There is an old saying, to the effect that one should worry about the things one can control, but forget about the rest. In the case of LSAT preparation, you may be able to control how much prep time you invest, or whether or not you take a prep course. But deep down inside, you may feel that the key component of LSAT success, that is your intellectual horsepower is pretty much outside of your control. However, you may not have considered that there are some variables within your control, having nothing to do with your intellectual skills, but that can have a substantial effect on your LSAT performance.
Caveat: The following are some miscellaneous tips for you to consider as ways to "turbocharge" your LSAT preparation. However, I am not an educator, learning specialist, theologian or a medical doctor. I am merely a guy who did reasonably well on the LSAT, without taking a prep course.
Therefore, I make no assertions regarding the factual or empirical validity of any of these suggestions. In other words, the following suggestions are one person's opinion as to ways to improve your LSAT score, based upon his own experience, in addition to what you are likely already doing, namely, practicing hundreds upon hundreds of old LSAT questions.
That said, in a fairly short period of time, I took the LSAT, did reasonably well in law school and passed two bar exams. I used these tips in preparation for them all. These tips have nothing to do with "logic game" secrets, process-of-elimination, syllogisms or anything else directly related to the intellectual requirements of the LSAT. Instead, they are fairly easy to implement lifestyle changes/additions, which I believe contributed greatly to my success on these exams.
Tip Number One: Exercise. There are countless studies which show the effect of exercise on brain efficiency. In particular aerobic excercise, which raises your heart rate to a predetermined target level, Early in law school, I believed I was too busy to exercise. For the first time in my life, I stopped exercising on a regular basis. As a result, I found myself frequently tired and sometimes had difficulty concentrating, probably due to the large reading workload, as well as the intensity of the 1L experience.
During my second and third years of law school, I did a fair amount of cardio exercise and found myself more alert, with a higher overall energy level, and a much higher reading comprehension and retention level. I continued my exercise through two bar exams (Texas and Tennessee) and absolutely believe that it substantially contributed to my success with both.
Today, I exercise about an hour a day, seven days a week. People ask me how I find the time, and the answer is simple: the exercise seems to pay a decent return, in terms of a reduction in my sleep needs. I need less sleep, which gives me more time to exercise. Regardless, my own experience has been that consistent exercise seems to have seriously contributed to my ability to concentrate and focus, and meet the intellectual rigors required in law practice.
Needless to say, especially if you have been inactive or have a medical condition affected by exercise, you should talk with your doctor before beginning an exercise regimen.
Tip Number Two: Diet. Again, there are countless studies which show that diets high in Omega 3 and vitamin D, and low in fat and complex carbohydrates, can increase brainpower. For me, this translates into eating as much fish as I can stand, lots of vegetables and a fair amount of vitamin supplements. A simple Google search will yield a gold mine of literature on nutrition and the brain. But cutting back on the junk food and increasing healthy foods, in my experience, have a significant effect on my energy levels and ability to concentrate. Here again, you should consult your doctor and/or nutritionalist before you begin any vitamin regimen.
Tip Number Three: Spirituality. Studies have shown that fear and stress are serious impediments to intellectual performance. When faced with a threat, the heart and respiration rates increase, as do some of the bodies other basic functions, such as perspiration. This increased biological activity puts the body on high alert, resulting in a narrowing of reasoning capabilities essentially down to two choices: "flight" of "fight".
The "deer in the headlights" mindset that occurs in many of us when faced with a difficult situation, can cause our brains to seriously slow down and interfere with our ability to think and reason quickly. However, a belief system that is based upon a "higher power" (I actually believe in God, but for the sake of readers still wrestling with that notion, a "higher power" may be less intimidating). If one believes that their life has a plan and meaning, then one likely believes that at least to some extent, they need to relinquish control of their life to the "higher power" responsible for that plan and meaning. Physiologically speaking, that relinquishment has the opposite effect of a threat, the bodily functions slow down and one experiences relaxation. This relaxation results in greater biological resources being made available for reasoning and rational thinking.
