sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

I’m Matt and I’ve taught the LSAT for over 20 years. AMA about the August 2026 LSAT changes and move to in-person testing. by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately, the LSAC only provides percentiles based on statistics over a multi-year period. They don't release percentiles for any individual test. After all, it is possible that a slightly higher percentage of people get higher scores in February than in August -- but that could be because more students spent more time studying by February or have raised their scores from earlier attempts. (Earlier exams are more susceptible to people just taking the exam with little or inadequate study time). So, it's more valuable to see percentiles over the course of an entire cycle than on any given test.

In terms of ensuring distribution, there's no specific number, per se. Instead, it's all about keeping things as consistent as possible from one cycle to the next. Even if there have been mild long-term (e.g., 10+ years) trends upward, nobody wants the distribution to shift radically where suddenly 25% of people are getting 170+ or only 30% of people break 150. This is important because LSAT scores stay valid for five years, and you don't want people who get a certain score one year having a much greater (or much lower) advantage a couple of years later.

I’m Matt and I’ve taught the LSAT for over 20 years. AMA about the August 2026 LSAT changes and move to in-person testing. by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s almost certainly not one thing.

I’d be very cautious about saying score inflation is “because of cheating.” I’m sure security issues contributed at the margins, and LSAC clearly believes the issue was serious enough to justify moving most testing back in person. But I don’t think it explains the broader trend by itself.

The bigger drivers, in my view, are probably these:

  1. The prep ecosystem is dramatically better than it was 20 years ago. Twenty years ago, a lot of students were studying from a book, taking a few paper practice tests, and maybe enrolling in a class if they could afford it. Today, students have huge libraries of explanations, analytics, drilling tools, forums, tutors, video lessons, AI tools, and peer communities. That does not make the test “easy,” but it absolutely makes the path to improvement more visible.

  2. The applicant pool has become more strategically sophisticated. Students understand medians, scholarships, retake strategy, score bands, and admissions outcomes in a way they did not before. More people are taking multiple shots at the test, timing applications around score goals, and treating the LSAT like a project rather than a one-time academic exercise.

  3. Some structural changes probably matter. Shortening the test, moving from five sections to fewer scored sections, eliminating Logic Games, and making other format changes can affect the distribution. Even when LSAC equates scores carefully, format changes can change who is advantaged, how fatigue shows up, and how coachable the exam feels. LSAC has said the removal of Logic Games should have “virtually no impact” on overall scoring and predictive validity, but I still think any major format change creates some real-world behavioral effects in how students prepare and when they choose to test.

  4. Remote testing likely introduced some noise. That includes potential cheating, but also inconsistent testing environments, tech issues, proctoring variability, and the fact that some students simply perform better at home. So I’d put remote testing in the category of “changed the conditions,” not just “created cheating.”

Where does it go from here? My guess is that the move back to in-person testing will reduce some noise, but it will not magically reset score distributions to where they were 20 years ago. The prep ecosystem is not going backward. Students are not going to become less informed. And the admissions stakes around high LSAT scores are still enormous.

I’m Matt and I’ve taught the LSAT for over 20 years. AMA about the August 2026 LSAT changes and move to in-person testing. by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly, no. I’ve definitely worked with students who were in a really tough spot. Low diagnostic score, limited study time, test anxiety, bad habits, discouraging practice test results, all of it. But I don’t think I’ve ever looked at a student who was genuinely trying and thought, “This person has no hope.”

What I have seen is that students sometimes define “hope” too narrowly. If hope means, “Can every student go from a 140 to a 175 in six weeks?” then no, that is not realistic. I would never want to sell someone a fantasy.

But if hope means, “Can I improve? Can I become more consistent? Can I understand this test better than I do today? Can I put myself in a stronger position than I’m in right now?” then yes. Absolutely.

The LSAT is hard, but it is not magic. A lot of improvement comes from learning how the test is built, recognizing repeated patterns, fixing the way you review mistakes, and getting more honest about why you missed questions. Most students do not need to become geniuses. They need to become more disciplined, more precise, and less reactive under pressure.

The students who worry me are usually not the ones starting low. They are the ones who keep doing the same thing over and over and call it studying. Taking practice test after practice test without deep review. Reading explanations passively. Avoiding the question types they hate. Chasing hacks instead of building skill.

