Talent vs. "True Grit": What Predicts Success on the LSAT and in Life? -

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~Mark Sacks
ScoreItUp Company Owner

Fall Course Calendar

ScoreItUp’s Fall course calendars will be posted soon. The courses will end shortly prior to the November 17, 2018 LSAT. For more details, please email mark@scoreitup.com

Questions For Mark

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~Mark Sacks
ScoreItUp Company Owner

10 at 10 Early Registration Discount

In honor of ScoreItUp’s 10th year in business, the first 50% of students who enroll in each of my 2018 live (classroom) ScoreItUp course will get a 10% discount off the course fee. Online students are eligible for a 10% discount too – email me at mark@scoreitup.com for details. No tricks, no gimmicks, no asterisks – just a nice discount off of ScoreItUp’s already excellent value for those who plan ahead and enroll early. Also, if you qualify for an LSAT fee waiver, please ask me about ScoreItUp’s need-based scholarships. Please email me at mark@scoreitup.com if you have any questions!

ScoreItUp’s “10 at 10” Early-Enrollment Discounts

Here’s the short version, if you are pressed for time: if you are one of the first 50% of students who enroll enroll in any live (classroom) ScoreItUp course in 2018 (or at any time for ScoreItUp’s online video course), and you get a 10% discount in honor of ScoreItUp’s 10th year in business.

Please email me at mark@scoreitup.com for any questions. Thank you – I look forward to hearing from you, and I hope to share a very exciting 10-year LSAT Prep anniversary with you!

Chris L.'s Story

The Problem: Chris was a bright, fun-loving UC Santa Barbara student (go Gauchos!) planning on going to law school. He knew the LSAT was complex, and felt he would benefit significantly from an excellent LSAT Prep instructor.

The Solution: While coming home from a vacation, Chris attempted to impress the woman next to him on the plane with his UCSB charm. The scintillating conversation naturally turned to LSAT Prep. She told Chris that ScoreItUp was the best course out there, and she planned to commute from Los Angeles to Orange County to take it. After seeing what ScoreItUp offered, Chris was convinced.

The Result: The most challenging section on the LSAT for Chris was Logic Games (Analytical Reasoning). After three weeks of training with Mark Sacks, Chris got a perfect score on Logic Games using a real LSAT exam in a timed classroom setting. In the next week’s class, Chris did it again! [Editor’s Note: after reviewing Alex’s Story, it makes one wonder: were Chris and Alex twins separated at birth?!]

Chris’ Words: Not all test prep companies are created equal. What sold me on ScoreItUp was it offers more hours at a cheaper price, and Mark Sacks is guaranteed to be the teacher. But what makes this class worthwhile is not just the quantity, but the quality of the service and the attitude with which it is rendered. Mark’s effective communication, detailed explanations, thorough analysis, successful strategies, and enthusiasm for the LSAT have empowered me to make substantial improvement. Mark is also really encouraging and cares about your progress. The guy has a sense of humor too!

Ben's Story

The Problem: Ben was a strong student with very specific and very high law school aspirations.

The Solution: Ben recognized the tremendous opportunity (and value) offered by ScoreItUp LSAT Prep. After finishing ScoreItUp’s Summer LSAT Prep course, he was scoring in the 98th percentile – an increase of 58 percentile points (and over 20 LSAT points) over his initial diagnostic exam score (using real LSATs taken in a timed and proctored classroom setting). Ben´s tremendous improvement on the LSAT ultimately became a law school life-changer.

The Result: Ben received a slew of law school offers, but the decision for him was a no-brainer. One of his many law school acceptance letters came from the University of Virginia, a “Top 10” law school in the exact location (near Washington D.C.) where he wanted to be.

Ben’s Words: There’s no one I’d trust more than Mark when it comes to preparation for the LSAT.

Randy's Story

The Problem: Randy took a LSAT Prep course from a large test prep company. He prepared thoroughly and got a good score on the LSAT. However, Randy’s aspirations were set high. He was not at all satisfied with the training he got, and he knew that other large companies would have the same problem.

