With its highly educated workforce, collaborative culture and great live music scene, Austin is one of the most vibrant cities in the country. Locals are spoiled by the creative culinary innovations that emerge from the city’s restaurants, and foodies from around the world visit en masse to sample them. Nevertheless, beneath Austin’s positive atmosphere lurks a regrettable criminal underworld. The chance of an Austin citizen becoming a victim of either violent or property crime is one in 25, giving this city one of the highest crime rates in the country regardless of community size. Austin depends on its legal system to maintain order and on its lawyers to act as agents of the law.
Lawyers in Austin are well-compensated, with their base pay averaging $109,506 per year. This remuneration makes sense for the requirements of the job — it takes a ton of knowledge and personal strength to build a career as a good lawyer. These attributes are tested through years of academic pressure. Only the best and brightest can graduate law school, and only the exceptional can even get into law school. Before those gates can open to a prospective law student, they must pass through the daunting obstacle that is the LSAT.
There are numerous online and in-person LSAT prep courses that have emerged as a response to students’ need for assistance in getting ready for the big exam. If you’re looking to take the LSAT on, then you’ll surely be giving yourself an advantage by choosing a trusted prep curriculum. With so many options available, finding the right program takes considerable time and effort. Thankfully, we’ve accumulated some of the best online and in-person prep courses in Austin. After 10 years of experience in this sector, we’ve learned that every good LSAT course must contain the following:
- Real LSAT questions and tests (Prep Tests) from previous years
- Detailed video explanations of every question type and concept
- Flexible pricing to accommodate any budget
- Some sort of support system and materials to use during and after the class
Online vs In-Person LSAT Classes
The main decision you’ll have to make in selecting your LSAT prep course is whether you’ll be taking an in-person or online curriculum. This all depends on your unique learning style. Some students prefer the communal environment of a classroom, where they get to study alongside fellow prospective law students. They also feel more comfortable preparing for their LSAT under the guidance of an experienced instructor. That said, there are a few disadvantages of taking prep courses in person. First, you’ll have to ensure that you can get yourself to the classroom on a weekly basis, which might get in the way of your obligations outside of school. On top of that, in-person prep courses are expensive for the student, so you’ll need to make a significant investment in order to receive hands-on study help.
On the other hand, online courses offer students the convenience of forming their own schedule while providing them with all the resources they need to get ready for the LSAT. A good online LSAT course makes a wealth of information available to prospective law students whenever they wish to access it. Additionally, for any questions that arise along the way, there’s a streamlined Q&A system built to provide answers in a timely manner. Of course, students also appreciate the drastically reduced cost associated with online courses, which are only a fraction of the price of their in-person counterparts. All in all, if you’re an independent learner whose studying needs will be met by having access to important information and a strong support system when needed, you’re likely better off with an online LSAT prep course.
If you’d like to read some additional input on the advantages of online learning, check out this article on the case against in-class LSAT prep courses.
| Pros of an Online Course | Pros of an In-Person Course |
| Total freedom to schedule your LSAT prep at your own pace | Instructors provide hands-on guidance to help keep you on the right path |
| Test materials and other valuable resources are available at any time | Opportunity to meet and interact with fellow prospective law students |
| Much less expensive than in-person courses | Classroom environment conducive to learning |
| Personalized study plan to help you tackle problem areas | |
| Simulates real LSAT which is taken digitally on a tablet |
The Best Online LSAT Prep Courses in Austin
LSATMax LSAT Prep Course
Your secret weapon for getting accepted to the law school of your choice, the LSATMax online LSAT prep course from TestMax, is guaranteed to raise your scores. For a reasonable one-time fee, you’ll get instant access to a huge arsenal of tools to help you prepare for the exam on your own time. With countless five-star reviews across TrustPilot, Google Play, and the Apple App Store, LSATMax is clearly the best online LSAT course available.
What makes LSATMax the best online prep course for any pre-law student looking to max out their LSAT scores? First, because it’s available on both web and mobile, you will be able to access your course materials at any time. Next, unlike many online courses that use practice questions written by so-called experts, LSATMax only uses actual questions that have appeared on the LSAT. Your membership gives you access to up to 9,000 questions.
There are three LSATMax course packages available. All three contain the full LSATMax course catalog with over 100 hours of video from instructors who have all scored in the 99th percentile on the LSAT themselves. You’ll also have opportunities to get personalized help from our instructors via real-time chat, message boards and scheduled office hours Q&A sessions. All students can also access their sample questions using LSATMax’s digital LSAT simulator for an authentic experience that replicates and gets you ready for the real LSAT.
Course Packages Available:
All LSATMax packages contain the full course catalog and a subscription to LSAT Prep Plus which gets you access to every LSAT practice exam available from the LSAC. You can choose between 3 flexible packages that give you access for the length of time you need to study for the LSAT.- LSATMax 60: This package gives you 60-day access to the full LSATMax course. It is great for students who have a shorter amount of time to study before their exam or who only need to raise their score a few points.
- LSATMax 180: This 180 day access package is designed to fit the needs of most students by giving access to the course for longer than the average time spent studying for the exam.
- LSATMax 365: This package is the best value for those who have a longer time frame to study for the exam or need to raise their score as much as possible.
