The Kaplan LSAT 2004 focuses primarily on general LSAT strategies which will raise most student's scores by 1-2 points only, and thats assuming you are completely unfamiliar with the test. For those serious students who are generally familiar with the LSAT and willing to work hard to improve their score Kaplan and the Princeton Review are a complete waste of time and money. In some cases, such as Kaplan's method of solving Reading Comprehension questions, they are even counterproductive and can slow you down. Most students will emerge after studying the Kaplan book feeling confused and still unprepared, as I did. I strongly recommend the PowerScore books. I purchased the PowerScore LSAT Logic Games Bible and I am now able to work almost any logic game the LSAT can throw at me with confidence. I have also just ordered the newly released PowerScore LSAT Logical Reasoning Bible. Both of these books are expensive, they will run you about $90-$100 total but from my experience they are definitly worth it.

This book is only good for those who really have no idea what the LSAT is. There are only a few pages on each section... and they are not all that helpful, they just tell you what kind of questions to expect... not HOW to do well on them. There are some "steps" to approaching each type of question, but I think those will end up slowing you down rather than helping you. I took an (actual) practice test totally blind before I read the book... and took another practice test out of the book... and scored only one point higher. I am relieved to hear that others believe the questions from the Kaplan book are bizarre, because I did okay on the logic game section on the actual practice LSAT (which I took without any preparation) and then, after reading the Kaplan book, totally BOMBED the logic games section in the Kaplan's practice test. Those questions WERE bizarre!
Most of the book is practice tests, which, I have just learned from these other reviews, are not actually from past actual tests. Bad investment!

This book is a waste of money. Nothing in it is useful except maybe the introduction to the question types. I suggest that you get the Powerscore Logic Games Bible, Logic Reasoning Bible (Mid August 2004 I believe), and the next 10 actual LSATs, or 10 more actual official Lsats. Read the bibles and take practice tests over and over again. Good Luck.

I will say this, just in case everyone does not know: the LSAT is the MOST IMPORTANT factor in your admissions application. Schools may try to deny it, but a high LSAT score can improve your odds of admission into the school of your dreams. A high LSAT score can shadow a low UGPA, but a high UGPA CANNOT hide a low score on the LSAT.

Now that I have said that I will explain how I prepared for the LSAT, and how I earned a score of 178.

First and foremost, form a group with other students preparing for the LSAT. I gathered a group of three with some friends and we advertised our group on the school paper and spread the word around campus. Many universities will let you do this, and some even have student-run websites that you can spread the word on. This not only lets you help one another with your weaknesses, but it also allows you to lower the cost of the study aides that you need to purchase. We eventually had a group of twenty that we broke into smaller groups of five. In each group, we picked out four books and split the cost among us.

In training for the LSAT, use only official preptests sold by LSAC. Many past reviewers recommended studying multiple books, like those available by Kaplan or Princeton Review. I have found that Kaplan and other study aides add to the confusion many test takers experience, and Kaplan even admits that its study guides do not help 40% of those who buy the books.

If you want to do well on the LSAT, this is the way to study:

Your first purchase should the 10 More Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests. The PrepTest book will give several of real LSATs to take, though without question analysis. All of the answers are given, but they are not explained. I find this to be a bonus, because I believe that a test taker can learn more from figuring out why the answer is what is, instead of just going by the problematical answers Kaplan gives. Kaplan's answers have a tendency to be too long and lack an accurate answer. It is similar to when a person is talking but they are not really saying anything.

Just getting used to taking the test is the most important part of the preparation process. If you finish all ten tests, get the older 10 Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests.

DO NOT buy Kaplan's LSAT 180. It is full of the toughest questions that KAPLAN could MAKE UP. These questions are so bogus that they lowered everyone in my study group's score: we all had scores over 170 before this book. On one page, Kaplan gave two complete different explanations for two questions that were the exact same type of question. Kaplan's answers to MADE UP questions are lacking judgment. Kaplan is simply too lazy to buy official questions.

Also, both www.LSAC.org and Amazon have individual PrepTests available for $8 each. Get the latest tests: these aren't a good buy like the books of ten, but seeing the most up to date material - even if it's just 1 or 2 tests - is worth it. If you are not in a hurry, you can get the tests free of shipping from LSAC, and they have the MOST RECENT tests, while Amazon tends to lack the two most recent tests.

Specifically, get the June 2000 (PrepTest 31) exam. This contains the notorious "CD Game," the second game, which is commonly considered the most complicated LSAT logic game ever.

BUT...

If you REALLY want to, go ahead and pay in the thousands for a LSAT class prep course, like those offered by Kaplan and Princeton Review. I do not suggest doing that, but confidence is essential for acing the LSAT. If you feel that taking an over-priced prep course will boast your self-assurance, feel free to do so.

In preparing for the LSAT, I have used a wide variety of study guides--10 Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests, 10 More Actual Official PrepTests, Kaplan's LSAT 2004, Kaplan's LSAT 180, Princeton Review's Cracking the LSAT 2004, and REA's Best Test Prep. Of all of them, Kaplan gave the best intro to the test. They offer good strategies for all the different types of questions, as well as plenty of practice problems with explanations, so you can start working with actual questions before you leap head-first into a full practice test. The book's one shortcoming is that the tests are not "real" LSATs--while they follow the format of the actual test, all the questions are written by Kaplan, not by LSAC (the people in charge of the LSAT). These tests do have full explations, though, so they are a good place to start. While it can't stand alone as complete LSAT prep, it is the best resource out there for introducing yourself to the test. If you want to do well on the LSAT, this is the way to study:

Your first two purchases should be Kaplan's (or Princeton's, if you prefer) most current LSAT guide and 10 More Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests. Kaplan's book will give you a good intro to the test, along with 3 full tests with a detailed analysis for each question. The PrepTest book will give you plenty of real, recently-administered LSATs to take, though without question analysis. Just getting used to taking the test is the most important part of the preparation process, and between the two books, 13 full tests should be plenty.

If, after 4 or 5 tests, you're noticing your scores plateau around 165, and you want to bump them up, get Kaplan's LSAT 180. It is full of the toughest questions that Kaplan's crew could come up with (along with a few nasty ones you might see adapted from real questions on LSAC's PrepTests), and strategies on how to approach them. The regular, yearly guides are a great way to start studying, but they will only take you so far. LSAT 180 can take you the rest of the way, as its name implies. You should be warned beforehand though--these are THE TOUGHEST questions you will find anywhere. If you can handle these, most of the actual test will seem like cake.

If you burn through all of Kaplan's Tests--including the free online one--and all 10 Actual tests (Like I did), you can always get the older 10 Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests. It's still good prep; the only difference is that the tests are older--December '92 is the oldest; September '95 is the most recent. Some minor things have changed: the older tests are a little harder, which means a lower raw score here translates into a higher scaled score; the wording of questions is different; and some of the types of logic games that are on the newer tests aren't on these. However, if you've taken all the tests in the more recent book, and you know what to expect to see on the actual test, taking the PrepTests in this book is a good way to keep your practice going.

Also, both LSAC.org and Amazon have individual PrepTests available for $8 apiece. You can get all the most recent tests--sometimes right up to the one most recently administered. These aren't as good a deal as the books of 10, but seeing the most recent material--even if it's just 1 or 2 tests--is worth it. Though I haven't taken it, I've heard that PrepTest 31 (June 2000) has the most difficult Logic Game ever on it... that might be worth checking out.

Anyway, that's about it. If you want to prepare for the LSAT as thoroughly and effectively as possible, this is the way to do it.