The Solution: After going through the experience once, Randy knew that his instructor’s ability to train him effectively was what truly mattered. Randy saw ScoreItUp’s significant advantages, and liked the reassurance that Mark Sacks would be teaching all of the lessons.

The Result: Before ScoreItUp, Randy took a full course with another company, trained extremely diligently, and took the LSAT. He then took ScoreItUp and saw his actual LSAT score increase nearly an additional 10 percentage points, landing him in the top 5 percent of test takers in the nation. Randy’s critical improvement on the LSAT allowed him to achieve his dream of attending USC Law School, an opportunity he never otherwise would have had.

Randy’s Words: If you’re looking for a quality LSAT class, ScoreItUp is hands down the best in Southern California. Mark’s dedication and enthusiasm in helping his students excel is unparalleled.

Shadee's Story

The Problem: Shadee was a bright UC Irvine student seeking a LSAT Prep instructor who could assist her in maximizing her LSAT score.

The Solution: Shadee previously took an undergraduate law course at UC Irvine with Mark Sacks, which left her confident in his ability to guide her through the challenging LSAT.

The Result: Shadee´s score on her actual LSAT exam was a whopping 20 points higher than the score she received when taking an official full-length LSAT exam in a timed and proctored classroom setting prior to her ScoreItUp training.

Shadee’s Words: Scoreitup, overall is a great LSAT Prep Course to take! It improved my score by 20 points! Mark Sacks, the instructor is very easy to understand and more than willing to help clarify anything you did not understand both inside and outside of the class. He makes the material a bit more interesting and fun to learn! The learning environment is great! His tips and learning techniques were very helpful. He is also very educated about the law school process…he himself scored in the 99th percentile and graduated from Harvard law! Overall, it was a great choice for me…especially since his rates are not as high as all of the rest of the LSAT Prep Courses…and I improved more than most of my other friends!

Chris S.'s Story

The Problem: Chris wanted to attend law school in Southern California, but getting into a very good law school and the cost were both concerns, and he knew that the LSAT was absolutely critical to achieving his goals. Chris knew that he would benefit from a proven and experienced LSAT Prep instructor.

The Solution: Chris took a serious look at ScoreItUp LSAT Prep and compared it to the competition. The decision was an obvious one. He felt the quality assurances and instructor guarantee at ScoreItUp far surpassed anything the competition offered. And, by cutting out the middleman, Chris knew ScoreItUp also would save him a lot of money!

The Result: Chris´s final, actual LSAT score on the official LSAT exam was 19 points higher than the score he obtained on a diagnostic exam (using an official LSAT exam in a proctored classroom setting) when he started with ScoreItUp. He received multiple offers and, with Mark´s guidance, selected a great law school in Southern California providing a 70% scholarship! Now that´s a return on investment that would make even Warren Buffet proud!

Chris´s Words: “Mark´s amazing teaching style and proven test prep strategies are powerful and will provide you with necessary resources needed to realize your full potential on the LSAT exam. Plus, ScoreItUp is 1/3 to 2/3 less than other test prep companies out there. I highly recommend it!!”

Carlos's Story

The Problem: After realizing the positive impact that lawyers can make in society, Carlos decided he wanted to enter into the legal profession. He then enrolled in a LSAT Prep course with a national test prep company. Unfortunately, he was very disappointed with the quality of the LSAT Prep teaching he received.

The Solution: Carlos then enrolled in ScoreItUp LSAT Prep, knowing that ScoreItUp´s unique “instructor guarantee” would eliminate any concerns about getting an unknown instructor who did not have a law school degree, solid teaching credentials, and/or extensive teaching experience.

The Result: Carlos´s mock LSAT exam score increased 19 points the first time he took ScoreItUp´s course. He got so much out of the course that he took it again and bounced up another 4 points… a total increase of 23 points (comparing first-to-best mock exams). In other words, Carlos improved 23 points compared to where he was after taking a major national test prep company course! He was so pleased that he got his girlfriend to enroll in ScoreItUp the next year.

