I’m reading a new book called Essentialism, that I believe applies very well to the LSAT. The idea is to focus on fewer things and maximize them rather than spread yourself thin trying to do too many things. There are many examples in effective LSAT prep ranging from techniques to long term study strategies.


Reading Comp annotation is an excellent example. I only give my students about three or four things to annotate that give you the biggest bang for the buck. By contras, techniques with seven to ten things to annotate are just too many to keep track of and you’ll spread yourself thin. I’m not suggesting the three things I teach are mind-blowing but in my humble opinion, they are the most time effective to understand a passage.

Another example is Skipping or, as I like to call it, doing the questions on your order. You’re prioritizing the questions you’re more likely to get right. It doesn’t mean at all that you don’t get to the others but you don’t make the more challenging questions a priority. So if you’re going to run out of time, you’ve got the lower hanging fruit in the bag and the questions that you are less likely to get right are de-prioritized.

Studying priorities - another eXmple. Again, you only have so much time to study. Prioritize what gives you the biggest bang for your buck. Narrow down the resources that are going to give you the biggest priority. Whether that comes to a certain textbook or course or question types where you need the most help.

Study hours themselves are another great example. When students have an opportunity to study as much as they like I often suggest that they refrain from the temptation to make this a full-time job. It sounds really great to devote 8 hours a day to LSAT study to maximize your score. But the concepts are so abstract that you won’t be effective after a few hours. I tell my students to limit their study hours 4 to 6 max. It’s not easy because it forces you to limit your time to the things that’ll be most effective. But you’ll find that your focus is much more powerful throughout those few hours rather than spreading yourself thin through eight. Often if a student goes beyond four hours or more, their focus begins to wane.

You may find that making choices of what not to focus on can be quite challenging. But as a student, and through years of teaching, I’ve consistently found that focusing on fewer things that make a bigger difference is what leads to the most improvement overall.

Amazon offers the audio version as well as the traditional book.

Check out our new free Podcast: LSAT Habits!
I regularly tell students that it's not just about effective techniques - you need to make those technique habitual, so they are basically automatic. In each episode, I'll explain a key technique you want to make a habit to maximize your score. This first episode is about warming up before PTs and exams.

The Daily Stoic isn't the first of Ryan Holiday's books on stoicism I've recommended and it probably won't be the last!

The process of studying for the LSAT is rigorous. To use a well worn phrase, it’s a “marathon, not a sprint.” I appreciate and respect the journey my students go on because I’ve been there myself. There are certainly moments of self-doubt. Indeed, you're taking a bit of a gamble because while you’re maximizing everything reasonable you can do to prepare, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get the target score you want (You’ll likely improve significantly, otherwise I wouldn’t be in this business, but with all the working parts and factors involved, there are just no guarantees).

I often find myself counseling students on how to manage their emotions and stay grounded as they move through this process. (It’s actually one of my favorite parts of the job). Throughout this process, I’ve discovered stoicism - a practical philosophy where you can apply logic to get more out of life (Who knew this logic stuff would be so useful even after the LSAT? ;) Stoicism has been a valuable resource to my students and frankly it’s been a wonderful discovery in my own life.

For this reason I highly recommend The Daily Stoic. Each day you can look at an entry for that specific date on the calendar and it will give you a piece of advice based on stoicism. Because the LSAT study process is such a marathon, it’s nice to start your day with a piece of advice that can keep you grouned.

I love this book so much I’ve given a copy to family and friends. Check it out. It’s pretty inexpensive and it’s nice to have some thing like this to start your day with or turn to if you’re having a tough time. I keep my copy right on my breakfast table so I can look at the day’s entry while drinking coffee. It sets the day!

Yes, I am suggesting you take a shower - First thing in the morning. I’m not suggesting this for cleanliness (though that is pretty important).

I want you to shower because it makes you alert - significantly more alert than before you shower. Be sure to get the the warm or hot water in your face. It revitalizes you and makes you less groggy.

Shower first thing in the morning every day - particularly when studying and before a PT. In addition, showering is a habit that you anchor in to reinforce that you’re ready for your day.

On days when I wait to get a few things done before showering, I inevitably realize I’m moving and thinking slower than I’d like - I need that shower to be more alert. This is even after a great night of sleep (and I’m all about sleep for peak performance).

Some people are “night showerers.” To them I recommend trying to shower in the morning - particularly with warm or hot water. You can keep your night shower, of course. But warm or hot shower in the morning will help make you alert.

Especially during Covid, people can feel inclined not to shower because they aren’t leaving the house. But don’t make this mistake. Give this a try. You’ll feel more alert. My students who try it definitely see the difference in PT scores and ability to focus while studying!

​I encourage you to make time to "warm up" before you start your exam - and this includes PTs!

The purpose is to get you in the "mode," and get any "kinks" out before the actual exam. Ideally we want to trigger muscle memory so you're in the zone as soon as you start the first exam question (rather than finding your footing after a few questions).

Here's my prescription for warming up. The key idea is EASY - you don't want to run the marathon before the marathon - you want to do light stuff to get the blood flowing and get yourself in the zone:
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• 2-5 EASY LR questions
• Annotate an EASY RC passage (Don't worry about the questions if you don't have time - it's just a warm up).
• Set Up for an Easy Game and make those Inferences!  (Again - Don't worry about the questions if you don't have time - it's just a warm up).

It's fine if you want to use material you've done before, it's just about getting you in "LSAT Mode."
Again, feel free to do this on PTs - you may see a difference in your performance.

In my humble opinion, The Obstacle is the Way, by Ryan Holiday should be required reading for LSAT students:

The basic concept is not just about “overcoming obstacles,” but that THE Obstacle, the SPECIFIC Obstacle, is often the key to your solution/path/success.

