LSAT and Khan Academy

Hello everyone,

Summer is a time for beaches, flip flops, and for many prospective law school applicants, preparing for the LSAT.  Now that LSAC has moved its fall examination to early September, August is a key month for you to prepare for the LSAT.

Let me take you back to October 2005, when I took the LSAT.  I spent the summer working through practice questions, eventually timing myself on full sections.  In the four weeks before the LSAT, my friend Randy and I met up in the campus dining hall at 8:30 AM every Saturday.  We sat down at a corner table in the back, and forced ourselves to take a full, timed LSAT (yes, including the writing section).  It was exhausting – but good practice for the real thing.  Thanks, Randy, for forcing both of us to do that test prep.  I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have dragged myself out of bed to take an LSAT without you.

I had occasion to reflect on those Saturday mornings when Khan Academy launched its free LSAT test prep site.  The Khan Academy site has lessons, articles, and videos that explain all sorts of tips and techniques for conquering the LSAT.  I took an hour to go through some of the videos recently, and I gotta say, I sure wish it was around back in 2005.  I learn best by talking through problems and listening to others explain the way they approached a problem.  That’s hard to come by if you don’t sign up for a test prep course (or don’t have a patient friend like Randy to work with you).

One Khan Academy feature I wanted to highlight: the website offers an LSAT diagnostic test (with two options, either a timed, full-length test or several shorter sections).  Completing the diagnostic unlocks a personalized practice plan, identifying the skills you need to focus on to improve your score.  As you continue working through practice problems, the test prep program charts your progress in your portal.

And I mentioned all of this is free, right?

Best of luck to you as you prepare, LSAT test takers!  I hope some of you take the Khan Academy test prep for a spin, and that you find it as helpful as my Saturday mornings with Randy.

Kristi

P.S. If you’ll let me brag on my friend Randy a bit, he went on to graduate from HLS and is now a big-time litigator in New York, named to the “Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40” list last year.  He also happens to be just about the nicest person you’ll ever meet (unless you’re facing off against him in court).