So, you’ve decided you’re going to law school. Congrats!

You’ve been looking into the law school admissions process and you know that you’ll be taking the LSAT (Law School Admission Test). You also know that your LSAT score is the most important part of your admissions profile and that it has a major impact on both offers of admission and scholarships. You’re serious about taking this test and you’re ready to dive in, but first, you need a clear plan to prepare for it.

Sound like you? I was right where you are not very long ago. There’s an overwhelming spread of opinions across the internet on the best way to prepare for the LSAT—some vague, some contradictory, and many from students who haven’t yet taken the exam. (I’m looking at you, Reddit.)

If you’re looking for concrete guidance on how to best study for the LSAT, this is for you. My advice is based on my own experience preparing for the test while working two jobs, as well as what I’ve learned since then through teaching the LSAT to others. We’ll cover the following questions:

1. What makes the LSAT so hard?
2. What kind of score do I need to get into law school?
3. What resources do I need?
4. How long should I plan on studying?
5. When should I plan to take the LSAT?
6. How do I make a study schedule?
7. What does a good study plan look like?
8. How will I know when I’m ready for the LSAT?

What makes the LSAT so hard?

The LSAT has a reputation for being a grueling test. Maybe you’ve heard things about how brutal this exam is from friends, family, classmates, or colleagues. You might be wondering, “What’s the big deal? It’s a test. I’ve taken tests before. I’ll pick up some books, learn whatever this test needs me to know, and check this thing off my list.”

And I hear you. Those were my own thoughts when I started prepping for the LSAT. Because, really, if you’re planning on law school, chances are good that you’re no stranger to tackling challenging subject matter and powering through intense exams.

But I’m here to tell you that the LSAT is different, for two big reasons:

1. The LSAT is a test of skills, not knowledge

This gets said so often in LSAT teaching circles that it’s practically a cliché, but it gets said for a reason. The LSAT feels different from most other exams you’ve probably taken, and it’s because of this major emphasis on skills over knowledge.

Up until now, your academic career has likely focused on pursuing a certain major within a given discipline, and so your studies have centered on acquiring and demonstrating specific knowledge related to that discipline. You’ve likely developed critical thinking skills along the way, but those skills have been sculpted in service of your particular coursework.

The truth is, very few courses or majors out there equip you with the kind of logical reasoning and hyper-precise reading skills that the LSAT demands. As a result, studying for the LSAT means developing a new way of reading and thinking. You’re going to be rewiring your brain, and it’s going to take a lot of time and practice.

Think of it this way: because the LSAT is a skills-based rather than a knowledge-based test, it’s less something you need to study for and more something you need to train for.

2. The LSAT is aggressively timed

The LSAT is a timed test. The standard format gives you thirty-five minutes to complete each of four sections. That’s two hours and twenty minutes in total. (Mercifully, you also get a ten-minute break halfway through.)

Okay, fine. Most exams are timed, right? But not like this. The timing is unbelievably aggressive. Simply getting through the questions requires you to be running on all cylinders for the entire duration. It’s not an exaggeration to say that every single second counts on this test.

That time pressure makes the LSAT both mentally fatiguing and stressful in a way that most other exams aren’t. There’s precious little time to stop and collect your thoughts. You’ll need to make hard decisions in the moment about where to spend your time, and those decisions can have a significant impact on your overall score.

Speaking of your overall score...

What kind of score do I need to get into law school?

The LSAT is scored on a scale from 120 (the lowest possible score) to 180 (the highest possible). Weird numbering system, right?

A more intuitive way to talk about LSAT scores is using percentiles, which rank your score against all your fellow test-takers. For example, a score of 152 is at the 50th percentile (aka the median), meaning it’s a higher score than what 50% of all test-takers received. A 160 score, meanwhile, is at the 75th percentile—it’s higher than 75% of all test-takers’ scores. (FYI, exactly where each percentile falls can vary slightly from year to year, so take these examples with a grain of salt.)

So then, what’s a “good score”? I have a very lawyerly answer for you: it depends. More than anything, it depends on where you plan to apply. You should start by looking up the median LSAT score for each school you’re interested in. In admissions jargon, that median score is called the L50. For any given school, 50% of students were admitted with a lower score than the L50, and the other 50% had a higher score.

