If you have gotten your October score back and are trying to decide before Friday (the last day to register for the December test) if you are going to take it again, you will want to ask yourself several questions.  One is whether you could do worse.  Look through your test and check to see that there were at least 6 - 8 questions were either stupid misses or ones you can improve on by December 1st.  There isn't much point in redoing it if you think you can only go up 2 or 3 points.  Finally, ask yourself if you have it in you to push for 3 1/2 more weeks.  If you want to give this one more go, contact us.  We have extra tests and can put you on a study plan.

Wherever you are at in the process, now is the time to request transcripts to have them sent to LSAC.  Contact your schools - undergraduate, community college, colleges you attended for running start, etc - and find out what their process is for requesting a transcript.  Some will let you request transcripts online via your account.  Some will want you to contact the transcripts office.  A few may want the transcript request form that can be found when you enter the school into your account in LSAC.  Not all want this form so it is worth starting with the school first.

Hurricane Sandy is causing problems even for us on the West Coast.  (I am loving that there is a massively destructive hurricane named after me.)  Because of this hurricane, LSAC is closed both today (Monday) and tomorrow.  Thus the scores are not going to be back on Wednesday but Thursday afternoon at the earliest.  LSAC has announced that they will waive the late fee for the December test if you took on October 6.  If you did not take it on October 6, then today is the deadline to sign up without paying the extra $70.

We are anticipating that the scores from the October LSAT will be out any day now.  Maybe even Friday, the 26th but most likely next Monday. Since Monday is the deadline to register for the December test, it seems like it would be unnecessarily cruel to not release the scores until Wednesday and charge you the late fee to register for December.

In the meantime, be working on your applications.  The University of Washington has a more is more approach to applications this year.  They want everything on the resumes, including hobbies and interests.  Might be worth doing two different resumes, one for the UW and one for everyone else.  They are also looking for 2 evaluations in addition to the 2 required letters of recommendation.  Make sure that the evaluations are done by different people that the letters of recommendation.  Also, take advantage of the optional essay.  Pick one and write that additional 500 words.  As always, if you need help with a topic or would like someone to proofread it, don't be afraid to contact me.

Congratulations to all of you who successfully completed the October 6 LSAT.  It is a huge accomplishment just to take the test.  The scores are supposed to come back on October 31st and while we are hoping that they might come back earlier, you should know that the deadline for signing up for the December 1 LSAT is October 29, 2 days before the scores come back.  It is a $160 to sign up for the test and you can get $48 back if you decide not to take it, so consider it a $112 insurance policy if you are thinking you might want to take it again in December.

We are in countdown mode to the October 6 LSAT.  Ironically, you still have a few days to decide whether you want to take this on Saturday.  You can withdraw your registration on the 5th.  You don't get any money back but it does remove it from your record.  Keep up with the studying for the next few days.  Be very protective of your health, both physical and mental this week.  Finally, no studying on Friday.  It is mental health day.  Let your brain recover so it will be rested for Saturday.  In the meantime, figure out where your testing site is, where you are going to park, pack your 1-gallon plastic bag and get your passport photo taken to affix to your ticket.  Make sure your car has gas, a working battery, your printer has ink for printing out your ticket, your driver's license is not expired and you are go to go.  Let us know how things go this weekend so we can go to plan B, whether that is thinking about the December test or working on applications.

This year is a bit unusual with only 8 weeks between the October and December tests.  Normally there is nine.  Because of that, we will be having the first week of the December class during the last week of the October test.  We recognize that if you are looking at taking the test on October 6, you may not know whether you will need to take it again in December.  We want you to know that we will be flexible and whenever you make that decision, we will be ready to help you.