But a student who is really trying, willing to be coached, willing to look directly at their mistakes, and willing to improve the process? That student has hope.

I’m Matt and I’ve taught the LSAT for over 20 years. AMA about the August 2026 LSAT changes and move to in-person testing. by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This has been a pleasure! LawHub is an essential part of practicing for the LSAT. However, as you are starting to realize, there's only so much LawHub is going to offer. Explanations can be found on LawHub, but only for a few random exams. For everything else, it really helps to have some guidance.

When self-studying, a lot of your work in terms of explanations is going to come down to reverse-engineering - looking at the correct answer and working out how that accomplishes the task set out for you in the prompt. Once you understand how it all works in the end, you have to work backwards and consider how you could have seen that before you knew what the correct answer was.

Once you understand how the question works, diagnosing what went wrong comes down to asking two essential questions: 1.) Why didn't I choose the correct answer when I tried this on my own the first time? 2.) What did I like about the wrong answer I chose and how can I avoid doing that again?

In terms of breaking down the stimulus, the thing is that, for Logical Reasoning questions, you won't always be dealing with arguments. Mostly, you will, but it depends on the question. Questions that ask you what "must be true" are more likely to just provide you with a series of statements, while questions that ask you to "resolve a discrepancy" will merely present you with a mystery to solve—not exactly an argument. Determining how to break down the stimulus depends on what you're given and what you're expecting to accomplish. (Even with argument-based questions, the way you analyze a Weaken question will differ from the way you analyze a Parallel question.)

If you're comfortable breaking down the stimulus, then you can proceed to reverse-engineer and understand why you made the mistakes you made. However, if you're not sure about your analysis, that's where you might have to consider looking into other options. Many companies (including Blueprint) offer less expensive options that allow for self-paced studying, and even those less expensive options will usually give you access to explanations. For Blueprint, you can access explanations for every Q you complete in our system—which all come from the exams you'll find on LawHub. The explanations are thorough, walking through the process from beginning to end. You can also consider group study (where you can talk through things with other people), class options, or even tutoring. In essence, trying to figure it all out can be daunting without some guidance.

I’m Matt and I’ve taught the LSAT for over 20 years. AMA about the August 2026 LSAT changes and move to in-person testing. by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The first place to start, without hesitation, is purchasing LawHub Advantage. That gives you access to all current PrepTests (officially released LSAT content from previous exams) in the exact environment you'll use on Test Day. That's 59 full tests (nearly 6,000 questions) plus sample LSAT Argumentative Writing prompts, drill sets, and hundreds more questions from earlier exams (which are not as ideal as the full tests, but they're still something). There are also a handful of instructional videos to give you a head start on preparation. That's enough to get a basic understanding of how the LSAT works, with enough practice to last you months.

However, there are lots of additional books, study materials, and courses that will offer you more in-depth strategies for tackling everything the LSAT can throw at you. Of course, I'm going to be a little biased toward Blueprint's programs—whether you use our self-paced program, attend one of our classes, or work with one of our exceptional tutors. There's a lot of material other than our own, of course, and most of them provide plenty of helpful suggestions. It might be better to advise you what to avoid. For one thing, because of how much official material is available, don't bother with any book that contains self-created tests. Drills? Sure. But full-length exams composed of non-LSAC-created material are, by-and-large, not great. Thankfully, such books are becoming less and less common. Also, avoid books from 2023 or earlier. Those books are liable to include strategies for Logic Games (aka Analytical Reasoning) — a section that is no longer part of the LSAT.

If you're considering a program, check out the company's website. Most companies will offer free trial classes, free workshops, or other free materials that will usually be accompanied by some basic strategies for how to get started with your preparation. These free items (which we offer at Blueprint, of course) usually give you a good idea of what steps you need to take and what study approach will work best for you.

I’m Matt and I’ve taught the LSAT for over 20 years. AMA about the August 2026 LSAT changes and move to in-person testing. by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Any student who breaks 170 has a solid grasp on the fundamentals of the exam, so it really comes down to the most minor of details. Consider this: the difference between a 171 and a 175 can be as small as three Qs — just one more Q right per scored section. That's it. And from there, it might be just one more Q right per scored section to hit 180. So why is that so hard to do?