If you go to church, then keep going. If you pray, then keep praying. If you don't, then consider taking either or both up. You might be surprised at the result.
Caveat: The following are some miscellaneous tips for you to consider as ways to "turbocharge" your LSAT preparation. However, I am not an educator, learning specialist, theologian or a medical doctor. I am merely a guy who did reasonably well on the LSAT, without taking a prep course.
Therefore, I make no assertions regarding the factual or empirical validity of any of these suggestions. In other words, the following suggestions are one person's opinion as to ways to improve your LSAT score, based upon his own experience, in addition to what you are likely already doing, namely, practicing hundreds upon hundreds of old LSAT questions.
That said, in a fairly short period of time, I took the LSAT, did reasonably well in law school and passed two bar exams. I used these tips in preparation for them all. These tips have nothing to do with "logic game" secrets, process-of-elimination, syllogisms or anything else directly related to the intellectual requirements of the LSAT. Instead, they are fairly easy to implement lifestyle changes/additions, which I believe contributed greatly to my success on these exams.
Tip Number One: Exercise. There are countless studies which show the effect of exercise on brain efficiency. In particular aerobic excercise, which raises your heart rate to a predetermined target level, Early in law school, I believed I was too busy to exercise. For the first time in my life, I stopped exercising on a regular basis. As a result, I found myself frequently tired and sometimes had difficulty concentrating, probably due to the large reading workload, as well as the intensity of the 1L experience.
During my second and third years of law school, I did a fair amount of cardio exercise and found myself more alert, with a higher overall energy level, and a much higher reading comprehension and retention level. I continued my exercise through two bar exams (Texas and Tennessee) and absolutely believe that it substantially contributed to my success with both.
Today, I exercise about an hour a day, seven days a week. People ask me how I find the time, and the answer is simple: the exercise seems to pay a decent return, in terms of a reduction in my sleep needs. I need less sleep, which gives me more time to exercise. Regardless, my own experience has been that consistent exercise seems to have seriously contributed to my ability to concentrate and focus, and meet the intellectual rigors required in law practice.
Needless to say, especially if you have been inactive or have a medical condition affected by exercise, you should talk with your doctor before beginning an exercise regimen.
Tip Number Two: Diet. Again, there are countless studies which show that diets high in Omega 3 and vitamin D, and low in fat and complex carbohydrates, can increase brainpower. For me, this translates into eating as much fish as I can stand, lots of vegetables and a fair amount of vitamin supplements. A simple Google search will yield a gold mine of literature on nutrition and the brain. But cutting back on the junk food and increasing healthy foods, in my experience, have a significant effect on my energy levels and ability to concentrate. Here again, you should consult your doctor and/or nutritionalist before you begin any vitamin regimen.
Tip Number Three: Spirituality. Studies have shown that fear and stress are serious impediments to intellectual performance. When faced with a threat, the heart and respiration rates increase, as do some of the bodies other basic functions, such as perspiration. This increased biological activity puts the body on high alert, resulting in a narrowing of reasoning capabilities essentially down to two choices: "flight" of "fight".
The "deer in the headlights" mindset that occurs in many of us when faced with a difficult situation, can cause our brains to seriously slow down and interfere with our ability to think and reason quickly. However, a belief system that is based upon a "higher power" (I actually believe in God, but for the sake of readers still wrestling with that notion, a "higher power" may be less intimidating). If one believes that their life has a plan and meaning, then one likely believes that at least to some extent, they need to relinquish control of their life to the "higher power" responsible for that plan and meaning. Physiologically speaking, that relinquishment has the opposite effect of a threat, the bodily functions slow down and one experiences relaxation. This relaxation results in greater biological resources being made available for reasoning and rational thinking.
If you go to church, then keep going. If you pray, then keep praying. If you don't, then consider taking either or both up. You might be surprised at the result.