Sorry for the gap in posts, but we are busy getting so many of you ready to take the October LSAT.  A couple of thoughts on that, know that there is still loads of time to make a difference in your score by October 6.  Also, you don't need to make a decision today on whether you are going to take it in October or not.  The deadline to change the test date was yesterday.  The good news is that outside of being out the money to register to take the test again, it doesn't matter.  It will show on your academic summary report that you were registered to take the test on October 6 but didn't take it.  The law schools don't care why you didn't take it.  They are looking for a score.  You can wake up the morning of the 6th and decide that it is not the day for you.  If you need to take it in December, then we will work towards then.  In the meantime, plan on doing this on October 6 and put the energy and effort into it accordingly.  Let us know if you need extra help.

If you haven't signed up yet for the LSAT, the deadline is next Tuesday.  All the testing sites in the area still have plenty of room. If you don't sign up by Tuesday, it will cost you an additional $69 to sign up through the 14th.  After that, you can't take it in October.  September 14 is still 3 weeks away from the day of the test so if you are waiting until you feel ready to sign up for the test, you may have to just sign up for it.  There is a lot of learning that can go on between now and then and it is hard to judge that far out if you will be peaking by then.  The good news is that if you get to the end of September and realize that there are some concepts that with a bit more work, you will get them, you can sign up for the December test and just not show up for the October one.  The only consequence is that you are out the $160 that it cost to sign up to take the test.  The law schools do see that you were signed up for the test but did not take it.  However, it does not matter at all in the admissions process.  The law schools want you to take the test when you know you are going to perform at your ability.

Okay, so it looks like we have 2 more days of summer this year.  Fortunately, it should be better by Saturday.  Speaking of, the building is checking for parking passes this Saturday and the 25th so make sure they are on your dashboard.  If you don't have one, ask Steven.

If you haven't done so already, it is a great idea to go visit a law school.  Both of our local law schools encourage potential applicants to come visit them.  I recommend that you go see both even if you are not considering one of them.  It is a great opportunity to see what they similarities are as well as what can be different.  It will give you sense of what you are looking for.  You can contact Seattle U. at http://www.law.seattleu.edu/Office_and_Administration/Admission/Visit_the_Law_School/Visit_a_1L_Class.xml.

I hope everyone enjoyed their two days of summer here in Seattle.  I apologize to the Saturday class for the heat of the room.  It looks like that was it for sun this year so we should be okay from here on out.  We still have room in this round of classes so if you know anyone who is thinking about applying for the fall of 2013, have them give us a call.  New and interesting from the LSAC world, they are not posting next year's testing dates until January of 2013.  Much later than what they normally do so we will not be able to set our class dates until early next year.  They assured me that they will be the same 4 written tests spread out along the same time frame throughout next year.  I am not sure why the delay in releasing the testing dates.

It looks like a great summer to study for the LSAT!  We like it when the weather is not great, easier to stay focused.  The classes for the October 6 LSAT start Saturday, August 4; Tuesday, August7 and Wednesday August 8.  There is room in all of these classes.  There is another test on December 1 and both of these will work for applying to law school for the fall of 2013.  Law schools don't start the intense part of the application review until January.  However, if you can squeeze in studying for this test now, it is better to try for the October test and have the December one as a back-up.  Plus, if it goes well in October, then you have the rest of the fall to pull together your application without it adding addition stress to your studying and practice test taking.

I am back!  I spent several weeks in a very wet England.  Between Wimbledon and the upcoming Olympics, there were many newspaper articles on athlete psychology that translate very well to the LSAT.  It is essentially a performance.  Not only maintaining your focus and not allowing yourself to get psyched out by your opponents but I now have some interesting ideas about taking practice tests with the goal of "sure wins."  The analogy is to boxing where they set up fights where it is an easy win for the boxer.  This gives the boxer a sense of confidence that he takes with him to the next fight.  Same with the LSAT.  Create goals that are sure bets, things like setting up sequence games or tacking main point logical reasoning questions.  Don't set scores are your goal.  It is harder when you are taking the test to know that you are reaching your goal.

Also, 2 weeks left before classes start for the October test.  Sign up soon!

I am heading out on vacation but Steven and Ellie will be taking care of things until I return on July 16.  Please contact us when you get your scores so we can start planning on where to go from there.

