Preparing for Law School
Junior Year
For the pre-law student, the third year of college is dominated by the specter of the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Whether the LSAT is taken in June, at the end of that third year, or in September/October as the senior year begins, the junior year must be considered as the prime preparation period for the LSAT. Whereas the first two years of college have involved relatively long-range planning and preparation, the third year is the time for immediate and direct preparation. The following should be accomplished in the junior year:
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Become familiar with the LSAT format, including self-testing with sample and previously administered LSATs.
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Take one or more mock LSATs given by student pre-law organizations.
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Obtain the LSAT/Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) Registration
Book (free) from your pre-law advisor and apply for the (June)
LSAT.
- Decide whether to avail yourself of any of the various preparation materials offered at a price. See LSAT Prep Tests.
Your decision to use any or all of these aids depends not only on the amount of time and money available to you, but also on your perception of your need for assistance. ASU pre-law advisors do not recommend or endorse any of the commercial courses available, but it is hard to imagine negative effects of this preparation.
As a final note, throughout the junior year, as in the years preceding, pre-law students must make every attempt to maintain or improve their GPA.