Certificate in LSAT Preparation - Part 1 Online Course

Introduction to a career in law

You're taking the LSAT, but that's just a step toward attending law school, which is just a step toward a career in law. We know the real reason you're here, so we'll start this course with a lesson that gives you a peek into what a career in law actually looks like and what your opportunities are.

Law School admission procedures

Your LSAT score is just one of many factors that law school admissions committees will consider during your application process. In today's lesson, we'll go through an overview of the whole process and give you advice on how to maximize your chances of gaining acceptance to the school of your choice.

Structure of the LSAT

In today's lesson, we'll explore some of the things you need to know about the general makeup of the LSAT so you'll know exactly what you're getting into come test day. We'll discuss what to expect from all question types, not just the ones covered in this first course. You'll discover the basics of reading comprehension, logical reasoning, and analytical reasoning questions, and you'll get an overview of the writing sample. Everything you need to know about scoring procedures will also be revealed today.

General Techniques for Preparing for the Test

You may have heard that you can't study for the LSAT. But that's just not true! There are a bunch of general things you can do to prepare for the LSAT, and the more time you spend preparing, the better your scores will be. You'll also learn how to relax when you start feeling panicky on test day.

Techniques for taking the test

In today's lesson, we'll continue where we left off in the previous lesson by going over specific tips on how to approach LSAT question types, how to eliminate the wrong answers the tests try to entice you to choose, how to guess when you're not sure of the right answer, and how much time to spend on each question. After you've completed this lesson, you'll be ready to learn more about the specific questions, starting with analytical reasoning.

Analytical Reasoning Problem characteristics

The analytical reasoning question type probably worries more potential LSAT takers than any of the others. So in this lesson, you'll learn how to think of this question type as a game—something you'd like to do for fun in your spare time, if you had any! We'll examine in detail what you should look for when tackling these questions, and then we'll outline your approach.

Analytical Reasoning - Question Types

The analytical reasoning question comes in two main types: spatial order and group membership. In today's lesson, you'll find out all about each type, complete with examples. You'll also learn about the subsets of questions for each type.

Group Membership and Temporal Order Questions & Diagrams

In this lesson, you'll learn how to master LSAT group membership analytical reasoning questions. We'll go over the proper diagrams to draw to keep information straight, and we'll go through plenty of practice with detailed explanations.

Spatial Order Problems & Diagrams

Next, you'll learn how to deal with the spatial order type of question. The diagrams you draw to handle this question type are a little different than those for group membership, so we'll go through detailed instructions with lots of practice questions.

Practice Tests

Knowledge is power, but practice makes perfect! In today's lesson, we'll steer through all kinds of LSAT analytical reasoning questions that have appeared on past tests to reinforce the step-by-step approaches you've already learned. You'll practice your skills on actual LSAT test questions and have the opportunity to discuss your efforts with your instructor and other classmates.

Organizing the Writing Sample

Your response to the LSAT writing sample doesn't get calculated in your LSAT score, but you have to write it, and the admissions committee does get a chance to read it. So don't slack too much on this task. If the thought of writing a complete analysis of a scenario in 30 minutes or less has you running for the hills, don't despair. In this lesson, we'll go through a specific plan for making the most of your time so you can prove to the admissions committee of your favorite law school that you put your thoughts together in a cohesive and interesting essay.

Completing the Writing Sample

Before you impress the admissions committees with your essay, you'll get a chance to wow your peers. For this lesson, you'll read sample essays, and then compose your own and share it with your instructor and classmates for review. You'll also get the chance to read what other test-takers write and provide them with your enlightened commentary!