The June 2015 LSAT is over, and approximately 20,000 people are eagerly–or anxiously, depending on how they did–waiting on their results. In the meantime, users of law school forums like Top Law School (TLS) and PowerScore have created post-test impressions and waiter’s threads to pass the time. In particular, user basedvulpes on TLS launched a “War Stories” thread focusing on funny or unusual events that occurred while taking the LSAT. Check out some of the best ones below.

“Wake Me Up When September Ends” 

Also, there was a dude who showed up to my test in a full suit and bowtie, talking on a cell phone in the hallway. Five minutes before we checked in someone told him that there were no cell phones allowed, so he ran out to his car and ditched it. Then when he went up to check in he didn’t actually have his ticket, just the receipt from his registration. He begged the admins to let him run to a computer lab and print it, but they said it wouldn’t work because of time and because it wouldn’t have a picture. He insisted that he had a picture in his wallet that he could use, and awkwardly stood off to the side emptying the entire contents of his wallet and pockets while the rest of the people checked in. Turns out he didn’t even have a picture. Admins told him to register for October. – Contributed by basedvulpes

“Do It, You Won’t”

In the box that says “Do not write your essay in this box”, I wrote “your essay”. – Contributed by Whnlifegvsulmns

“Bubble Trouble”

another anecdote: proctor yelled at me for bubbling in my name before she finished reading instructions and said she could cancel my score if she were “not being nice.” she swatted the pencil out of the hand of this other student who was doing the same thing. another student got scared and raised his hand to ask about which sections he could bubble in. – Contributed by lsatkillah

“On a First-Name Basis”

On my drivers license, the last letter of my first name is missing because my name has too many letters for them to all fit and on my admission ticket all the letters were there. The proctor checking me in got all worried and had to ask another proctor if this was okay and if I was allowed to take the test. Thankfully it was okay, but I think it was ridiculous that it was almost an issue. – Contributed by JackelJ

“The Hunger Games”

Some jamoake came in just in the nick of time, sat down next to me and proceeded to start munching away at a full burrito whilst we were doing LR. Needless to say the proctors told him to put it away.

Anyway, same thing happened during RC – proctors ask him to put it away.

… During LR2, he gets the burrito (3/4 eaten) out AGAIN, needless to say the proctors went into full-scale meltdown, think their heads were doing cartwheels down Piccadilly Circus by the end. – Contributed by Topszn

Hyunjae Ham

Hyunjae Ham is a member of the University of Maryland Class of 2015 and a Law Street Media Fellow for the Summer of 2015. Contact Hyunjae at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Most Ridiculous LSAT Stories of the Year appeared first on Law Street.

It’s official — there’s less than a week until the LSAT! By now you should all be feeling pretty well prepared — after all, you’ve gotten the chance to check out tips to master the Logic Games, Logical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, and Essay sections. We also filled you in on what to do if everything goes terribly wrong the day of the LSAT. But as your prep probably winds down, here are some last minute tips to make sure that you reach your full LSAT potential.

The day before the LSAT, you should try to relax.

A lot of times, especially as an undergrad, it’s tempting to cram for a test until the very last moment. But for the LSAT, that’s not the best idea. This test is less about information, and more about testing skills you have learned, so you might want to give yourself the day before the LSAT off. At the very least, don’t spend all day studying. Instead do an activity that relaxes you, whether that is reading, having a quiet lunch with friends, or some sort of physical activity. Just make sure that whatever you do is actually relaxing and won’t affect you on test day — for example, consuming any sort of alcohol is probably a pretty bad idea.

The day before the LSAT you should also get motivated. 

In addition to getting relaxed, it might also be nice to remind yourself of why you’re going through the craziness that is LSAT prep. Do whatever motivates you. Some LSAT experts recommend going through the website and looking at pictures of your ideal law school. It’s easy to forget that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and that light is going to the school you want and having the career in law that you’ve been striving toward. Or motivate yourself with something else — maybe a great speech, or a letter from a loved one. Just make sure that you do something to remind yourself why you’ve been putting in this great, crazy-hard work over the past few months.

The day of the LSAT warm up your brain. 

You don’t want the first thing you do that day to be to take the LSAT test. Instead, try to warm up your brain a little bit by doing an easy puzzle or something similar. Sudoku is great because it requires similar logic skills to ones used on the LSAT. You obviously don’t want to exhaust yourself with anything difficult, but if you can get back in the routine of thinking in a logical way before you actually get there, that’ll make sure that you’re prepared when you actually sit down to take the LSAT.

The day of the LSAT have a good breakfast, but still follow your routine. 

