Consider Me SuperPrepped!

Well ... I spent every spare minute this last week working my way through the SuperPrep book. I tried to take it slow and went over the answers to every question to make sure that I understood why a given answer was right and why each of the other answers was wrong. After all, I have a full month. I can afford to do this right.

By the way, I am discovering that law school applicants have their own buzzwords and slang. For example, you do not say that "This is the correct answer." Instead, you say "This is the credited response.". Just typing that makes me feel more like a law school applicant.

Anyway, I am really happy with how I did on the SuperPrep material. Even on some of the questions where I didn't grasp the logical constructs completely, I was able to get a high percentage of them correct. But I need to understand the concepts better before September 29th! NOTE TO SELF: Gain a better understanding of such terms as "sufficient condition" and "necessary condition".

I also am really concerned about the logic games sections! As I mentioned earlier, I do well on them, but I take far too much time!

On a side note, I spent some time on the internet looking for LSAT information and I found that there are several forums dedicated to LSAT Preparation and Law School Admission. I signed up for a free account at Top Law Schools and it has already been an invaluable resource!

Having said that, I have ordered a book that one of the users on there suggested called the Powerscore Logic Games Bible. It is supposed to be the quintessential reference for getting better and faster on the logic games. I sure hope it can help me!!

I will let you know when it arrives. In the meantime, I am going to start work in "The Next 10 Actual Official LSAT PrepTests". It contains complete tests but unlike the SuperPrep, it does not give explanations for the answers, just the credited responses. (Did you see that? I used an insider term!!!).

Until next time ...

SuperPrep and Friends!

Just a quick update ... They're here!

I received my package from LSAC today. I got the SuperPrep book, The Next 10 Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests book and a selection of the individual tests.

I will start the SuperPrep this weekend and when next I post, I will hopefully have a better handle on the LSAT material.

Have a great weekend!

Diagnostic Tests

I am still waiting for my Superprep book and my official preptests and the wait is killing me!

But I have found that LSAC provides a free sample test (the LSAT from October 1996) and also has the June 2007 LSAT available for free.

I took the first one and did quite well I thought. I scored 168. But before you get too excited for me, I should point out that I did each section separately and didn't time myself. On the real test, you do all the sections back to back and only get 35 minutes per section. I took a lot longer than that.

By far the section I took the longest on was the logic games. I got almost all of them right, but I took over an hour to finish. I will definitely have to work on that section if I have a prayer of making it in 35 minutes.

I am going to go and start the June test now. Wish me luck!

Law School Admission Council

We left off last week with me researching my next step. I have found it. If you wish to apply to law school, then all roads lead to The Law School Admission Council, also known as LSAC.

Why do you need to know about LSAC? Because they administer the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). The LSAT is the test that you will need to take (and score well on) in order to attend law school. They also handle your applications, letters of recommendation, etc, but I will worry about that later. For now, I will need to spend every spare moment getting ready for the LSAT!

The first thing you will need to do to take the LSAT is create a free LSAC account. Once you have this account, then you can sign up for the LSAT (which is NOT free). Registering for the LSAT is $123 unless you register late in which case there is a $62 late registration fee.

I am registered for the September 29 LSAT. At first I thought about waiting until the December LSAT, but some of the early action programs I want to apply to require that you take the September 29 LSAT so I will need to work morning, noon and night to get ready.

I ordered a LOT of LSAC's preparation material and I can't wait to get started!

Stay Tuned ...

Beginnings

I am not sure exactly when I first started thinking about attending law school. It was an idea that had been at the periphery of my mind for some time but only as a fleeting thought. After all, as a 40 year old professional who is very happy with his career, what would be the point?

However, in addition to my career, I lead a "second" life as a very active civil rights activist. I care deeply about the issues for which I advocate and see my contributions in this arena as my true legacy to my state and my children.

In this role, I work frequently with the state legislature and local governments on legislative issues and I have increasingly come to understand that those who practice law are in a position to affect public policy that they share with no other citizen. Being a practicing member of the state bar would be an honor and a privilege that would allow me to fully contribute to the defense of my issues.

Add to this the fact that a fellow lobbyist and friend followed this exact same train of thought and is now ready to start his 3rd year in law school; suffice it to say that his experiences have only served to further whet my interest.

So ... here I am ... having finally decided that I will matriculate to some law school in the Fall of 2008.

What is the next step? Stay tuned ...