Although there are many options to prepare for the LSAT, the best way to prepare for the LSAT is to take a live LSAT course. Throughout this article, I will go each type of option, review paid courses, and review free courses.
Why paying for a live course is the best option
Studies have shown that students learn more and perform better when they receive direct instruction facilitated by an expert. In other words, students perform better when they have a teacher.
Throughout the years, I have taken several live courses and self-paced courses. I have performed well using both. However, I retain knowledge better when the course was live. Perhaps this is because teachers use methods that help you retain material. Maybe I am not the best at studying. Or perhaps I pay better attention during live courses out of respect for the instructor. Whatever the case, it is evident that I perform better when I take live classes.
I would strongly recommend that you pay for live instruction rather than settling for free self-paced instruction (if possible). You can then use a free self-paced version to supplement your studies.
What are the options?
- Paid Live Courses
- Paid Self-Paced Courses
- Free Self-Paced Courses
Many of the paid live courses also offer cheaper self-paced options. However, we recommend taking a free route if you need to select self-paced instruction. If you are planning on paying for instruction, you should plan on spending the full amount to get the proper instruction.
For the remainder of this article, we will discuss each potential resource in greater detail. You can use this information to know what course you would like to take to prepare for the LSAT. We will be sharing information about the following courses:
Paid Courses
- Princeton Review LSAT Prep
- Blueprint
- LSATMax
- Kaplan
- Ace
Free Resources
- Khan Academy LSAT Prep
- LSAC LawHub
Princeton Review LSAT Prep
Pricing
Princeton Review offers five options for LSAT prep
- Self-paced – $799
- LSAT 165+ – $2,099
- Score a 165+ with 85 hours of instruction. Guaranteed
- Immersion 165+ – $3,999
- Score a 165+ with 145 hours of instruction
- Fundamentals – $1,099
- 30 hours of classroom instruction
- Tutoring – $167/hour
Princeton Review offers a 165+ guarantee on the LSAT or your money back. However, there are some caveats that come with that. You need to be eligible by showing that you can test a 158, which is a decent score to begin with. Despite this caveat, Princeton Review has been known to help many students jump as much as 20 points, going from a 150 to a 170. Receiving a 165+ is almost a guarantee for nearly every top 25 law school.
Click here to learn more.
Blueprint LSAT Prep
Pricing
- Live course – $1,499
- 170+ course – $2,199
- Self-paced – from $299/month with the best value option being $799 for 3 months
- Tutoring – Several packages ranging from $2,599-$5,749
Blueprint recently released their 170+ course guaranteed. The fine print on this seems to be a little more clear. They guarantee a score 170+ if your diagnostic test is more than 160. If your score is less than 160, they guarantee a 10+ point increase. However, you must complete all course work, study exams, and practice questions to be eligible for the guarantee.
Blueprint also prides themselves on having the “first and only” online LSAT planner. From what I can tell, this planner is very useful in helping you focus on your lessons, study sessions, and highlights areas of improvement.
Click here to learn more.
LSATMax
Pricing
- LSATMax 180 – $896 for 180 days of course access
- LSATMax 365 – $1,396 for 365 days of course access
- LSATMax Lifetime – $1896 for lifetime access to the course
- Tutoring – Packages ranging from $1,896-$5,396
One thing to note is that LSATMax is entirely self-paced. You get out what you put into the course. You have your access, but if you don’t work in the class there will be no benefit. Additionally, LSATMax has a “higher score guarantee”. As most students who study tend to improve their score, the guarantee will likely not benefit the user.
However, LSATMax has some significant advantages. They hold the most LSAT related content you can ask for with over 92 real prep tests (for comparison, Princeton Review has 6) and 1,000+ hours of video instruction. Additionally, LSATMax holds daily office hours where students can ask live questions to instructors. So, although the course is entirely self-guided, there is a reason LSATMax averages a 18+ point increase and is rated the #1 best LSAT course.
Click here to learn more.
Kaplan
Pricing
- Self-paced – $799
- Live online course – $1,199
- In-person course – $1,499
- Tutoring + live online course – $1,999
- Bootcamp – $3,999
Just like LSATMax, Kaplan only offers the money back guarantee if you don’t score higher than your diagnostic test. However, if you do score higher than your diagnostic but are not happy with your LSAT score, Kaplan will let you continue to use their resources for you next test.
Other than that, Kaplan works similar to the other LSAT courses although it is slightly cheaper. Students often receive high results from Kaplan so it might be a resource worth investing in.
Click here to lean more.
Ace LSAT Test Prep
Ace LSAT test prep is a resource that is local to the Provo community. Although they do offer a online live class and on-demand class, the reason I mention Ace is to show that there are localized test prep organizations. Your community may easily have an effective test prep organization that will help you to succeed.
Pricing
- In-person live classic – $997
- Live Online classic – $747
The benefit of going with a localized group is that they are not name brand. Meaning you could easily get the same level of expertise without paying a fortune. They are often cheaper because they are growing and need support. Additionally, it is usually easier to attend a classroom event with the localized groups instead of going with the name brand.
Click here to learn more.
Khan Academy LSAT Prep
Pricing
- Free
If you don’t have the money to spend on an LSAT course, Khan Academy is the next best thing. Sponsored by the LSAC, Khan academy has compiled 10+ real LSAT tests with thousands of practice questions. It is also full of videos and articles from experts explaining the best ways to receive answers. Additionally, Khan provides a study calendar and sends reminders to study. Unfortunately, Khan Academy is self-paced so the only motivation you have is yourself.
I used Khan Academy as my only tool when preparing for my LSAT and I regret not using a paid LSAT course. However, if you can’t afford a course and have good motivation, Khan Academy is an excellent resource. My recommendation would be to use a paid course and supplement your studies with Khan academy.
Click here to learn more.
LSAC LawHub
Pricing
- Free
- Upgrade to Paid Plan for $99 (70 LSAT practice tests)
LawHub was created by the LSAC to give students an opportunity to practice for the LSAT with realistic testing software. The free version allows you to take up to 2 practice tests and the paid plan gives you access to additional resources for a year. I would recommend creating a LawHub account to see what the software looks like. Other than that, I wouldn’t worry about getting a paid account unless you can’t afford a full LSAT course but want to pay for some additional resources.
Click here to learn more.
Summary
Although there are many options to choose from including paid and free lsat resources, I would recommend choosing one paid course and supplement your studies from the others. Because I haven’t personally taken any of the courses (other than Khan Academy), I won’t recommend taking one over another. Instead, I invite you to compare their strengths, weaknesses, and your needs. That is the best way to prepare for the LSAT. Below is a summary of the resources we discussed in this article.
Paid Courses
- Princeton Review LSAT Prep
- Blueprint
- LSATMax
- Kaplan
- Ace
Free Resources
- Khan Academy LSAT Prep
- LSAC LawHub