Carlos’ Words: I paid over $1400 for one of the big name prep courses and was very disappointed with the teaching abilities from the staff. I had minimal gains in my LSAT score and was very frustrated. I took ScoreItUp because I had firsthand experience with Mark´s teaching abilities and knew his course would suit me well. The overall structure of the course is what helped me fully understand the concepts of the LSAT, which yielded a much higher score. The quality I experienced at ScoreItUp is definitely unsurpassed by the big name prep courses and I recommend this course to anyone who is looking for a high quality course at a very reasonable rate.

Harrish's Story

The Problem: Harish was an excellent USC student who did a lot of teaching assistant work himself. He was interested in law school, but knew that he was going to need to prepare thoroughly for the LSAT in order to achieve his potential on the challenging exam.

The Solution: After meeting Mark at USC’s Law Fair, Harish sensed that ScoreItUp would be ideal in helping him achieve his goal of living up to his potential on the LSAT. Although it was a longer commute to attend ScoreItUp’s live course in Orange County, Harish knew that he needed to prioritize the LSAT to achieve his law school goals.

The Result: After taking ScoreItUp’s course with Mark, Harish got a 178 on his official LSAT (substantially better than over 99 percent of all testtakers), the first time he took it. Harish’s 178 score certainly was no fluke, as he consistently scored in the very high 170’s during timed practice LSATs after learning the basics of ScoreItUp’s course. Harish isn’t sure where he will be attending law school, but one thing is clear: his future options are limitless!

Harish´s Words: “Taking this class could help anyone with the LSAT. Mark knows the test so well that even if you only need to make small improvements, he can help with that. And he will always take some time to focus on what you personally need in order to improve.”

Brenna's Story

The Problem: Brenna´s long-time goal has been to become a prosecutor and eventually a judge. Of course, law school had to come first, and the LSAT had to come before that.

The Solution: Brenna recognized how she could get a superior quality LSAT Prep course and save money.
ScoreItUp guaranteed Brenna that the founder of the company would teach her course, and she felt confident in Mark´s teaching experience and effectiveness.

The Result: Brenna´s actual LSAT score when she sat for the official LSAT exam was 17 points higher than her original mock exam score before taking ScoreItUp’s course. She succeeded beautifully in her first step in her ultimate quest to become a prosecutor and ultimately the future “Judge Brenna”!

Brenna´s Words: “The materials provided were extremely helpful and the instruction was always intriguing and enjoyable. With each practice exam I took, I watched as my score increased every single time. I felt extremely prepared when I took the LSAT and wouldn´t change a thing about how I prepared. Mark is a great instructor whose test techniques I even continued to use throughout my college career.”

Mellisa's Story

The Problem: Ever since Melissa realized her love for debate, she knew she wanted to become a lawyer. However, her first obstacle was the challenging LSAT.

The Solution: Melissa chose ScoreItUp because she knew Mark guaranteed that he would teach all of the lessons in the course.

The Result: Melissa’s practice LSAT score went from the bottom 25% of test takers nationwide (initially) to the top 15% – an improvement of 18 LSAT points on practice LSATs (comparing first-to-best proctored mock exams in timed settings).

Melissa’s Words: There is not a moment wasted during Mark’s class. I truly felt that I learned worthwhile information and had ample opportunity to practice new problems during each session. He is an extremely helpful guide for anyone who is interested in taking the LSAT. His personal experience and stories also gave me hope that being a lawyer was the right career choice.

Shane's Story

The Problem: Shane was preparing for the LSAT on his own, but the highest score he achieved on timed practice exams was a 145. Unfortunately, that score was not going to get him into law school or any scholarship money.

The Solution: Shane received a glowing recommendation from one of Mark’s prior ScoreItUp students, and decided to enroll in a ScoreItUp course.

The Result: Shane’s actual LSAT score after taking ScoreItUp course with Mark was a 161 – an enormous 16-point difference comparing his actual LSAT to his highest practice score before the course (and after self-studying). Even more significantly, with his new and drastically improved LSAT score, Shane received multiple law school offers (some with full-ride scholarships). All of that put him in the envious position of contemplating a variety of excellent options that he never would have received otherwise!

