Law Archives - Write Track Admissions
All Things LSAT- A Practical Guide on Preparing for the LSAT
Reading Time: 4 minutes   Are you confused about all things LSAT? Do you feel unprepared and overwhelmed? Well, you’re not alone and we want to help. The next LSAT test date is fast approaching, and here are some study tips to make sure that you are successfully preparing. Most law school applications open any time between the end of August to the beginning of October. With this in mind, it’s safe to say that it’s time to start preparing, and Write Track Admissions has some tips to help you out. 

When to take the LSAT

It is best to get the test-taking done ASAP, for peace of mind and for the optimal admissions decision. Also, the longer you hold off on taking your LSAT, the later you finish your application. Law school has rolling admissions, so if  you wait to apply to your top choices, your chances of admission will have diminished. Taking the LSAT early, allows you to retake it, so that you can improve your score with time to spare.  There are several more LSAT testing dates available in 2021. Be sure to keep track of when you need to register.   

Hacks to Help you Prepare

To prepare yourself for the harsh reality of standardized testing, here are some LSAT prep tips from Write Track’s founder, Hamada:
  • TAKE PRACTICE EXAMS: Note the common mistakes you make in each set of questions and keep practicing them until you feel confident. 
  • REAL EXAMPLES: Don’t use anything but REAL past exam questions (also known as LSAT Direct Questions), because once you see and understand the patterns in real questions, you will be able to master anything they give you.
  • TESTING CONDITIONS: Make sure to simulate real exam conditions and timing. For example, do three sections back-to-back with a minute break. Then, take a 15 mins break and do two sections back-to-back. Also, use the same pencil, timer, and chair you will use/find in the exam. If they don’t allow ear plugs then don’t use them in the practice exams.
 

The Digital LSAT

The digital LSAT is being universally administered electronically on Microsoft Surface Go tablets. They have been pre-loaded with LSAC patented software that features a timer with 5-minute warnings, and interactive options such as answer elimination, text highlighting, and question flagging (so you can revisit those tough ones later).  The digital LSAT is comprised of Logical Reasoning, Analytical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, and Writing Sections. 

Here are some hacks that can help during the LSAT:

  • Figure out the question type to help you narrow down the answers.
  • The digital LSAT test allows you to flag questions. Skip ones that take you a long time to answer, and come back to them questions later. 
  • Use the text highlighting feature to flag the root of each question. The question is often hidden amongst a lot of other extraneous information. 
  • Read all the answers before selecting one to help you identify potential test, tricks, and red herrings.
  • Practice for speed, because often the exam comes down to technique, practice, and timing.
  • If all else fails, just skip hard logical reasoning questions, then come back to it at them at end.
If you follow this methodology, you will already be ahead of the game. And if for some reason you don’t score where you want to, keep a cool head and try again! Write Track’s Founder, Hamada, took the LSAT 3 times and still did not do great. However, by using storycrafting he managed to get into Berkeley Law. It is important to stay strong in the face of adversity, even when that face is the LSAT staring you down.  A strong application can help balance out test score weaknesses!

LSAT Scoring

While on the subject of test scores, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page regarding how, exactly, the LSAT is scored. Your LSAT score is comprised of a raw total of the number of questions you answered correctly. There are then converted into a score in the range of 120-180. The average LSAT score is 150… but if you have your sights set on attending a top law school, your score should be in the “well above 160” range.    If you are not meeting your LSAT score goals, contact Write Track for help with rounding out your application. We will use your story to craft a winning application, ensuring that you have the best chance at getting admitted to your dream law school, just like our founder, Hamada.     Aly Hartman | Write Track Communication Officer Write Track Admissions  
Effects of COVID-19 on Your Law School Competitiveness
Reading time: 5 minutes Undertaking a series of extracurricular activities and even work experience contributes positively to a law school applicant’s likelihood of admittance. Yet, in light of the COVID-19 quarantine, the list of viable in-person extracurriculars seems to have dwindled. However, there are still a number of activities law school hopefuls can partake in to bolster up their application and set themselves apart from the competition.  
  • First and foremost, Law School officiates are looking to their law students to take advantage of their extra time. Their recommendation? Make up for the lost opportunities and instead focus more intensely on coursework. Dedicating some of your downtime to really getting a handle on the material can work to your advantage, since the topics may also correspond to your extracurricular pursuits that have been put on hold. If you can demonstrate academic proficiency in these classroom topics, it will spur you forward when the time comes to pursue it outside of your in-home classroom.
 