You can think of a school’s L50 as the score that will give you an okay chance of admission. Of course, it’s never that simple—law schools look at many other factors, including your GPA, your extracurriculars, any work experience, and your writing skills as demonstrated in your admissions essays, to name a few. You don’t need to hit the L50 in order to get into a given school, and an applicant well above the L50 could still get rejected. But the L50 is the best place to start when considering what your target score should be.

To see the L50 (and other admissions stats) of all ABA-accredited law schools in the US, and to get a rough idea of your admission chances at each school with any given LSAT score, you can use 7Sage’s law school predictor.

The Law School Transparency website also offers a very similar tool to look up admissions statistics for each school and estimate your chances of admission. (Note that these two sites use different scales and formulae for making predictions, so don’t be surprised if you see different results between the two. You should really only be using the predictions as a rough guide anyway.)

What resources do I need?

Alright, you’ve researched the admissions statistics of various schools and you have an idea of your target score. You’re ready to get studying. Where do you start?

There’s a big world of test prep companies out there all clamoring for your attention and money. The good news is this means that you have a lot of options to choose from when it comes to courses, books, and other resources. The bad news is it can be tough to wade through it all and choose.

Before we get into your options, though, I need to disclose something: we are also a test prep company. We like to think we’re the best. But this article isn’t about why someone should choose us—it’s about how to study for the LSAT, period. So I’ll give you my honest perspective as a recent student who tried several different companies’ resources while I was studying.

The official LSAC resources

This first one’s a no-brainer. The organization responsible for the LSAT, known as LSAC (the Law School Admission Council), makes copies of some of their past tests available. To date, they’ve released around 100 of these practice tests, also known as PrepTests or PTs.

Every PT is a real test from a previous year, and this makes them an invaluable source of practice material. Any serious study effort is going to require access to these PTs, and the only way to get access is by signing up on LSAC’s official platform, LawHub. A free LawHub account will get you access to four PTs. For the rest, you’ll need to purchase a subscription to LawHub Advantage. You’re definitely going to want this.

A subscription is $115/year, so plan accordingly. That said, if you qualify for an LSAC fee waiver due to financial need, you can gain free access to LawHub Advantage. You can check if you’re eligible here.

However, just having access to PTs isn’t enough. The first phase of your studying is going to be all about learning the fundamental reading and reasoning skills that the LSAT requires. For that, you’re going to need some kind of course material.

LSAC has its own free study course which you can access through Khan Academy. Because it’s free, it can be a good place to get your feet wet. However, the reality is that it’s simply not as thorough or detailed as some of the paid course material out there. (One other thing to note about the Khan Academy lessons: LSAC is in the process of porting the lessons over to LawHub. After June 30, 2024, it’ll all be dropped from Khan—you’ll access this material directly through your LawHub account.)

Paid courses and textbooks

Many students use material from outside LSAC’s official resources. I did. The LSAT is very hard and very important, and it’s worth investing in good resources to help you learn.

A quick online search will produce a slew of options for textbooks, self-paced online courses, live classes (whether online or in-person), and private tutoring (typically online). Rest assured, the more widely recognized and reputable companies aren’t scams—they offer helpful resources that are very likely to improve your performance on the LSAT. But I do think that some are better than others. Without playing to any favorites, here’s how I’d go about choosing:

1. Consider your budget. The more hands-on the course is, the more expensive it will be. Textbooks and self-paced online courses are generally much cheaper than live classes or tutoring. And some of those books and self-paced courses really are excellent. You don’t necessarily need to spend a ton for high-quality learning material. At the same time, the pricier options are worth it for people who prefer to learn directly from other humans.

This brings me to my next point...

2. Consider your learning style and scheduling needs. Do you learn best when working face-to-face with instructors and peers, or do you do better when you set your own pace?

Live classes and tutoring have the advantage of a clearly defined structure, immediate feedback, and some externally imposed accountability. Self-paced materials, meanwhile, allow you the flexibility to slow down when you’re not understanding something and to speed ahead when you’re totally nailing a concept. There’s really no right answer here—it’s entirely a matter of personal preference and learning style.

