Does the year differences in the LSAT matter?

szetojodie

Let's say I'm taking the newer LSAT questions 2011-2014 and I've been scoring well and for the 2010 LSATS I'm not doing as hot.. does it matter that the tests are older and perhaps made a bit differently/harder?

TheoryandPractice

Yes and no. The Qs are sometimes written very subtly differently, which affects
scores. Someone told me that they were getting 170+ in PTs 30s and 40s but that their score dropped to 150s in the most recent ones.
However, the fact that the scores are affected means that their fundamentals have room for improvement. LSAT requires really solid conceptual understanding to do well. No strategy or "tricks" do it. Thats why the strategy developed for one strand of PTs might not work so well for another. Once the fundamentals are solid then you will experience less fluctuations.

Daniel.Sieradzki

As @TheoryandPractice explained, the differences are very subtle. The core skills tested by the LSAT (logical reasoning, reading ability, argument analysis, and more) are the same across all modern LSATs (1-80). There are just a few new/different ways that they test those skills. Comparative passages (RC), rule substitution questions (LG), and reworded question stems (LR) are some of the slight differences in newer tests. However, as you master the fundamentals and acquaint yourself with these slight differences by taking more new tests, you will find that your scores will be very consistent across all LSATs.

Alex

I find the new tests, 50s, 60s, 70s, quite different and more challenging. Yeah, they test the same skills, but they do it differently in many ways.

Make sure to expose yourself to all the tests before taking the test!