When it comes to standardized testing, who doesn’t want the best result possible? When you hear about someone who received a perfect score on the LSAT, it is almost like hearing someone found a genie in a lamp. Or a needle in a haystack. You get the picture! As it is not impossible to achieve the perfect LSAT score, our goal is to provide you with some tips and tools to help you on your way to get a 180 on the LSAT score.
The LSAT in a Nutshell
The LSAT is one of the hardest standardized test and is required by law schools all across the United States and Canada for entry. LSAT is simply an acronym for the Law School Admission Test, made and distributed by the Law School Administration Council (LSAC). Your LSAT score will determine the type of law school you can get into. Various law programs may require high LSAT scores, while some will admit lower ones.
Sections of the LSAT Exam
The LSAT is 3 hours and 30 minutes long and is given in two different parts. The first is a series of multiple-choice questions from the various sections, and the second part is a 35-minute unscored writing section. All sections of the exam can have between 24-27 multiple-choice questions. However, they all are 35 minutes long. The various sections of the exam are listed as follows:
Reading Comprehension
his portion tests your ability as the reader to recognize main ideas in a text, determine the meaning of words or phrases, determine an author’s attitude or tone within passages, to name a few.
Logical Reasoning or “Arguments”
With each question on this portion of the exam, you have to assess a short passage in which you recognize parts of an argument, draw conclusions, identify principles, and find flaws (to name a few).
Analytical Reasoning (the Logic Games)
This portion of the tests presents a series of passages where the student would reply to several questions to the one passage. More so, this portion of the LSAT assess reasoning, inferring truth and hypotheticals, and recognition of similar statements and logic.
Writing section
This section of the LSAT test is unscored. However, it is compulsory. Each person taking the test must provide a writing sample even though it is not graded. When the listed universities receive the scores, they will also receive the writing sample. This is used for you to be able to demonstrate your persuasive writing skills. There is no right or wrong stance.
Is a 180 on the LSAT Possible?
Though many people will try, many will fall short of their desired perfect LSAT score. About a tenth of a percent of the approximately 144,000 people that take the LSAT each year get a 180. This means it is not impossible to get a 180 LSAT score, just very difficult. Test takers should certainly shoot for the stars when it comes to getting the highest score possible. Yale Law School, the top-ranking law school in the United States, requires students to have an LSAT score of 173. So if you fall a bit short of that 180, know you are still able to get into some amazing places!
Allow Enough Study Time
Where there is a will, there is away! When it comes to tips and tricks for a standardized test, this boils down to the LSAT prep books you use and how much LSAT prep time is devoted to getting that coveted high score of 180. Studying for the LSAT requires at least three months of devoted study time. Make sure you are allowing at least 10 hours in a week for the LSAT prep. Still aiming for that 180 on the LSAT, up that study time by doubling it. Expect to spend twenty (or more) hours per week of intense practice test time. While this seems like an immense amount of time, being able to devote enough time is crucial to getting that 180 LSAT score.
Have a group of friends that are all taking the LSAT? Why not study together? If all of those within the group want a good score on the exam, there may be many benefits to playing off each other’s strengths. If you are great in the analytical reasoning section but not so much in logical reasoning, that is where a study buddy can come in.
Consider Taking an LSAT Prep Course
Doing everything on your own is great. But to get that perfect 180, you might want to consider learning from the professionals. LSATMax prep course offers a series of timed practice exams. The course includes personal feedback, prep books, and a structured study plan. Expert tutors can score your practice exams. They also help you answer questions in areas of difficulty and make you think differently about how you answer questions in the first place. If you have a great LSAT teacher, they will know the test and the types of questions with ease. This is because they have scored high themselves. Taking a prep course is one way that may help you get a perfect score.
Review! Re-look! Re-test & Rescore!
I like to call this “The Four R’s” of test prep. When you study for the LSAT, it can be easy to get lost in the myriad of logical reasoning passages, the logic games, or reading comprehension questions. It is enough to make anyone’s head spin. Just go by the “The Four R’s,” and you will be solid come exam day. Practice tests will be your best friend in your LSAT prep journey. Full-length practice tests allow you to review questions or a question type that might be throwing you off and causing you to get a lower LSAT score. So, review that practice LSAT exam. Look at the questions you got wrong and study. Take another practice exam, and then score again. Keep doing this until you have your desired result!
