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Has anybody taken the Kaplan course to prep for the Lsat?
garyvincent68
Free Trial Member
I'm debating on whether or not to take a course or go with a private tutor. The only courses left at this point are Kaplan but I've heard some pretty negative things about them? Has anyone taken a Kaplan course or would you all recommend a private tutor? Thanks
Comments
I don't know, heard 7sage is pretty awesome...
Nope. I have only heard negative things above Kaplan in the last several years. You can just look up reviews. I don't personally know anyone who took the course, but when I was researching courses (before I found 7Sage) I think Kaplan and Princeton Review all had some pretty terrible reviews. 7Sage is the highest rated (and best priced course.
It depends on where are you are in your prep? Are you just starting out? If so, I would start with a course like 7Sage.
It's hard to say without knowing your background. But even so, everyone's different. Before 7sage, I was a Princeton Review student/victim. Spent lots of money even with financial aid, the instructor was really bad at teaching people who weren't high scorers, and I find that to be the case with most of these well known companies. I would say for the common LSAT student, 7sage is a great asset to your studies. It's comprehensive, breaks down concepts very well, super inexpensive considering the amount of material provided for each pack, and is there for you 24/7. Doesn't get better than that in my opinion. If you're still not interested in a course and would rather choose a private tutor, Jonathan Wang would be a really smart and great choice or any other accredited 7sage tutor for that matter.
All the best.
I haven't really heard great things about Kaplan. But I'm sure it works for some people. Hiring a tutor can be very expensive.
YES. 7Sage. Is. The. Best.
7Sage is the best! There is no other course rated so well by so many people.
This really shows the strides that LSAT prep has made in the past couple of decades. A while back, the only prep option was Kaplan. Now, it's routinely dismissed as being the worst of the lot. But better LSAT prep is a double-edged sword -- it has led, in my opinion, to considerably harder tests, which LSAC has had to administer in order to maintain its curve. We can only imagine what Preptests in the 100s will look like after 7Sage conquers the LSAT prep world, flooding the field with even better prepped test-takers.
I bought the kaplan book they have for the lsat, and it's probably the lest intuitive thing I've gotten as far as my lsat training goes. They talk about this idea of mismatched concepts for basically all the LR questions that involve assumptions and I personally thought it was misleading. I would say at the very least watch JY's LG explanations and see how you like those! I thought (still think) they were really easy to follow.
I took a Kaplan course a few years ago when I first toyed with the idea of going to law school-- there weren't a lot of prep courses to choose from back then and near my campus. To be quite honest... I wouldn't recommend it at all.
The way they teach you is not intuitive at all. They also told us that the max most of their students increase by is around 10- 12 points. I don't think they provide you with the proper mindset and approach to studying (telling you only need 3 months to prep). They also only have you take 3-4 practice tests throughout your time with them, which I think is definitely not enough exposure to the actual thing. Granted that was my own experience... so definitely do your own research and take it all with a grain of salt. I've been super happy to be apart of the 7Sage community and I highly recommend it. Check out some of their free Logic Games explanation (that's how I first found them too and was immediately sold) and see how you feel about it! 7Sage also has a community of tutors you can reach out to as well. Good luck!
What if Kaplan is the key to a 180, and the rumours that it sucks were started by top scorers...
Plot twist.
I was in a Kaplan class in late November 2016. I had already read some LSAT forums and knew it would be a long journey but I really thought I needed in person instruction to accomplish again. My Kaplan instructor said I could take the exam in February 2017 and do "fine" (lol). Flash forward to now, my highest PT is 21 points above my diagnostic. My average is 18 points above my diagnostic. If I had followed Kaplan's plan, I would've taken 5 PTs max. I would not have known about the foolproof method or the blind review method. Plus, Kaplan's method is incredibly convoluted and inconsistent. With 7sage, I feel as if my understanding of logic is stronger.
I think (and this is all speculation) Kaplan's method is meant to get those scoring in the 140s into the 150s. If that's your goal, then sign up for a Kaplan course. But if you're in it for the long haul and really want to be one of the top scorers on this test, then pick 7sage.
Amen.....
I'm sorry to hear that
This seems like such a typical Kaplan experience. For instance, it is HARD to find a good detailed review on Kaplan's class that doesn't sound like an instructor that works there wrote it.
Kaplan makes Testmasters look like 7Sage, lmao
I wish that that the myth perpetuated by the prep companies that 2-3 months is enough time to prep would be euthanized. It's so false, and they do it only because the amount of money they can charge for a 2-3 month course hits the sweet spot for them. They purposely schedule the course to end right before the administration of the LSAT to give the impression that taking the course fully prepares. It's sad.
Bought the books. Dumbest decision I've made. Plain terrible.
I participated in the kaplan online program through a program at my school that allowed me to enroll without paying on my end.
I think the course works for people who aren't self-motivated and are looking to bring their scores up to the 150 range. It's definitely not the best option if you fall anywhere outside of that category.
I did and it was a waste of a couple thousand dollars - COMPLETE waste. I learned more in an hour of 7 sage then over the entire in person course. Let me know if you want to know more.
Truth is, that most of the money spent on LSAT prep is probably for LG. I would love if LSAC would do some of their predictive validity research (which anyhow is pretty dubious) on only RC and LR. I'd be willing to bet that performance on those sections alone would be more predictive of success in law school than the complete test with LG. I know that'll probably ruffle the feathers of some LG aficionados, but it's probably the truth.
I haven't but know someone who did and they said it was a complete waste of time and money. They self-studied and learned more on their own they said.
So I personally have not used Kaplan. I know someone who is currently in law school (not a good one) he did the Kaplan course twice. He got a 142 on his first LSAT, then redid the course because of their promise of "if you don't get the score you were expecting then you can retake it for free" so he retook it and got a 144. He somehow got into law school after his third attempt with a 145. It is a local school, it is not ranked and charges 3-4x what the local ranked school charges. Basically a "as long as you have a pulse, then you get in" type deal. I have never heard of Kaplan doing well by their students-so I have always stayed away. I am curious though, as to why you would consider them over 7Sage? I have personally had my struggles with 7Sage, but I have used the forum to figure out where to go back to and reattach. And in doing so I have found so many principles I somehow missed when doing my initial prep. Perhaps your like me and you need a reattack?