LSAT Blogs

While each law school’s application form is pretty straight forward, I would like to point out a few things.

Some law schools start accepting applications on September 1, others on October 15, or somewhere in between. You’ll find that information on each school’s website. As I mentioned in an earlier entry, you’ll be applying through the LSAC website, and it’s possible that the schools haven’t yet made available their applications for the Fall 2010 Entering Class. That’s ok. In the meantime, check out each school’s website because you may be able to find the Fall 2009 application, which will give you an idea as to the information you’ll need to provide.

There’s a question that asks you to indicate what area(s) of law you may be interested in. Don’t worry; there’s no right or wrong answer. But if you check the box – or write on the blank line – that you’re interested in estate law, as an Admissions Office reading your application, I’m going to wonder where they interest came from. Do you have work, life, academic or volunteer experience in this/these areas? If so, make sure you comment on it in your personal statement. Your experience will add richness to the classroom discussion; be proud of it.

Remember, even if a school’s application is not yet posted, you can still be working on all of the other pieces of your package (your transcripts, letters of recommendation and personal statement) so that completing the actual form is your last step before submitting all of your material.

Ok, let’s start at the top…

The Admissions Committee has a two-fold goal: to bring in as competitive of a class as possible, while bringing in as diverse of a class as possible.

There’s no question that each school is looking for the strongest LSAT and GPA. At the same time, the last thing the Committee wishes to do is bring in a class in which everyone is from the same hometown, same high school, same college and same major. It makes for very boring classroom discussion. Instead, they’re looking for applicants who:

• Are in-state and out-of-state
• Attended private universities, state universities and community colleges
• Majored in biology, math, music, accounting, history, engineering, English, foreign language
• Just graduated from undergraduate school, as well as those who’ve been out of school one year, five years, ten years and twenty years

So what does this mean for you? Be comfortable knowing that there is no mold that you have to fit. A common mistake made by applicants is crafting an application that reinforces what the applicant thinks admissions committees want to hear. The committee doesn’t expect you to be an expert on the legal system, nor do they want to hear you pontificate on what your views are of the law (a major turn-off). Use your application to embrace your uniqueness, and combine that with your passion for earning a JD. Each stage of the application process (from writing personal statements to securing strong letters of recommendation) allows you an opportunity to showcase your unique story and your drive. We’ll address each piece of the application further in future blogs.

You may be curious as to how the application process works, so here goes…

I view the application process as containing five different pieces:

• The application form itself
• Undergraduate GPA
• LSAT score
• Letters of recommendation
• Personal statement

Over the course of the next few blogs, I will address each piece individually. In the meantime, I feel it is important for you to understand the overarching sequence of the process.

You will need to submit your transcript(s) and letters of recommendation to LSAC. It is your responsibility to make sure that LSAC receives both, and the good news is that you have the ability to track their receipt online on the LSAC website. And, obviously, LSAC will have your LSAT score(s) on file.

Even if all of this information is in, the law school doesn’t know that you are applying until you submit the actual application form. After you complete the online application and before you hit the "send" button, upload your personal statement, resume (if you have one) and addendum (if you’ve written one – the purpose of which I will discuss in a later blog) as attachments.

Once you click "send", your application will be forwarded to that respective law school. When the Admissions Office receives your application, it will set up an internal file and request your LSAT score, transcript(s) and letters of recommendation from LSAC. Only when all of the material is received by the Admission Office will your application be considered "complete" and be forwarded on to the Admissions Committee for review.

The Logical Reasoning section of the LSAT contains a number of frequently repeated argumentative structures. One of the most common involves an author using the given evidence to reach a definitive conclusion without considering alternative factors. Here’s an example of such an argument:

Last night, I planted a bed of roses in my front yard. This morning, I noticed that the roses had been dug up and spread around the yard. My next-door neighbors have a dog that enjoys digging up flowers, so it must have been their dog that dug up my new roses.

