Quick Tip: Don’t cram the day before your test!
In the frantic run-up to the actual LSAT, people occasionally forget something basic—but important—about this test: it’s not something you can cram for! The LSAT isn’t a content-based test or dependent on memorization. Instead, you’re being assessed on your ability to learn a skill, functionally rewiring your brain to think in terms of logic. As a result, the days right before the test rapidly become an exercise in diminishing marginal returns, with less and less that you can get from studying.
So, study a bit before the test if it’ll make you feel more comfortable, but by no means cram and overload yourself. It’ll be counterproductive in all likelihood! Instead, prioritize getting good sleep and being rested.
Discussion: Study actively, not passively
What is active studying? Active studying involves doing something (e.g., answering questions, quizzing yourself, prompting yourself to remember something) as opposed to passively taking in information (e.g., listening to or reading something without taking notes).
To the extent possible, prioritize active studying. The LSAT requires thinking in a way that is completely different from how most of us think in our daily lives: using the language of logic. Think of learning the LSAT not as memorizing a list of discrete facts, but rather as learning a new language. Doing this requires repetition and pushing yourself to think along new and unfamiliar mental routes. This should (sometimes) make your head hurt and feel tough!
But in the face of tough activities, our brain naturally just seeks a break: we listen to a confusing lecture and tune it out, or we glaze over while reading. Resist the impulse! Force yourself to have an active output to check comprehension as you’re going. Only this can really ensure you understand at a deeper level.
Students often go astray when just passively listening to videos without taking notes or attempting to apply concepts (ditto with reading textbooks). I’d recommend always taking notes and, importantly, testing yourself on what you just learned. So, for example, if you just watched a video on foolproofing, write down a step-by-step process in your own words and try foolproofing a game yourself. If you just watched the explanation video for a question you got wrong, fill out a Wrong Answer Journal with a detailed analysis of each answer choice in your own words.
Passive studying certainly does have some merits. In particular, if you’re doing another activity (commuting, working out, etc.) and wouldn’t otherwise be studying, having the LSAT on “in the background” can be helpful. But in your dedicated study time, choose active studying instead. It’s the only way to really commit to deep, focused learning on a topic that all of us find foreign and challenging.