LSAT
Frequently Asked Questions
Contents:
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1.
Is there a deadline to sign up for the PowerScore LSAT course?
There is no official deadline to sign up for our courses, but classes
do close due to size limitations. For classes starting in April, students
who enroll in the course by mid-March should be able to reserve a
space without a problem. If you know you are going to sign up for
a class but you have not yet sent in your payment, you can always
give us a call and we will place a courtesy hold on a space for you.
The hold will ensure that a space in the class is still available
for you when your payment arrives.
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2.
Do I have to pay in full for my class when I enroll? We offer students enrolled in Full-Length or Virtual Courses the opportunity to make a deposit of $350 to reserve their seat in the course, and make payment(s) until 3 business days prior to the course start.
Additionally, in certain situations we can arrange extended payment plans for those Full-Length or Virtual Course students who need more time to complete their payment. For more information please call our offices at 800-545-1750.
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3. Will I lose my payment if I withdraw from the course before it starts
or if I decide to take the LSAT later? No.
The payment for our in-person LSAT Weekend Courses is refundable minus a $50 processing fee if you notify us in writing at least ten (10) business days prior to the start of your course.
The payment for our Virtual LSAT Weekend Courses is refundable minus a $150 course deposit if you notify us in writing at least ten (10) business days prior to the start of your course.
The payment for our LSAT Full-Length and Virtual Courses is refundable minus a $350 course deposit if you notify us in writing at least ten (10) business days prior to the start of your course.
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4.
Can I transfer between PowerScore course locations? Yes. If you
need to begin classes at one location and finish at another location,
you can transfer between courses. All that we require is adequate
notice of your transfer so that we can have class materials for you
at the new location.
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5.
Should I buy the available Law Services PrepTests to practice on before
the class starts? No, unlike many other commercial test preparation
courses, PowerScore is an official Law Services licensee and we provide
each student in our full-length course with a personal set of all
available Law Services LSAT questions. If you are taking our Weekend
LSAT Course, additional LSATs can be purchased here.
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6.
Should I buy another study book to use before classes start? We
do not recommend that you use alternate study aids to the PowerScore
LSAT course. Our course provides complete and comprehensive preparation
for the LSAT, and we provide you with a proven system to use in attacking
the test. In our experience, the typical study book is too short to
provide substantive help in preparing for the LSAT, and in many cases
the effectiveness of the techniques in these study books is questionable.
If you desire to begin studying PowerScore techniques before the class
begins, consider purchasing our LSAT
Logic Games Bible or LSAT
Logical Reasoning Bible. The Bibles detail a number of the techniques
we use to attack the Logic Games and Logical Reasoning sections of
the LSAT.
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7.
How can I tell if the LSAT book I already bought is any good?
Here are some quick ways to tell if the book you are using is useless,
out of date, or written by someone without a true understanding of
the LSAT:
General Points
- The book
uses simulated LSAT questions. Real questions are available from
Law Services (producers of the test) for a fee. A book uses real
LSAT questions only if the following notice appears in the copyrights:
"All actual LSAT questions printed within this work are used with
the permission of Law School Admission Council, Inc., Box 2000,
Newtown, PA 18940, the copyright owner. LSAC does not review or
endorse specific test preparation materials or services, and inclusion
of licensed LSAT questions within this work does not imply the
review or endorsement of Law Services. LSAT is a registered trademark
of Law Services." Authors who fail to use real LSAT questions
are cutting corners. What does that say about their integrity
and trustworthiness?
- The author
talks more about "general test strategies" than the questions
on the test. While strategy is certainly an essential part of
taking the LSAT, a thorough knowledge of the different types of
questions and logical concepts that appear on the LSAT will do
more to alter your score than most "strategies."
- The author
spends a great deal of time on the Writing Sample. The Writing
Sample is unscored and is not a significant factor in law school
admissions. Only a brief discussion is appropriate.
Logical Reasoning
Section
- The book
doesn't contain a discussion of sufficient and necessary conditions,
also known as conditional reasoning. Conditional reasoning appears
on both the Logical Reasoning section and the Logic Games section.
- The book
doesn't contain an extensive discussion of cause and effect reasoning,
also known as causal reasoning.
- The author
recommends using Venn Diagrams (overlapping circles) for solving
certain problems. Venn is simply too time consuming and contains
inherent assumptions that can lead you to miss problems.
- The book
uses a numerical system for classifying Logical Reasoning question
types. Numerical classification systems force you to add two unnecessary
levels of abstraction to your thinking process. For example, consider
a question that asks you to “weaken” the argument. In
a numerical question classification system, you must first recognize
that the question asks you to weaken the argument, then you must
classify that question into a numerical category (say, Type 10),
and then you must translate Type 10 to mean “Weaken.”
Literally, numerical classification systems force you to perform
an abstract, circular translation of the meaning of the question,
and the translation process is both time-consuming and valueless.
- There are
less than 300 pages that cover the Logical Reasoning section (not
including practice tests).