No matter which package you choose, TestMax offers 0% financing for up to a full year through Affirm. Remember, the earlier you begin preparing for the LSAT, the higher your scores will be.
Pros:
- Get instant access to flexible packages and pricing
- Guaranteed to boost your LSAT score or your money back
- Interactive instruction with real LSAT experts
- Digital LSAT simulator for 100% realistic test experience
Manhattan Prep
https://www.manhattanprep.com/
Like most of the online LSAT prep courses in this list, Manhattan Prep has instructors with very impressive credentials. With over 20 highly qualified instructors to help you prepare for your LSAT, Manhattan Prep is focused on in-person test prep, but their “LSAT Interact” self-guided prep course is a viable option for students looking to prepare for the test on their own time. With over 60 hours of video lessons included, you’ll also get access to lots of practice tests. There is also an option to upgrade your membership to include 1-on-1 tutoring.
Pros:
- 60+ hours of LSAT training from qualified instructors
Cons:
- Does not track your performance on practice tests
- Course enrollment lasts 6 months, but can be extended for a fee
TestMasters Online LSAT Prep Course
https://www.testmasters.net/online-lsat-course
The TestMasters Online LSAT Prep Course gives you a chance to watch live training courses for up to 100 days before your LSAT is administered. Available for a moderate price, this course is taught by Robin Singh who holds the record for the most perfect LSAT scores. TestMasters uses a large selection of real questions from previous LSAT exams in its curriculum. Rather than creating on-demand video lessons exclusively for the online course, the TestMasters Prep Course features recorded videos from previous live classes. While the information is good, this lack of interactivity makes you feel more like a fly on the wall of a prep course rather than an active participant.
Pros:
- 160+ hours of recorded classroom training
- Uses real LSAT questions
Cons:
- More expensive than most LSAT prep courses
- Taught by an instructor who was a “natural” at the LSAT, so it can be hard to relate for those of us who need extra help
The Best In-Person LSAT Prep Courses in Austin
- Kaplan, Inc.
- Address: Austin Kaplan Center, 2270 Guadalupe Street, Austin, TX 78705
- Phone: 1-800-527-8378
- Link: https://www.kaptest.com/study/locations/lsat/austin/tx/
- Kaplan offers in-person LSAT prep courses throughout the country. If you’re looking for an accessible class in Austin, their primary venue is the Austin Kaplan Center. By enrolling in their curriculum, you’ll be guided by an LSAT expert who will work with you to devise an effective study plan. Along the way, you’ll have access to their industry exclusive LSAT Channel, which provides hundreds of hours of live or on-demand instruction. Additionally, you’ll be able to gain some prior familiarity with the big exam by testing yourself with over 80 real past LSAT exams. All things considered, Kaplan’s in-person course is definitely an effective resource to help you score high on the LSAT.
- Manhattan Review
- Address: Austin Teaching Center at the Hilton, 500 E 4th Street, Austin, TX 78701
- Phone: 1-800-246-4600
- Link: https://www.manhattanreview.com/austin-lsat-prep-courses/
- Manhattan Review has built their reputation on helping prospective law students get into law school. Since law schools see the score for each individual LSAT you ever took, taking it only once and achieving a high score is definitely in your best interests. In that spirit, Manhattan Review helps you maximize your chances by pairing you with a knowledgeable instructor who will guide you through each phase of your prep work. Students who have passed through their in-person LSAT prep course have gone on to receive diplomas from some of the country’s best law schools. If you’re looking for hands-on prep help, you can attend their program at the Hilton’s Austin Teaching Center.
- Manhattan Elite Prep
- Address: Embassy Suites Austin, 300 South Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78704
- Phone: 1-888-215-6269
- Link: https://www.manhattaneliteprep.com/lsat-austin-prep-course-class/
- The staff at Manhattan Elite Prep includes past admissions committee members at Ivy League universities. For over 10 years, they’ve been helping students at all educational levels score in high percentiles on their LSATs. Their course includes 28 hours of classroom sessions along with free access to over 50 hours of online live class recordings. Additionally, students will receive unlimited, 24/7 support via email, chat and phone. They also offer an intensive program wherein the 28 hours of classroom time is packed within 7 sessions spread out over 1 week. If you’re willing to invest your time and resources to receive hands-on LSAT guidance, Manhattan Elite Prep’s course can be found at Embassy Suites Austin.
The Best Law Schools Near Austin
| LAW SCHOOL | LOCATION | WEBSITE | ADMISSIONS EMAIL |
| University of Texas at Austin School of Law | Austin, Texas | https://law.utexas.edu/ | admissions@law.utexas.edu |
| University of Houston Law Center | Houston, TX | https://www.law.uh.edu/ | lawadmissions@uh.edu |
| Southern Methodist University — Dedman School of Law | Dallas, TX | https://www.smu.edu/law | lawadmit@smu.edu |
| Texas A&M University School of Law | Fort Worth, TX | https://law.tamu.edu/ | law-admissions@law.tamu.edu |
| Texas Southern University — Thurgood Marshall School of Law | Houston, TX | http://www.tsulaw.edu/ | kemoore@tmslaw.tsu.edu |
For more information on the state’s law schools, check out our article on the top 7 law schools in Texas.
