In high school, students may have procrastinated SAT or ACT prep until the last minute. This process parallels the Law School Admissions Test, since students may have fewer opportunities as their undergraduate careers progress and their number of other commitments increase.
The LSAT, which is a standardized assessment for pre-law students, includes topics like logical and analytical reasoning, reading comprehension and unscored experimental and writing portions.
While four years may seem like a long time to prepare as an undergraduate, this can be misleading because of the time necessary to acquire essential skills and knowledge for the test. Freshmen and sophomores are uniquely positioned to prepare for the LSAT early through resources and tailored classes.
“My biggest advice is to start early,” said pre-law government alumnus James Hallamek, who took the LSAT as an undergraduate at UT. “Any (logic-based) class is very good. Logic plays a big factor in the logic game section and some of the logical reasoning sections. Anything literature-based would be good as well, especially where you’re analyzing literature.”
UT libraries like the PCL offer free LSAT prep books for students. While these resources impart helpful strategies and a clear understanding of the test format, students can also take certain classes to familiarize themselves with the content.
Introduction to Logic and Introductory Symbolic Logic, both offered through the philosophy department, are great examples of logic and reasoning-based classes. Philosophy majors, who tend to score higher on the LSAT, can use these classes to their advantage. However, determining which classes can address one’s academic needs can be difficult.
“Freshman year, I took a full-length practice LSAT to see where I was and what I needed to work on,” said Juliana Berg, a philosophy and government junior. “I encourage freshmen and sophomores to take a test as early as possible so that, for example, you may know not to worry about reading comprehension but instead on the logical analysis section.”
Beyond classes, UT has a plethora of other resources, such as pre-law advising. Underclassmen can also proactively network with law students by visiting the University of Texas School of Law in person. Compared to upperclassmen, underclassmen typically have more free time to take advantage of these opportunities.
“I was busier doing more social things I feel like in my first part of undergrad,” Duke Law third-year Betsy Morris said. “Generally, I would agree that you have more time earlier in undergrad to pursue these things.”
While students may have achieved their desired score on the SAT or ACT, this does not necessarily predict or guarantee success on the LSAT.
“I scored almost perfectly on the ACT,” Berg, who is pre-law, said. “But when I took a practice (LSAT) test, it was a completely different test. Any of the skills I learned, besides time management, were useless.”
Furthermore, the gap between taking standardized tests in high school and college may cause students to lose their test-taking skills.
While LSAT prep may seem daunting, students should not overstress about it. By preparing early in a healthy manner, students will be ahead of the curve as their test date approaches.
“In the admissions process, we look at more than just your LSAT score,” said Mathiew Le, University of Texas School of Law Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid. “It is also what you have engaged in, such as student organizations, volunteering and leadership.”
Thus, the test is important for law school admissions, but it is not everything.
Now more than ever, freshmen and sophomores should think about the balance between too little and too much LSAT prep to expand their higher education options. Starting early will relieve the stress upperclassmen face when preparing for the LSAT.
Pham is a government, history and French freshman from Garland, Texas.