Logic Games Section
(Analytical Reasoning)
- The book
discusses Family Tree games (these haven't appeared on the LSAT
in over 10 years).
- The author
recommends using a matrix of any sort. The matrix can be recognized
because the author will recommend using checks, X's, and O's to
fill in the grid. These games can be solved by more efficient
methods.
- There are
less than 200 pages that cover the Logic Games section (not including
practice tests).
Reading Comprehension
Section
- Recommends
reading each question before reading the passage. This laughable
strategy wastes entirely too much time.
- Recommends
skimming the passage.
- Recommends
reading only the first and last sentence of each paragraph.
If the book you
are using contains any of the above features, you are using a book
that is not on the cutting edge of LSAT knowledge. Give us a call
soon!
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8.
Do I receive computer assistance as part of the PowerScore LSAT course?
Yes. All students in the PowerScore Full-length LSAT Course have access
to our Online Student Center, where practice tests can be scored and
exclusive course supplements can be accessed.
How long do I have access to this site? You will have access until the second LSAT exam following your course. For example, if you are taking a class in preparation for the June LSAT, your access will expire following the September LSAT. After that point, you can call PowerScore at (800) 545-1750 to pay a fee to receive additional access for one more testing period.
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9.
Why are there so many lecture hours in the full-length PowerScore
LSAT Course? When our course was originally designed, we listed
the essential concepts that needed to be taught in order to provide
the best possible LSAT preparation. Then we constructed a course schedule
that allowed us to cover each of these concepts thoroughly. For example,
most companies spend approximately 7-10 hours covering the Analytical
Reasoning section of the LSAT. At PowerScore we spend over 20 hours
on the Analytical Reasoning section. Think of it this way: the LSAT
is one of the most important tests you will ever take in your life.
How well you score on the LSAT will strongly impact your choice of
law schools, and ultimately your future earning power. Do you really
want to take a class where they have to rush through the topics and
maybe leave out key concepts?
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10.
Why does PowerScore require all of their instructors to score in the
99th percentile on an actual administered LSAT? Why should we,
or you, settle for less? The LSAT is one of the most intellectually
demanding standardized tests ever developed. Our instructors, all
of whom have scored in the 99th percentile, have proven that they
fully understand the test themselves, and thus are able to focus more
on teaching and answering questions since they don’t have to struggle
to understand the concepts that appear on the LSAT. Instructor candidates
with lower scores usually received those scores because they couldn't
fully grasp and apply all of the techniques that effectively attack
the LSAT. If they couldn't properly use and apply the ideas themselves,
it's generally going to be more difficult for them to pass along those
same ideas to their students. Also, many of our students want to score
in the 160s and 170s on the LSAT. If their instructor has only been
able to manage a 160 or 165 on the test, how much confidence do you
think that instructor would inspire in his or her students? When a
student comes to one of our instructors and says, "I want to score
in the 170s," our instructors can say, "All right, here's what it
takes, and here's how I did it."
Our competitors with lower instructor standards often claim that teachers
with high scores don't necessarily make the best instructors. We couldn't
agree more, and that's why we don't hire many of the qualified applicants
we interview. When selecting instructors, we look for people who can
patiently and effectively explain the ideas of our course, people
who can interact well with others in a classroom setting, and those
who truly enjoy teaching. Finding instructors like this isn't easy,
and that's why we offer one of the highest starting salaries in the
industry. In addition, we put our instructors through a rigorous
training program before they ever set foot in a real class. At
PowerScore we demand the best and we expect our students to do the
same.
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11.
What is the PowerScore LSAT Course repeat policy? If classes are available, you can repeat our Full-Length or Virtual course with new materials a total of 2 times within the 2 years following your course date for an administrative fee of $575 per repeat, which is used to cover the Law Services Question Licensing Fee and the cost of material reproduction. Please note that our repeat policy differs from others in that we allow you to repeat our full course, not a shorter refresher course. Also, unlike other courses, we do not require that you attend every class in order to be eligible to repeat the course at the reduced rate.
If you attended the Virtual LSAT Weekend Course you may repeat the course with new materials a total of 2 times within the 2 years following your course date for a fee of $200 per repeat.
For the in-person Weekend LSAT Course re-enrollment is free if you re-use your original material or $200 if you require new material. This policy is valid for 1 repeat in a period of 1 year from the date of your original enrollment.
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12.
Do I have to pay a materials fee in addition to the course tuition?
No. Unlike some other courses, there is no additional materials fee for any of our courses. The course tuition that you pay includes all materials, and of course the materials are yours to keep once the course has ended.
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13. Will PowerScore provide me with any help
during the law school application process? For students looking for expert, comprehensive assistance as they apply to law school, we offer our comprehensive Law School admissions counseling programs. Our law school counselors provide help for our students in all areas of the applications process, and continually counsel students on such issues as writing the application essays, getting recommendations, and deciding which law schools to apply to and attend. We extend these services to all of our students both past and present and, in fact, most students take advantage of our help after their LSAT course ends. In addition, if you are a current or former PowerScore student, you will get 10% off admissions counseling services.
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