LSAT Study Planner & Schedule (1, 3, 6, & 12 Month Study Plans)

If your GPA wasn’t quite as high as you would have liked or you are trying to stand out against thousands of other law school applicants, the LSAT can be a key differentiator.

While plenty of people who don’t perform well on the LSAT go on to master law school and some who have great scores flunk out, the LSAT is designed to measure your potential to think through problems in a logical and thorough fashion.

As such, law schools put a huge emphasis on your LSAT score. Hence, your score can mean the difference between being accepted to law school or not and whether you can qualify for scholarships to help fund your law school education.

Now that you are sufficiently freaked out about the stakes of the Law School Admissions Test, learn how you can prepare for it like a pro!

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12 Month LSAT Study Plan

If you’re in your last year of undergrad and know that you will be heading to law school next, or you have set a one-year plan to get to law school, you have the benefit of extra time. However, you don’t have to wait until the last minute to start preparing. Instead, you can start preparing now to get an edge over other test takers.

Here are some strategies for each stage of preparation:

9-12 Months Out

Begin by taking a practice test based on timed conditions. This will help give you a baseline of where you are in terms of exam readiness. You can compare this test score to ones you take later after familiarizing yourself with the test.

Next, enroll in a LSAT preparatory course if possible. This will help you hone in on your weaknesses and learn strategies to apply to all sections of the test. Furthermore, some test prep courses offer a scoring review service that can identify these areas for you.

The LSAT consists of four 35-minute sections, so be prepared to set aside approximately 2 ½ hours for each practice test.

Also, set up a study space that is quiet, far away from distractions, and that you use each time you study for the LSAT.

6-9 Months Out

During this stage, you want to apply the tips you’ve learned in your preparation course. You should also set the following weekly goals:

• Take at least one practice test per week.
• Create a spreadsheet. In it, record your results for each practice test and your individual results in each section. You may also be able to analyze each problem type in each section.
• Spend between 10-15 hours preparing each week.
• Read one chapter of a reading comprehension study book every day or every other day until you finish it.
• Complete all activities in the logical reasoning study book.
• Read one chapter of a logical reasoning study book every day or every other day until you finish it.
• Review course content each day.
• Identify major issues to practice on and spend extra time on these issues.
• Review your test answers and see if you are missing the same type of problem.
• Study on the issues where you are losing the most amount of points.
• Complete sudoku puzzles, brain teasers and logic games.
• Read about complex topics and review your comprehension of the material.

3-6 Months Out

Here are some more quick tips on what you should be doing at this stage:

• Review major concepts you learned from your prep course.
• Take one practice test per week.
• Get help from an individual tutor (if you think this would help).
• Read one chapter of a logic games study book every day or every other day until you are finished with it.
• Complete all exercises in the logic games study book.

Less than 3 Months Until LSAT Time!

This is the home stretch. Here’s what you need to do:

• Review minor concepts you learned from your prep course.
• Take one LSAT practice test each week.
• Practice reading comprehension questions under timed and untimed conditions. Review your results.
• Practice logical reasoning questions.
• Review every logical reasoning question that took you more than two minutes to solve.
• Review every logic game that took more than 11 minutes to complete.
• Take timed tests in a student center, library or other location where there will be other people and some distractions that mirror those that may be present on test day.
• Review any flashcards provided by your preparation course or that you designed yourself.

But what if you don’t have 12 months to study for the LSAT exam? Keep reading:

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6 Month Study Plan

If you only have six months to prepare for the LSAT test, you still have enough time to increase your score and study techniques.

However, you shouldn’t be lax about your preparation. Start out with a timed practice test and analyze your results. Furthermore, read about the test itself and the sections it covers.

3 to 6 Months Out

• Plan to practice for the LSAT for about 20 hours a week.
• Take a practice test at least once every week.
• Create a spreadsheet where you record your results for each practice test and your individual results in each section. You may also be able to analyze each problem type in each section.
• Purchase a practice book on logical reasoning and read a chapter each day until you finish it
• Familiarize yourself with the different types of logical reasoning questions, which are inference, strengthen, weaken, assumption and argument and identify your weaknesses.
• Complete all exercises in the practice book.
• Spend extra time practicing on your weakest areas.
• Read other material on a daily basis to prepare for the reading comprehension section. Read the newspaper, technical manuals, recreational books and other materials. Test your understanding.

1-2 Months Out

• Purchase a logic games study book and read one chapter every day until you finish it.
• Complete all exercises in the logic games study book.
• Continue to take at least one practice test per week.
• Purchase a reading comprehension study book and read one chapter every day until you finish it.
• Complete all exercises in the reading comprehension study book.
• Consider hiring a tutor to help with individual issues.

Less than One Month Out

• Review any flashcards provided by your preparation course or any that you designed yourself.
• Continue taking weekly practice tests.
• Review subject areas that give you the most trouble.
• Practice four to six logic games each day.
• Complete one section of logical reasoning problems each day.
• Complete one reading passage and associated questions each day.
• Get plenty of rest the week of your LSAT test.

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3 Month LSAT Study Plan

Most law school candidates begin their LSAT preparation about three months before the next test date. Here are some steps to take at the beginning of the three-month period as well as when you have less than a month to go.

Months 2 and 3

• Enroll in a three-month LSAT prep course.
• Complete your daily activities for your prep course.
• Take a timed practice test and identify weak areas. Purchase a study book for each area where you need improvement and read a chapter in each of these books each day. Complete all practice exercises in these books.
• Create a spreadsheet. In it, record your results for each practice test and your individual results in each section. You may also be able to analyze each problem type in each section. Furthermore, spend extra time on those areas where you consistently score the lowest.
• Spend 5-6 hours per week on practice problems alone.
• Familiarize yourself with the different types of questions in each section and read tips on these specific question types.

1 Month to Go

• Continue taking timed practice tests; aim for two to three per week.
• Review major and minor concepts you learned in your prep course.
• Spend 30 minutes a day on any flashcards provided by your prep course or that you designed yourself.
• Within the last two weeks of your review, study in a student center or library to simulate real testing conditions.

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1 Month Study Plan For the LSAT

If you don’t have much time to study for the LSAT and the test date is less than a month away, it’s important to do everything possible to maximize your test score. Try to clear your plate by asking for help from others. See if grandma can take care of your kids or pets. Ask your spouse or romantic partner to step up domestic duties. Forget about cooking meals during this time. Ask your boss for some time off.

If you only have a month to prepare, you will need every minute possible to maximize your potential for success.

Follow these cram techniques to get as much review in as possible:

• Take a practice test to determine your baseline score.
• Analyze your test score to see in which areas you need the most help. Buy a practice book for your lowest-scoring section and finish the book before the test.
• Try to study 40 hours a week until your test date.
• Take a practice test every day until the test date.
• Enroll in an intensive LSAT boot camp.
• During the last week of your preparation, begin testing in a student area, library or other location that will help simulate test conditions.
• Review any flashcards provided by your preparation course or that you designed yourself. Spend at least one hour a day on these flashcards until two weeks before the test.
• Review major and minor concepts you learned in your prep course.

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Conclusion

The LSAT is an intensive test, no doubt. However, it is a teachable test. The questions are predictable and all fall under specific categories, so it can be beat! Use the study plans discussed above to crush your LSAT!

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