You've taken the LSAT; you've decided to go to law school; but how do you pick the right school for you? Not all law schools are created equal. You may still be able to get a fine legal education at most of them, but understand that different law schools have different characteristics. Some are extremely competitive, while others are easier to get into.

Applying to law school is an art all its own, and the LSAT plays a major role. You have to choose several schools, go through the expensive and complicated application rigmarole, scrounge around for financial aid, and then decide which one of the schools that accepts you is the one you want to attend. The whole process is daunting and really not much fun, but it’s the only way to get where you want to go (assuming law school is, in fact, where you want to go).

Here's your chance to try writing an LSAT-style writing essay. Open up your word processing program and enable the spellcheck (or use the Get Acquainted With LSAT Writing software to prepare your practice essay). There’s no right or wrong answer for an essay. Just pick a side and defend it well. After the sample topic are two possible responses.

A score on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT for short) is a requirement for admission to almost all U.S. law schools. Make sure your score represents your best abilities by following these tips for success on all LSAT question types: analytical reasoning (or logic games), reading comprehension, logical reasoning, and the writing sample.

The LSAT exists partly to test your ability to understand how arguments work. A well-structured argument is a beautiful thing. A reader can follow the steps of the reasoning from start to finish with no effort at all, and the conclusion should seem self-evident if the author has done her job right. How to identify pattern-of-reasoning questions These logical reasoning questions ask you to choose an answer that uses the same method of reasoning as the argument or, less often, directly ask you what type of reasoning the author uses to make an argument.

People who go to law school tend to be particular and precise people. They study law school rankings, fret about their grades and LSAT scores, and generally grasp at any apparent “truth” that helps them tackle the daunting process of launching a legal career. That’s why myths about the LSAT abound. The LSAT doesn’t have anything to do with Law School People may tell you that the LSAT and law school are unrelated, but think about it; the LSAT-writers have to concoct a test that in about four hours can spot the people who are likely to succeed in legal education.

Reading for the LSAT isn’t the same as reading for pleasure or even for college coursework. You have very little time to comprehend the material and make reasoned analyses, so make sure you keep these tips in mind to maximize your limited time. Concentrate, concentrate, concentrate — even if you’re bored. Work one reading passage at a time; answer all the questions, and then move on.

One way to identify grouping games on the LSAT is by recognizing the language the facts and rules don’t use. Although some grouping games may also include an element of ordering, most are noticeably bereft of ordering references, such as first/last, higher/lower, and before/after. Instead, the facts and rules contain wording that suggests matching one set of elements to another set or two of elements.

You should use much more of your precious time analyzing reading comprehension questions on the LSAT than reading the passages. The plan is to read just as much of the passage as you need to figure out its overall idea and basic structure. Skim the questions Many test-takers attack reading questions the logical way: They read the passage and then answer the questions.