With another 10 days or so before the scores come out, now is a good time to think about some of the application components that you can get done during the summer.  The two best would be getting your transcripts sent off and start working on the letters of recommendation.  Make sure to contact all of the schools you attend, including running start and community college institutions.  For letters of recommendation, the form can be found after you "add a recommender" under the letters of recommendation section in your account at www.lsac.org.  Once you have added them, you will see a "print form" button.  Let me know if you have any questions about the process or if you want to talk about who will write a letter for you.

We wish all of our students the best of luck today on the LSAT.  Please get in contact with us if you want to talk about your test, find out where your experimental sections is or what other people thought of the different sections of the test.  Because LSAC does not allow discussion on the internet about specifics of test, I will not be able to post anything about it.  You are welcome to call and listen to the message or come meet with us.

With one week to go until the LSAT, a couple of thoughts.  One is make sure that you read the instructions that come with your ticket very carefully.  Your ticket is in your account on LSAC, located under the LSAT header.  Don't mess with the instructions.  You can be turned away from the test if you don't follow them.  The big ones being, everything comes in a 1 gallon ziplock plastic bag and then other - no cellphones.  As silly as the rules may seem, they are for your protection.  Also, it is time to start thinking about if you are going to take the June test.  If you are good with where you are scoring right now, then go for it.  We can talk afterwards about where it felt good or not.  If you are not where you want to be and think with a few more months, you can get there, then it might make sense to wait until October.  You can't change your test date at this point.  Just don't go next Monday.  The law schools will see that you were registered but didn't take it.  They truly don't care.  If you decide to put this off, get in touch with us so we can create a study plan for over the summer.    The best of luck to those of you who take it on Monday!

I hope everyone had a good 3-day weekend.  We still have plenty of time to make a difference in your LSAT score.  At this point, you should be transitioning from skill set learning to test taking strategy.  If you realize that there are skills you still need help understanding, make sure you make an appointment for some one-on-one tutoring.  Otherwise, work on finding your pace in the different sections.  Keeping in mind, that not finishing but working at a speed where you understand what you are doing, can often get you a higher score.  Also, pay attention to those anxiety triggers.  Start developing a plan to deal with those moments where you get unnerved.  Learn to recognize when they are happening so that you can acknowledge that is what is going on and then shake it off.  Remember they are all only one point questions.  If you are starting to think about putting this off until October, check in with Steven or myself.  We can help you come up with a studying plan for over the summer.

Just a reminder that this weekend is the University District Street Fair.  The community center uses this weekend as a fund raiser.  Parking here will cost $10 per car for the day.  The money goes 100% to the community center so it is for a good cause.  We will be proctoring 5 sections for the rest of the class so be sure to bring your Next Book of 10 LSATs with you every time you come to take a test.  We will give you test 62 this weekend.  Tests 52 through 55 are for you to take as extra exams.

Enjoy the sun break but then back to work.  We are at the midpoint in the class so plenty of time to make improvements as well as solidify the skill sets you have been learning.  Starting this weekend we are moving to 5 section tests to plan on it taking an extra half hour.  Also, make sure you bring your book with you every time you come to take a test.  Your experimental will be coming out of that book.  If you want some extra help or just want to touch base, we have tutoring times available.

Sandy

Law School Transparency - A Database

Law School Transparency has recently announced its comprehensive law school database, which details a wide range of information designed to for prospective law students:

http://www.lawschooltransparency.com/

Just choose the school you'd like to research from the drop-down menu and the database will pull up quick stats about the school's average post-graduation employment and salaries, tuition rates, and student loan debt loads, to name a few.

What I particularly interesting is that the site reports which statistics each law school refuses to share. For example, Phoenix School of Law displays no employment score, and chooses to withhold:

-How many of its graduates are in full-time jobs
-How many of its graduates are in full-time legal jobs
-When its graduates obtained their job offers
-How its graduates obtained jobs

Are alarms going off in your head as well? They should be.