Shane’s Words: Looking back, enrolling in ScoreItUp to prepare myself for the LSAT was the best decision I could’ve made. It was truly an investment in my future that has already paid off. I found the course schedule, materials, and most importantly, the instructor, Mark, all extremely helpful and I owe most of my success on the actual exam to ScoreItUp. After all of the stress, days spent studying, the classes, and the mock exams, I found that I was more prepared to do well on the LSAT exam than I had thought. Now, not only am I in position to fulfill my dream of attending law school, I will most likely be doing so while also receiving some scholarship money! I would definitely recommend ScoreItUp to anyone who is serious about improving their LSAT score and attending law school.

Rena's Story

The Problem: Rena was at the point in her college career that she needed to decide what to do after graduation. Law school was a very serious consideration, but she wasn´t absolutely sure of her future direction.

The Solution: Having previously seen Mark Sacks work through sample LSAT problems, Rena knew that her ability to improve on the LSAT would benefit significantly from a ScoreItUp LSAT Prep course. Rena also really liked the idea that Mark also could provide her with firsthand insight into the legal profession.

The Result: Rena´s actual LSAT score leaped 16 points compared to her original diagnostic exam score prior to her ScoreItUp course. She also developed far more clarity about the various opportunities provided by a law school degree. Rena attended Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, thanks to her dramatic LSAT score improvement.

Rena’s Words: Mark somehow makes preparing for the LSAT fun! The time flew by and every minute of class time really helped me understand the material more and more. I definitely would not have improved as much as I did if it weren’t for ScoreItUp!

Tyler's Story

The Problem: Tyler was a UCI student with good grades who set ambitious goals for himself. He wanted to go to a top law school, but there was one significant hurdle in the way: the LSAT.

The Solution: After seeing a direct “battle of the test prep companies” comparison between ScoreItUp (with Mark) and the major corporate test prep companies, Tyler could see why ScoreItUp was better suited towards preparing him to excel on the LSAT.

The Result: After taking ScoreItUp’s LSAT Prep course, Tyler got a rock-solid 171 on the LSAT. With Mark’s guidance from the LSAT to the law school admissions process itself, Tyler was able to reach his goals. Tyler accepted an offer to Harvard Law School after receiving additional offers from Columbia, Chicago, NYU, Virginia, UC Berkeley (Boalt), UPenn, Duke and UCLA, among many others

Tyler’s Words: I was fortunate enough to find Mark’s class and my decision to enroll was one of the best I have made on my path to law school. Mark really cares about his students and it shows. Mark gives you the resources that you need to succeed, from practice sections under timed conditions to admissions advice. Practicing under timed conditions really helped me prepare for the stress of test day.

Sherry's Story

The Problem: Sherry was a talented UCI student with a strong gpa who needed a very good LSAT score to round out her application. She looked for a LSAT Prep instructor who could help.

The Solution: Sherry compared ScoreItUp’s guaranteed instructor, Mark Sacks, to the competition. She felt the decision was clear.

The Result: Sherry began ScoreItUp’s course with a 157 mock exam score (using a real and recent LSAT exam in a timed setting). After two months of training in Mark Sacks’ course, Sherry’s actual LSAT score was a 174 – better than 99 percent of test takers, and a hefty 17 points higher than her original mock exam score! Sherry’s outstanding LSAT score and gpa earned her law school acceptance letters from Harvard, Columbia, Chicago (with a full-ride scholarship and additional stipend), NYU, UC Berkeley, Duke and UCLA (with a full-tuition scholarship).

Sherry’s Words: When I first met Mark, it was at a panel where many LSAT test-prep companies came to convince the students why their course was the best. Out of all of them, Mark seemed to be the friendliest and most genuine. After taking ScoreItUp, I found out that my judgment was correct. Mark truly cares about his students and sincerely wants us all to do well. His strategies are useful and made the questions much easier to understand. As long as you are willing to put in the time and effort, Mark will be able to help you reach your goal. Mark is a fun and effective instructor and I highly recommend taking his class. You will not regret it!

Austin's Story

The Problem: Austin wanted to get a very strong LSAT score to maximize his law school options.

The Solution: Austin heard about ScoreItUp, and quickly sensed that not only was it the best value, but he also would get a more personalized course from an instructor who genuinely cared about his students and their success.