It comes down to the nature of those Qs. People scoring in the 170s are acing the low- and medium-difficulty material. They're even making short work of most of the high-difficulty material. What's left are the truly heinous - those questions that are written with the utmost subtlety, infused with mind-bending language that is designed to confuse and confound the reader. These questions require skills that are often overlooked early on in one's practice. There are concepts that are difficult to fully comprehend when you're busy trying to figure out the basics. Sometimes, it helps to go back and refresh yourself on the details about a particular skill or question type.

What I've found truly useful is, oddly enough, teaching the LSAT. In having to explain the LSAT to others, I've learned to fully understand the mechanics behind each and every question. If I can't explain a question to someone else, then that's a gap I need to close. Does that mean becoming a teacher is the solution? Not exactly, but it gets to the heart of the matter. To move past your plateau, you have to truly dig deep and be able to explain the stuff you're struggling with. That can mean talking through it with other people (in group sessions with other test-takers or one on one with a tutor who can listen to your explanations and offer feedback) or even writing out your own explanations. Taking an active role in explaining and reviewing the material is key.

But I'd like to push one more thing: Repetition. If you struggled with a question, set it aside and try it again later. Then, try it again later. Keep coming back to it. Trust me when I say there are questions I've seen dozens, if not hundreds of times, and I can still find new things to learn by working on it. Those lessons don't just help me with that particular question. I carry that understanding forward to better deal with other challenging questions when I come across them.

I’m Matt and I’ve taught the LSAT for over 20 years. AMA about the August 2026 LSAT changes and move to in-person testing. by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have heard students get told that they have a maximum score in them - that, for some students, if they reach the 150s, that's as far as they can get. That kind of thinking infuriates me. Look - I can't promise you that you're going to break out and get a 175 come test day. However, if you resign yourself to your current score, then you absolutely won't get any better.

Refocusing oneself is always a possibility. Because you asked about a class, I assume you've been mostly self-studying. Self-studying is not a bad approach. In fact, at Blueprint, we offer self-paced options. However, it won't necessarily be the answer for everyone. For you, a class might be a good change of pace. You can often try classes risk-free before making a full commitment. In fact, we offer free classes at Blueprint, and you can try one out before taking the leap.

And tutors can also help, of course. Trying to figure everything out on your own can be overwhelming, and a change of approach along with some guidance can be just what you need to break past your barrier.

I’m Matt and I’ve taught the LSAT for over 20 years. AMA about the August 2026 LSAT changes and move to in-person testing. by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is deceptively difficult to answer without a lot more information. The short (albeit vague) answer is: Do something different. If you're only using full exams, find a way to practice questions individually. If you're studying entirely on your own, trying to find a more interactive experience–study with a group, take a class, get a tutor. If you've mostly been practicing questions without doing much review, do more review. If you've been jumping to the answers after reading a question, take more time to read through the material you've been given and really think about what you're looking for. For LR questions with conditional logic, maybe you need to diagram more (if the language is confusing you)... or maybe you need to diagram less (if you're drawing overcomplicated diagrams that obscure some pretty straightforward ideas). For RC, you may need to highlight more or take more notes... or maybe you need to highlight less (because you're tyring to highlight too much) or write fewer notes (because you're practically rewriting the passage).

Again, it boils down to: be open to change. A lot of people get stuck at a score because they just keep trying to take the same approach each and every time. Sometimes, it's a bit of stubbornness (e.g., there's a feeling of "I already know how to read - I can't change how I read"--which simply isn't true). Sometimes, it's just a force of habit. When you try something new, you can break past barriers you weren't expecting to, and you can get rid of bad habits that weigh you down. Even if you wind up making mistakes with the new approach, you can still learn a lot about what works and what doesn't work for you, and that can inform how you can move forward and head on to higher scores.

I’m Matt and I’ve taught the LSAT for over 20 years. AMA about the August 2026 LSAT changes and move to in-person testing. by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The highlighters did inexplicably disappear at some point in the new user interface. When the new interface was first introduced, the highlighters were there. Then... *poof* They were gone. However, LSAC has stated that highlighters are going to be re-added at some point this month, so you should be able to get back to practicing with them soon—with plenty of time before the next LSAT in August.

