Hey, what's up everybody? Steve Schwartz here from LSAT Unplugged, joining you today to talk through some of the biggest problems with LSAT study groups and how you can avoid them when creating your own LSAT study group. At LSAT Unplugged, we actually build LSAT study groups into our courses so that before or after each structured live class that we have, we incorporate a study group either before or after class on a related topic so that you can discuss the problems with other students in a more collaborative and informal setting. Check out the links below this video to find out more about how to join our live online classes and study groups.
We'll be glad to help you out. So the three big problems with LSAT study groups that I see, number one, no agenda or structure, number two, no consistency or accountability, and number three, no one knows the answer. So let's talk through number one, no agenda or structure. What I often see in LSAT study groups is that students show up to the group and nobody really knows what to work on.
They pick a random section, a random topic, a random LSAT problem and simply start working through the problem together. But there's no deliberate decision about why they chose that section or that problem to work on. Is that really what you need to be working on in that moment? Just because someone else needs to work on logic games doesn't mean that you need to work on logic games.
Of course, you may benefit from the discussion, but it's the biggest topic that you should be working on at that moment based on what your weak areas are and what your LSAT goals are. It may be that while others want to work on logic games, what you really need help with is logical reasoning or reading comp and that topic is being neglected potentially week after week where you're putting in your valuable limited study time on logic games just because that's what others in the group needed. There may also be at different levels than you are in your LSAT prep. If they're already scoring in the 160s and you're in the 140s, they may be working on harder problems that you're not yet ready to tackle and you may need to be working on easier and more basic problems.
On the other hand, if you are already in the 160s, you probably don't need to be working on the easiest logical reasoning questions or the simplest of ordering logic games. So in a study group, you want to make sure that when you are designing it, that you have a clear agenda for what you will work on every single week, every single meeting, and that you're deliberately choosing who else is in your group to be at a similar level as you are and work wanting to work on similar things as you do. Don't just choose your study partners because they're random people you met through Craigslist or through your university who happen to be studying for LSAT just like you are. Geography should not be the consideration.
You can find study partners online and you can match with them to make sure that you are meeting the people who are right for you who will work with you on what you need to work on. Second biggest problem, no consistency or accountability. A lot of times I find that students find study partners and they externalize their accountability to the study group, meaning that they assume that they will meet Wednesday night to talk through about the LSAT to work on LSAT problems together. And then if the other person's busy or they flake, something comes up, you're then like, well, what do I do now?
I was counting on this person to help me study. Guess I'll go watch Netflix now or guess I'll catch up on that college paper. I'm going to put the LSAT aside from now. I'll do it later.
And then too often later ends up meeting, never or at least not until next week. And that point you've already lost a weekend, you could have been devoting to LSAT prep. You want to make sure that you're studying every single week, regardless of whether your study partners are available. And so you really want to make sure that when you create your study group, you find people who are just as committed, if not more committed, then you are to make sure that you're going to have that momentum and you're not going to lose it.
Finally, problem number three, no one knows the answer. If you are in a group with people who are not already scoring pretty well, then you potentially run into the issue where they don't know the answer to the problem, you don't know the answer, they don't know how to explain it, you don't know how to explain it. As a result, you're all just kind of left there scratching your heads, feeling lost. There's no one who is far enough along in their prep who can actually provide a reasonable solid explanation that clicks with your way of thinking.
So you want to make sure that your study has people who are far enough along in their prep, they're not total beginners, so that somebody at least will be able to help you out. Alternatively, if you're already scoring quite well and you want to benefit from a study group by having the platform to explain problems to someone else, that's a totally different story. I love that idea. Learning by teaching, I've certainly learned a lot in my LSAT understanding by teaching others over the course of my many years doing this.
I've been teaching the LSAT since 2005 and my understanding back then was not nearly as good as it is now. And in a way, my students have taught me by showing me and giving me the opportunity to find different ways to explain the problem, the more ways that you understand, the problem, the more ways that you can approach it, the deeper your understanding will be. So if you are already in a 160s or 170s and you want to find someone who's in the 130s or 140s or anywhere below you really, then that's a great opportunity to have a study group where you find people who are willing to be your guinea pigs of sorts, where they're learning for free and you're teaching for free and you both benefit from that process. Now in my LSAT study groups inside the LSAT and on platooreses, we address each of the issues that are slightly out here.
First off, the issue of agenda and structure. Like I said earlier, we have classes each night covering a dedicated topic, either logic games, logical reasoning or reading comp, all these classes are taught by my instructors who have scored a 170 plus on their official LSAT exam. So each class is dedicated to covering a specific topic and more than that, a specific LSAT question. So our logic games class, we will post an agenda in advance saying we're going to cover preptest 76 logic, number four or whatever it's going to be.
Then we're going to have a study group either before or after class covering that very game or a game related to that game type. So if we're covering a grouping game that night in class, we will also cover grouping games maybe even at same grouping game in the study group before or after class to create that collaborative environment where students can have a more free-flowing discussion related to that game type. Same goes for logical reasoning and re-encouperation. The study groups also have a leader called the teaching assistant who has scored already in the 160s on their practice test and has been at this for at least six months or longer.
This ensures that they're in a good position to explain the problem to someone else and they can also relate to this unit quite well because they were in their shoes not too long ago and they are still in the process of their own LSAT study journey. And we also of course have the issue of consistency or accountability when people might get busy and not be able to show up for their LSAT study group. We have a clear schedule of structure and agenda for our LSAT courses every single week. What that means is that you know Monday night, 7pm or Monday night, 9pm, you're going to have a study group where you can show up and know that there will be people there teaching assistant there as well to lead you through an LSAT question or two or a game or pass it to whatever it's going to be.
So you know on a weekly basis consistently there will always be a study group, your members are not going to flake, they will be there ready to work through the problems with you. That's part of the commitment they made when they joined LSAT Unplugged. So there you have it folks, the problems with LSAT study groups and how to avoid them. If you would like to join LSAT Unplugged to join our live online class as well as the Zoom, our small group coaching sessions, our study groups, our on-demand video courses, please reach out, we'd love to help you out.
Check out the links below to find out more and to book a call with me and my team. Again, we'd love to help you out through LSAT Prep Journey. Just reach out, we're glad to help. In the meantime, I wish you all the best and take care.
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 and feel free to reach out if you need anything else 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.