It’s really hard to eat breakfast, especially if you’re nervous about something. But there’s really a lot of value in making sure that you’re well-fed before you go take the LSAT. It’ll wake up your brain, of course. But more importantly, it will keep your stomach from making weird rumbly noises during the test, and it’ll keep you from being distracted by your hunger during the LSAT.

That being said, don’t deviate from your normal routine too much. If you’re not a coffee drinker, don’t decide to drink coffee just to get some extra caffeine before the test in the hope that it’ll make you work faster. If you are a coffee drinker, don’t deprive yourself of your morning cup of joe. Just do what you’re comfortable with, and add in a little extra protein if possible.

On the day of the test, be early. 

No matter how you prepare to take the LSAT, make sure that you do everything that day a little earlier than you normally do. Get up earlier, leave your house earlier, everything. Don’t be too early, obviously, you don’t want to be at the testing site before it opens. Just make sure that you leave tons of time to get where you need to be. That way you don’t have to rush and feel stressed right before the test.

Good luck everyone — it’s been a long countdown to the June LSAT, but I know you’ll all do a great job! We here at Law Street are pulling for you!

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Anneliese Mahoney (@AMahoney8672) is Lead Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Jayneandd via Flickr]

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Countdown to LSAT: Last Minute Tips for the Home Stretch appeared first on Law Street.

June is quickly approaching and you know what that means — the LSAT is too. Now that you’ve learned all about the Logic Games, Logical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension sections and how to deal if everything goes wrong on test day, let’s talk about another section of the LSAT — the essay.

You will have 35 minutes to write a persuasive essay based on a prompt, which will include a scenario and the choices of two options. The prompt will also contain two requirements that need to kept in mind when arguing your choice. There’s no prior knowledge needed — all you need to do is pick an argument, defend it, and then criticize the other side’s argument. The essay is just intended to test your ability to reason, argue, and persuade.

With that in mind, here are some important things to remember about the essay section:

It’s not scored: The essay section does not contribute in any way to your LSAT score, which is quite frankly rather frustrating given that you, of course, want to focus your attention on the parts that are scored. Instead of being scored, the essay will be photocopied and sent to any law schools to which you submit scores. Some admissions departments use them and some don’t. But just remember, because it isn’t scored, it’s nothing to stress about too much.

Remember, you already know how to write: If you’re at the point where you’re taking the LSAT, you have most likely completed (at least) a few years of college. You know how to write and make a convincing argument, otherwise you wouldn’t have made it this far. Rely on the skills that you already know and have cultivated for years.

It’s worth it to put in some effort: Even though the section isn’t scored, it is sent to law schools, which means you don’t want to do anything to hurt your chances. A wonderful essay most likely won’t make up for faults in other areas of your application, like a low LSAT score or GPA, or an inadequate personal statement. But a bad essay could convince a school not to admit you. If you really don’t try very hard, or just leave it blank, you’re showing the law school admissions officers that you weren’t putting effort into the essay just because it’s not scored.

Pick a strategy and stick to it: Because the essay section isn’t scored, it’s harder to figure out what goes over well. That problem is compounded by the fact that essays are subjective by nature. There’s no right or wrong answer. Some strategists think that essays that are flashy do better — Princeton Review recommends going for quantity over quality by filling up the entire area allotted for the essay, as well as using complex words and structures. Manhattan LSAT Blog, on the other hand, advocates simplicity, especially when forming your argument. Because it is that subjective, one of these strategies isn’t necessarily superior to the other — just make sure that whichever one you choose you’re consistent with it.

Plan it out ahead of time: The questions tend to require logic or analysis-based arguments, rather than moral or preference arguments, which means that you just want to focus on arguing what you think will be easier to support. Given that you only have 35 minutes to write a two-page essay, you’re probably going to better off planning it out ahead of time. Make some sort of chart or pro-con list just to make sure that once you start writing you can include everything you think is important.

And finally, make sure to proofread: Obviously, when you’re writing quickly and you’re in the middle of the LSAT, it can be easy to make silly grammatical or spelling mistakes. But make sure to go over your essay at least once to make sure it’s clear and not riddled with errors. In law school and as a lawyer, you’ll obviously have access to spellcheck, but it is important to show that you’re able to be detail oriented and organized when you need to be.

Overall though, the essay should be pretty easy for all of you taking the June LSAT. Just remember, it’s not worth anything in terms of points, so just relax and do your best.

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Anneliese Mahoney (@AMahoney8672) is Lead Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Jeffrey James Pacres via Flickr]

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Countdown to LSAT: The Essay appeared first on Law Street.