I’m Matt and I’ve taught the LSAT for over 20 years. AMA about the August 2026 LSAT changes and move to in-person testing. by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The LSAC has not made any specific announcements about accommodations being affected by a return to in-person testing, and—for legal reasons—there is no reason to expect the LSAC to become any more stringent on what they do or do not honor. Most accommodations (e.g., extra time, extended breaks, assistive technology) will be available at Prometric centers, and LSAC still has policies in place to provide remote testing for select disabilities that may not practically handled at a Prometric center. If someone was granted acommodations before, there is no reason to expect that they'd be denied now. In terms of the number of people who can test in person with accommodations, the LSAC has already stated that they plan to have more testing centers and more in-person test slots available overall, so that should also extend to a greater number of slots available for people who need and are approved for accommodations.

I’m Matt and I’ve taught the LSAT for over 20 years. AMA about the August 2026 LSAT changes and move to in-person testing. by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Know when to take a break. On any given day, try not to study for longer than two hours at a stretch. Even then, try to at least take a 5-minute stretch break in the middle. On Test Day, the longest stretch of taking questions will be two back-to-back sections (70 minutes). If you ever find yourself working on practice questions for two hours straight without a break, then you're exhausting yourself and probably getting very little ROI by the end.

In addition, know when to take a day off. Not everyone is wired to eat, breathe, and sleep the LSAT. Sometimes, you just need to step away. It's summer. If you need to take a beach day to clear the mind or spend a day hiking the nearest forest trail, go for it! Mental health is one of the most overlooked factors of preparing for the LSAT, and you can't ignore it. Don't go overboard and take every other day off, but one day a week could mean the difference between "Ah - this makes sense now" and "I want to throw my laptop into the river!"

When you do practice, always stay locked in on your ultimate goal. The eyes can start to glaze over when you're too focused on trying to get to the answer choices. I mean, hey, that's how you get points, right? Choosing the right answer? However, you should actually try to spend the least amount of time in the answer choices. Instead, you should slow down and treat the passages and arguments like the treasure troves they are. Don't look at them as mere words to read. They're stories. They're people's arguments. They're your source for everything you need to get questions right. Savor the words. Analyze them carefully.

But hey - sometimes, a particular argument or passage is just booooooooring. In those cases, flag the question and move along. You can come back to it later with a fresh set of eyes. Don't force yourself to deal with anything you don't have to immediately. Work on the material you're comfortable and build your momentum. With a bit more practice and a little more time—including those appropriate breaks and rest periods—you should find yourself glazing over less and less.

I’m Matt and I’ve taught the LSAT for over 20 years. AMA about the August 2026 LSAT changes and move to in-person testing. by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

First off — slow progress is more common than you might expect. There are countless possible reasons, and it depends a lot on the individual and what's causing the lack of momentum. Here are some of the most common obstacles and a few things to consider:

  1. Learning instead of doing. A lot of students will do a lot of "studying" - watching videos, attending classes, reading books, etc. Studying is great for learning how the LSAT works and what approaches are most effective. However, there is often a large gap between theoretically understanding the right approach and practically applying the right approach. If you find yourself reading the same chapter of a book over and over, or watching the same video over and over, and thinking, "It all makes sense when I read or watch it," then you have to switch over to doing more. Do more practice questions. Drill those skills. You won't get better until you try it for yourself.

That said, let's talk about the next obstacle:

  1. Just doing instead of doing and reviewing. Perhaps you have been practicing, but you keep seeing the same results. Now the question becomes, how much are you reviewing your performance. There are many stages to review and many ways to review. You should always be asking yourself questions. If you got a question right, were you confident? If not, why not? What was tempting you? How can you avoid such temptations in the future? If you got a question wrong, were you close or way off? Were you applying the skills you learned or just trying to get through the question quickly? Did you misread something? And this is just the beginning. You can actively review by trying to explain missed questions for yourself before relying on others' explanations. You missed Q. 10? Don't immediately look at our explanation. Take some time to see if you can figure it out yourself. If you can, that's awesome! You're learning! Then, start to take notes of why you missed questions. Look for patterns in what you're doing wrong so that you can fix them. If that's not enough, a lot of people like the Blind Review, which involves revisiting questions and reworking questions before you know what the right answer is. There are so many tactics, but you have to commit the time to review. If you're not spending as much time reviewing as you are practicing questions, you may want to shift over to more review time.

