If you’re looking to get into a good law school, you probably already know that getting a good LSAT score is the most crucial part of the equation. The test carries more weight than both your GPA and your college application. However, as unique as the LSAT is, it’s also relatively easy to master if you use the right guide. That’s why finding the best LSAT prep book for you is of the utmost importance.
What’s the Best LSAT Prep Book?
Choosing the right prep book for you is a very personal decision. After all, most people have wildly different styles of studying, especially when it comes to subjects they pick up quickly and ones they don’t quite get. The following recommendations should help you settle on a book that will enable you to get into the law school of your dreams.
Introducing the LSAT: The Fox Test Prep Primer by Nathan Fox
If you haven’t even begun to study for the LSAT, it’s best to begin with some light reading. Introducing the LSAT: The Fox Test Prep Quick and Dirty LSAT Primer by Nathan Fox is the perfect solution. This guide is ideal if you want to dip your toes into the subject matter before you decide if you want to take the test. However, it’s also great if you have a limited amount of time to study since it’s about 100 pages long.
Whether you need a quick LSAT primer or not, you’re sure to find this book both informative and entertaining. For as short as the book is, the way it’s written makes both law school, in general, and the LSAT much easier to understand. Clearly, the author wanted to make the topic more accessible to everyone.
Consequently, the Primer takes great care to explain the types of questions you might see on the LSAT. Furthermore, you’ll also pick up some study techniques that could help you ace the test — particularly, the Analytical Reasoning portion.
However, if you’ve got time to really dig into the subject, you should get a more comprehensive prep book to complement this one.
LSAT Logic Games Unlocked 2018–2019 from Kaplan Publishing
As you know, all of the LSAT questions fall into one of 3 sections, which present different kinds of problems. The logical reasoning and reading comprehension sections tend to be fairly easy to understand. However, most people get stuck on the logic portion of the test. That’s where the LSAT Logic Games Unlocked prep book from Kaplan Publishing comes in.
If you, like many other people, find it difficult to solve logic puzzles, this is the best LSAT prep book for you. Inside the book, you’ll find a step-by-step guide to the different games you might find in the exam. Furthermore, the book will also provide strategies you can use to solve the tasks before you. In the end, you should be able to recognize the type of logic game you’re dealing with and apply the correct solution. And to get you there, the book offers online resources as well as time management plans to help you reach your study goals.
LSAT Bible Trilogy from PowerScore
Many people study for the LSAT and similar exams by learning the questions and answers by heart. But if you want to ace the test, you’ll need to take a more comprehensive approach. Well, with the help of the Powerscore LSAT Bible Trilogy, you can be sure that you’ll truly understand the answers, rather than simply being able to recite them.
The Trilogy contains the LSAT Reading Comprehension Bible, as well as the Logic Games and the Logical Reasoning Bible. So this is the perfect set if you need to have all the facts. These three books break down each of the possible question types you might get and show you how to answer them. You’ll even learn about the most common mistakes people make when they’re answering different kinds of questions on the test. Furthermore, the books come with online study plans you can use to organize your time as well as set your LSAT prep goals.
LSAT Strategy Guide Set from Manhattan Prep
If you’re on the hunt for the best LSAT prep book, you might want to save up enough money to invest in a set. Like the previous PowerScore Trilogy, Manhattan Prep’s LSAT Strategy Guide Set includes books that cover all the different areas covered by the test.
The LSAT Reading Comprehension book will improve your speed and understanding, which will prime you to answer that portion of the test with agility. Soon enough, you’ll be able to find the gist of any text, which is an excellent skill to have even outside of law school.
There are two books that deal with the logic sections, LSAT Logic Games and LSAT Logical Reasoning. The former is full of timed visual exercises that are supposed to mimic the exam itself, while the latter focuses on argumentation. Once again, the primary goal of these books is to teach you to answer the specific kinds of questions that will be put before you during the exam.