For those of you who are beginning to receive mass emails from law schools you've never heard of before now - Do your homework before you apply. Hopefully, this site can help.

Ellie

June LSAT Reminder - Sign up!

If you haven't signed up for the June LSAT, you have until midnight on May 8 to register.  All three testing sites in the Puget Sound area are still open.  We recommend Seattle University for its superior facilities and incredibly nice proctors.

We wish the best of luck to all of our former students who are in finals this week.  Remember your LSAT test taking strategies - make healthy choices, stay calm, one question at a time and let go when you move on to the next question.

Congratulations to all of you who are in your last week of finals!  We knew you could do it.

Sandy

Additional wait-list thoughts and a shout out

It was pointed out to me to remind you that if you are still on a wait-list or even if you haven't heard from a school yet, the merit-based scholarships have all been given out at this point.  You will get financial aid in the form of loans but if you get in, be appreciative and then get to work so that you can get the merit-based scholarships in your second year.

I also want to send a congratulations to Kwan Law who is one of our success stories and is now a superstar at SU.  He is featured in their Social Justice video.  I knew you could do it!

Sandy

Waitlists

It is wait-list time in the law school world.  At this point, you have most likely been accepted, rejected or put on a wait-list by a law school.  If you are none of the above, it is perfectly acceptable to contact the law school and find out when you should be hearing from them.  If you are on the wait-list at a school, first read the e-mail/letter very carefully and see what their process is.  Each is slightly different so what may be okay at one school may be unacceptable at another.  Most will ask for some sort of confirmation that you will want to remain on the wait-list.  Unlike the undergraduate level where they are going for an approximate number, law schools are trying to get to the exact number that they can fit in their first year.  This means that you can be on the wait-list right up until the day school starts.  We have had students get phone calls the first day of school asking if they are still interested.  It is up to you to decide how long you are willing to wait and how important it is for you to go to that school.

The acceptance of additional information will vary from school to school.  Some schools will be going to their wait-list to make sure that they have a well-rounded class so they will be looking at gender, undergraduate degrees or where you are from.  At that point, you will have no control and are just hoping that you are what they are looking for.  Some are looking for desire to attend that particular school.  If they allow additional information, make sure you include a cover letter that expresses your interest in that school and why they are the only one that will fit the bill.  It is also helpful to talk about what you have been doing since applying to further your readiness for law school.

Yield rate becomes very important to the law schools at this stage.  A small part of their ranking is determine by how many students they accept actually end up attending.  They can make a difference in their yield with their wait-list by making sure they accept those that they know will attend.  It is important that you communicate your desire to attend on a regular basis without irritating them.  We recommend staying in contact every couple of weeks or so.

Above all, be polite and respectful.  You are on the wait-list because you have the qualifications to attend that school.  However, you are not entitled to attend that school and there were others that also met those qualifications.  The admissions staff works hard and upsetting them with your anger or frustration is not going to help your cause.  This part of the process requires a lot of patience.  You are still a talented individual and will go on to be a great lawyer no matter what happens.

Sandy

LSAT Watch

Don't trust the person proctoring the test? While digital watches are strictly prohibited on test day, you are allowed to bring your own Analog watch. Check out this LSAT-specific Analog watch I found on Amazon for just $19.95. Pretty absurd - but whatever works, right??? What will they think of next?

Ellie

How to Study

Students are always asking for quick tips. Unfortunately, there is no magic short cut to the perfect score; like most things in life, the LSAT is something you can improve at with practice. That being said, I’ve tried to compile a few Steven Klein study tips for you below.

Try to practice at least a few hours a day, but no more than 4 hours.

Steady practice each day will get you in the right mindset. However, there is a limit – more than 4 hours a day is probably overkill. For those of you who work, attend school full time, or are otherwise having difficulty finding large chunks in your daily schedule for studying, try fitting in 35 minute sessions throughout the day. This will not only help you manage your time between the LSAT and the rest of your life, but it will also help familiarize you with the time period of 35 minutes, the length of an LSAT section.

