How does a student prepare for an exam that can potentially be the deciding factor in his or her admittance to a graduate school?
For many students, the answer is a given: Take a prep course. But there are several options for students taking the Law School Admission Test or the Medical College Admission Test, including workshops the University offers. As the deadline for the LSAT approaches, students applying to law school should be preparing for the exam.
The LSAT is a standardized test required for admission to all American Bar Association-approved law schools, including the one at the University of Oregon.
The School of Law, like most law schools, encourages students to take the LSAT no later than December, although exceptional applicants who take the test at a later date are also considered for admission.
Similarly, almost all medical schools in America require applicants take the MCAT. The test is administered mostly April through September, but there are also two test dates in January. Students should take the test the year they plan to apply for medical school, and they can take it up to three times in one calendar year.
Academic Learning Services offers workshops to prepare students for both exams. Susan Lesyk, director of ALS, said the workshops are a good “middle of the continuum” preparation option for students. Test-takers who don’t want to spend an entire week preparing for a test, or spend only a few days cramming for one, may discover a workshop is a good option.
“We have over the years kind of figured out what is optimum preparation for students who have other things going on in their lives,” Lesyk said. “The workshops are a combination of instruction and practice in the class and then suggested review outside the class as well.”
First-year law student Tatiana Cordova took the LSAT in 2005. After obtaining her bachelor’s degree at USC, she took a prep course administered by TestMasters in Los Angeles. The course is similar to Kaplan’s in format and price – approximately $1,500. The cost was daunting, she said, but ultimately worth it.
“It was beneficial because it helped me know what to expect, but I don’t think my score would have been any different (if I hadn’t taken the course),” Cordova said. “I’m glad I took it, but I think you’re either a good test-taker or you’re not. And I’m not.”
James Gardner, a third-year graduate student, took Kaplan’s course. Gardner said while he wouldn’t have done well on the LSAT without the course, he is critical of the price tag and the way students who want to be successful feel they have no choice but to take prep courses. They get stuck paying for courses and then paying to take the exam.
“It just seems like a big money deal, but I wouldn’t have not taken the class,” Gardner said. “You kind of feel obligated to show up the cash.”
There are alternative options for students who prefer not to take the workshops for financial or other reasons. The test-makers publish materials students can purchase, including old exams, information about and different approaches to the tests.
But Lesyk said the workshops offer beneficial personal interaction with instructors that other options do not. Also, some students who try to prepare for the tests alone oftentimes don’t get around to it until the week before.
“Students have good intentions, but procrastination and other things – academic requirements – push the test aside,” said Lesyk. “Last-minute preparation makes the students more anxious.”
The workshops focus on individual areas of the exams, and both provide a full practice test so students can see which areas need improvement before taking the actual exam.
Law student Kara Pierce said the practice exam was one of the most beneficial parts of the Kaplan LSAT prep course. She completed her undergraduate education at Willamette University and didn’t know about this University’s prep course, but said she would have considered it.
“(The Kaplan course) helps with perspective in terms of examining problems and working through them. I don’t know if I would have been able to achieve that on my own,” said Pierce. “I’m not sure how I would have done without it, but I know that with it, it was definitely valuable because I’m here.”
Both the University LSAT and MCAT workshops take place during seven days of instruction, plus one day to take the practice exam.
“If you could spend eight Saturdays in a row, eight hours each day studying then you probably don’t need a prep class,” said Elly Vandegrift, instructor of the biology portion of the MCAT workshop. “But if you aren’t that disciplined you need a prep class.”
Vandegrift, who has taught college-level biology courses for the past five years, said the workshop helps students be successful during the MCAT because they can focus on unfamiliar material and get a sense of what the testing environment is like.
“(Students) do come back and tell us that they feel more prepared,” said Vandegrift. “Ultimately that’s our goal.”
“You’re at a disadvantage if you don’t rehearse for the exam, don’t prepare for the exam,” Lesyk said. “For some students it’s certainly going to make or break whether they get into the school of their choice. For other students it’s going to hone the skills that they already have to make sure they don’t fall down at the test.”
Lesyk said the realistic practice test is important in helping students learn how to pace themselves.
“You want to make sure that the test adequately conveys your skills and if you hit it cold it might be that you could possibly do well, but it’s going to take you too long to do it,” said Lesyk.
Jennifer Geller, an ALS study skills instructor, leads the LSAT workshop. She said the workshop is “extremely beneficial” because familiarity with the test is crucial for students. She also stressed the importance of practicing in a timed environment.
“Any kind of preparation is helpful,” Geller said. “However, I think most of us need a class to stay as focused and disciplined as possible, and I also think it really does help to hear from someone who has thought about how to approach these situations.”
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