The LSAT Trainer: a Remarkable Self-Study Guide for the Self-Driven Student by Mike Kim
If you’re the kind of person who appreciates a more casual approach to studying, make sure to check out The LSAT Trainer by Mike Kim. The book has an interesting origin story, as you can probably tell from its full title. Namely, the author, Mike Kim, was previously an LSAT prep course developer at Manhattan Prep.
Drawing on that experience, he spent eight weeks carefully devising a study plan that should make it easy to pass the LSAT with flying colors. Furthermore, the book even explains why each section of the exam exists in the first place. In addition to the comprehensive guide, The LSAT Trainer also includes over 200 practice questions and over 30 strategy drills.
Overall, this book definitely has an unconventional approach. However, that’s a welcome distinction in a sea of less imaginative prep books.
LSAT Prep Books 2019–2020 from Mometrix Test Preparation
As you can imagine, most LSAT prep books are fairly wordy. But what if you don’t want to lose your eyesight staring at the page for hours at a time? Well, if you’re more of a visual learner, Mometrix Test Preparation’s LSAT Prep Books 2019–2020 is the best LSAT prep book for you.
Don’t let this book’s appearance intimidate you. At 350 pages long, it’s pretty substantial, with hundreds of pages of strategies, explanations, and practice tests. In addition to the written guides, the book also gives you access to dozens of video tutorials from LSAT experts. Even if you don’t mind reading such a thick tome, give those videos a watch anyway. Some of the tips you’ll see are not even mentioned in the text. Watching the video guides will allow your newly acquired knowledge really sink in.
10 Actual, Official LSAT Preptests by the Law School Admission Council
Many students find it difficult to find LSAT example questions online. They do exist — however, they tend to be pretty expensive. In any case, there is something to be said about seeing the questions printed on paper. Well, 10 Actual, Official LSAT Preptests is the Law School Admission Council’s answer to that problem.
Unlike some other prep books, this one is chock-full of official LSAT questions from years past. The questions are left blank, but there are answer keys to help you if you get stuck. As affordable as this book is, there’s no reason not to get it. If nothing else, you could use it to simulate exam conditions. Aside from soothing your anxiety, practicing can improve your reaction time during the actual test.
However, this prep book doesn’t explain the thought process behind the questions and answers. So you should really only use it as the final step to practice taking the test. Still, you should only take practice tests after you’ve studied a more comprehensive guide.
The LSAT Tutor: LSAT Prep Books 2019–2020 from APEX Test Prep
If you want to get everything you need to pass the LSAT in one fell swoop, APEX Test Prep’s The LSAT Tutor: LSAT Prep Books 2019–2020 is the closest you’ll get. The book offers all of the familiar aspects of LSAT prep guides. There are individual sections for logical reasoning, analytical reasoning, as well as reading comprehension sections.
After delving into each of the sections, you can take a full-length practice test. But rather than making a simple answer key, the authors took the time to explain how to reach those answers. So The LSAT Tutor should actually take you through the exam from beginning to end.
More importantly, this guide also teaches you how to overcome test anxiety. The first section of the guide consists of tricks that will come in handy on the day of the exam. Those tips are then followed by a complete overview of the exam. Furthermore, the layout of the book makes it exceedingly easy to find whatever you’re looking for. If you like going over the study materials repeatedly, you’ll want a book with an organized layout.
Final Thoughts on Finding the Best LSAT Prep Book for You
As you can see, there are all kinds of prep books available to law school hopefuls. So now, all you need to do is figure out what type of student you are.
Ideally, you’d get a primer to get you inspired first. After you learn the basics, you can get a comprehensive guide to understand how to take the LSAT. Lastly, using test examples for practice would help you become faster and more confident. Of course, not everyone can invest that much time and energy into the test. Besides, your style of studying might even require a more unconventional approach. So, ultimately, the best LSAT prep book is the one that’ll get you across the finish line