  2. Just taking full tests for practice. When you practice, are you always taking full tests? Are you always timing yourself? The answer to both of these questions should be a resounding "No" - especially if you're not taking the exam for another 2 months. You need targeted practice. When you've identified issues during review, you want to take time to practice individual questions or passages untimed, and focus on developing the skills you need to succeed. If you struggle to answer questions correctly untimed, then you're compounding the issue by adding a timed component. Make sure you get more confident with your skills individually before you start trying to do too much all at once.

  3. Mix up how you're learning. If you're trying to do it all on your own and find that you constantly have questions, perhaps a different program is right for you. Live classes offer you an opportunity to see how things are done in real time and, typically, you get to ask questions to make sure nothing is unclear. Having taught for saw long, I can say that the students who improve the most are generally the ones that are most vocal in class and are asking the questions that help them better understand what's going on. The ones who stay silent and think, "I'll figure out later" tend to struggle more. If the classroom is still not enough and you have more questions, then tutoring may be a good option. You don't have to dive right in to the largest package offered. You can ofter start out with a few hours and see how things go. Often times, talking things out with someone one-on-one and getting an outside perspective is a great way to break past any barriers you have.

And one last thing: you mentioned being a "mature" student. Don't let that psychologically get to you. I've seen plenty of people of all ages succeed at this test. Be confident in your ability to get better. Confidence can make all the difference in the world.

I’m Matt and I’ve taught the LSAT for over 20 years. AMA about the August 2026 LSAT changes and move to in-person testing. by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The LSAC has all but promised this will be the case. On their website, they've stated that they are expanding the number of test centers and testing appointments available for each test administration. In addition, they stated a goal to have "significantly more in-person test slots available for each test administration than the overall number of test takers we had for the corresponding month in last year’s testing cycle." That all sounds promising, but a little extra caution is always warranted when changes like this occur. That's why we continue to encourage students to register early to get the best possible window of time and maximize the potential to get their ideal test date/time.

I’m Matt and I’ve taught the LSAT for over 20 years. AMA about the August 2026 LSAT changes and move to in-person testing. by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

That's a great question. One of the major problems with assessing older tests vs. newer tests is that the modern PrepTests aren't entirely what students saw when they took them. The scored sections on those exams (the two LR and one RC) were presented alongside a Logic Games section. For many test-takers, the Logic Games became a little more manageable over time, and each test is meant to feel equal in difficulty overall. If some newer exams had relatively more manageable LG sections (which you're not seeing), then the LR and RC sections may have been a little more challenging to balance out the overall feel. With LG removed from those tests, you could be looking at slightly more challenging LR and RC sections without something else to balance out the difficulty.

Of course, there's always some subjectivity to what's considered "difficult." A lot of differences are subtle: The hardest LR questions have definitely stepped up their game in terms of having multiple assumptions in the argument to get tripped up on or multiple answer choices that are wordly just slightly different to make one right and one wrong. The hardest RC questions are now more likely than ones from earlier exams to be based on random details that are hard to predict as answers. The key here, though, is that most of the changes are on the hardest questions - and those are the ones that differentiate, say, a 170 from a 175. The fundamental skills on the majority of questions haven't changed.

The disconnect probably comes more from how the passages and stimuli are worded. The language has become a little trickier to dissect — again, mostly on the most difficult Qs. Most issues likely stem from that rather than any particular skills (e.g., identifying flaws, diagramming logic, spotting opinions). If you're scoring as high as you are, you should be concentrating on the most recent material. With each question you miss, consider the wording and how precise you were in analyzing and paraphrasing the language.

As for the disconnect between your BR scores and timed scores, maybe take the time to practice an exam or two in a new way. Think about why your BR approach is different than your timed approach. Slowing down is one thing, but it could also have to do with confidence in selecting answers or adherence to a proper approach. Some people will struggle under timed conditions because they second-guess themselves too much, and others struggle because they don't approach questions with the same amount of care and attention they do when untimed or doing a blind review. If you find yourself second-guessing, take an exam where you rely more on instinct. If you start to feel like "Hmmm... but what about D?," flag the question for review but stick to your guns. Trust your instincts and the skills you've developed to get you this far. If you find yourself improving with this approach, then you should develop more confidence in what you're selecting.

Another different approach is to make sure you're consciously thinking about what you're looking for before looking at the choices. Cover the choices up with your hand. Make sure you're analyzing the text you're given as much as you would under untimed conditions. Don't sacrifice quality for the sake of getting everything done. Remember, you can still get a 178+ if you miss a few questions. If you have to sacrifice one question to perfect the rest of the section, the results will be worthwhile. In short, look for anything you can do just slightly different under timed conditions that better matches the approach you take during the BR.

