It's worth the money!!
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| Posted 1/21/08 12:59 PM |
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