If you’re leaning towards live classes, one other thing to consider is whether the class times align with your own schedule. Make sure to research your options and confirm that your preferred course has a schedule you can accommodate.

3. Prioritize digital resources. The LSAT is taken digitally, either in person at a testing center or remotely on a personal computer (your choice). Because of this, I strongly recommend that however you choose to study, you ensure that you’re able to practice on a digital interface. Also, as you progress in your LSAT journey, you’ll ideally want to be able to create custom sets of practice questions that are tailored to your strengths and weaknesses, rather than just choosing from a list of pre-prepared drills.

For this reason, I would recommend against studying exclusively with textbooks. Don’t get me wrong—textbooks can be great, and I learned a lot from the books I used. But sooner or later, you’re going to need to practice on the computer. Prioritizing resources with a good digital platform will serve you well in the long run.

How long should I plan on studying?

First, the simple version: expect to spend at least 300 hours studying over six months. That’s roughly twelve hours a week during those six months, or an average of one hour and forty minutes per day, every day. If you want to study within a shorter time span, be prepared to spend more hours per week, but I definitely recommend against trying to cram all your studying into two or three months. In my experience, a modest but consistent study schedule over a longer duration produces better results. (More on study schedules later.) Also, be fully prepared to increase your total number of study hours beyond 300. Many people need more than that. (I did.)

Now, here’s the non-simple version: plan to spend as long as it takes you to reach your target score. I can’t tell you exactly how long that’s going to take, but here’s my best advice: don’t rush it. Remember how I said at the top that preparing for the LSAT is more like training than traditional studying? It takes a lot of time and dedicated practice to train up the mental muscles needed to tackle this test. Give yourself more time than you think you’ll need. If you’re ready sooner than you’d planned, congratulations. What you don’t want is to be faced with the decision of whether to (a) take the test before you truly feel ready or (b) push back your plans to apply to law school.

Speaking of when you’re planning to apply...

When should I plan to take the LSAT?

The LSAT is currently offered nine times a year. The dates vary each cycle—you can find a full schedule here.

The preferred timing of your exam will depend on when you want to apply and go to law school. Most schools open for applications in September of each year, and applications are typically reviewed on a rolling basis, so you often have a slight advantage if you can apply earlier in the cycle, when schools still have plenty of open spots available. If you’re later than that, though, don’t worry—plenty of people get into law school by applying throughout the fall and winter. It’s far more important to have a strong application than an early application.

All that being said, you should aim to get your applications finished by the end of February at the latest, so the January LSAT is really the last one you should take if you’re planning to apply in that cycle.

Also, it’s wise to leave room for a retake. You can technically take the LSAT up to a total of seven times. Your goal should be to take the test once and be done with it, but many people retake the test after further study to try to nail a higher score. (I did.)

On the topic of test dates, you might have heard some recent buzz about the “August 2024 LSAT.” Briefly, as of August, the format of the test will be changing somewhat. You can read all about the change here. My advice on this is simple: if you haven’t started studying yet, plan on taking the test in its new format in August or later.

Ultimately, when deciding when to take the test, my advice is to not overthink it. The test is offered frequently throughout the year, so you can register once you feel sufficiently prepared. Give yourself ample time to study and let your progress dictate when to take the test.

Your progress will be largely influenced by how you schedule your study time, so let’s examine that next.

How do I make a study schedule?

The most important factor in building your schedule is determining how many hours per week you can realistically dedicate to focused study. If you’re following my recommendations above, you’re likely going to be studying for half a year or more, so make sure to set a weekly commitment that you can keep up with over the long haul.

If you’re studying or working full-time, I recommend aiming for ten hours/week. This allows you to set aside, say, an hour and a half each day from Monday through Thursday, and four hours on either Saturday or Sunday.

If you’re studying or working part-time, consider upping your study time to twenty hours/week, with a focus on spreading that time out evenly across the week and at least one day off.

