Some folks have asked about an online LSAT timer. Here's one we put online:

www.strategyprep.com/timer

It's free.

It's a proctor, really. You click "play" to start the 35-minute proctor, which tells you when to start, when you have five minutes, and when your time is up. We recommend using an analog watch with this online proctor to simulate the actual exam.

Let us know if you have any comments or suggestions!

Official LSAT PrepTests

Bye from DC!

The LSAC has published a booklet for minorities on how to apply to law school. The tips, however, are good for everyone. Here are a few, quoted verbatim:

• Apply early.
• Contact each law school you’re interested in for specific information and requirements.
• Prepare well for the LSAT; take timed practice tests.
• Research the right school for you.
• Talk to lawyers and find out what they do.
• Have realistic expectations.
• Know what you are getting into.
• Prepare a well-thought-out and intriguing personal statement.
• Do your best academic work as an undergraduate.
• Round out your portfolio with activities and leadership positions.
• Attend a Law School Forum.
• Reach out to and consult with prelaw advisors.

We must comment on their advice to "take timed practice tests" since we proctor more timed tests in our 100-Hour Course than any other national preparation company. It's nice to read that LSAC agrees that this practice is key.

In the end, however, we go further: Our students actually end up taking over 20 timed, full-length tests when you consider the homework they do in addition to the proctored, in-class exams. And that doesn't include the over 3,000 untimed but official practice questions that students work on in class and at home. Yeah, it's intense, but fun -- and rewarding!

If you're a minority, check out the advice on addressing your ethnicity in your personal statement on page 4:

Pursue a Career in Law: Change the Odds

The other pages also have good advice for anyone considering law school. Enjoy!

This GW article is old news, but it seems to happen every year. So register early.

You can always change your test date -- even after the test. If you're signed up for the February 7, 2009 LSAT, for example, you can switch to the June exam as late as February 9, as long as you do it online and pay LSAC $33.00.

Although this article is talking about the September LSAT, which attracts the most test takers, it still makes sense to register early if you want to take the test in DC.

Also, the article mentions that the LSAT is "four hours." That's true, somewhat. The test itself is only 3 hours and 45 minutes. But when you take the actual test, set aside 7 hours. With so many people taking the test in DC, it usually takes 2 hours or so to check everyone in at the testing center.

Some students forced to leave D.C. for LSAT:

"Many law-school hopefuls in Washington are leaving the District Saturday to take the Law School Admission Test because all test centers in D.C. were filled nearly three months before the registration deadline. ..."

Most applicants apply to 4 or fewer schools.

Over the last ten years, however, the number of applicants applying to over 11 schools has more than doubled from 8% to 18%. I suspect more people are getting more competitive by applying to more schools (factor number one listed below).

A whopping 27% of applicants in 2007 applied to only one law school. I guess they had the scores to pick and choose their destination or, more likely, they settled for a safe school.

How many applications you send out depends on

1. How much you want to go a top school. More want, more schools.
2. How high your LSAT and GPA are relative to other applicants. Higher scores, fewer schools.
3. How much money you have to spend on applications.
4. How picky you are. More picky, fewer schools.

Given the cost of law school, I'd err on the side of applying to too many. Granted, it may cost you a few hundred dollars, but you're about to dish out thousands. Make sure you give that money to the right school for you. Besides, consider your post-graudation salary, which is positively correlated with law-school rank. The higher the rank, the higher your likely salary. No joke.

Here's the application data, provided by LSAC:

Number of Applications per Applicant 1993-2007

The DC Law School Forum, hosted by LSAC, will be held:

Saturday, June 27, 2009
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Marriott Wardman Park
2660 Woodley Road, NW
Washington, DC

Admission is free.

You can register at the event or online (to avoid waiting in line):

• Meet representatives from over 170 law schools
• Attend workshops on:

Financing a legal education (10:30 AM and 4:00 PM)
Applying to law school (11:15 AM and 12:15 PM)
Being a lawyer (2:30 PM)
Taking the LSAT (11:30 AM)

• Get admission materials and catalogs
• Review LSAC’s LSAT preparation materials
• Visit the prelaw advisors’ table for general advice on applying to law school

DC Law School Forum

Wondering whether you can into Harvard Law School or any school, for that matter?

Official GPA and LSAT Calculator

LSAC makes you read a disclosure! To skip it, scroll down and click on Return to Search Page.

After you enter your GPA and LSAT score (or estimated score), sort by Likelihood.

1. Take it easy. Plan to do something fun, and don't plan on studying. If you like studying, it won't hurt. But don't feel the need to do so. You're prepared. Now is the time to relax and to get rested for the day ahead. That said, don't get all worried about getting enough sleep; you'll get through the test. Just say no to partying and you'll be good.
2. Figure out how to get to the testing center. And, if possible, go to the testing center. That will ensure you know how to get there, how long it takes, and where to park. Once you're there, if you can get in the building, check out where you'll be sitting, the clock (if any), restrooms, drinking fountains, and so on. The more you know, the more relaxed you'll be.
3. Print out your ticket even if you already have. Make sure your testing center hasn't changed; it's happened before.
4. Pack your zip-lock bag, which must be one gallon (3.79 liter) or smaller. Contents.
5. Set your alarm and go have fun. You've done all you can do.

