LSAT Prep Review

Testmasters

2006-07-17T22:30:00.000-07:00

Testmasters is arguably the best nation-wide LSAT prep course. Its claim to fame is that its founder, Robin Singh, has scored a 180 (a perfect score) on 11 officially administered tests.

Pros (from the website):

• TestMasters offers 80 hours of live, in-class instruction.

• TestMasters provides each of its students with a personal set of all available real LSAT questions.

• The TestMasters Helpline offers students convenient academic support outside of class.

• TestMasters LSAT instructors have all scored in the 98th percentile or higher on the actual LSAT.

• All TestMasters LSAT instructors undergo an extensive live training program before teaching a real TestMasters class.

• The author of the TestMasters LSAT Course holds the world record for the most perfect scores on the LSAT.

• TestMasters has a proven track record of success—tens of thousands of TestMasters students have achieved double-digit point increases on the LSAT scoring scale of 120 to 180.

Cons:

Large class size

Many of their methods are not printed in their texts.

Princeton Review

2006-07-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

Pros (from the website):

Hyperlearning LSAT Course

LSAT Test Prep

Our premier Hyperlearning course is rigorous, demanding, and thorough, but so is the LSAT. Our students are confident and prepared come test time.

If you don’t have time for our Hyperlearning course, check out our Accelerated LSAT course.

Hyperlearning, by the Numbers

* 6 full-length, proctored practice LSATs

* 16 interactive lecture sessions with 48 hours of intensive instruction (8-10 weeks of classes)

* 4 coaching sessions with 12 hours of skill-refining training

* 10 hours of online lessons and drills

* Over 3,000 real LSAT questions

* Hundreds of additional practice questions

* More than 1,800 pages of up-to-date materials to prepare for the LSAT, yours to keep

Intensive Lectures:

* Master fundamental concepts and skills

* Learn how to approach every question on the exam

* Practice and refine what you learn

Small Coaching Sessions:

* Review practice exams with other students at a similar ability level

* Refine skills with practice problems and drills

* Develop a personal pacing plan and test-taking strategy

Extensive Learning Materials:

* Build your knowledge with course manuals and comprehensive practice material

* Increase your stamina with real practice LSATs, complete with detailed score reports

* Learn from your mistakes with thousands of annotated questions from real LSATs

* Access extra drills and help at the Online Student Center

* 9-month trial subscription to The Wall Street Journal (U.S. only), and a 6-month trial subscription to TIME Magazine

Specialist Instructors

Your course will be led by a team of instructors, each an expert in his or her specific field. Our instructors are screened, trained, certified, and are excellent teachers. You'll review content on the test and learn proven test-taking strategies. About Our Instructors

Convenience

Hyperlearning courses are transferable. You can start a course while you're home over the summer, then transfer into a course that's closer to your college when you go back to school.

Cons:

Same as Kaplan…unless you want to score in the 150s, they have…

Sub-par LSAT methods

Sub-par LSAT instructors (on average)

Too few hours of LSAT class instruction

A sense of humor for charging that much

Recommended: No

Kaplan

2006-07-17T19:42:00.000-07:00

Pros (from the website):

Why Choose Kaplan?

The smart choice for test prep and admissions

At Kaplan, we're committed to your success. Prep with us and benefit from nearly 70 years of experience, as well as the combined expertise of hundreds of teachers, researchers, curriculum specialists, and testing experts. Explore our programs and services. We think you'll find that only Kaplan offers a complete solution for your test prep and college or grad school admissions needs.

Higher score guaranteed—or your money back

Confidence is one of the key elements to succeeding on standardized tests, and it all starts with your confidence in our ability to help you achieve your goals. That's why we back our programs with The Kaplan Higher Score Guarantee—the most comprehensive guarantee in the industry.

Readiness: If you feel you're not ready to take the exam, study with us again for free.

Satisfaction: No matter how much you improve, if you're not satisfied with your score, study with us again for free.

Money-Back: If for any reason your score doesn't increase, you can study with us again for free or get your money back.

Cons:

Unless you want to score in the 150s, the have…

Sub-par LSAT methods

Sub-par LSAT instructors (on average)

Too few hours of LSAT class instruction

A sense of humor for charging that much

Recommend: No

Powerscore

2006-07-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

Pros (from the website):

Why choose PowerScore?

Our test professionals have designed the PowerScore course to provide you with the maximum exposure to the concepts that appear on the LSAT, access to the best possible instructors and classroom material, and the best support system to augment your studies. Whether you take our 80-hour Full-Length Course, or our 16-hour Weekend Course, you will find that we offer the best classes and instruction for your valuable time and money.

Personal Attention and Unmatched Student Support:

* Our service and support is the best in the industry! Give us a call—you’ll talk to a real person immediately. We promise not to stick you in a class with 80 students, place you on hold for an indefinite period of time, or make you come to our office for your tests and materials.

* Our instructors are dedicated to helping you reach your LSAT potential and are available to answer any LSAT or admissions-related question outside of class.

* We provide after-hours email, telephone consultations, and personal assistance to accommodate your busy schedule.

The best course material:

* We use real LSATs in our class materials as well as all practice tests.

* Extensive homework with each lesson includes drills, questions, and analyses.

* Extra take-home LSATs—Over 20 in our full-length course, and 9 in our weekend course. No need to go to a “center” and use laminated tests that you cannot take home.

* Exclusive and fully-tested techniques and methodologies. Thousands of students have taken our courses and significantly improved their scores.

* We expand and update our course materials regularly, ensuring that you have the most cutting-edge instruction available. Our full-length course contains over 2,500 of material and our weekend course features over 600 pages.

* Our Online Student Center gives you access to hundreds of pages of additional course supplements and information, and allows you to input your practice test results and receive an immediate evaluation of your performance.

The best instructors:

* All of our instructors have scored in the 99th percentile on a Law Services- administered LSAT, and are screened and trained extensively. When you step into our classes you can be assured that your instructor has an absolute command over the concepts that appear on the LSAT and the most effective techniques for attacking those concepts. They are also chosen for their ability to communicate ideas and their enthusiasm in the classroom.

An incredible value:

* At first glance, it might look like our courses cost about same as our main competitors, but when you compare our lecture time and course length, you’ll see a cost-per-hour that is significantly lower.

Cons:

While all their instructors have scored in the 99^th percentile, they are not paid as well as Testmasters instructors, leaving you to wonder if you’ve gotten the left-overs (of the 99^th percentile mind you).

Recommended: Yes