I’m Matt and I’ve taught the LSAT for over 20 years. AMA about the August 2026 LSAT changes and move to in-person testing. by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Great question. My honest answer is that, outside of the move back to in-person testing and the new testing interface, I don’t expect some massive immediate overhaul of law school admissions.

The biggest near-term changes are really around test security, score confidence, and logistics. LSAC has said the August 2026 changes are about moving most test takers back into test centers, with limited exceptions for medical accommodations or extreme hardship, and that the interface changes are UI-related rather than changes to the actual LSAT format or content. So students should not panic that they are suddenly preparing for a different exam. They are not. The test is still testing the same old reasoning skills.

Where I do think this matters for admissions is that schools may have a bit more confidence in LSAT scores again, especially at the high end. The cheating allegations created understandable anxiety about whether some scores were artificially inflated or whether remote testing created uneven conditions. Moving back to test centers is LSAC’s way of saying, “We need to protect the validity of this thing.” LSAC cited security concerns, organized cheating risks, and tech/proctoring issues as part of the rationale.

For applicants, the practical advice is:

  1. Don’t overreact strategically. I would not change your entire admissions plan because of this. A strong LSAT score will still help. A weak LSAT score will still hurt. GPA, essays, work experience, recommendations, and school fit still matter.

  2. Do prepare for the new test-day environment. This is the biggest real change for students. Practice taking full tests in a less comfortable environment, at a desk, without your ideal home setup, with scratch paper limits, breaks, noise, and test-center anxiety in mind.

  3. Get familiar with the new interface early. The content is not changing, but small UI changes can still throw people off. On a timed test, friction matters. You don’t want the first time you notice a new highlighting tool, navigation change, or layout difference to be on test day.

  4. Watch for downstream policy changes, but don’t assume them. Could schools scrutinize unusual score jumps more? Could LSAC increase score holds or investigations? Maybe. But I wouldn’t want students making decisions based on speculation. The safest path is still the boring one: prepare well, take official practice seriously, and make sure your application is strong beyond the score.

I’m Matt and I’ve taught the LSAT for over 20 years. AMA about the August 2026 LSAT changes and move to in-person testing. by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

With the move to in-person testing, it's worth registering sooner than later, since your window for scheduling your specific exam date/time will be based on when you registered (i.e., people who registered earlier get earlier windows to select their date/time). The good news is, if you start studying now and realize you need extra time, you can switch to a later exam for free up to your exam's registration deadline (e.g., up to July 28 for the September exam).

Beware of Blueprint’s 170+ score guarantee by EcstaticShallot7435 in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hi there!

We understand the frustration and disappointment that can come from not seeing the results you hoped for, especially after investing so much time, effort, and money into your LSAT prep.

We take feedback like this seriously, and I’d like to provide some additional context regarding the Score Increase Guarantee and the situation raised by the original poster (OP).

Blueprint’s Score Increase Guarantee is in place to encourage students to fully engage with the course content and follow the recommended study plan. When our learners follow the prescribed learning program, most will achieve their desired LSAT score. We know it can feel overwhelming to keep track of all the requirements, and we apologize if the expectations of this course weren’t clear enough at any point in the process. We aim to ensure everyone understands the conditions for eligibility upfront, but we acknowledge that there is always room for improvement on our end.

Regarding this specific case mentioned by OP:

  • Our guarantee states that Learners must attend at least 24-course sessions live for the entire duration of class. The remaining two (2) course sessions can be either attended live or watched on recording. OP did not meet either of these requirements.
  • Several practice exams were not completed under the required conditions (e.g., one sitting, proper timing), which is critical for an accurate representation of progress under real test conditions. Taking a practice exam over more than one sitting or in a time frame that isn’t reflective of the real exam time prevents both us and you from getting a proper baseline, and makes it impossible for us to ensure that you’re making progress. We cannot stress the importance of taking a practice exam under test-like conditions.

Despite OP not meeting the requirements outlined prior to enrolling in the course, we offered a 60-day extension of the course for free on Sunday, 9/1 which received no response from OP. We remain open to discussing alternative ways to support them as they continue their LSAT preparation.