  • Thinking outside of the box is your biggest asset in this situation. Participating in online forms of mock trial, debate systems, or pre-law societies are definitely a plus. Check out UCLA’s Transfer Pre-Law Society who is super active during this time, inviting speakers remotely and staying connected to their community. However, do not discredit options that are off the beaten path. Thinking about how you can demonstrate your leadership experience, application of critical thinking, and overall depth (not breadth) of community contribution can also bolster your law school application. Such examples include volunteering to help the elderly during the crisis through phone banking and organizing or creating an online support community for your peers.    
 
  • Another starting point for activities that can help with bolstering your application would be remote campaign work during this downtime. Getting involved in a political organization (especially with the run-up to the November general elections) remotely is a great step to take, as it will show law schools that you are socially conscientious and in touch with your beliefs. However, when it comes time to discuss your role, the focus should be on the experience you’ve gained, and not drift to a manifesto of your political affiliations. You never know who is going to come across your application or your political history, and when applying to law school it is imperative that you successfully toe the line of polite discussion of your political affiliation. 
  A quick note for those readers who are already in law school:  Stanford Law School, Harvard Law School, the University of Michigan Law School, the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, and Cornell Law School amongst others have adopted a pass/fail system as a response to the COVID crisis. This is leaving students to question the implications of this change on future employment opportunities, which are privy to a student’s grades and class rank. It is likely that hiring decisions will be made off of whatever grades law students had pre-pandemic as well as their other extracurricular activities, i.e. clinics, journals, student organizations etc. So it is critical to always be mindful of how to bolster your profile in addition to academic record in the coming months ahead.    If you are still feeling unsure of how to utilize your time during quarantine to bolster your law school application, or are worried about your law employment opportunities, contact Write Track Admissions for help! Also check out our latest YouTube Video on COVID and Law School Admissions.   Aly Hartman,  Communications DirectorWrite Track Admissions  
5 tips to jumpstart your LAW application
Reading Time: 6 minutes – 
1) Meet… 
…with a Law School advisor/consultant as early as possible – even as early as during your undergrad years. They can advise you to pick courses or a major that will serve as a platform for your law journey (some popular pre-Law majors are Political Science/Government, Social Sciences and Economics). An advisor can also ensure that you are checking off all your law school requirements as you go – your college major, GPA, LSAT prep, Letters of Recommendation, and building your STORY for the Personal Statement.  
2) Research…
…everything to make sure this is the right path for you. It is important to ask yourself: Is law school the right fit for you? The financial and temporal commitment of law school is what makes this step crucial. Some things to consider are where you want to study law, potential law tracks (including specializations such as tax, IP, and corporate), which state to practice law, and what your long-term career/life goals may be. This will also help you when it comes time to draft the personal statement. A major factor to ponder is the potential to incur debt, and whether or not you are truly committed to the field – which is a sentiment that is necessary to pay off the debt.   
3) Register…
… for all the necessary accounts!
  • Create your LSAC account
  • Register and prepare for the LSAT. It is recommended that you spend around 300 hours preparing for the LSAT over the course of 3 months. Taking a LSAT practice exam can give you a baseline in order to guide how much LSAT prep you need. It can also help you better accommodate yourself to the LSAT testing conditions and time pressure.
  • Register for the Credential Assembly Service – an online resource that allows you to compile all your required documents. You should be regularly collecting and updating this cache of documents. 
  • Register for the Candidate Referral Service to be discovered by law schools you may not have considered. 
 
4) Review…
… all your compiled research, documents, and advisor assistance. Do some soul searching and start your LSAT prep as well as outline your personal statement. This is a pivotal component of your Law School Application, as it is your opportunity to showcase yourself as more than just your GPA or LSAT score. Your personal statement rounds you out as an individual and oftentimes acts as an interview, as most law schools do not conduct admissions interviews. Furthermore, what you choose to include and exclude in your personal statement can help offset any weaknesses in your applications.  
5) Strategize…
… a timeline from late summer prior to your application process, through the fall season with hard, fast completion and submission dates. Too often students push back taking the LSAT or drafting their application materials in favor of doing it over a break, which is never beneficial. While, some experts say that rushing your application to apply early may backfire as it can be less thorough than if you were to spend a great deal of time on it, procrastinating until the winter holidays or beyond can also be fatal. So make sure to submit your application well before Thanksgiving break   If you are still lost, Write Track Law School Admissions offers top-tier law school admissions consulting including a unique SWOT analysis, school selection strategies, storycrafting, editing, and over a decade of guidance experience.   Aly Hartman | Write Track Communications Officer Write Track Admissions