Almost nothing, except your clothes and a one-gallon, clear zip-lock bag with the following goodies:

Required

• LSAT admission ticket
• Driver's license or passport
• No. 2 wooden pencils

ID Requirements

• Current (not expired)
• Government issued
• Photo
• Your signature
• Your first and last name on your ID must match your ticket exactly. If not, you must request a new ticket well before the exam.

Optional

• Wallet
• Keys
• Analog wrist watch
• Medical or hygiene products
• Highlighter
• Erasers
• Pencil sharpener
• Tissues
• Beverage in plastic container or juice box (maximum size 20 oz. or 591 ml)
• Snack

Not Permitted

• Cell phones
• Ear plugs
• Mechanical pencils
• Anything remotely electronic, including digital watches

Wear a few extra layers of clothing just in case it's too cold because you can always take them off.

Every year some pre-law student interns for some U.S. Senator, hoping to get a great letter of recommendation. Nothing wrong with that, unless you never get to know your boss.

These letters from "famous" recommenders are far less influential than those letters from recommenders who are "familiar" with who you are and with how you work.

That doesn't mean you want to ask your dad, of course. But you do want to ask someone who's worked with you closely in school or at work, so they can really dig deep and show the admissions committee what you're made of.

For those who still have time, remember this and work really hard for someone before you apply so you can ask for a recommendation with complete confidence that it will get you in at your top school -- and not get in your way.

Which reminds me, if you're not sure whether someone will sing your praises, don't ask them to recommend you. If you're desparate and can't find anyone else, be direct:

"Would you be willing to write a strong recommendation letter for my law school application?"

If they hestitate (even slightly) and then say "yes," just tell them you'll get back to them. Then go with Plan B by either asking someone else or getting a new job so you can build up future recommenders.

Many people have been asking if they should take the test now -- in December -- or wait until February.

Short answer:

If you really want to go to law school in 2009, take the December LSAT.

Most schools don't accept February LSAT scores from students who want to attend the following fall. But even when schools do, they've usually filled up most of their incoming class by that time, so your chances of acceptance are much lower.

If you're willing to wait a year, take the February LSAT and apply early.

You'll be ahead of everyone else, you'll have more time to study for the LSAT, you'll be able to focus on your applications in the summer, and you'll know where you want to apply because you'll have your actual score. Then go get a cool internship over the summer that will give you a good recommendation letter and bragging rights on your resume.

Law School (total students)

1. Yale (600)
2. Harvard (1700)
3. Stanford (500)
4. Columbia (1200)
5. NYU (1400)
6. UC Berkeley (900)
7. University of Chicago (600)
8. Penn (800)
9. University of Michigan (1200)
10. University of Virginia (800)
11. Northwestern (1200)
12. Cornell (600)
13. Duke (600)
14. Georgetown (1600)
15. Vanderbilt (600)
16. UCLA (1000)
17. University of Texas (1300)
18. USC Gould (600)
19. Washington University in St. Louis (800)
20. George Washington (1400)

Every year, about 140,000 people take the LSAT.

Feb LSAT: 25,000
Jun LSAT: 27,000
Oct LSAT: 50,000
Dec LSAT: 41,000

These numbers are based on the averages for the last five years.

Sorry, no shortcuts here.

LSAC, the organization that administers the LSAT, tries very hard to make every test equally difficult. It's true that some tests are harder than others, but it's not because they were given in a certain month.

That said, over time the test has gotten harder. As more and more students turn to outside help to prepare for the LSAT, the test writers have had to respond by making it harder so that it continues to distinguish students. Much like an easy college exam, if everyone gets an "A," there's no way to tell who knows the material best.

This article below is just an op-ed. The author doesn't rely on any study, but it's the kind of topic that many folks like to ask about.

In the end, however, how well the LSAT predicts future success is not that important because law schools think it does a good job. So the better your score, the better your school. And there is actual evidence, contrary to some comments posted after the article, that law-school rank and post-graduation salary are positively correlated.

Here are some comments from Stanford Law School worth quoting:

Stanford's website offers a refreshing dose of honesty when it professes, "Admissions officers downplay the role of the LSAT in admissions decisions, but don't believe them." Stanford claims further that a "perfect GPA, an abundance of extracurricular activities, and a background as unique as an honest politician will not get you into a top-five law school if your LSAT score is low."

Here's the full article:

LSAT Score Fails to Determine Quality

Although it's not too surprising, an interesting study conducted in 2004 suggests that the LSAT does a better job of predicting how well you'll do on in-class tests than on take-home exams or assigned papers.

This power to predict, however, is important to admissions committees because most of your law school GPA depends on in-class tests. In fact, most classes base your grade on nothing but one three-hour final exam at the end of the semester. Much like your LSAT score, your grade depends on one great performance.

The study concludes that the LSAT's time constraints make it most similar to in-class exams. In short, speed matters on the LSAT and in law school.

Your GPA, on the other hand, does a good job of predicting how well you'll do in all three scenarios -- in-class exams, take-home exams, and assigned papers -- which is probably why law schools look at your GPA right after they look at your LSAT score. These numbers aren't perfect, but they start to reveal what you've done in the past and what you'll likely do in the future.

That said, preparing for the LSAT does more than just prepare you for the test itself. Students who invest themselves develop the very skills the exam is testing. And that prepares you for law school.

For those who are interested, here's the original study:

Speed as a Variable on the LSAT and Law School Exams

Beware, it's a 3 MB PDF.