I took the LSAT last year and it felt like a completely different test than what I'm preparing for now. I took the last print exam and just with everything going on, I'm set to take it in July, but I'm not sure if they've announced if it's going to be flexion. I know June is for sure. So just kind of getting myself in the mindset to reset for the LSAT, but a completely different LSAT than what I'm used to preparing for.
Sure. Just a few tips on how to get myself into this new mindset. Yeah. Well, let me ask you first off, what have you done to research about the changes specifically with the Flex?
Well, just kind of seeing what the new format would be, trying to figure out how much each question would now be worth. Kind of getting a feel for it. I haven't actually practiced a simple flex type situation. So definitely no practicing yet.
But what should I be doing? How should I, with the materials that I have, that kind of are for your standard LSAT? What can I do to use those to study for a possible flex? Should I be studying for the Flex?
Honestly? Yeah, I would answer that last one first. So yes, June has at the moment, speaking in early May, June has been rescheduled as a flex. July will probably also be rescheduled as a flex.
Okay. As for how you prepare. The good news is that inside the course, I have several lessons specifically on LSAT flex. Okay.
Once June was switched, I feel like the chances of July being it is pretty high. Yeah. Well, let me ask you this. What would you, you could research the details on the flex.
I've got lessons inside the course about it. I've put out tons of information about the flex specifically including an FAQ page on my site covering all the basics. Right. So let's go beyond that for a moment because you can look at those.
Right. Let me ask you, what would it take for you to be ready for the LSAT regardless of whether you had the digital LSAT on its tablet in person or the flex online? I feel like just these next few months just really hitting the books. I did study quite a bit last year, but it almost feels like it's been such a long gap that I am just relearning it for the first time again.
Yeah. I don't know. Just I've been using because I already have that my materials that I used to study last year. Should I not be using those as often?
The good news is the content of the exam has not changed. The format has changed. The delivery mechanism has changed. You've got one section of logical reasoning rather than two, but it's still worth learning logical reasoning and all the previous exams, all the previous lessons on logical reasoning still hold.
There's no downside to being overprepared for one section of the exam. You don't want to burn out, but nobody ever says I should study less. The content is the same. The foundation is still the same.
You've still got logical games, logical reasoning and reading comprehension. So your old books still relevant, the course material still relevant. And I'm also adding on top of what's already in the course lesson specifically about LSAT flex. So if you want to know how do I simulate the test at home on a computer versus at a testing center on a tablet or even prior to that, the paper and pencil LSAT that you took back in the day, and people outside North America still take actually, doesn't matter.
You can simulate test conditions and you can adjust whether you're doing three sections or five. But other than that, pretty much everything still holds. Okay, great. And I've heard, I mean, it's been about a year since I switched to the digital LSAT in general.
I've only had real experience with the print. Overall, I've heard it's people like it more, right? That's still kind of the general consensus about print versus digital. Like I shouldn't be that worried about taking a digital LSAT for the first time.
Probably not. If you are comfortable with touchscreen devices, then you're pretty much ready for it. Obviously, it's worth actually practicing the experience. If you've been studying out of books, I would adjust that because you're either going to be doing tablet or computer.
But other than that, the content is the same. I would focus on that for now. And then as the test approaches, you could start doing full length time exams in the format you expected to take it in. And for July, I'd say probably flex, but do a bit of both.
How are colleges looking at blacks? Is it? Are they open to it? Because that's the only option really?
Yeah, they're universally, they're fine with the flex relative to tablet relative to paper. They're considering the same. No, no. If LSAT says this is a valid exam, and this is this person score out of 180.
Law schools take out just the same. And they have incentive too also because that's what they can report to the ABA. That's what they can report to the US news rankings. And so they have incentive to take those scores seriously.
How much will they look at my old print exams since now, especially with given all the changes that seem so outdated? But even though the contents are the same, I guess. Well, because the content is still the same, and because your score is still out of 180, they'll take it just the same. So everything else, I would take it as if there were no difference from an admissions perspective.
So how they look at any score that was over one year old. They look at it the same scores expire after five years, but law schools only take the highest score. So whichever score is higher, that's what they'll consider. And obviously it's better to have a lower, followed by a higher than a higher, followed by a lower, but in the grand scheme, it's not too impactful.