The Result: Austin began ScoreItUp’s course by getting an excellent 159 score on a practice LSAT. However, things got much better for Austin, as he raised his practice LSAT score all the way to a 171 (on timed and proctored mock LSAT exams). More importantly, his actual LSAT score was a rock-solid 168, helping to earn him acceptance into 4th-ranked Columbia Law School!

Austin’s Words: Mark is a fantastic, seasoned instructor who will prepare you thoroughly for the LSAT with the skills and techniques necessary to do well. His entertaining stories liven up and break up the class into manageable chunks as well.

Spencer's Story

The Problem: Spencer was an ambitious undergraduate student, seeking to get into a very good law school with some scholarship money. He knew that a great LSAT score was essential to achieving his goals.

The Solution: Spencer heard about ScoreItUp LSAT Prep from a friend who took the course and got a 174 on the LSAT. After taking a look at ScoreItUp’s website, Spencer was convinced.

The Result: After several weeks of training with Mark in ScoreItUp’s course, Spencer consistently was scoring in the 170’s on mock LSAT exams (using real LSAT’s under timed conditions). He worked his way up to a perfect 180 LSAT score on a mock LSAT exam, 18 points higher than his diagnostic exam prior to ScoreItUp’s course! Even more importantly, Spencer’s actual LSAT score was better than 99 percent of test-takers!

Spencer’s Words: I came into Mark’s class and was surprised by the difficulty of the logic games portion of the lsat exam. I missed most of the questions for this portion on the diagnostic exam, but through Mark’s instruction I was able to establish a method for solving logic games problems. With this method the logic games portion became the section on which I consistently scored the highest. I don’t think I could have done it without ScoreItUp!

Kelsey's Story

The Problem: Kelsey was a USC undergraduate student with ambitious law school goals. She had a strong interest in international law, and wanted to attend an excellent law school in either Washington DC or New York. Kelsey knew, however, that the only way she was going to achieve her dreams was to hit a home run on the LSAT.

The Solution: After comparing the options, Kelsey noticed that few LSAT Prep instructors had any kind of legal background. She felt it would be advantageous for a wide variety of different reasons for her to get help on the LSAT from a proven instructor who had a law school education and a great deal of LSAT Prep and college teaching experience. Taking ScoreItUp’s course with Mark seemed to be the ideal fit.

The Result: Kelsey started ScoreItUp with a diagnostic exam score of 162 and got all the way up to a stunning 177 on a mock exam she did at home after training with Mark. Most significantly, her actual LSAT score hit that magical 170 number the first time she took it. After choosing among a series of outstanding law school options, she chose the University of Virginia – a T-14 dream school of Kelsey’s!

Kelsey’s Words: The extensive legal experience that Mark brings to the classroom cannot be found with any other LSAT prep course. His unique perspective and knowledge really helped me grasp a thorough understanding of the ins and outs of the test. Also, Mark’s fun personality and genuine interest in his students makes him an enjoyable teacher and valuable adviser!

Alex's Story

The Problem: Alex intended to go to law school, but success on the very difficult LSAT was critical to achieving his goals. In particular, he was completely befuddled and challenged by the “Logic Games” section of the exam. He knew that he needed to find quality LSAT Prep instruction and career guidance, and he wisely realized that what mattered was the LSAT Prep instructor – not the LSAT Prep company.

The Solution: After comparing ScoreItUp to the competition (in terms of both course quality and price), the solution was obvious.

The Result: Alex enrolled in ScoreItUp’s live LSAT Prep course, and achieved what may well be a world-record in LSAT improvement. Before ScoreItUp, he answered 5 out of 24 questions correctly (21%) on the Logic Games section – i.e., a score that was no better than random guessing. Within approximately three weeks of ScoreItUp training, Alex earned a perfect Logic Games score on a timed practice exam – he answered all 24 Logic Games questions correctly (100%)! A week later, he earned a perfect Logic Games score again. Alex quickly achieved perfection on the part of the exam that challenged him the most, and still had over a month to train for the LSAT. Wow – it doesn’t get any better than that!

