Customer Reviews

10 Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests

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I used to work for one of the major test-prep companies (I won't mention names since I signed a contract not to reveal any of their "secrets"). The best way to prep for this test is _not_ to take as many tests as possible, but to do practice sets and understand your mistakes as thoroughly as possible.

Only when you are ready should you take real tests -- and definitely take _real_ tests, not the made-up tests that come in other books. If you are serious about the LSAT, you _must_ buy this book because these are real tests.

Once again, practice on the other (made-up) tests to master the strategies, and then when you're ready, take real tests sparingly (and always time yourself strictly -- the real LSAT people are very very tough) in order to check your improvement. And don't forget to do the essay!

In training for the LSAT, I used only official preptests sold by LSAC. Many past reviewers recommended studying multiple books, like those available by Kaplan or Princeton Review. I have found that Kaplan and other study aides add to the confusion many test takers experience, and Kaplan even admits that its study guides do not help 40% of those who buy the books.

If you want to do well on the LSAT, this is the way to study:

Your first purchase should the 10 Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests. This book includes two 1993 tests, four tests from 1994, and four tests from 1995. The last test has a typo and says that, even though it is test 18, it is from December 1992. This typo is the only one in the book, and does not harm the tests in any way.

The PrepTest book will give several of real LSATs to take, though without question analysis. All of the answers are given, but they are not explained. I find this to be a bonus, because I believe that a test taker can learn more from figuring out why the answer is what is, instead of just going by the problematical answers Kaplan gives. Kaplan's answers have a tendency to be too long and lack an accurate answer. It is similar to when a person is talking but they are not really saying anything.

Just getting used to taking the test is the most important part of the preparation process. If you finish all ten tests, get the newer 10 More Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests.

DO NOT buy Kaplan's LSAT 180. It is full of the toughest questions that KAPLAN could MAKE UP. These questions are so bogus that they lowered everyone in my study group's score: we all had scores over 170 before this book. On one page, Kaplan gave two complete different explanations for two questions that were the exact same type of question. Kaplan's answers to MADE UP questions are lacking judgment. Kaplan is simply too lazy to buy official questions.

Also, both www.LSAC.org and Amazon have individual PrepTests available for $8 each. Get the latest tests: these aren't a good buy like the books of ten, but seeing the most up to date material - even if it's just 1 or 2 tests - is worth it. If you are not in a hurry, you can get the tests free of shipping from LSAC, and they have the MOST RECENT tests, while Amazon tends to lack the two most recent tests.

Specifically, get the June 2000 (PrepTest 31) exam. This contains the notorious "CD Game," the second game, which is commonly considered the most complicated LSAT logic game ever.

BUT...

If you REALLY want to, go ahead and pay in the thousands for a LSAT class prep course, like those offered by Kaplan and Princeton Review. I do not suggest doing that, but confidence is essential for acing the LSAT. If you feel that taking an over-priced prep course will boast your self-assurance, feel free to do so.

This book was my primary study guide for the October 2001 LSAT and it got me a 174! I had tried Kaplan and Princeton Review, but those books are terrible. They don't use real LSATs, so they're just not accurate for diagnosing strngths and weaknesses.
The only thing this book doesn't provide is detailed explanations of why the answers are right and wrong. For that you will need a prep book. But one of those (I recommend NOVA's Master the LSAT) plus this book plus enough self-discipline to do the tests under accurate conditions will lead to a great score.

No tips, no hints, just 10 actual tests. The hardest thing about the LSAT is not the questions, but the short amount of time you are given to solve them. By taking these 10 tests under simulated test conditions you can figure out strategies that work for you (as opposed those that work for 3 out of 5 Kaplan students). Where most books only include 3 or 4 tests this one gives you over twice that and the tests are authentic. The price is right and after taking all ten of these you will have no surprises come test day. My final score on the LSAT was right where I expected it to be thanks to this book.