Redo logic games.

Although it may sound tedious, do not underestimate the worth of repetition. Doing logic games over and over will help you solve them more quickly and gain confidence in your skills.

Review old tests.

It’s not enough to just take tests and do problems, make sure you’re learning from them. Redo logic games a few times. Redo logical reasoning questions that gave you difficulty. Review each answer choice carefully – understand not only why the right answer is right, but also why the wrong answers are wrong. Pretend you have to explain the question to another student.

Practice reading dense material.

If reading comp is giving you difficulty, trying reading dense material each morning for 30 minutes. Pick up a political magazine or your dad’s old college textbook. Unless radiocarbon dating or the mating processes of African lemurs are your thing, LSAT reading will be more boring than your average novel. Practice active reading of dense material for comprehension.

Ellie

Introduction to Logic Games

Hello all,

     We'll begin this blog with a very educational post - most likely a reiteration of Steven's wise teachings in your first class. Hopefully you took notes. If you didn't, maybe you'll find this useful -- at least this way you can't say "HOW COME NOBODY TOLD ME THIS?????" three days before the test when you're tweaking out in Sandy's office, pulling out your hair and facing chocolate banana bread from Chaco Canyon :) We all deal with stress differently.

     Here at the Steven Klein Company, we begin our 8-week class with a focus on logic games. Contrary to popular belief, we do not begin with the logic game section because it is the most difficult section. We begin with logic games for two main reasons: First and foremost, games can be extremely daunting to the untrained eye. We want our students to familiarize themselves with games as soon as possible to eliminate “game anxiety,” so we can eventually move on to fine tuning our students’ LSAT logical reasoning and reading comprehension skills. The second reason we begin with logic games is that it is oftentimes the most teachable section on the LSAT; games are commonly an area that offers great room for improvement. Please find a sample logic game below. I’ve highlighted the stimulus and bolded the rules for your convenience.

The host of American Idol must decide the order with which contestants will appear. Seven performance slots are available for contestants, and are numbered one through seven in the order that they will perform. Each of the seven contestants – B, C, D, F, H, J, and K – will perform during the show. Only one contestant can perform at one time. The assignment of the contestants to the slots is subject to the following restrictions:

B and D must occupy consecutive time slots.

B must be aired during an earlier time slot than K.

D must be aired during a later time slot than H.

If H does not occupy the fourth time slot, then F must occupy the fourth time slot.

K and J cannot occupy consecutively numbered time slots.

There are typically three main types of logic games: Sequence, Assignment, and Binary Games, although sometimes you will come across a game which is a hybrid of these main types. Without going too in-depth into the types of games yet, I’ve included some helpful hints for logic games below.

1.     Relax; don’t stress out. Instead of thinking of the game as an abstract intelligence test, imagine you are a character within the stimulus, and this is a real-life situation you must solve.

2.     Give yourself ample time to carefully read and digest a game’s stimulus and rules. Correctly setting up the game is half the battle. It’s not uncommon for great logic game players to split their time evenly between a game’s set-up and the actual solving of it.

3.     Use a dark-colored highlighter for the initial set-up, and then play the game with a pencil and an industrial sized eraser. You will have limited space on the page, and you will need to play the game multiple times in the same small space. Drawing the set-up with a highlighter will ensure that you don’t erase your set-up when beginning a new question. Highlighter, not a pen. Pens are not allowed on test day.

4.     Remember that logic games are just that – games – they are meant to be played. Unlike puzzles, which have only one right answer, logic games have many solutions. If the answer to a question doesn’t jump out at you right away, just plug-and-chug.


Ellie

First Blog Ever

Kicking and screaming, the Steven Klein Company is moving into the 21st century.  We are starting this as a way to stay in touch with former LSAT students, keep current ones up-to-date with last news about the law school admissions process and answers to the hard LSAT questions and hopefully, find new students.

This is a new adventure for us so feel free to weigh in with thoughts and suggestions about future topics and what you would find useful.

Sandy