Preparing for the LSAT as an Undergrad

Wanna know a secret?

As I listened to the lectures and worked the practice problems presented in my LSAT course, I felt like I had an upper-hand on the material being presented. Things were just “clicking” for me in a way that I’m not sure they were for other people.

And I know exactly why.

One way that people gain an upper-hand when it comes to scoring well on the LSAT is the preparation they do before (or sometimes alongside) hiring a tutor or enrolling in an LSAT course. I didn’t seriously consider attending law school until my senior year of college, but when I did, I made sure to attend an informational session hosted by the pre-law advisor. During the session I specifically remember her informing all of us pre-law hopefuls: “You may want to register for Deductive Logic at some point in time. It’s really helpful when it comes to those LSAT logic games.”

And boy was she right.

1) Deductive Logic

Registering for a deductive logic course will help you recognize arguments, premises, and formulaic rules that will be very helpful on the LSAT. Simply put, a deductive logic class will give you a foundation in the basics of logic, and you will be able to build on that foundation when you begin to study for the LSAT, specifically in regards to the logic games and analytical reasoning sections.

2) Independent Study

During my senior year I registered for a 3 credit hour “Independent Study” class and used the time to study for the LSAT. Meaning, for 3-5 hours each week I rented LSAT books from the university library and plunged into reading comprehension, analytical reasoning, and the dreaded logic games. I also used this independent study time to sit for mock administrations of the LSAT hosted by my college’s pre-law program.

Did I suck at first? Absolutely! My score was embarrassingly low, but that was not the point. The purpose of diving in head first (i.e. with no prior preparation in the form of a tutor or LSAT course) was simply to get my feet wet and START. You can’t improve until you START.

I know it may seem super over-the-top, high-achiever,

unnecessarily nerdy to prepare before you study for the LSAT, but the path to academic excellence should not be a secret, and