Tutor costs

[Packers Fan]

What's a reasonable cost for a tutor? I'm looking at some of these companies and they want $200-$300 an hour for tutoring. That seems steep to me. Too high or worth it?

[Alabama Slama]

TOO HIGH!!! I would never pay $300 bucks an hour for anything, much less LSAT tutoring. If I was gonna pay that much, I might as well just buy a class and have a whole lot more hours for a fraction of the $$$.

[SteelyDan]

I'm with Slama, WAAAAAAAAAAY too high. I would pay like $100 - $150 (maybe), but not $300. That's crazy.

[Packers Fan]

Princeton Review has premier tutors for what looks like $300 an hour. They also have cheaper ones at like $150, but I'm worried I'd get someone with no experience. More $$ probably means better, right?

[Packers Fan]

Or maybe I should call them Pricetown Review

[Alabama Slama]

Princeton Review has premier tutors for what looks like $300 an hour. They also have cheaper ones at like $150, but I'm worried I'd get someone with no experience. More $$ probably means better, right?

I don't think more $$ means better. I'm actually kind of wary of companies that charge too much, it makes me think that they're trying to make stuff sound better by making it crazy expensive. I would rather go by their word of mouth reputation instead of the price.

[Trainwreck]

Take a prep course. You get a lot more for much less cost overall.

[Ocean Billy]

Princeton Review has premier tutors for what looks like $300 an hour. They also have cheaper ones at like $150, but I'm worried I'd get someone with no experience. More $$ probably means better, right?

       I can definitely understand not being able to afford it, but how does somebody settle for the cheaper, A.K.A "not as good" tutor? Even if you're already scoring really high and you don't need THAT much help, then you're probably smarter than the tutor!

[LawSchoolGuy]

Princeton Review has premier tutors for what looks like $300 an hour. They also have cheaper ones at like $150, but I'm worried I'd get someone with no experience. More $$ probably means better, right?

       I can definitely understand not being able to afford it, but how does somebody settle for the cheaper, A.K.A "not as good" tutor? Even if you're already scoring really high and you don't need THAT much help, then you're probably smarter than the tutor!

I really don't understand companies that charge you more in the guise of getting you someone "better." Why don't they just make sure that ALL their tutors and instructors are the best, and just charge a flat rate for everyone? Making someone feel like they have to "settle" for a second-rate tutor doesn't seem like great customer service to me.

[Alabama Slama]

Princeton Review has premier tutors for what looks like $300 an hour. They also have cheaper ones at like $150, but I'm worried I'd get someone with no experience. More $$ probably means better, right?

       I can definitely understand not being able to afford it, but how does somebody settle for the cheaper, A.K.A "not as good" tutor? Even if you're already scoring really high and you don't need THAT much help, then you're probably smarter than the tutor!

I really don't understand companies that charge you more in the guise of getting you someone "better." Why don't they just make sure that ALL their tutors and instructors are the best, and just charge a flat rate for everyone? Making someone feel like they have to "settle" for a second-rate tutor doesn't seem like great customer service to me.

I agree. Otherwise you're screwing over the people that can't afford to pay ridiculous prices...but who can, really? They probably don't sell very much of that really expensive tutoring.

[LSAT Eliminator]

I agree. Otherwise you're screwing over the people that can't afford to pay ridiculous prices...but who can, really? They probably don't sell very much of that really expensive tutoring.

They sell more than you think. If you look at tutoring from a cost/benefit analysis standpoint, it's actually a great deal. If I get more points from a tutor than I could from any other avenue, and then get into a better school, down the road I'll more than make up the money I spent on a tutor with my increased salary (and that benefit compounds every year). Going the test prep route is really a no-brainer when you think about the fact that where you go to school has such a major impact on your eventual salary. Sure, some people are able to do it on their own, but unless you are a natural and going to get into HYS anyway, most people should seek professional help (course, tutor, whatever).

I'm always amazed when people talk about saving a few bucks on prep when law school costs so damn much and the school you go to means so much in terms of salary.

[LawSchoolGuy]

I agree. Otherwise you're screwing over the people that can't afford to pay ridiculous prices...but who can, really? They probably don't sell very much of that really expensive tutoring.

They sell more than you think. If you look at tutoring from a cost/benefit analysis standpoint, it's actually a great deal. If I get more points from a tutor than I could from any other avenue, and then get into a better school, down the road I'll more than make up the money I spent on a tutor with my increased salary (and that benefit compounds every year). Going the test prep route is really a no-brainer when you think about the fact that where you go to school has such a major impact on your eventual salary. Sure, some people are able to do it on their own, but unless you are a natural and going to get into HYS anyway, most people should seek professional help (course, tutor, whatever).

I'm always amazed when people talk about saving a few bucks on prep when law school costs so damn much and the school you go to means so much in terms of salary.

Yeah, but $300/hour? I gotta side with Slama on this...no matter how good you are, nobody's worth $300/hour.

[Jeffort]

I agree. Otherwise you're screwing over the people that can't afford to pay ridiculous prices...but who can, really? They probably don't sell very much of that really expensive tutoring.