If you have minimal commitments and want to make studying for the LSAT your full-time job, be careful not to overdo it. Give yourself at least one day off, and ideally two. Also, if you’re not working or in school during this time, make sure you’re still doing something besides thinking about the LSAT—an internship, a volunteer gig, or a part-time job. Law schools will ask about gaps in your résumé, and saying, “I was studying for the LSAT without doing anything else” won’t look great.

Regardless of which category you fall into above, here are a few pointers when building your schedule:

• Give yourself at least one day off when you’re not thinking about the LSAT. Even pro athletes don’t train every day.
• On the other end of the spectrum, don’t pile all your study time into just one or two days a week. Two hours per day spread across five days is better than two five-hour study sessions every Saturday and Sunday. By spreading out your time, you’ll make yourself more productive (less boredom and distraction) and you’ll have a better recollection of whatever you learned during your previous study session.
• Once you’ve decided on your study hours, block them off in your calendar. It can be difficult when you have competing priorities, I know—especially if you have, say, a demanding full-time job or family commitments. But if law school is also a real priority—and I’m assuming it is—then it’s only right for it to take up space in your life. Put your study time in your calendar and protect that time.

Once you’ve set your study hours, you’re ready to dive in.

What does a good study plan look like?

Your approach should consist of four overall components:

1. Theory  - Learning the principles and skills that underlie the test. This is when you’ll primarily be working through whatever LSAT course and/or textbook material you’ve acquired. Expect this to take around 100 hours.
2. Accuracy Drills - With the theory under your belt, your focus turns to answering sets of practice questions under untimed conditions. The objective is to carefully apply the proper reasoning and reading methods to reach the right answers, rather than to answer the questions quickly.
3. Timed Drills - As you improve your accuracy on specific question types, you can advance to taking timed drills that push you to answer each question with realistic timing.
4. PrepTests (PTs) - The capstone of your study efforts will be to take fully timed PTs. You want to take these under conditions that are as realistic as possible. That means taking all four sections of the test in a single sitting, with a ten-minute break halfway through. Treat these as true mock tests: shut out all distractions, turn off your phone, and make sure you won’t be disturbed for the next two and a half hours.

You might be tempted to work through these four components linearly—that is, learning all the theory, then taking nothing but accuracy drills, then moving up to timed drills, and finally powering through PT after PT. I recommend against this approach.

The best study plans combine all four components in a more flexible, staggered format. Let’s say you’ve just worked through the theory on Strengthen- and Weaken-type questions in the Logical Reasoning section of your course material. You can start mixing in some accuracy drills to continue practicing those two question types while you also forge ahead with theory work on other question types.

Once you’re nailing those Strengthen and Weaken accuracy drills, move on up to timed drills. In this way, you might be learning the theory for one question type, practicing your accuracy for another type, and working on your timing for a third type, all in the same week.

Lastly, once you’re well through the theory and primarily focusing on untimed and timed practice, you can start taking PTs. Each time you take a PT, use your results to home in on your errors. Review the theory for areas that you’re still weak on, and shore up those skills with drills. Then, when you’ve bolstered those particular skills, take another PT and see where you need to improve next. Wash, rinse, and repeat.

This, in broad strokes, is what your study plan should look like. If you’d like to see an example of this approach in action, I recommend playing around with the study scheduler below. It will build a custom study plan based on your time frame and weekly study hours. You can see how it shuffles together theory (”Learn It”) and practice (”Drill It”), gradually building up to taking full timed sections and entire PrepTests. Whether or not you use 7Sage’s course material, it will provide a useful outline of how to structure your study progression.

How will I know when I’m ready for the LSAT?

Assuming you’ve set a target score for yourself, here’s my formula to know when you’re ready for the LSAT: you’ve scored at least two points above your target score on each of your five most recent PrepTests.

Why two points above? When taking the actual test, it’s pretty common to score a point or two lower than your recent PT average because of test-day jitters. Aiming to score two points above your target gives you a little insurance.

Why your five most recent PrepTests? Quite simply, you want to demonstrate to yourself that you can hit your goal score consistently so that you can walk into the test with confidence.

That’s it! That’s what I think you should know about studying for the LSAT. You’re about to set out on a huge but hugely rewarding undertaking. I wish you the very best of success!

Study Scheduler

Use the tool below to see what a recommended study schedule would look like based on your available time.