Updates to Analyzer for June 2012 LSAT

For those of you who have tried our free online LSAT tracker, you know that the data it displays can be an incredibly powerful tool for self-preparation because it lets you know exactly where to focus your efforts to maximize improvement; however, as with all intense data tools, its dynamic tables can be imposing.

For that reason--and honestly cause it looks cool and we're visualization nerds--we're updating the analyzer with interactive graphs of your LSAT weaknesses. Below is a static image of the alpha page with the basic graphs that will take the place of the dynamic tables as the analyzer's primary interface.

Thanks to Highcharts for their amazing code and  http://www.wheredidmytaxdollarsgo.com/ for inspiration.

The left pie chart shows the overall LSAT performance--the larger the piece size, the more important it is to practice its part of the LSAT--which you can then click on to "drill down" to individual sections, strands, and standards in the right pie chart. Clicking on this right chart will load a table with the questions you missed for that standard, along with your timing performance on it, and links to explanations and practice materials.

For those of you preparing for the June 2012 LSAT, we hope to have this feature and some other powerful graphs ready in early March!

LSAT Statistics: How many people take the LSAT?

In case you want to know more about the numbers behind the LSAT, Zen of 180 has a whole section devoted to analyzing LSAT statistics.

In today's post, we'll take a quick look at the changes in the number of people who sit for an LSAT. The graph pretty much speaks for itself, but it's interesting to note that the rapid decline in testtakers since the Great Recession has actually only returned the numbers to their historic averages.

Area graph with percentage change overlay for LSATs administered since 2000. Note that the February 2012 statistics are projections.

Of course, when you take into account population growth, this means that a smaller percentage of the population is taking the first step in going to law school. That's probably a good thing for the legal industry, and will perhaps help correct the market influx of students during the recession.

As the NYTimes put it, there are a lot of schools that seem to be taking advantage of student's willingness to pay ridiculous tuitions and fees for a shot at a (biglaw) lawyer's salary:

[Many law schools are] ranked in the bottom third of all law schools in the country, but with tuition and fees now set at [nearly $50,000 a year,] charge more than Harvard. [Many have] increased the size of the class[es] by an astounding 30 percent, even as hiring in the legal profession imploded. [And, worst of all, these schools] reported in the most recent US News & World Report rankings that the median starting salary of its graduates was the same as for those of the best schools in the nation — even though most of its graduates, in fact, find work at less than half that amount.

In short, we just want to make sure that you really want to go to law school before you start the arduous task of preparing for the LSAT.

Week before February 2012 LSAT

In case you haven't already planned out the week before you take the LSAT, I wanted to repost my suggestions for what worked for me to stay calm and focused. Such a personal goal will obviously be subject to personal preference, so take these as a friendly-suggested checklist.

If you've already started prepping for the June 2012 LSAT, check out our posts for our suggested LSAT training schedule, sign up for our free LSAT tracker, and then see if you'd like to sign up for one of our online tutoring 

I'll limit this post to things LSAT-related, but in general, I'd delay tackling any life decisions or drastically changing your life routine. The week before the LSAT is not a good time to bust out, "We need to talk."

In a nutshell: 

1. Visit the site before the test day
2. Do not practice after Wednesday morning on the week of the test
3. Do relaxing activities throughout the weekend
4. The night before, sleep ~2 hours more than you usually do
5. Eat breakfast, bring food and drink (caffeine) for break
6. Bring your used pencils and highlighters… they should be your friends by now
7. Arrive EARLY
1. Read something before, like the NY Times, to warm up
8. Take one portion of each section type--one logic game, one passage, ~10 logical reasoning questions, from the most recent LSAT, and check them at end of each section
1. Compare your score from when you first took it, and I’ll guarantee that you did better

The weekend prior to my test date, I drove to the test center to make sure I knew exactly how I would get there, where I would park, and where the testing center was in relation to the parking. Trust me, these trivial things will seem monumental if any one of them might make you late to the LSAT. I worked backwards from what time I needed to be at the testing center, gave myself three hours to acclimate, eat breakfast, and warm-up my brain, and travelling time plus 15 minutes for "damage time."

I spent the first part of the week before the LSAT following my normal routine to a tee. I went to the gym in the mornings, I went to every class, and I read the New York Times. If you don't have healthy routines built up by the week before, try abstaining from the more cognitively detrimental ones: arguments with loved ones, drugs/alcohol, sleeping late or not enough, etc.

Since I was in the endurance part of my LSAT training, on Saturdays and Wednesdays I normally took two full LSAT PrepTests in a single sitting. I decided that preparing for a longer time than the actual LSAT was the best way to make sure that I was not going to wilt in the 5th section like I did the first time.