LSAT prep marches on, and so does our quest to continue churning out tips and tricks until the big day. We’ve already covered Logic Games and Logical Reasoning, so this week we’ll look at Reading Comprehension.

The Reading Comprehension section tests your ability to glean important information from dense text. Often as a law student or lawyer you’ll be faced with a lot of dense material that requires analysis. Reading Comprehension will measure how quickly and efficiently you can read such material, and how much you can retain from the reading.

The Reading Comprehension questions contain a short reading — usually a few paragraphs – and then a few multiple choice questions. Each question has five possible answers.

I’ll be honest with you — the Reading Comprehension section is one of the hardest to improve; however, with some practice and hard work, it’s totally doable.

Get used to dense material: Most of the reading we do as undergraduates or for just fun is not nearly as dense as what you’ll be facing in law school. If you have time, try to get used to reading that kind of material. Good examples of the quality of articles you’ll find on the LSAT are those in The Economist. Most articles in the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times aren’t too far off either. Spending time reading just a few articles a day will help you learn to process tough material, and prepare you for doing so quickly when you actually take the LSAT.

Focus on your weakness: If after taking some practice tests you’re not scoring as highly as you’d like on the Reading Comprehension section, make sure to figure out where exactly you’re losing points. There are really three main ways to have problems on this portion of the test. Either you’re running out of time, getting the wrong answers, or a combination of both.

Figure out where you’re struggling, and then work based on that. If you’re having timing problems, you might just want to drill yourself constantly, but maybe you don’t need to focus on learning word patterns that make finding answers easier. On the other hand, if you’re having problems with comprehension but not timing, concentrate on learning tricks to more effectively analyze the readings.

Look for clues: As with other sections of the LSAT, you might be able to improve your score by learning some patterns inherent in the section. Lists (first, next, third) are often pretty easy to find, and the subsequent questions usually involve something included in that list.

Here are a few good lists that include phrases to watch out for: one from LSAT Blog, and one from LawSchooli.

Avoid red herrings: As with Logical Reasoning, sometimes it’s easier to eliminate answers first, then look for the correct selection. Make sure to look out for wrong answers that are tricky — sometimes a wrong answer will contain information from the paragraph that’s only slightly tweaked, or irrelevant information that seems useful but isn’t the main point of the paragraph. Don’t be scared to eliminate answers first — then you’ll have less to focus on when you actually need to select the correct one.

Be strategic in note taking: It’s not actually a very good idea to take extensive notes when you’re doing the Reading Comprehension section because it’ll take up way too much time. However, very strategic markings can be helpful — on the first read through it could be good to mark what you think is the main point of the passage with one symbol and a counter argument with a different symbol. Keep your markings consistent and then you won’t have to go back and search for information that you thought was important when you’re answering the questions.

As always, practice, practice, practice, check out our articles for more tips on LSAT prep, and continue your hard work. The June LSAT is coming up, and I’m sure you’ll all do great.

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Anneliese Mahoney (@AMahoney8672) is Lead Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Jayel Aheram via Flickr]

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Countdown to LSAT: Reading Comprehension appeared first on Law Street.

It’s week two in our quest here at Law Street to help you with the LSAT. This week, let’s focus on the Logical Reasoning section. Our resident LSAT tutor Nick thinks that it’s a good follow up to last week’s post on Logic Games since they deal with some of the same skills and ways of thinking.

The Logical Reasoning section tests your ability to think critically and form an argument — a basic skill that anyone who would like to be a lawyer needs to master. Although the questions you’ll see in this section aren’t necessarily legal, they mirror the kind of logic and critical thinking that lawyers implement in real life everyday.

The format is pretty simple: you read a brief passage, and then you answer a question or two about it, selecting from five answers.

So how do you master the Logical Reasoning section? Well here are some tips to help you study, and to get a great score on test day.

Be detail oriented: The Logical Reasoning section is all about detail. After all, it’s used to test your recognition and analysis of a certain, very specific argument. Therefore some of the possible answers that they’ll give you will be sort of like red herrings. They may make sense, and they may even be true statements, but they will not be what the question is asking you. Make sure to read the prompt carefully so you know exactly the scope of the question, and don’t get tripped up by answers that are true but are not what is being asked.

It’s also important to look out for certain buzz words. If you’re searching for the conclusion in a prompt, chances are it can be found after a word like ‘thus’ or ‘therefore.’ More evidence would usually be located after words like ‘because’ or ‘since.’ For more buzzwords, pay attention to what ‘except,’ ‘all,’ ‘many,’ and other quantifying words indicate.