They sell more than you think. If you look at tutoring from a cost/benefit analysis standpoint, it's actually a great deal. If I get more points from a tutor than I could from any other avenue, and then get into a better school, down the road I'll more than make up the money I spent on a tutor with my increased salary (and that benefit compounds every year). Going the test prep route is really a no-brainer when you think about the fact that where you go to school has such a major impact on your eventual salary. Sure, some people are able to do it on their own, but unless you are a natural and going to get into HYS anyway, most people should seek professional help (course, tutor, whatever).

I'm always amazed when people talk about saving a few bucks on prep when law school costs so damn much and the school you go to means so much in terms of salary.

Yeah, but $300/hour? I gotta side with Slama on this...no matter how good you are, nobody's worth $300/hour.

I very much agree with LSAT Eliminator's comments bolded above.  Even though there is that cautionary LSAC stuff about score bands (your 'true' LSAT score is ~ +/- 3 points of your achieved/reported LSAT score)  LS's are supposed to use when interpreting LSAT scores and evaluating applicants, every single point matters a LOT for admissions.  

3 points higher can and does make a gigantic difference with admission prospects to higher ranked Law Schools, especially for people scoring anywhere from the mid 150's on up.  Scoring below ~155 and needing to get there or higher is a matter of "Can I score high enough to get into a decent ABA approved Law School?", whereas already scoring at or above that range entails "How much higher can I boost my score so I can get into a BETTER and higher ranked Law school that significantly increases my statistical career and income prospects as a J.D.?"

The comparative difference between future job & salary prospects based on ones LSAT score as it in turn influences the quality and rank of the LS one can/does gain admission to and attends becomes very pronounced as you climb up the ladder from 160 to 180.  In that range increasing your final score by just 2 points can make a big difference in the rankings of the LS's you are a competitive applicant to.  Basically LS's don't buy much into and give admission decision flexibility to the +/- 3 points score band stuff when it comes to looking past a lower than they like LSAT score.  They are concerned about evaluating applicants according to their actual achieved numbers as well as holding and increasing their schools resulting actual Law School statistics numbers and rank.  

Pick any two LSAT scores above 155 that are 3 points apart and compare their corresponding percentile rankings.  Then take those two scores and apply them to the median and 25%-75% range of admitted students for LS's by USNWR LS rank.  Then compare each of those LS's by employment rate and starting salary stats, etc.  The LSAT percentile ranking chart for achieved scores is key to look at and think about very seriously.  
                 * I'll try to add some fancy charts and graphs to this later for illustration.

Seriously, a 163 vs. a 160 for instance can make a many many thousands of $$$$ a year difference in future salary potential.  Being petty about spending what amounts to be a small sum of $$$ in the scheme of things to get quality LSAT prep and an advantage in the LS/lawyer career path competition is generally shortsighted unless you are one of the rare few 'naturals' that can get themselves to consistently score in the 90%+ range without assistance.

However, caveat emptor still applies.  If you are going to spend hard earned $$$ on tutoring and/or a class you need to make sure, before you hand over the Benjamins, that you are paying for quality prep.  Make sure to check out the credentials of the sources you are contemplating before making a decision.  

Princeton Review has premier tutors for what looks like $300 an hour. They also have cheaper ones at like $150, but I'm worried I'd get someone with no experience. More $$ probably means better, right?

        I can definitely understand not being able to afford it, but how does somebody settle for the cheaper, A.K.A "not as good" tutor? Even if you're already scoring really high and you don't need THAT much help, then you're probably smarter than the tutor!

I really don't understand companies that charge you more in the guise of getting you someone "better." Why don't they just make sure that ALL their tutors and instructors are the best, and just charge a flat rate for everyone? Making someone feel like they have to "settle" for a second-rate tutor doesn't seem like great customer service to me.

RE: the PR premier tutors @ $300 an hour vs. their non-premier lower priced ones, I've heard from reliable sources that their premier tutors also pick up hours and tutor people that select the non-premier option and pay less per hour.  I guess how that works depends on the locality and number of instructors/tutors PR has available at the time in conjunction with the pecking order politics that guide the assignments of available tutors to paying students.  

Bottom line is that a good tutor/instructor/class can make a world of difference in how well you are prepared and are able to score on test day.  Of course the knowledge, experience and expertise of the tutor/instructor being a big part of the key along with the curriculum/methodology he/she teaches.  

A skilled tutor can and is supposed to diagnose the student and give personally tailored guidance to fine tune things so that the student can squeeze out as many more points as possible.  

[EarlCat]

I really don't understand companies that charge you more in the guise of getting you someone "better." Why don't they just make sure that ALL their tutors and instructors are the best, and just charge a flat rate for everyone? Making someone feel like they have to "settle" for a second-rate tutor doesn't seem like great customer service to me.

Start a nationwide prep company and stock it with nothing but the best tutors, get them all to settle for one low rate, and then call me and let me know how the heck you did it. 

The problem is that there just aren't enough really really good tutors out there.  People with the potential to be among the best LSAT tutors tend to prefer doing things that pay better like practicing law.  It's a very high-turnover industry.

[LSAT Eliminator]

Agree 100%--Thanks to Earlcat for pointing out the crux of the issue: people who are good at stuff want to get paid well, and if everyone wants to pay their LSAT tutor a low rate, well then, those tutors will move on to higher paying jobs.

Considering what I've seen some other professions get paid--like graphic designers and code jockeys--LSAT tutors should get paid a heck of a lot more. But the market won't quite bear that. So it's off to law school for most people.