During my own preparation for the LSAT, I remember having an epiphany about games. Those frustrating, or weird rules or elements of a game, could often be the very key to unlocking the game. You know the rules I'm talking about -- the annoying ones that may not lend themselves to basic diagramming or aren't exactly "user friendly." They're the ones that you maybe want to forget, but you do so at your peril because the game is built on every rule.

I eventually came to find that embracing these "obstacles" was often what unlocked a game for me. For example, it might have led to a key inference or perhaps a way of splitting the game board into scenarios/worlds that made the game click. This realization was instrumental to my growth on games, the LSAT overall, and it's a major element of how I teach my students.

The Obstacle is the Way expands on that theme and helps you create the mindset you need to harness obstacles like in logic games, and overall for the LSAT. (To be clear, it's not written specifically for the LSAT, but it's incredibly helpful and I wish I had it when I was prepping).

The book explains how to cultivate patience when we need it most. It also explains ways to ground yourself in logic and keep a cool head when circumstances can easily rattle most test takers -- as in logic games, time sync LR question, weird RC passages. etc.

I cannot think of a perspective more suited to the temperament an LSAT student needs to cultivate. I’ve read lots of books with similar aims but this is one of the few that both intuitively and practically explains how to stay grounded in crises/obstacles and use them to succeed.

Blind Review is one of the techniques that was instrumental to my score increase. In fact, one of the first things I ask a new student is if they're familiar with "B.R."

The technique is pretty simple, but it can be confusing when you're first learning it. Luckily, 7sage put together a sold primer on Blind Review. Take a few minutes to make sure you've got this essential tool nailed down.

First, let me start by saying I believe our priority should be supporting everyone suffering and those on the front lines. The majority of us who must stay home are in a better place. Right now, for better or worse, time is what we have.
Staying home, of course, is not without its frustrations and problems. Many of us feel powerless about the ability to support family or miss out on work/wages and school. As in anything, we need to focus on what we can control.
For those of you studying, I can’t help but think about a time when I was laid off during my LSAT studies a few years ago. It was certainly frustrating. I had mounting bills that unemployment wouldn’t cover and family members I wasn’t in a financial position to support the way I wanted.
As frustrating as it was, I did, however, have time that I didn’t have before. While working a full-time job, I remember how I’d often lament the lack of extra time to study for the LSAT. After losing my job, there was little I could do besides use that extra time. I decided that while I was still looking for work, I would make a part-time job out of studying for the LSAT. In retrospect, that period was instrumental to my understanding of the LSAT and my massive score increase.
Here are some takeaways from my experience on how to use this time effectively.
Make it a part-time job.
Set up an actual schedule and put yourself on the clock. You don’t skip work, show up late, or spend your workday texting. You have a set time and you do your work. Otherwise, your boss won’t be very happy.
Take the same approach to your part-time job of studying for the LSAT. Have a set schedule. Sit at a proper desk. Take reasonable breaks for coffee or what not but limit them to a few minutes like you would at work.
An important benefit is that once you’ve put in those hours, the rest of your day is yours to do as you please, just like with a part-time job.
Limit those part time hours.
When I came up with this idea, I immediately texted my brother. He knew how frustrated I was about losing my job and I was happy to share my new idea about using this time for a positive purpose.
Ever supportive, My brother encouraged the idea of making this a job. “Put in eight hours a day just like you would at work. You’ll never get this time back.”
I had to change one part of that. Eight hours a day is not realistic for LSAT study. The material is just too abstract. I decided to limit my time to four hours per day. Depending on the day that could mean watching lesson videos (actively), doing practice sets or general studying. If I had a practice test or blind review, that would also count towards the four hours.
In my humble opinion, eight hours studying for something as abstract on the LSAT is just not realistic. Instead, my goal was to put in four hours per day, five days a week. Just like a part-time job. I made those four hours count rather than setting myself up for frustrations with eight hours.
This rightly gave me remaining hours in my new “workday” to meet other priorities: look for work, help family, work on other parts of my law school applications.
Self Correct
Like in any endeavor, this is an adjustment. Self correct to find what makes your work better.
At first, I made Starbucks my office. I liked the idea of coffee and getting to a space besides home. But a busy coffee shop had too many distractions.
I decided on a quiet library instead. I also eased up on the caffeine intake. Don’t get me wrong. Coffee is a part of my routine but there is too much of a good thing!
As in anything, experiment, self correct, find what works best for you.
Final thoughts
During a practice test or the real exam we must be aware of time. We either use time or lose it. This is also true of the hours and days we have to study. For those of us out of work and on lockdown, it is frustrating. But time doesn’t stop. We use it or lose it. We are limited in that time, especially now. But within those constraints we can use the time we have to support family, friends and people on the front lines. We can also use some of this time to take care of ourselves and invest in our future. We’ll never get this time back.

​I recently finished reading Atomic Habits and I loved it.

I often tell my students that a central part of improving on the LSAT comes down to habits.

Habits apply to having a regular routine so you have a consistent study schedule but perhaps even more to implementing what you’ve learned. LSAT students have to master a lot of techniques, ideally very effective techniques. But considering just how many things you need to put into practice, it really is a lot. You need to implement those techniques automatically, “like a machine,” as JY Ping of 7Sage, would say. We simply don’t have the luxury going into a reading passage to stop and say OK, let me remind myself of the things I need to annotate and look for in this passage, and focus on what we need to do at the same time for all four passages in a span of 35 minutes.

Your technique is only as effective as your ability to implement it. Again, that means automatically, without having to even “deliberately think”about it. That’s where habits come in.

I wish this book was written when I was studying for the LSAT. It’s well worth your time!