The Three Categories Of Prelaw Students

Prelaw students have an important decision to make about the level of economic and time commitment they wish to devote to LSAT Prep. Your individual goals and dreams should influence that decision. I believe prelaw students can be divided into one of three “categories” on this issue. Seeing which category you fall into may help guide you on your next steps.

Category 1: The Student Who Is A Law School and LSAT “Dabbler”

If you are not sure about going to law school, take advantage of free LSAT Prep resources and simply get a feel for the LSAT. You don’t need to spend a great deal of time doing so. Casually reviewing a handful of Logical Reasoning and Reading Comp questions on LSAC’s website, or in LSAT Prep books, will give you a good sense of the LSAT.

As a personal anecdote, I decided to go to law school the first time I picked up a book on the LSAT in a bookstore. I had always considered law school, but wasn’t sure. At the time, I had recently graduated from college and was working at a job in an industry that I knew was not the right fit for me. After seeing the content of the LSAT for the first time, I instantly knew that the exam – and probably law school itself – was an ideal fit for my interests, passions and skill sets.

Your experience with LSAT Prep is unlikely to be like mine – I doubt many people are motivated to go to law school because of the LSAT! However, “dabbling” with the exam will tell you if:  (1) you like doing the LSAT “brain-teaser” questions, (2) you can tolerate studying for the LSAT even if it doesn’t particularly interest you, or (3) you dread the idea of studying for the LSAT.

Keep in mind that the LSAT is a “weeder” exam – in other words, it “weeds” out students who do not have a serious interest in law school and/or are unwilling to put in the time to improve that the exam requires. If the LSAT “weeds” you out, that’s fine – it’s much better to know quickly to avoid law school than to put years of time, effort and money towards something that is not the right fit for you.

However, if you still wish to pursue the LSAT and law school after some initial “dabbling” – regardless of whether you think you will like, tolerate or dread the LSAT – please read below!

Category 2: The Student Who Definitely Wants To Go To Law School And Has Modest LSAT Goals

If you definitely want to go to law school, consider what type of law school you want to attend. You should take the LSAT seriously even if your goal is simply to get into a lower ranked law school and merit-based scholarship money isn’t particularly important to you. Even lower-ranked law schools have minimum LSAT score requirements/preferences, and you will want to be sure that you can score high enough on the exam to get in.

Purchase the $120 digital packet of 58+ LSAT PrepTests from LSAC (by becoming a LawHub Advantage member). Those LSAT PrepTests are the previously administered exams, and they are the best resource to determine how you may perform on the official LSAT.

In addition, take advantage of LSAC’s free resources on the internet to learn some basic LSAT Prep strategies. If the score on your timed practice LSATs is good enough to get you into the law school you want to attend, you may not need to do much more.

However, if you find your LSAT score is not high enough to get into the law school(s) of your choice, plan to devote some additional time and resources to LSAT Prep. Please see Category 3 below for additional details.

Category 3: The Ambitious Student Who Wants To Maximize Their Potential On The LSAT

The third category of prelaw students are those who definitely want to attend law school and also want to maximize their potential on the LSAT. Three types of students fit this category: (1) students seeking to attend higher ranked law schools, (2) students seeking to maximize the amount of their merit-based scholarships to reduce the cost of law school, or (3) students needing to improve their LSAT score to get into the law school(s) of their choice, regardless of the ranking of the law school.

Candidly, most prelaw students are likely to fit into “Category 3.” If you are one of them, consider whether you would benefit from a comprehensive “live online” or “in person” LSAT Prep course, LSAT Prep books, or self-paced online video materials. In addition, please note the following:

• Your highest LSAT score and cumulative undergraduate GPA are the two primary things law school admission committees will use to determine both whether to admit you and the size of your merit-based scholarship.
• You can take the LSAT up to five times in any five-year period (and seven times in a lifetime).
• Law school admission committees will focus on your highest LSAT score (i.e., they will not “average” your LSAT scores in the vast majority of cases).
• Most students can improve significantly on the LSAT if (1) they put in the time and effort to do so, and (2) they get sound LSAT Prep instruction.
• It takes about 3-6 months of part-time work (sometimes more, even for very strong test-takers) to maximize your potential on the LSAT. However, meaningful gains in your LSAT score can occur even if you devote only 1-2 months to LSAT Prep.
• If your (highest) LSAT score and cumulative GPA are both above a law school’s medians, you are likely to receive an acceptance offer and a merit-based scholarship. Merit-based scholarships depend primarily upon your LSAT score and GPA and they are negotiable.
• In other words, if your LSAT score and GPA are strong (for that law school), the law school likely will want you badly...and they will try to “buy you” through substantial scholarship offers, regardless of your financial condition!

Personally, I believe that investing in excellent LSAT Prep instruction may provide you with the best return on investment (ROI) that you will ever see from any investment in your life, when you consider the impact of your LSAT score on (1) getting accepted into your dream law school(s), and (2) providing you with potential merit-based scholarships that easily can be in the six-figure category. As one of countless examples, please see this ScoreItUp student’s experience!

However you choose to do it, be sure to take the LSAT and LSAT Prep seriously, especially if you are a “Category 3” student. Good luck and please feel free to reach out to me at mark@scoreitup.com if you have any questions!