In this argument, the author discovers a possible factor in the flowery destruction: a dog with a penchant for digging up flowers. While it sounds like a reasonable explanation, the author unfairly concludes that this "must" be the only explanation. Such extreme wording often indicates that the author has failed to consider alternative possibilities – and that’s certainly true in this case.

With this kind of argument, there are a lot of questions the LSAT could ask. For starters, the LSAT could ask you what the "error in reasoning" is or what makes the argument "vulnerable to criticism." In these questions, you merely have to point out the flaw. The answer could be presented in a fairly straightforward manner (e.g., the author fails to consider that some other animal could be responsible for digging up the roses) or may be dressed up in slightly abstract wording (e.g., the author treats one possible explanation for a particular occurrence as if it were the only explanation for that occurrence).

The LSAT could also ask you to weaken or undermine the argument. Since we know that the author is overlooking possible alternatives, a quick way to weaken the argument is by offering another explanation. For example, a correct answer may suggest that the author lives next to another neighbor who owns a rabbit known for digging up flowers.

Finding the correct flaw or identifying information that could weaken the argument stems from recognizing the author’s primary assumption: that the neighbor’s dog is the only animal that could be responsible for the roses being dug up. This assumption is just one more piece of information the LSAT could ask for. However, like with flaw questions, you have to be prepared for multiple variations on wording the correct answer. On less difficult questions, the assumption could be written clearly (e.g., no other animal could have dug up the roses). On more difficult questions, the correct answer could consider a specific alternative and deny the possibility of that alternative happening (e.g., the property surrounding the author’s home is not inhabited by gophers, which are known for digging up flowers).

These answers are the most difficult to spot because they often bring up information that wasn’t provided in the original argument. It wouldn’t be unusual for your first reaction to be, where did the gophers come from? The argument was talking about a dog! However, if the author’s home was near flower-digging gophers, that would weaken the argument by providing a possible alternative explanation. Therefore, the author must assume that these gophers aren’t in the area.

As you study for the LSAT, you will come across many arguments in which the author overlooks alternative explanations. The more easily you recognize them, the more efficiently you’ll be able to answer the questions based on those arguments. Also, remember to be flexible when evaluating the answer choices; the LSAT can present you the correct answer in many different ways.

If you’re in the DC, Chicago or Boston areas, attend a Law School Decision seminar hosted by myself (I’ll be in Chicago) or one of my Kaplan Admissions Consulting colleagues.

At these free events, we’ll discuss:

• • How the current economic climate is affecting law school admissions
• • The value of a JD
• • What it takes to get accepted to law school

We’ll also dissect a before and after version of a former admissions consulting student’s personal statement you’ll learn how to avoid common pitfalls while obtaining tried and true practices for a successful application.

Law School Decision Events - Register today!

• • Washington DC, June 9
• • Chicago, June 10
• • Boston, June 23

For more information about law school admissions consulting, visit: kaptest.com/lawadmissions.

Test Day is right around the corner! This is when tensions get high and the pressure of taking the exam can start to take its toll on test takers. That stress, however, can only impede your final preparations. That being said, here are a few don’ts to avoid as game day approaches.

1. Don’t take a full-length exam every day from now until the day before the test.

This leaves less time for a more analytical approach to studying. Simply taking exams and looking at the scores will do little to improve your performance. Instead, you need to spend time reviewing each test you take to understand what you did wrong and what you need to do to get better. Without that understanding, your score is unlikely to get better on the next test.

Even if you do review your test every day, that’s still about six or more hours of studying in one day. That can get exhausting and potentially lead to burnout. Plus, it leaves little or no time to focus on practicing on any specific concepts that troubled you on the exam. If you know what’s giving you trouble and you don’t take the time to work on it, then it’s probably going to give you trouble on the next exam, too.

You can’t always assume that problems will just fix themselves from one test to the next. That’s why you need to take an extra day or two between tests to work on concepts individually – whether it be specific question types or improving pacing within one particular section.

