Acceptance to the law school of your choice is highly dependent on your LSAT score so choosing the right LSAT Prep for you is important. LSAT tutoring is one means of prep for you to consider. It can personalize your prep to maximize your score increase. But, it must be the right tutor for you!  So, how do you select a great LSAT tutor?

The tutor should be happy to speak with you, introduce him or herself, discuss their background, and answer any general questions you may have. During this “interview,” assess your general comfort level with them. It’s also important to discuss, from the start, whether or not your schedules will work well together.  The following are some areas you will want to evaluate:

Your LSAT Tutor’s Experience:

Have you ever had the experience of sitting in a classroom with a professor who is very smart, but cannot explain key concepts?
Do not go there. Experience counts and will:

• Help the teacher grow in their ability to relay information to students in a way that makes it easier to learn.
• Help the teacher more quickly access your particular areas of need.
• By recognizing the problems faced by other students, a tutor can more quickly know how to approach different learning styles as well as become familiar with the pitfalls where students can get caught.
• Enable the tutor to build your self-confidence in your ability to reach your goal. They can encourage you because they’ve seen successful achievement from previous students.

Tutor’s LSAT Score:

Your LSAT tutor must be able to identify the problems you’re having, understand your thought process and then find a way to make you understand. This requires a complete understanding of the LSAT. The teacher’s good LSAT score tells you whether a teacher:

• Successfully prepared himself
• Has discipline and the ability to structure time and use it well.
• Understands the LSAT. A mastery of the material is necessary for them to be able to clarify any and all questions or problems that come up.

Sometimes the best tutors are the ones who had to wrestle with the material in order to understand it and be successful. This translates to being better able to communicate the information to you. A score around the 95th percentile or above is a good marker.

Teaching Methods:

The instructor should have a structured LSAT Prep  program in place to help you achieve to your goals. If the tutor works with a commercial test prep company, you will know that they have several things: Accountability to the company, structured lesson plans and materials to draw from, and you know they have at least been screened by that company. A tutor you find on Craigs List might not, so you will need to carefully interview. Additionally, a good LSAT tutor will not simply help you with certain areas you deem to be your weak points. A good tutor will asses you in all sections of the test and coach you as to where you could gain the highest number of points. They should certainly include the taking of full-length, official timed practice tests is an important part of the LSAT prep process. Official tests under timed conditions are a key to LSAT mastery.

LSAT Materials:

Numerous books are available for LSAT prep. Assure that the publications used include actual, previously administered exams.(Some books use fabricated  LSAT questions which are not the best. They do this to save money because LSAC charges them to use their authentic questions.) Begin with the older tests and as you get closer to the test day work through the more recent tests. The individual tests from LSAC can be purchased for about $8.

LSAT Course Price:

Most must consider costs. LSAT tutoring can range from $0(the price of your friend helping  you when he can, to $25/hr  up to $150+/hr. The average that LSAT prep companies charge is $90-$125/hr. Consider the cost of the tutoring an investment, but do not make the mistake that a high price equates to high quality! Call them, ask questions so that you’re sure they are able to give you the instruction that you require. Ask too, if there are additional costs. Are the course materials included in the price of the course?

Location:

The location of the tutoring and the time expense  involved in the commute must be considered. The time you spend getting to your tutoring sessions will take away time you have for the instruction itself. If you live where you don’t have access to live LSAT tutors, you may want to consider an on-line LSAT prep option.

Choosing an online tutor has the potential of eliminating logistical problems. If you have the right mindset and the tutor is using good technology, an online tutor can be extremely convenient. Ask your tutor what technology they use to deliver their on-line instruction.

Track your LSAT Progress:

Take a timed practice LSAT before you go see your tutor and know what your targeted score is. Simply attending your LSAT tutoring sessions alone will not bring great score increases. Taking timed practice Official LSAT exams as the weeks go by is essential. Is your score improving? It should be…a good teacher will help you know why or why not.

Tags: LSAT, lsat advice, LSAT tutoring