Alex’s Words: I could not have done it without Mark’s help and ScoreItUp’s methods.

Paul's Story

The Problem: Paul was an intelligent UC Davis student, but (as you can see from his photo!) he needed a fun and motivating LSAT Prep course to help him achieve his potential on the LSAT.

The Solution: Paul was referred to ScoreItUp, and he quickly understood why. He appreciated the guarantee that all lectures would be taught by Mark, and not by an instructor who may not have teaching or legal experience. Paul also realized that ScoreItUp actually made studying for the LSAT…fun!

The Result: After taking ScoreItUp’s live Summer course, Paul got an impressive 174 on the official LSAT. His actual 174 LSAT score was 16 points higher than the mock exam he took before starting ScoreItUp. Paul parlayed that LSAT score into a huge scholarship to attend USC Law School, after receiving numerous offers from top law schools throughout the country!

Paul´s Words: After being extremely disappointed with a sample class hosted by a national LSAT prep company I decided to ask around for a better option. I got referred to ScoreItUp and couldn’t be more thankful I did. Mark’s lectures are engaging and infinitely useful. As strange as it sounds, going to LSAT prep class was not a chore. However, the best part of ScoreItUp is the personalized attention you receive. Mark is exceedingly approachable and genuinely wants each of his students to reach their full potential. Mark and ScoreItUp were instrumental for me to achieve the great score I knew I could get. I couldn’t be happier with ScoreItUp and I know you will be too.

Ashley's Story

The Problem: Like other future lawyers, Ashley knew she needed to get a solid LSAT score to achieve her dream of attending law school. She had a different issue, though – she wasn’t absolutely certain that law school was the right choice for her.

The Solution: When Ashley found out about ScoreItUp on her college campus, she realized that taking a LSAT Prep course would be a necessity. After looking into it futher, she realized that ScoreItUp was an easy choice for her.

The Result: Ashley’s practice LSAT score went from a 149 to a 167 while taking ScoreItUp’s course with Mark (comparing first-to-best LSAT scores). That score increase represented an improvement of approximately 50 percentile!

Ashley’s Words: Your LSAT course lived up to all of the raving reviews and I couldn’t be more satisfied. Thank you for making what could have been a grueling, miserable experience an engaging and enjoyable one. The critical thinking skills we learned in your course have transcended beyond the LSAT – I just got an A+ in a challenging course (average grade was a low B) as a direct result of the Logical Reasoning skills that were so helpful on the LSAT. In addition, your course helped convince me that going to law school is clearly the right choice for me – thank you!

Mark's Story

The Problem : Mark W. was familiar with the general concept of formal logic, having taught courses in that subject himself at UCI. However, the LSAT was a new beast for him, and he wasn’t sure how to best conquer it.

The Solution : Comparing ScoreItUp to other test prep companies allowed Mark W. to see that he would be far better served by having Mark Sacks as his instructor than a part-time instructor from a corporate test prep company. Having taught University classes himself, Mark W. knew just how critical the importance of an instructor is when taking a challenging course like LSAT Prep.

The Result : Mark W. took a practice LSAT before taking ScoreItUp’s course. He got a 15. After completing ScoreItUp’s course with Mark Sacks, he took the official LSAT and scored a perfect 180 on the LSAT the very first time (a spectacular 29-point increase). Mark W. was the second ScoreItUp student that year to register a perfect 180, a score achieved by far fewer than 1 in 1,000 students nationwide.

MARK W.´s Words: “it is absolutely crucial that you have quality test preparation and that you take test prep seriously. The thing I like most about ScoreItUp is the ability of the instructor, Mark Sacks, to be able to tailor his instruction to each student’s needs. Mark’s teaching is not formulaic and not one-size-fits all, a feature that I found helpful. He interspersed personal anecdotes and humor into his instruction and was able to connect with students of many different types: men, women, both young and to the geezers like me. Because it is personalized, it is almost like you have your own LSAT tutor, plus, you also get more hours at a better price than other test prep centers.”

Legal Profession, LSAT, LSAT Prep

Talent vs. “True Grit”: What Predicts Success on the LSAT and in Life?

INSTRUCTOR - MARK SACKS

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