2. Don’t work on only the most challenging questions.

The more challenging the questions, the more likely you are to get those questions wrong. Sure, it’s great when you get those questions right. However, getting them wrong is still frustrating – even if they are more difficult. And, if you get too many wrong, you lose sight of what’s important – all the questions you would get right.

You have to remember that your score is dependent on getting questions right, not just getting hard questions right. If you focus only on the stuff giving you trouble, you’ll have a hard time building momentum and you’re more likely to enter the test discouraged about your weaknesses rather than encouraged by all the progress you’ve made. Spend some time reviewing your strengths and make sure that you end your studying on a positive note. Nobody wants to go into Test Day having blown the last question in practice.

3. Don’t study hard the day before the test.

It’s okay to take some time early in the day to get in some last minute review or work on a few strengths to give yourself a confidence boost. However, by the time dinner is done, the books should be hidden and all you should be worried about is making sure you have everything you need for day ahead – your pencils, your admissions ticket, directions, etc. Don’t let the day before the test be stressful in any way, shape or form. Relax. You’ve put in a lot of hard work. Let it all pay off with a great score the next day.

Good luck to everyone taking the exam. And, on behalf of all Kaplan instructors, please e-mail us after you’ve taken the exam and when you get your scores back. We really look forward to hearing from all of you.

You’re in luck. There are a plethora of opportunities available to help you explore potential law schools. Yes, you can read about the schools in publications and online, but I believe that the best way to really get to know a law school is to visit it, or at least speak with representatives from there. Two of the most valuable alternatives are listed below. Please, please, please take advantage of these valuable resources.

Law School Admission Council (LSAC) Law School Forums
The Law School Admission Council offers Law School Forums in nine cities around the country, and the good news is that admission is free. The majority of the law schools send representatives, and you have the wonderful opportunity to talk face-to-face with them and ask any and all questions you may have. If you live in New York, and you wish to look at schools in California, Florida, Texas and Washington, you can accomplish this without getting on an airplane. While you’re at the Forum, be sure to check out the LSAC-sponsored workshops on such topics as financial aid, the admissions process and the LSAT. For complete information about locations, dates, workshops and registration, see the LSAC website: www.lsac.org.

Law Schools Visits
Law schools provide a number of options to make it easy for you to visit the school, e.g., attending open houses and information sessions, taking guided tours and sitting in on first-year classes. Once again, visiting a law school provides you with a chance to speak directly with Admissions and Financial Aid Officers, faculty and students. Is the law school located on a campus or in the middle of the city? Near public transportation? Is it a modern or traditional facility? Are the people you pass in the hallway friendly and welcoming, or cold and aloof? Most likely you’ll need to make an appointment ahead of time, so be sure to look on each school’s website for full details.

You are going to be investing a lot of time and money pursuing your law school education. Do the utmost to ensure that the school is the right fit. We want you to enjoy the ride.

Given a statement in "if X, then Y" format, most people are perfectly comfortable writing it down in shorthand (X → Y) and forming the contrapositive (No Y → No X). However, there’s one formal logic keyword that distracts and confuses more test takers than any other: unless.

While some people continually struggle with "if" vs. "only if" (remember, "if" indicates a sufficient condition; "only if" indicates a necessary condition), "unless" is a virtually universal stumper. However, like with any concept on the LSAT, dealing with this issue comes down to understanding it.

To help, let’s use an analogy from the world of politics: Unless you were born in the United States, you cannot become President of the United States.

So, what does that mean? Just like on the LSAT, the word "unless" indicates a necessary condition; a person needs to be born in the United States. What is that necessary for? It’s necessary to be the president. However, does being born in the United States guarantee one becoming president? Of course not.

Remember that necessary conditions are just that – necessary. They will not guarantee results. However, what happens if a person was not born in the U.S.? That guarantees something: that person cannot be president. So, how does this translate into formal logic? Like so:

Not born in U.S. → Not president
President → Born in the U.S.

