While the libraries fill up with students studying for midterms, law school hopefuls are gearing up in preparation for next week’s LSAT exam.
The LSAT, the Law School Admission Test, is required for admission into most law schools in the United States. The four- to five-hour-long test consists of five multiple-choice sections and an essay section. Each section must be completed in 35 minutes.
Because no universal LSAT preparation method exists, students have their own preferences to prepare for this expensive, life-changing test.
Workshops of different services and intensities are offered through various organizations, but they can be expensive — the one the University hosts costs $185, and Kaplan Test Admissions’ currently scheduled workshops range in price from $1,399 to $7,499.
It’s no surprise that some students decide to prepare for the exam by taking at-home practice tests and private study methods.
First-year law student Daniel Philpott didn’t enroll in any workshops because they were too expensive. Instead, he opted to study on his own using LSAT preparation material books.
Law student Megan Salsbury-Thayer said that taking the preparatory workshop from Kaplan, an organization that provides test preparation for examinations such as the LSAT and SAT, only helped her raise her LSAT exam scores a little.
“It’s not about learning the material; it’s learning how to take the exam,” Salsbury-Thayer said of the workshop.
The ways students study for the LSAT exam vary, but many see benefits to preparing beforehand. 
“I wish I had prepared more; the test was much harder than I expected,” Philpott said.
“It seems like some people spend six months or more,” law student Aurora Hudson said. “Some people know they want to be lawyers in high school, so they prepare for it throughout college.”
Academic advisor Rebecca Schulze suggested students prepare for the exam with a few months of “focused study” before the actual examination date and possibly take a prep class.
“I always recommend taking a number of practice exams with time limits to replicate the actual experience as best they can,” she said. “When law schools are evaluating candidates, the LSAT score is one of the most heavily weighted pieces.”
Schulze said taking practice exams could spare students a second attempt at the official test.
“Students should aim to only take the LSAT once,” she said. “Research shows that scores are likely to only change a point or two, and it isn’t always higher.”
Students can sign up for LSAT workshops, which include six sessions and a practice exam, through the University Teaching & Learning Center.
The LSAT exam takes half a day and can be taken multiple times. Exams will be held on campus Friday and Monday, and the next round of testing will be in June.
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