Fact: Using an online LSAT prep resource is one of the best ways to prepare for the digitally administered LSAT.
Students that expose themselves to at least some LSAT study online might actually be giving themselves a slight upper-hand by habituating themselves to viewing LSAT materials in a digital format—some students find there are adjustments to be made when testing on paper versus testing digitally. LSAT students doing a majority of their preparations on paper should, at the very least, use LSAC’s digital LSAT familiarization tool in order to practice LSAT online and become better acquainted with the digital LSAT—the familiarization tool is the best online LSAT prep tool for students to use to become better acquainted with the digital LSAT, and it provides students with free access to PrepTests 71, 73 and 74 in their official digital formatting.
Online LSAT Prep Courses
There’s no such thing as a “best” online LSAT prep course, and students thinking about prepping for the LSAT online have several great options to choose from: on-demand prep, “live” classroom prep, or private “live” online prep. On-demand prep is offered by several companies in the form of monthly subscription packages; subscriptions typically include access to prerecorded lessons, drills, homework sets, and PrepTests. This type of online prep includes all the materials necessary to succeed on the digital LSAT; however, students must be able to commit to rigorous self-studying in order to succeed—there won’t be an instructor to answer questions, give advice, or let students know when they need to step their studying game up. In contrast to on-demand prep, “live” classroom courses are taught by real-life instructors in real-time, and class meeting times are predetermined (generally weekly or biweekly).
These courses are taught similarly to an in-person group LSAT course; however, students can participate, ask questions, and follow along with the class from the comfort of their own homes. Additionally, because of the predetermined lesson schedules, assignments, and drills; “live” classroom courses tend to provide students with more structure than do on-demand LSAT online study courses.
Something students should take into consideration prior to purchasing a “live” classroom LSAT prep course is the total number of students registered to take the course, as greater class sizes typically result in less attention for each individual student. Lastly, we have private “live” online instruction, and individuals looking for a more personalized strategy to hit their target scores should regard this as their best online preparation option. This individualized real-time approach to learning the LSAT enables students to quickly learn LSAT strategies, remedy testing weaknesses, and break testing plateaus.
Online private instruction can be viewed as a complete preparation approach, or, it can be viewed as a preparation add-on for students that study the LSAT using an on-demand or “live” classroom prep course.
In-Person LSAT Prep Courses
The truth is there isn’t a “best” in-person LSAT prep course either, and based on your location, there’s more than likely an abundance of great in-person LSAT prep courses available for you to choose from. Pressed with making the right decision, it’s always better to pick a company that specializes in LSAT prep only—companies with instructors that focus on one thing are probably going to know it better, and therefore, you’ll likely learn more over the duration of the course. Moreover, LSAT logic is very specific to the LSAT, and students should do their best to ensure they’re preparing exclusively with “real” LSAT questions, and not GRE, MCAT, or GMAT questions—some companies offering test prep for multiple different tests inappropriately incorporate content from one exam into the coursework of another (e.g. GRE questions discussed in an LSAT in-person course). Additionally, with regards to “real” LSAT questions, they come from previously administered disclosed exams, and only companies that have an LSAT distribution license can provide students with access to those questions. A list of companies with permissions can be found on LSAC’s website for students to refer to.
It should be mentioned that the considerations discussed regarding online prep all apply to their in-person counterparts; similarly, the considerations mentioned above regarding in-person prep apply to the online prep discussion. In truth, most companies offering LSAT prep offer it in both an in-person and an online format—the content between formats doesn’t change though, and as such, a student’s preference of learning format should be given consideration first and foremost.
On a final note, it was stated that students preparing online might be giving themselves a slight upper-hand at taking a digitally administered LSAT because they become acclimated to problem solving the LSAT digitally, yet, becoming acclimated to the digital format doesn’t take much practice. Students attending LSAT in-person classes have nothing to worry about, and if students need digital LSAT practice supplemental to the PrepTests offered via the digital LSAT familiarization tool—the Khan Academy Official LSAT Prep course provides just that. It’s free, licensed, and digital, and it’s a preparation device that’s useful to add-on to any LSAT test preparation, in-person or online. Remember, the more LSAT logic a student understands by their test day, the better they’ll do, and it doesn’t matter where that knowledge and understanding comes from—it’s a great idea to use multiple LSAT resources to ensure the best possible preparation for success!