Customer Reviews

Cracking the LSAT, 2008 Edition (Graduate School Test Preparation)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I thought this book was a good start for learning the LSAT. I think everybody's situation might be a little different, so I'll tell you a bit about mine and suggest some other materials. I'm a math/programming guy so I think I was already set up pretty well for the logic games and logical reasoning sections. On my first prep-test, however, I wasn't formally familiar with the terms the test was using. I wasn't sure exactly what constituted a main point, etc. This book, Cracking the LSAT, lays out in very simple terms everything you need to know to understand what the logical reasoning questions are asking for. It also gives you some simple strategies for finding the correct answer. Additionally, it's a very good primer on the logical games portion, and it gives you a foundation to work with for reading comprehension.

If you're aiming for a good score, another must have would be the old LSATs, published under the 'Official LSAT Preptest' title. You can buy them individually or in groups of 10 under the '10', '10 More', or 'Next 10', 'Actual, Official Preptests'. A decent study plan would include from 5-15 timed practice tests and a comparable amount of timed or untimed study of individual sections. You should also keep in mind that older tests are thought to have easier reading comprehension, harder games, and looser scales. So, if you're trying to gauge your test day performance then you are better off taking a more recent test. Also, as important as exposure to new material is, it is more important to review and understand the questions you got wrong.

If you feel like you can master more following this book, a great next step would be the PowerScore LSAT Logical Reasoning Bible and the Logic Games. These books, as a guide to practice, are generally considered to be the best on the market.

Good luck,
Joe

At the time of this review, I hadn't taken the LSAT yet, but I can already tell this book made a difference. It was very helpful in learning how to analyze arguments and solve games in addition to providing helpful information about the law school application process. I would recommend anyone feeling overwhelmed or anxious about taking the LSAT to get this book!

Despite reading many reviews saying that Powerscore had the best materials available, I decided to start with the Princeton Review book. I've taken the GRE and the GMAT already, and Princeton Review study materials has served me well for both. After doing a few chapters of this book, I put in away and moved on to Powerscore.

I think that Powerscore offers superior strategies for tackling each section, but that's probably just a matter of personal choice.

I also appreciate the tone of the Powerscore books. It's hard to explain the difference, but Princeton Review's LSAT books have the same tone as their SAT books. They just seem a bit unprofessional.

But the one unquestionable reason to go with Powerscore is the real LSAT questions. I saw that mentioned in so many reviews when I was shopping for my prep books but never really understood how it could make much difference. Having practiced with real LSAT questions and Princeton Review questions, I can say without a doubt that the real questions are better. LSAT questions have to be reviewed thoroughly before being included in the test; they don't include questions that people could argue about. Accordingly, when I practiced with real LSAT questions, I always understood the reasoning... even if I missed the question and had to go back to reconsider. When I studied with Princeton Review, however, I frequently questioned their logic. Several times, I found myself moving on to the nest question thinking "I don't really buy it; let's hope the LSAT has better questions than that."

Don't bother second-guessing. Buy a book that uses real LSAT questions instead.

Imagine this was a stimulus on the LSAT--and I quote from CRACKING THE LSAT itself:

****

If you can't get your hands on some actual LSATs, our practice tests are the next best thing. As we said in Chapter 1, you should practice on real LSATs.

[Notice anything amiss?]

Don't be fooled by the sample questions in other books, which are only superficially similar to actual LSAT questions. We have constructed our practice test... [Trust us...]

****

My experience: real LSAT questions are better constructed, better thought-through and far better tested than imitations. To get the bona fide LSAT mindset, your mind has to be working real LSAT questions.

Hence, AVOID this LSAT prep book.

The POWERSCORE prep books have real LSAT questions and tests. (Apparently--unlike "other" books--they are willing to pay for this privilege.) Also, The LSAC publishes past LSAT exams.

I feel like I got my money's worth wth the POWERSCORE books. Feel I wasted my money (and time) on alternatives, including--unfortuantely--this one.

Kirtland Peterson

This book has some good advice and strategies but it's downfall is that the test questions are not from the actual LSAT, and furthermore it has very infuriating mistakes. One particular example was one of the puzzle questions at the end of the puzzle chapter; the questions were not the same. It was the difference between "which one must be true", and "which one must NOT be true". Mistakes like this in a test prep book are unforgivable. Buy the The Official LSAT SuperPrep or one of the books by power score that has REAL lsat questions. Don't waste your time with this.

I've taken a Kaplan class and was exposed to several hundred real LSAT questions, and when I started going through this book, I was confused as to why the answers did not follow quite so logically as do the real LSAT questions. Then I realized that nowhere does Princeton claim to use real questions (I believe I am right in saying this.)

Exhaust every real LSAT question available before you open this book. The real LSAT questions are VERY carefully written such that there is only one correct answer and that answer is a logical necessity (with exceptions in the reading comp that are slightly more subjective). In this book, I found multiple answers that could fit the criteria and the explanation for the answer choice to be even illogical at times.

The reason I gave it a 2 instead of 1 star is that there are a couple nice tips in the book.

This is pretty standard if you're taking the test. The strategies that it lays out are clear and extremely helpful. If you buy one book for the test this should be it.

Princeton Review has typically had a good reputation with prep books. But, they do not live up to expectations in this prep book. After working through the entire "Arguments" section and a portion of the "Games" section, I felt they were simply mentioning what types of questions you will see on the LSAT rather than helping you to actually practice strategies. The book prepared me for what type of questions will be asked. But, I have found little help in finding easy ways of getting to the answers. I would not recommend this book.