However, that last week I gave myself Wednesday morning off. In general, I don't suggest my clients spend any time with actual sections after you only have five days until the test day, as your body and mind will be completely rejuvenated for the actual exam.

I spent those last few days thinking happy thoughts while swimming laps or lifting weights. Staying calm and positive, through yoga, meditation, spa getaway, prayer, exercise, etc., is definitely the way to be spending your time this last week before the LSAT.

Also in those days, I printed out a few pages of the June 2007 PrepTest to use as warm-up material the day before. As that was the first modern PrepTest I used in my practice, I felt it would provide a nice full-circle narrative to my LSAT prep. When choosing your own warm-up material, choose one of each section type from a modern LSAT you feel comfortable with, and print out or copy that to use on test day. After making sure my warm-up materials were taken care of, I planned out my break menu, including healthy foods like apples and granola bars, as well as energy drinks. Obviously, this is personal preference, but if you can stand caffeine, I suggest a tiny bit during the break to bring you through the last two sections.

The night before, I packed up everything I was taking with me into a ziplock bag, including my trusty pencils and highlighters. By now, these objects should be your best friends, and make sure you feel comfortable with them.

I made sure to arrive at the testing site about three hours early. This gave me enough time to settle in a side hallway, eat my breakfast, read the newspaper, and do my LSAT warmup. Reminding myself of how much I had prepared while doing the warmup was incredibly calming; my mind was tuned up and ready for the LSAT, and I went in knowing I was going to do well.

The key to overcoming stress is to acknowledge why you're feeling it! Beating yourself up for be anxious will only make it worse, so allow yourself to think about why you're worried. After acknowledging, though, you must take control and remind yourself of how well prepared you are. 

Counter each of the fears with a solid reason of why you will do well, and get your Zen on!

New Online LSAT Tutor and Rates

We're very excited to announce that Zen of 180 has added a new tutor to increase the choices you have in utilizing the Zen system while you prepare for the LSAT!

Mr. Robinson is current Harvard Law school student who also happened to score a perfect 180 on his only LSAT test date in 2009. Just like our other tutors, he will be using the data from the free Zen of 180 online LSAT tracker to personalize each tutoring session with real LSAC materials so that you can achieve your LSAT goals more quickly.

Additionally, while Mr. Bennett will be keeping his hourly, package, and Pell grant discount rates the same, Mr. Robinson will offer a flat $75 per hour rate. 

You can read more about our online LSAT tutoring services, but please don't hesitate to contact us using the form below if you're interested in a free initial consultation! Both Mr. Robinson and Mr. Bennett have just opened their schedules for June 2012 LSAT takers, as the February 2012 LSAT is just coming up.

LSAT Analyzer updated with PrepTest 65

In case you haven't tried our free, online LSAT self study tracker, we've updated to a version where you can input your answer data from all of the official LSAT PrepTests 19-65. The analyzer will then track your performance (no need for a complicated Excel document) and prioritize the Zen task standards by how many questions we predict you'll miss on a modern LSAT. That way you know exactly how to target your self-prep!

We're also in the process of updating the data output to be graphical, so if you have any comments about what you'd like to be able to do with your data or have suggestions for the data entry parts of the site, we'd very much appreciate them at development@zenof180.com.

We'll be updating the site frequently so that you can track the older PrepTests, as well as providing more video explanations for how to approach each Zen task standard and eventually explanations for all LSAT questions, ever. That way you can only buy the explanations you need, rather than for all the questions in an entire PrepTest.

Below is the video explaining the general features of the analyzer, but be sure to check it out as there are even more features packed in that didn't make the 3:30 cut.

June 2012 LSAT: Time to Start Prep

If you're preparing for the June 2012 LSAT and haven't yet tried out our free online LSAT tracker, now is a great time to start. 

We've also updated our LSAT prep calendar--the Google Calendar gadget towards the top of the right side-bar--for the June 2012 test takers, which you'll see has our clients starting their law school research and LSAT preparation in a few weeks!

We're in the process of upgrading the analyzer to include video explanations, interactive graphs in addition to the interactive table, and personalized LSAT practice material based on your missed question and timing data. If you've been using the analyzer and have any suggestions for the upgrade, please let us know at support@zenof180.com.

Finally, we're officially opening the list of tutoring clients for the June 2012 LSAT, so read about our online LSAT tutoring, and get in touch with Bryan at tutoring@zenof180.com if you're ready for a free initial consultation!