This book is 10 actual tests. It doesn't give any tips so you may want to buy another book for that. The best thing you can do for yourself is not just learning how to take the test, but taking many tests. If you take all of these timed, it will feel completely natural when you take the real test. When I took the LSAT the questions were familiar to me (not specific questions, but the types of questions). It helped a lot not to be surprised by anything on the test day and to know how much time I could spend on questions.

There is some question of the utility of this book. All of these tests were created in whole or in part before the current LSAT test producer (ACT) took over from LSAS. PrepTests before 11 (including 18 & 16) were made entirely by LSAS. Tests 12-15 were partly written by ACT but they had to use some of LSAS's questions. After December 1995 all the tests were made wholy by ACT (Preptest 17, the "Official LSAT PrepTest with Explanations", the SuperPrep tests, and PrepTests 19+).

I took every PrepTest available and I can say that the October 2005 and more recent tests are different than tests in this book. That doesn't mean the book lacks utility. It's a great study tool but you'll see some question types that are no longer used or are used rarely (for instance, there haven't been logical reasoning questions that have two questions for a single prompt for awhile). The games in this book will also be more difficult than what you'll probably experience on the LSAT. If you only had 10 LSAT PrepTests to take I would recommend the most recent tests you can get. If you're going to take more tests then, by all means, get this book. Just realize it's a little different and don't freak out if your scores change when you begin to take more recent tests.

This book contains:
PrepTest 18; December 1992
PrepTest 7; February 1993
PrepTest 9; October 1993
PrepTest 10; February 1994
PrepTest 11; June 1994
PrepTest 12; October 1994
PrepTest 13; December 1994
PrepTest 14; February 1995
PrepTest 15; June 1995
PrepTest 16; September 1995

I first read and worked through the Princeton Review LSAT Book. That was useful and one should begin their LSAT practice with a book such as that one. But then, I went through and tested myself with the real LSAT tests. I gave myself 2 minutes less than normal to insure my time was up to speed. My score went up 10 points from the first to the last test. Use the book properly. Take a test, then go over each and every answer you got wrong and those that you guessed right. Try to get a feel for the types of problems you are getting wrong. Look at your answer sheets to see if there is a place where lots of wrong answers keep appearing. Then work on those areas you are weak in. No matter what, this book is a necessity for studying for the LSAT. Dont get lazy, do all 10.

There's a reason the LSAC charges only $3.00 a test for the ten in this book, while more recent tests are $8.00 a piece. The test has changed in some important ways (in my opinion, it is much easier) from these tests, the most recent of which is nearly ten years old. Using these to practice might lead one unwarranted discouragement because of the easier nature of the more recent tests.

Because the most significant changes to the test in recent years have been in the "games" section, this section in this book is probably least valuable. The current tests tend to stick to more basic "sequential" and "assigment" games than the more complicated games of past years. The arguments and reading sections seem to have undergone much less significant revisions, and thus those section in this book are of much greater value.

To sum up, then, the so-called sequential and assignement games, and much of the argument and reading sections in this book are quite valuable, but when coupled with the more outdated sections on a "simulated" test might give an inaccurate expectation of results. A far better (albeit more expensive) move is to thoroughly learn the material first (I would recommend "Master the LSAT" by Jeff Kolby) and get the more recent tests from LSAC themselves.

These tests are a good deal and an important resource. Most of the Kaplan/Princeton Review books only include a couple of practice tests and are significantly more expensive. This book is particularly useful after you've taken a prep course or studied using one of the Kaplan/Princeton Review books, which have questions with explanations and provide more information about the test. The best way to do well on the LSAT is to keep taking practice tests. Do not be alarmed that the tests do not include the fifth "experimental" section. The LSAT doesn't release that section. If you want to simulate test taking conditions, just add a fifth section from another test or book.

The tests in this book are much more difficult than the sample tests provided by either Kaplan or Princeton Review. While there are not tips on how to improve you score, taking these as practice tests could dramatically improve your LSAT scores because they more closely model current LSATs. Great tool to use with both Kaplan and Princeton Review test preps!