Prep before class?

[UnfGirl]

Does anyone have experience with Kaplan? I don't start my class until August, but would like to kick start my prep this July (using the materials I have from them). Any ideas how I could go about it/ what should I use?

Thanks!

[LSAT Eliminator]

LSAT Enthusiast works for Kaplan, and hopefully he will stop by soon and directly address the portion of your question about prep materials.

One thing you could do is call your local Kaplan center and talk to someone there (or call the 800 number). If you have the materials, they should be able to tell you what you can/should work on while you wait for your class to start.

Sorry I can't be of more help 

[NYCLSATTutor]

Does anyone have experience with Kaplan? I don't start my class until August, but would like to kick start my prep this July (using the materials I have from them). Any ideas how I could go about it/ what should I use?

Thanks!

My advice would be...to return the books and take another course ;p. 

Kaplan will probably tell you to not study at all before you go in.  But part of the reason for that will be their guarantee is based on you improving from your diagnostic with them until the actual test...

[LSAT Eliminator]

My advice would be...to return the books and take another course ;p. 

LOL!

[Trainwreck]

Ia there even a consensus on whether you should prep before classes? I'd heard that you shouldn't otherwise you might fall into bad habits.

[NYCLSATTutor]

Ia there even a consensus on whether you should prep before classes? I'd heard that you shouldn't otherwise you might fall into bad habits.

It depends what the class is and what materials you are using. 

[Trainwreck]

How so? You mean if I take PR they might have a different policy than if I take TM? I'd be interested in knowing the policy of each company, if it's out there.

Thanks!

[Knight]

Ia there even a consensus on whether you should prep before classes? I'd heard that you shouldn't otherwise you might fall into bad habits.

I was told to take a real practice test under timed conditions...but that's it...just one test.

[NYCLSATTutor]

How so? You mean if I take PR they might have a different policy than if I take TM? I'd be interested in knowing the policy of each company, if it's out there.

Thanks!

Eh their policies are pretty much the same.  They all say don't do it, but its mostly for self-serving purposes...i.e. not for your benefit.

I'd base it on how good the classes are.  If the classes are sorta crap, then supplemental material is probably a good idea.  If the classes are good, then supplementary material is more likely to confuse you then to help you.

That being said, you can take different methods from different people and use them whenever.  There is no best way of doing anything...the one thing where you should stick to one particular method is the games, since you need a way of diagramming.  For the LR/RC, you can mix and match at will as long as you understand the questions. 

[UnfGirl]

Does anyone have experience with Kaplan? I don't start my class until August, but would like to kick start my prep this July (using the materials I have from them). Any ideas how I could go about it/ what should I use?

Thanks!

My advice would be...to return the books and take another course ;p. 

Kaplan will probably tell you to not study at all before you go in.  But part of the reason for that will be their guarantee is based on you improving from your diagnostic with them until the actual test...

I have countless friends and relatives who went up 10-15 points from Kaplan. I like that I can take a class that is customized for me, and my schedule as well. No other companies seemed to offer that option. In short, I'm sticking with a company that I know I will go up points with.

[LSAT Eliminator]

I like that I can take a class that is customized for me, and my schedule as well. No other companies seemed to offer that option.

If you don't mind me asking, which Kaplan class are you referring to specifically when you say "customized for me" (online, classroom, etc)? I ask just for my own knowledge, and am not interested in bashing them.

Thanks!

[Jeffort]

I like that I can take a class that is customized for me, and my schedule as well. No other companies seemed to offer that option.

If you don't mind me asking, which Kaplan class are you referring to specifically when you say "customized for me" (online, classroom, etc)? I ask just for my own knowledge, and am not interested in bashing them.

Thanks!

I think the 'customized for me' claim in the Kaplan promo materials refers mainly to the 'smart reports' they supply students about each proctored practice test they take that gives a statistical breakdown of their performance.  Meaning a report that tells you things like the % of each section and question types you answered correctly/incorrectly to help you identify weak areas you need to focus on more while studying.  Something like 'Logic Games 22% correct / 78% incorrect, you suck at LG's, work harder on those'

Diagnostic test score reports like that are helpful in order to help track your progress and focus your prep efforts, which is a good thing, but pretty much all decent LSAT prep class companies provide the same type of thing to their students, meaning Kaplan is not unique amongst LSAT prep companies by providing them.  

It certainly is a stretch to claim the class and it's schedule is 'customized' for each student based on being provided those reports though.  The reports tell you what to focus on/emphasize while studying OUTSIDE of classroom time, meaning what to do when you are doing homework by yourself.  The curriculum and lesson plans for each live class meeting ARE NOT changed on the fly to adapt to the ongoing performance/needs of each student in each class, even though that seems to be the message the advertisement is meant to convey to prospective customers.  {ok fellow LSAT veterans/dorks, who isn't thinking about the SKX Mach-5 LR question yet?   }

Before making this post I poked around the Kaplan web pages for a while and read the verbiage to figure out what this 'customized for me' class thing meant.  Sure enough it turned out to be typical misleading advertising supported by lots of vague claims and catch phrases spread out all over their various web pages.

I give Kaplan a 180 for smooth, catching and at first believable advertisement claims.  Fortunately or unfortunately for them, if they teach someone the good LR skills that are required to excel on the LSAT you can then use those skills to breakdown and point out all the flawed methods of reasoning and flawed methods of persuasion their promotional/advertisement materials that get enrollments are based on!

 

[LSAT Eliminator]

I wondered if that might be the case. I give them credit for being very smooth with the marketing. To be fair to all the companies out there, everyone these days gives customized score reports that show where a student did well and where they struggled.

UNFGirl seems pretty set on her choice, so best of luck to her with the class. One thing I would recommend to her is to call the Kaplan center and find out who is teaching her class. Get someone who has at least a few years of teaching experience and a high LSAT score on a real test (and not a Kaplan in-center test). You'll maximize your chances of getting the most out of any class if you have a teacher with experience and high-scoring ability.

[LSATEnthusiast]

Unfgirl -- perhaps to the surprise of some people here, I actually think it would be very wise of you to start studying before the class begins. However, you'll want to use the material wisely and not just work on questions without any guidance whatsoever. When you get a chance, send me a PM and I'll let you know what you can look at to get a head start on studying.

As for the complaints about our "customized" classes, I don't see anything that seems glaringly misleading. When I was poking through our site, the only time I saw the phrase "customized for you" was in reference to our tutoring packages -- which are absolutely customized to the student's needs.

We do talk about how our courses are the most personalized. This comes from two angles. One is the Smart Reports that Jeffort mentioned. However, the Smart Report tool doesn't just analyze performance. It also provides specific recommendations to students (i.e., directs students to specific workshops or assignments) based on what they've done and what they're goals are.

The other is that we offer a wide range of courses: the standard classroom, the Advanced class, the Extreme class, and others -- each one designed to appeal to and offer a different experience to students based on their needs.

Clearly there's a marketing edge to some of this -- we are a company looking to enroll students, after all. However, there's truth in every claim made and if there are any questions about those claims, any Kaplan person -- teacher and/or represenative -- will happily discuss and clarify.

OP -- once again, feel free to PM me with specific questions. I'm happy to help out in any way possible.

- Chris

[UnfGirl]

Thanks Chris, that is exactly what I was referring to, the wide array of class type options available. Yes, the smart reports are an added benefit, but as I was browsing the most popular of companies to take a class with, Kaplan was the one with the most options. Also, they are in more locations than the others, which is what I needed as well.