And I know that the writing sample is not as important as the other sections. I took the LSAT last year, and it was the very first exam where you didn't have to take the writing sample right after the test. It was the June 2019 test. I took the test.
I knew it wasn't my best test. I had two of my worst sections and my best section last. So I feel like it just was not my test. So I knew I was going to take it again.
And I did not complete the writing sample. I thought I would take the LSAT again much sooner than I actually am. I will take it in July. So my one year is running out.
Do you suggest that I take the writing sample now and just get it over with or should I just wait with my July test while I'm really in the swing of things? Well, if I don't complete the writing sample by June 2020, will my June 2019 score not count? Is that me? No, the score will still be valid.
Okay. Trying to think. This is a brand new program for me. I did a different program last year, and I'm still trying to figure out what was taught to me correctly, what I should kind of do away with and relearn.
Do you have any advice? Should I just look at the menu process as starting from, you know, scratch? It's worth reviewing the fundamentals from the beginning within my course to see where you might have some new insights as a result of those materials. You may find that certain strategies from your previous course of study worked well for you.
You may find that the new materials and strategies I'm teaching you work better for you. So there's no harm in exposing yourself to it and seeing if it helps and if it's an improvement. Okay. You have one of the study plans, right?
Yes. So that's your roadmap and that's your success plan showing you exactly what to work on every single day. So just follow that. Okay.
I just don't want to get myself confused. If you have any questions about potential conflicts and strategies or something, feel free to reach out. But my short answer will typically be try out those. Do a handful of questions one way, a handful the other way and see what works.
Okay. Anything else for today? Any other questions that we didn't cover that you'd like to? No, that's pretty much it.
I'm, you know, just trying to get back into the swing of everything and it's been hard with working full time and trying to study the LSAT. It's definitely been a different experience than maybe I would have had if I did this in college. Yeah. So I'm going to figure out the right schedule and the right strategy for me.
What's the biggest challenge you're facing with that right now in terms of balancing the full time work with the LSAT prep? Just the sheer amount of studying, you know, most people, especially when I took my course last year, our instructor said he only worked part time and then treated the LSAT as the second half of his like work day. And that just was simply not possible for me at the time. Now things have changed a little bit with what's going on, but just trying to feel like I'm getting an adequate amount of studying, but also having to juggle other things in my life that are equally as important, you know.
So I want to give studying LSAT the time it deserves. Do you ever use a planner or calendar? Absolutely. Do you block off time for the LSAT?
I try to, but then, you know, it gets easy to push things as your schedules are the day kind of changes, but, you know, maybe it would be more helpful to treat that as concrete, like as you would with work. These hours can't shift. Yeah. And here's another question.
What's the first thing you have on your calendar for the day? And what time is that at? Usually it's get myself ready and it's, you know, I try to hit the work day by like nine. What time you wake up?
You should like eight. I should wake up earlier. It's worth trying if you're going to it. You also shifted earlier bit by bit, five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes a day, whatever is sustainable for you.
And then you could make sure that LSAT prep is the first thing. So that doesn't get pushed aside. Right. And just not feeling the pressure to like do it all in one big chunk.
Like I feel like I could be better about setting a little bit all day, like throughout the day and getting it in where it's possible rather than, you know, it's either all or nothing, like four hours or nothing at all, you know. Right. Right. What if you took the opposite approach instead of saying it's got to be a four hour block, what if you said even a five minute increment as a starting point, knocking out one or two questions would be valuable, then you could increase it over time.
And then it would be helpful. Awesome. Maria, well, I think we're there. Before we sign off, what would you say is the biggest insight you got from our call today?
Just getting myself back in the process, like I said, I'm just trying to really motivate myself to study again after putting so much time in last year. And it's not the score I wanted. And I want to dedicate myself to again. So just kind of getting myself back in the mindset has been very helpful.
Awesome. Well, keep at it. Keep in touch and let me know if you need anything as you move forward. Great.
Thank you so much. My pleasure. Have a good one. Thanks for tuning into the show.
Please subscribe if you haven't done so already to be notified of new episodes as I release them. Feel free to reach out if you need anything at all so you will feel with your prep. I'm happy to help however I can. In the meantime, I wish you all the best and take care.