Many people will offer the following quick tip: cross out the word "unless" and replace it with "if not." Then, start with that "if not" and go from there. It works perfectly because you’re negating the necessary condition. And when you don’t have the necessary condition, you can’t possibly have the condition for which it’s necessary.

Take one more quick example for practice: The television show will be canceled unless viewers draft a petition.

In this case, drafting a petition is necessary to save the television show, but even the best petition isn’t guaranteed to save it. However, change that "unless" to "if not," and you have a definite statement: if viewers don’t draft a petition, the show will be canceled. And, by the contrapositive: If the show is not canceled, then viewers must have drafted a position. (Note how drafting a petition is the necessary condition in this logic.)

Now, go find your hardest "unless" statement and don’t let it stump you again.

If you’ve been admitted to law school(s), you’ve noticed that many of them require you to put down a second deposit to hold your seat. Hopefully you’ve been doing your research to determine which school best fits your needs. If you haven’t already done so, make every effort to visit the law school(s) you’re still considering. Now is the time to ask any further questions you may have.

Below are a few important notes regarding your second deposit:

• They are non-refundable.
• If you need an extension, contact the Admissions Office immediately to request it. There is absolutely no guarantee the law school will approve the extension, but you won’t know if you don’t ask.
• The deadline date is firm; you must get your payment in on time.
• Once you have committed to the law school you wish to attend, please notify the other school(s) that you will not be attending there. This will allow the law school to fill that seat immediately. Look at it from the other side: Consider that you are waitlisted at Your-First-Choice-School-A, and are waiting anxiously to hear a decision before submitting your second deposit at School B. Wouldn’t you appreciate it if an accepted applicant to School A had the courtesy to inform the school that he/she has opted to attend a different institution? Maybe the spot would then be offered to you.

Most importantly, you’ll be spending the next 3-4 years (depending on whether you’re attending full time or part time) at the school, and I want you to be very happy with your decision so you can enjoy pursuing your JD degree.

Anyone familiar with Kaplan’s Method for Logical Reasoning knows that we recommend reading the question stem before reading (or untangling, as we like to say) the stimulus. This isn’t just some arbitrary decision; it’s a reasoned recommendation that merits justification.

1. Many people who read the stimulus first will then read the question stem, realize what the question is looking for, and have to read the stimulus a second time to pick up anything they missed. That means reading up to a dozen or more lines of text twice. If you know the question ahead of time, you can read the stimulus just once, gather the information you need, and answer the question in less time.

2. When you read the stem first, you know what to expect and can attack the stimulus appropriately. For instance:

* "Undermine the argument"? The stimulus will have a full argument with a conclusion and supporting evidence, and you want to determine how you can make it worse.
* "What can be properly inferred"? Chances are there won’t be a conclusion — just a string of facts that you can combine to form logical deductions.
* "Resolve the paradox"? There will be information with an internal discrepancy that you’ll need to explain, rather than the standard evidence-conclusion argumentative structure.

When you know what you’re looking for, you can take a more strategic and ultimately more efficient approach to the stimulus.

3. Occasionally, the question stem comes with helpful information that makes it easier to recognize the answer. For example, there have been flaw questions that read "the argument is vulnerable to criticism because it ignores the possibility that." Without even reading the stimulus, you already know the flaw! Now you can read the stimulus looking for that overlooked alternative.

Some people complain that reading the stem first causes you to overlook important information in the stimulus because you’re too focused on finding specific information. However, complaints such as this frequently come from a misunderstanding of the method or from people unfamiliar with the reasoning behind the method. Knowing that you’re looking for a conclusion and back-up evidence is no excuse for ignoring critical keywords such as "however" or "despite." Reading the stem first is meant to provide guidance, not serve as a reason to ignore potentially vital information.

There’s a reason for every method Kaplan recommends. However, it’s up to each test-taker to understand how the method works and apply it properly.