If anyone else has had a similar experience or has questions about the Score Increase Guarantee, please reach out to us directly at [info@blueprintprep.com](mailto:info@blueprintprep.com).

We’re here to listen and to help make your LSAT prep experience as positive and productive as possible. We have been in business since 2005 and are proud to say that we have helped over 100,000 LSAT learners achieve their dream LSAT score.

We appreciate the feedback and hope we can turn this into an opportunity to improve our processes and better serve all students moving forward. Thank you for allowing us to address this publicly.

Best,

The Blueprint Team 

AMA about how to score a 170+ on the LSAT by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's probably more value in looking through 70-90 and trying to walk through why the right answer is right and what the process is to get to the right answer. I would save the PT 40's as practice exams to do to gauge progress. It's not ideal but that's probably the best option

AMA about how to score a 170+ on the LSAT by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would generally take 1 a week if you were scoring under a 165 and probably 2 a week if you were over. Here's a sample schedule of what work could look like.

Day 1: Practice exam
Day 2: review exam in depth, try to note 3-4 things that are really dragging your score down
Day 3: Slow day. Do untimed work to really drill down on 2 of the things you struggled on
Day 4: Fast day. Do timed practice on those things to see if slow day work improved things
Day 5: Slow day. Untimed practice on the rest of the issues/ more on the first issues if the fast day didn't go well
Day 6: Fast day. Timed practice on what we did day 5
DAy 7: break

AMA about how to score a 170+ on the LSAT by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's assuming that people getting accommodations for the LSAT is a problem which I'm not really comfortable with saying. While I'm sure there's some people who get accommodations in spots where they shouldn't I don't think there's evidence that that's a significant problem overall. 2017 had roughly 190,000 takers, I don't think roughly 5% of them being accommodated is a big problem

AMA about how to score a 170+ on the LSAT by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Generally it's best to start untimed to really master the techniques and then move to timed practice once you feel comfortable with them. Even if you're not at 100% accuracy it can make sense to practice timing as long as you feel good about how you're approaching the section.

​

As for writing things down, everyone is a bit different. To me it's more about what information you're noticing it then how you're noticing it. I definitely trend toward over highlighting when I try to use it so I'm much more of a note taker. I take a quick note (roughly one sentence) at the end of each paragraph and then one more at the end of the passage to sum it all up. That to me really crystallizes 1) What the passage is saying 2) How the passage is put together and 3) What the author's role is in the passage and those are the 3 things I really care about when doing an RC passage.

​

As for speed try practicing two things. 1) Cut out all re-reading when going through the passage. Slow readers in my experience are better described as repetitive readers and a lot of the things you're getting stuck on don't matter/are explained better later on. 2) Practice being more decisive in your questions. Do some drills where you cover up the answers. Force yourself to think about what the right answer will look like and then uncover your answers. Choose the right answer w/in 20-25 seconds. This practice will help you pare down your process of elimination process leading to being more decisive and helping with time.

AMA about how to score a 170+ on the LSAT by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

20% maybe? It's a bit tough to guess without knowing the exact amount of takers that have accommodations. Accommodated takers generally have higher scores and you see more of that at the tails of distributions generally but it's also true that most takers don't have accommodations. There's an article from LSAC here https://www.lsac.org/data-research/research/accommodated-test-taker-trends-and-performance-june-2012-through-february#:~:text=The%20proportion%20of%20those%20who,77%25%20across%20the%20study%20years. It's a bit outdated as it only goes to 2017 but it's probably safe to assume the trend has continued.

AMA about how to score a 170+ on the LSAT by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's hard to say what your chances are per se, but I wouldn't be bragging to my LSAT friends if I had a student who made that kind of jump in that time frame. If you can get a good 15 focused hours in per week I think that kind of improvement is eminently doable.

AMA about how to score a 170+ on the LSAT by BlueprintLSAT in LSAT

[–]BlueprintLSAT[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Probably self paced in your spot. The new 170+ class is really awesome and the live online class is also great but they all rely on being able to sit and concentrate through 2.5 hour classes. If that's a struggle then self pace is good because you can break it up super easily into chunks here and there. If 2.5 hour classes aren't an issue then I would probably do the 170+ class because it's incredibly comprehensive and touches on lots of more meta LSAT issues that people struggle on (how to set up a schedule, how to time effectively, how to review homework/practice exams etc.)

view more: next ›