Starting to study for the LSAT can be a daunting task. It can be overwhelming to know where to start, whether to take a course, hire a tutor or self study. All of these options can be good options – it just depends on your personal preference. Hiring a tutor gives you more one-on-one attention – for my clients I am always available to them outside of our sessions as well, if they ever have a quick question while doing their homework they can always e-mail me and I will reply back as soon as I can (I don’t charge for quick help to my clients). However, classes are a good option as well if you prefer to go with a big company – they have a structured plan to teach the material – however the downside is you have to move at the pace of the rest of the class. Finally, depending on the person self-study can be a viable option – you can always purchase LSAT books and go through the material at your own pace – however the downside is you cannot ask for clarification if you get stuck.

Regardless of the method of study you choose, the best place to start when studying for the LSAT is to take a diagnostic test. LSAC offers some free diagnostic tests online, which you can download. When you take your diagnostic you should try to simulate testing conditions as best as you can. Each section should be timed for 35 minutes. Take a short 5 to 10 minute break in between writing each section of the test, but try to write your whole diagnostic in one sitting.

Once you have finished your diagnostic test check the answers and see how many you got right in each section. There is no penalty for wrong answers. Then convert your raw score into a reported score from 120 to 180. Once you have your reported score you can figure out what your percentile would be (see below for a chart).

This will give your starting point for what you are scoring before studying. However, do NOT be discouraged if you aren’t scoring really high at the beginning. It takes practice, patience and time to get better and to start to understand/see the patterns and tricks that are present in the LSAT. By taking a diagnostic it can give you an understanding of the type of questions and the format of the LSAT – which is always the best place to start on your journey towards writing your actual LSAT test.

The LSAT is not a race – it is a marathon. The more time and energy you put in the more you will get back. The next step is to decide which study plan is right for yourself, whether you get a tutor, take a course or self study.

Also, you should look into what time of year you are hoping to write your LSAT. You need to register early to make sure the test centers near your location don’t fill up. The tests are usually held in February, June, September and December – although this year the fall test is to be held October 3, 2015. Good luck on your journey everyone!

• 180: 99.9%
• 179: 99.9%
• 178: 99.9%
• 177: 99.8%
• 176: 99.7%
• 175: 99.5%
• 174: 99.3%
• 173: 99.0%
• 172: 98.6%
• 171: 98.2%
• 170: 97.4%
• 169: 96.6%
• 168: 95.8%
• 167: 94.5%
• 166: 93.2%
• 165: 91.5%
• 164: 89.9%
• 163: 87.7%
• 162: 85.3%
• 161: 83.0%
• 160: 80.3%
• 159: 77.2%
• 158: 73.7%
• 157: 70.8%
• 156: 66.9%
• 155: 63.4%
• 154: 60.2%
• 153: 56.0%
• 152: 51.6%
• 151: 47.8%
• 150: 44.4%
• 149: 40.3%
• 148: 36.8%
• 147: 33.5%
• 146: 30.0%
• 145: 26.7%
• 144: 23.7%
• 143: 20.5%
• 142: 18.1%
• 141: 15.8%
• 140: 13.4%
• 139: 11.6%
• 138: 9.7%
• 137: 8.5%
• 136: 6.9%
• 135: 5.9%
• 134: 4.8%
• 133: 3.9%
• 132: 3.2%
• 131: 2.6%
• 130: 2.1%
• 129: 1.7%
• 128: 1.3%
• 127: 1.1%
• 126: 0.8%
• 125: 0.7%
• 124: 0.5%
• 123: 0.4%
• 122: 0.3%
• 121: 0.3%
• 120: 0.0%