Some of this does seem intuitive, I know — obviously anyone taking the LSAT knows what words like ‘therefore’ and ‘many’ mean. But when you’re trying to move through the test as quickly and accurately as possible, it’s important to look for those words that will help you locate what information you need efficiently.

Consider working from right to wrong: Some people find it more helpful to start with eliminating wrong answers. If you keep the parameters in mind, as I mentioned above, you can quickly cross out the irrelevant answers and ones that don’t fit within the scope. Narrowing down the question to two possible answers, and then picking out the best choice from there is always going to be easier than picking the best answer from five.

Know the format: The questions are usually arranged in a particular way. The first 12 questions tend to have a higher concentration of easier problems. As you move on, approximately numbers 14-20 will contain the most challenging questions. The last grouping of questions are more of a mixed bag.

So you should prioritize: All questions are weighted equally. You don’t get more points for the questions that are considered more challenging. So make sure that you get as many done as possible — and if you skip one that’s stumping you i order to answer two easier questions, that will benefit you. Prioritize getting as many done correctly as possible.

But do answer everything: At the end of the day, if you have no idea, guess. You don’t lose any points for getting one wrong, and there’s a 1/5 chance that you’re right. If you’re stumped between a few answers, the chances that you’re correct is even higher. Just make sure that you don’t leave anything unanswered as you would obviously have no chance of grabbing any extra points.

As always, keep practicing, keep studying, and use these tips to help you get that score you want come test day. Happy studying and check back next week when I break down the Reading Comprehension section.

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Anneliese Mahoney (@AMahoney8672) is Lead Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Brian Hillegas via Flickr]

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Countdown to LSAT: Logical Reasoning appeared first on Law Street.

Are you in the final stretch leading to the June LSAT? Well first of all — we feel your pain. But more importantly, we can help. Over the next five weeks leading up to the test, we’re going to give you the last-minute tips you need to complete your study plan. For week number five our resident LSAT expert/tutor Nick recommends starting with the Logic Games Section (formally known as Analytic Reasoning).

Here are your basic parameters:

The Logic Games will contain four questions/games, each with a few different parts. There are three main types of logic games — ordering, assignment, grouping — although they’re pretty broad categories. A logic game begins with a story, then offers clues and conditions, and then poses questions.

That sounds intimidating, I know, but one of the great things about the Logic Games section is that it’s totally learnable. Practicing the different types of games can absolutely make a great score on this section attainable — it just takes a lot of work.

So here are some easy-to-follow tips to help you get a great score on the Logic Games section of the test:

Start with the basics: Some people are going to just naturally have an easier time with the logic games, and some people aren’t. There’s no need to freak out if you’re one of the latter, but it is important to identify your strengths and weaknesses.

A good way to start preparing for the Logic Games is to learn the basics. Even though you probably won’t have anything quite as simple on the test, these skills will be the building blocks for the real problems. In order to learn these basics, LawSchooli recommends The Logic Games Bible. Instead of going through it linearly though, they lay out a really great strategy to get those building block skills for basic Logic Games, then moving on to more difficult games. They also recommend studying by type, and making sure you master one type before moving onto the next.

Be consistent: One important thing to do with the Logic Games is to draw a diagram. Make sure that you’re consistent with your diagrams, even if that means creating one that makes more sense to you than prep books or classes recommend, like this 180-scorer did. Just make sure you find what works for you.

Practice your concentration and timing: This applies to studying for pretty much all of the LSAT, but the Logic Games are the area where people are most likely to run out of time. The best ways that you can do this is to take practice tests and try to slowly shave off your time. The more problems you get exposed to, the more quickly you’ll be able to accurately move through them.

Be Prepared to be Flexible: There are hybrid games on the LSAT Logic Games section, and some of these have been known to throw people off. For example, in 2009 there was a logic game that is now referred to as “the dinosaur” game. It was a hybrid and a lot of people walked out of the test upset by it. As basic as it sounds, the best way to prepare for possible hybrid games is to expose yourself to as many as possible. Here are some examples of hybrid games from ManhattanLSAT Blog, LSATBlog, and Kaplan.

These are just a good starting point for mastering the LSAT Logic Games section, obviously it’ll take a lot of practice and hard work — but this close to the test you’ve already put in a god chunk of time…right? Follow these tips, work hard, and you’ll be a Logic Games master in no time!

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Anneliese Mahoney (@AMahoney8672) is Lead Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

Featured image courtesy of [Ofbarea via WikiMedia Commons]

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Countdown to LSAT: Logic Games Section appeared first on Law Street.