10 Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests (Lsat Series)

First, if you are planning on taking the LSAT, you need to have this book. You need to have any LSAT test ever published, and when you are ready to take complete tests, after you take them, you need to go over every question carefully to understand why the correct answer is correct, and why the incorrect answer is incorrect. From this you can find patterns of how you take the test and how you can improve your methods. You should do this regardless of how you are preparing for the test, though most courses *should* help you do this.

Be warned, however, that the tests in this book are from an older format. Tests 39-52 (52 is given in Feb 07) were changed so that the Analytical Reasoning (AR) games were easier, and the Reading Comprehension (RC) and Logical Reasoning sections became more difficult. My score on these older tests ranged from 6-10 points higher than my score on the newer tests because I am good at the AR section. So don't expect the score on these exams to accurately reflect your score on a recent test. Don't let that stop you from taking these tests. You need all the practice you can get, and if you're not as good at the AR games, practicing on the tougher old ones will definitely help you for the exam.

Starting with test 53 (June 07) they will be changing the fomrat of the RC section so that one of the four readings is a compare and contrast excercise between two shorter readings. How this will affect the score curve and the difficulty of the other sections is unclear. See the LSAC website for more details.

Good luck!

While this book might be useful if you're studying to take the 1996 LSAT or if you want to trace the modern evolution of the LSAT, it's of limited use to anyone studying to take the LSAT today. In looking at almost the LSATs between 1995 and today (2005), one will see that the test evolves slowly and steadily, probably to add a touch of uncertainty for test-takers and to stay one step ahead of the test prep companies. The LSATs over the past decade superficially bear a close resemblance to one another, but closer inspection reveals that the net result is a tremendous change in the types and the frequencies of logic game formats, logical reasoning questions, and reading comprehension questions. Rather than buying this book and risking becoming a dinosaur, you're much better of buying the most recent editions of the "Official LSAT Preptest" books, new versions of which are constantly being released.

There is some question of the utility of this book. All of these tests were created in whole or in part before the current LSAT test producer (ACT) took over from LSAS. PrepTests before 11 (including 18 & 16) were made entirely by LSAS. Tests 12-15 were partly written by ACT but they had to use some of LSAS's questions. After December 1995 all the tests were made wholy by ACT (Preptest 17, the "Official LSAT PrepTest with Explanations", the SuperPrep tests, and PrepTests 19+).

I took every PrepTest available and I can say that the October 2005 and more recent tests are different than tests in this book. That doesn't mean the book lacks utility. It's a great study tool but you'll see some question types that are no longer used or are used rarely (for instance, there haven't been logical reasoning questions that have two questions for a single prompt for awhile). The games in this book will also be more difficult than what you'll probably experience on the LSAT. If you only had 10 LSAT PrepTests to take I would recommend the most recent tests you can get. If you're going to take more tests then, by all means, get this book. Just realize it's a little different and don't freak out if your scores change when you begin to take more recent tests.

This book contains:
PrepTest 18; December 1992
PrepTest 7; February 1993
PrepTest 9; October 1993
PrepTest 10; February 1994
PrepTest 11; June 1994
PrepTest 12; October 1994
PrepTest 13; December 1994
PrepTest 14; February 1995
PrepTest 15; June 1995
PrepTest 16; September 1995

What can I say-- this is, in fact, a collection of 10 actual LSATs. Great practice for the months prior to taking the test. I particularly like the actual LSAT answer sheets in the back of the book, perforated for easy tear out, one for each test. Not that you necessarily need practice filling in the bubbles, but it's more accurate an experience than doing a computer program and double-clicking all your answers.

I am pleased with the quality of paper and organization of the book. Answer keys and score sheets are provided based on that each test's bell-curve score results.

I think this book really helps you prepare for the LSAT. However, I do wish this book came with explanations to the answers.