A lot of children start by having their mothers scrapbook their every waking moment creating a timeline for their child, regardless of the gender, to look back down memory lane. This quintessential look at the past is a great way to plan for the future.
Some girls have their wedding planned out, down to the perfect time and place for the guy to drop to one knee and pop the question. The exact timeline of how long an engagement should last and the best season for their fairytale wedding.
Others have their baby names picked out, what age they want to have them and what gender they should come out in order.
As females (especially my fellow type A ones) we love to-do lists and being able to check off the boxes. We enjoy creating timelines, some which might never come to fruition, but regardless, seeing the present unfold stumbling disjointedly towards a future we have planned for is something decidedly exhilarating.
Planning for the LSAT is no different.
Giving yourself tangible deadlines, markers for a job well done and goals to work towards will make prepping for a rigorous test easier done than said ;)
Now, I am not going to give you a long list of each section of the LSAT broken down and when and how to study them. There are a lot of people who know a lot more than me who already did that for you! I am simply going to direct you to a few resources I found helpful when I was studying. I tried to stay away from the publisher books or resources that seemed to just want to make a lot of money off the sale of a bunch of books.
First I went here to figure out what kind of test taker I am and how I should expect to prepare for the exam, what I enjoyed about this website was that they weren’t pushing a specific book or publisher on you so as a potential student looking to take the LSAT, you could get an unbiased opinion on how to study without seeing the blank template that is trying to sell you the companion book.
This was a really good (and quick) read on how to tackle practice examinations, one of the most critical parts (arguable the MOST critical part) of studying for the LSAT. WARNING: They are trying to sell their prep class. I didn’t use their study guide and I am not speaking to the quality of prep course they are offering, nor am I sponsored by or receiving money or any incentive for anything I am talking about in this post.
Kaplan laid out how to score/expect to get scored on the LSAT, along with a really good sample LSAT practice schedule. Same warning as above.
Ultimately this site deterred me from doing a mass commercial course. So I wanted to pass it along. But if you don’t feel like you could stay motivated and stick to a self-study prep you lay out yourself, it might be the best way to go.
I did end up buying these books and found them to be very beneficial, but you need to find the books that are the most beneficial to you!!
In the end, you need to commit to something and follow through with it. Give yourself little incentives to get through the grueling study sessions. If you succeed for a whole week, treat yourself to ice cream or something of the sort. Above all else, keep self care in the picture. Don’t stress yourself out to the point where your mental health is in peril. The test is just a test, and can always be retaken. One of the best pieces of advice given to me was to take as many legitimate practice tests as possible and to take them in an area that was the most similar to the testing circumstances that you will encounter during the actual test. Time yourself, giving only the allotted amount of time to finish the specific test portion you are working on. Then go again, go again and go again.
& this video might be one of the more important resources you use while studying! Motivation is garbage, 5-4-3-2-1 GO STUDY!
