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Reviewed: 5/7/24
While it’s generally advised that students spend as much time as possible studying for the LSAT, this isn’t always feasible. This guide will cover how to create the perfect LSAT study schedule for you!
Whether you're a last-minute applicant with just one month to prepare or someone who believes in the slow and steady approach with six months ahead, creating an effective LSAT study schedule is crucial for staying organized and on track.
Many students are overwhelmed when trying to coordinate prep books, tutoring sessions, LSAT courses, and practice exams into a coherent plan. This comprehensive guide will help you create the perfect LSAT study schedule tailored to your timeline and needs.
Before you set your dates and milestones, you must consider some factors. This section will go over them.
Depending on when you’re planning on writing the LSAT, you may have other obligations limiting the amount of time you can dedicate to studying.
For instance, many students choose to study in the summer of their sophomore or junior year while also working or volunteering part- or full-time to begin building their law school resumes!
While you should prioritize your studies, you also should ensure you aren’t neglecting other commitments.
Accordingly, you’ll need to make a realistic study schedule that factors in all of your commitments. Don’t overschedule yourself, as it will lead to burnout.
An effective way to study for the LSAT is to treat it like a part-time or full-time job. Decide how many hours per week you want to study and schedule yourself accordingly! Ten hours a week might be perfect if you’re studying for the LSAT while in school.
If you’re only studying and don’t have any other commitments, 25 to 35 hours a week may be feasible.
To assess how long you’ll need to study for the LSAT, you should first take a diagnostic test to determine your baseline abilities. Once you’ve taken this test and received your score, compare it to the median scores of your top law school choices.
Choose how long you want to study based on this difference. If you only have to improve by five to six points, you may be able to do so in one or two months if you study full-time. If you need to improve by ten or more points, you likely need between three to six months to reach this score.
Before building a schedule, you need to set a date to write your LSAT to know what you’re working towards and to make your plan more concrete! If you have a date set, you will be under more pressure to stick to your schedule and reach the finish line.
If possible, you should allocate enough time to study for and take two LSAT tests in case your first one doesn’t go as well as planned! Many students have to retake the LSAT, so err on the side of caution by giving yourself ample opportunity to reach your target score.
There are various ways to study for the LSAT. Some students rely solely on prep books and practice exams, some use LSAT courses, hire tutors, and some do it all on their own! Depending on how many avenues you want to explore, how much time you dedicate to your LSAT prep may differ.
Test your skills with our LSAT sample question pop quiz, designed to sharpen your reasoning abilities and prep you for the challenges of the exam ahead.
Now that we’ve covered what you need to start building your LSAT study schedule, we’ll discuss how you can plan your LSAT prep. We will provide some tips and guidelines for structuring a one-month, three-month, or six-month study schedule.
Let’s get started!
Studying for the LSAT for only one month isn’t recommended. Even if you scored relatively high on your diagnostic LSAT test, you’ll likely score lower on the actual test. However, even if you only have a month, it’s still possible to study for the LSAT and do well.
If this is the case, you’ll likely have to dedicate 30 or more hours to your studies weekly. You’ll have a lot of material to cover in a short amount of time. You should also only choose one or two short prep books and spend the rest of your time honing your skills, practicing real LSAT questions, and rectifying any weaknesses.
Here’s a sample LSAT study schedule you could follow for your month of studying:
Try to dedicate five or six days per week to your LSAT studies. Take at least one day to rest and reset your brain to continue studying without burning out.
Depending on your weaknesses, you may change the sections you focus on in weeks 2 and 3. Most students struggle the most with the analytical reasoning section, which is why we suggest you dedicate a full week to mastering it.
This section also tends to have the most improvement compared to the others, so it’s worth spending more time on to maximize your chances of scoring high.
Three months is typically sufficient to dedicate to studying for the LSAT!
You should be able to cover all the necessary material at a moderate pace and have enough time to figure out the strategies that work for you and how to save time answering questions.
Most students that study for three months dedicate four to six days a week to their prep and around 15-25 hours per week.
Here’s an example of what a 3-month LSAT study schedule might look like:
With three months to study, you may also consider enlisting the help of experts in your last month to get to your target score. Juris’ 99th percentile tutors can provide excellent insight on achieving the highest score possible.
Finally, those with enough time to dedicate six months to LSAT prep can spend much longer perfecting their strategy and exploring various prep options.
Students studying for six months generally have other time commitments that restrict them from spending excessive hours studying. Accordingly, they typically dedicate 10-15 hours per week, three to five days, to their studies.
The following LSAT schedule is how we suggest you break up your six-month study period:
With more time to dedicate to studying, you have more LSAT test prep options you can pursue. You may want to read more prep books, get help from a tutor, or enroll in a self-paced LSAT course.
You can easily include additional prep materials in your schedule! For instance, you may participate in one-hour tutoring sessions or dedicate two to three hours a week to reading another prep book.
Ultimately, when creating your LSAT study schedule, you must include time to not only learn theory but also put this theory to practice using real past LSAT exams under timed conditions. This is the best way to assess your skills and better predict the score you’ll receive on test day.
Read on for any remaining questions about creating the most effective LSAT study schedule.
Yes, two months can be enough time to study for the LSAT if you can dedicate at least 12-25 hours each week. However, the optimal LSAT preparation period spans three to six months.
Yes, four months is generally considered an excellent timeframe for LSAT preparation. We recommend studying for a total of 250-350 hours, which can be comfortably distributed over four months.
The ideal number of hours to study for the LSAT per week varies depending on your timeline and other commitments, but the sweet spot is between 12-25 hours per week.
You should use one or two high-quality LSAT prep books. At minimum, you should have one comprehensive resource for each section and a collection of official LSAT practice tests.
To determine how long to study for the LSAT, consider the gap between your starting score and target score, your available study time, your learning style, application deadlines, and personal factors like test anxiety and burnout risk. Most successful test-takers complete 250-350 total study hours.
Writing the LSAT on test day is the most daunting part of the LSAT journey, so you should make your prep as hassle-free as possible! By creating and following schedules like the ones we’ve shared here, you’re sure to have a more stress-free LSAT experience and be better prepared for test day!
Reviewed by:
Former Head of Northeastern University's Pre-Law Office, Northeastern University
We're so confident in our 173+ scoring tutors that we'll guarantee you get a 165+ on the LSAT, or you'll get more tutoring for free. Win-win.
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