LSAT prep — the plans
Phase-based, not hour-count-based. Pick 8 weeks (studying seriously, ~10 hours a week) or 12 weeks (studying alongside work or school, ~5 hours a week) — each with weekly checkpoints so you know when to push and when to rest. Both plans run the same spine: untimed accuracy first, speed later, full practice tests, then taper.
The 8-week plan · serious study
Assumes roughly 10 hours a week — for example, 90 focused minutes five days a week plus one longer weekend session. Every practice question below is untimed until the plan says otherwise. Review method throughout: keep an error log (question type, what you thought the conclusion was, what it actually was, what you'll notice next time), and re-attempt every miss cold — a question counts as learned only when you get it right on a fresh try.
| Weeks | Phase | Logical Reasoning | Reading Comprehension | Checkpoint |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Foundations: argument anatomy | Premise, conclusion, assumption; conditional reasoning basics; conclusion-first reading habit | — | You can label conclusion + assumption in any argument, untimed, without peeking at choices |
| 3–4 | LR core: the assumption family | Strengthen, weaken, necessary & sufficient assumption, flaw — 20–30 untimed questions a day; error log starts | — | Miss rate on strengthen/weaken is falling; flaw names feel familiar |
| 5 | LR breadth: every other type | Inference, main point, method, parallel, paradox, principle — shorter untimed sets, one type at a time | Structure & viewpoints: map 2 passages untimed, label whose view is whose | One untimed mixed LR set at your best accuracy yet |
| 6 | RC intensive | Mixed LR maintenance sets (10 untimed a day) | Main point, inference, comparative reading; one full RC section untimed in a single sitting | Full RC section untimed — you finish it and know your map held |
| 7 | Timed practice | First timed 35-minute LR section; pacing strategy (skip-and-return, end-of-section bubble fill — no penalty for guessing) | One timed 35-minute RC section; compare accuracy against untimed work | Full official practice test (LSAC, lsac.org) under real conditions mid-week |
| 8 | Review & taper | Error-log only; second pass on every miss cold | Light mixed reps | Second full official practice test early in the week; test-day prep; day before the test off |
Our read: the 8-week plan's danger zone is week 3 — the assumption family is where students first hit "I understand it when I read the explanation but can't do it cold." That's normal. The fix isn't more reading; it's the re-attempt protocol. If a miss still misses on re-attempt after three days, you're not reviewing it often enough, not that you can't learn it.
The 12-week plan · alongside work or school
Same spine, stretched — roughly 5–6 hours a week: 45–60 focused minutes on weekdays, one longer session on the weekend. The extra weeks go into foundations and question-type practice, not more material. The review method is identical: error log from week 4 onward, every miss re-attempted cold.
| Weeks | Phase | Logical Reasoning | Reading Comprehension | Checkpoint |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | Foundations: argument anatomy | Premise, conclusion, assumption; conditional basics; conclusion-first habit — 10 untimed questions a day | — | Conclusion + assumption labeling is automatic |
| 4–6 | LR core: the assumption family | Strengthen, weaken, necessary & sufficient assumption, flaw — one family per week, untimed; error log starts | — | You can name the move each stem is asking for before reading choices |
| 7–8 | LR breadth + RC start | Inference, method, parallel, paradox, principle | Structure & viewpoint mapping, main point; 1–2 passages untimed per session | Mixed untimed LR set at best accuracy yet; first full passage map holds |
| 9–10 | Timed practice | 35-minute timed LR sections begin; pacing strategy; end-of-section bubble rule | Timed 35-minute RC section | Full official practice test (LSAC, lsac.org) at the end of week 10 |
| 11 | Review: deep repair | Second pass on the full error log cold; re-do every still-missing question; one more full official practice test mid-week | No new material introduced this week | |
| 12 | Taper | Light reps on your strongest types only | Skim your best passage maps | One light timed section mid-week, then stop; test-day logistics |
Our read: the 12-week plan fails when weeks 1–3 become passive — re-reading the primer after work feels productive and isn't. The rule stands at any pace: every session ends with retrieval (close the page, label the argument). If you're too tired to retrieve, you're too tired to study — rest instead.
Full practice tests should always be LSAC's official practice tests (find them at lsac.org) — never reproduced material. Our original questions are for skill-building between tests, not for simulating them. Pair these plans with the how-to-study guide for the habits behind the schedule.
LSAT is a registered trademark of the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). These study plans are unofficial and are not affiliated with or endorsed by LSAC. Test fees, dates, and policies change — always confirm current details on lsac.org before registering.