Customer Reviews

Kaplan LSAT 2005 (Kaplan LSAT Comprehensive Program)

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

 

 

Kaplan's intro book isn't bad and it isn't great. It's a good overview before you really start digging into the actual LSAT questions. I felt that it got my mind warmed up as to what the LSAT would be like and gave me some basic tips to think over.

There's no way this should be your only study material, however it fills an important role. If you're studying on your own you should have some sort of book that gives you the basics of the LSAT...whether that be Kaplan, Princeton Review, Nova, etc.

I liked to think of my self study in several stages:
1. Intro to the LSAT
2. General logical reasoning and analytical skill development
3. Focussed practice on specific types of LSAT questions
4. Full preptests
5. Further focus on specific LSAT skill areas

This book does a decent job of addressing that Intro to the LSAT but alone it's not going to prepare you adequately to take the LSAT.

The problem with this book is it is too wordy and has a definition for everything. If you are like me and want things straightforward and to the point--forget it. You won't get it with this book. In fact, I was averaging about 40% to 45% correct on the logical reasoning section prior to reading this book and I dropped by 15%! Why? Again, because this book makes everything more confusing with there explanation's. I will admit that it did help me a little with my games, but that is the extent of it. Additionally, and I still can't make sense of it is when I took the practicums in "The Next 10 Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests" (GREAT BOOK) I score on average between a 153 to a 158. About 18 on games, 16 on LR and 20 on RC, give or take a few. Yet, in this book I'm lucky if I scored above a 145! Why? Your guess is as good as mine considering I'm scoring relatively well with actual exams as oppose to Kaplan exams. I just don't think this is a very good book. Neither does my LSAT instructor who previously worked for Kaplan for over 12 years. Enough said.

The Kaplan book is chatty, easy to read, and confidence building, but a lot of the information is just not that useful. They write, for instance, don't waste a lot of time drawing elegant charts during the logic games section. Or, in the same chapter, "With Logic Games, you must remember that identifying the type of game and understanding the subsequent flow of action are the keys to the kingdom of point-scoring." Good ideas both, but as we used to say in grade school - Duh! The book is certainly not a total waste of time, and not having read any other LSAT books I don't have much to compare it to, but unless a person is feeling very insecure or dimwitted, he/she could probably find more useful advice elsewhere.

I found pretty much every single question in this book to be easier than the 10 Actual LSAT Tests and 10 More Actual LSAT tests. My scores typically average around a 164, while on the 10 Blah Blah Blah, a 159. So really, just a heads up.

This is a great book to prepare you, not only for the LSAT but for the application process itself. Has a nice introduction to "thinking like a lawyer" and study tips for the test.

THe 2005 edition of the book is the exact same as the 2004 edition. Even the back cover of the book says "Kaplan 2004". see for yourself. The only thing they changed was the cover and the copyright page. They should recall the books and actually put out a 2005 edition. I also thought some of the answers or explanations were wrong according to their own standards. The only thing good about it is that it's better than nothing.

I agree with the second reviewer. This is the only book I bought to practice for the LSAT. I scored a 163 on an actual LSAT practice exam, and each time I wrote one of these Kaplan practice exams, my score dropped. The first time by five points, the second, by another point. The explanations are verbose and complicated, yet do not go into enough detail in the right areas. Before I read this book, I was confident and looking forward to the challenge of the LSAT. Now I am discouraged, constantly second guessing myself, and feel it is pointless to even take the test. If you did well on the LSAC provided practice test, don't bother with this book as it may just bust your confidence and not improve your scores at all. I plan on trying to get a refund for this book.

I agree with most of the reviewers who said that the Kaplan book is worthless. It's full of common sense information and provides no real in-depth strategies to attack the problems. For example, I'll discuss the Logic Games sections of Kaplan and a competetor, Powerscore. The first five pages of Kaplan's Logic Games section are dedicated to "The Four Basic Principles of Logic Games." One of the principles is "Use Scratchwork and Shorthand"...gee, you think? Also, Kaplan dedicates minimal pages to the actual different types of Logic Games and how to solve them. For example, there are only two and a half pages specific to the Sequencing type of game. I recommend the Powerscore books, in which the Sequencing section in the Logic Games Bible is about 100 pages long and is full of strategies, examples, and step-by-step approaches to real LSAT questions. Maybe the actual Kaplan course is effective, but buying the book is a waste of money. The Powerscore books are more expensive, but are well worth the price.

I first took the LSAT in 2002. I had never looked at an LSAT before, did not know what to expect, and was a little hungover. I scored okay, a 155. I decided to take the LSAT again and this time about a year ahead of time, I purchased Kaplan. I studied very hard, did the exercises, and the CD Rom.

To make a long story short, I got a 153 the second time I took the LSAT. In other words, I did better going into the test blind than I did with a year and $40 invested in Kaplan. I think Powerscore would have been much better. On top of that, they would not honor their money back guarantee. If I take the LSAT again, I am going to try the hungover approach and score better.