Charleston is the largest city in the state of South Carolina, with a long and storied past. You cannot tell the story of the United States without telling the story of Charleston. It was originally named Charles Town in honor of King Charles II of England, but even though it was one of the largest cities in the nation, it didn't incorporate until 1783, at the end of the Revolutionary War, when it changed its name from Charles Town to Charleston. Nowadays it is known for its historic beauty and cobblestone streets. In 2016, Travel+Leisure Magazine named it the "Best City in the World." While tourism is the main economic driver of Charleston, it is still a great place to start a career. Those looking to pursue a career in law might find it especially lucrative. The average salary for a lawyer in Charleston is roughly $82,000 per year.
Those looking to study law near Charleston will have a decent option in the Charleston School of Law. This is a school that is not highly ranked, nor is it too competitive to get in. This could be an ideal school for someone who didn't perform their best during their undergraduate studies but still have hopes of getting into law school.
While you won't need the best academic resume to get into the Charleston School of law, you will want to make sure to do your best on the law school admission test, known as the LSAT. The LSAT is famous for its difficulty, with some past students even declaring that it is impossible. It is also known for the amount of stress that it can place on students leading up to the test date. While there is no way to completely mitigate the stress and difficulty of the LSAT, with focused studying you can go into your test date with a strategy and with confidence. To accomplish this, you are going to want to take an LSAT prep course.
Now that you know you need an LSAT prep course, how do you find the right one for you? The first results you get from a search engine might be overwhelming. There are so many options to choose from when it comes to LSAT prep. There are different strategies for teaching content, and different prep courses will help you develop different test-taking strategies as well. When you consider the importance of the LSAT for your continuing education and for your career in the future, it is easy to see that finding a course that suits your needs is of the utmost importance. But if even starting the search for an LSAT prep course is difficult, how are you going to make a final decision?
In this article, we will go over some of the things to look for in an LSAT prep course that could help signal what is good for you and what isn't. Using the information presented, you should be able to more easily and confidently make a decision about which LSAT prep course is most suitable for your needs. While there is a lot to dive into, there are also some things that we think are necessary for LSAT prep that should be considered right away. Those things are:
- Actual LSAT questions from years previous.
- Detailed video/in-person explanations of the types of questions you'll receive.
- A sliding scale for pricing.
- A support system to help you with your prep even when you are not in class.
Online vs In-Person LSAT Prep Courses
One of the first things you should consider when you are making a decision regarding your LSAT prep course should be the location. This is also one of the more important factors to consider. You will be spending a lot of time getting ready for the LSAT, so you want to make sure that the venue you are doing it in allows you to focus and offers a decent level of physical comfort. When it comes to location, you'll have two options: in-person or online. Both of these courses have the same goal, but they get there in very different ways. Is there a good reason to choose one over the other? We'll let you decide.
If you prefer a classroom setting, then you will probably be more drawn to in-person LSAT prep courses. With in-person LSAT prep, you'll be placed in a classroom with a group of peers. This is beneficial because you have a built-in support system. You can bounce ideas off of your fellow students, plus, it should be a hyper-focused setting as you are all aiming for the same goal. Class sizes are kept small to make sure that students have plenty of access to the instructor. These instructors could be hired for a number of reasons, but each one of them has some level of expertise on the LSAT. Those curious about hiring guidelines can typically find the information on the course website.
Most courses offer additional learning to be completed outside of the classroom in the form of video lessons. Some courses will only offer these during the duration of the course. Course length is typically 6-8 weeks and meets once or twice a day during that time. Because of the scheduling, in-person LSAT prep courses are rather inflexible. This isn't the only downside to in-person LSAT prep; these courses are also very expensive.
If you prefer flexibility with both scheduling and location, then you will probably prefer online LSAT prep courses. These courses are taught via pre-recorded video lessons, which allows you to do them wherever you want and whenever you want. This flexibility could be especially welcomed by students who are in the midst of a career change and have to find time to study while still holding down a full-time job. While you won't have the perks of a built-in support system like a group of peers, you'll still have plenty of resources and support. You'll find assistance through email, with some courses even offering 24-hour support for students who study during odd hours of the day. This flexibility is also great for students who prefer to learn at their one pace.
With online LSAT prep, you never have to worry about falling behind the rest of the class or getting too far ahead. These courses are also more affordable than in-person LSAT prep. In fact, online courses only cost a fraction of what in-person courses cost. When you consider accessibility, affordability, and flexibility, it makes sense that online courses have grown to be hugely popular.
One of the most important aspects of LSAT prep is the practice exams. Whether you take in-person or online, you need to make sure that the course you take offers these. Practice exams are the best way to see how you stack up against the LSAT going into your test date. You'll be able to pinpoint your weaknesses and work on your strategy. Because practice exams are often actual LSATs from previous years, you'll also get a great idea about what you are heading into when your exam date comes. These will be administered differently depending on the course. Some courses only offer a few, while others offer more than you could possibly take during the span of an LSAT prep course.
Pros of an In-Person Course:
- In-person resources such as teachers, books, and peers.
- A structured system that goes at a specific pace, allowing you to focus on one thing at a time.
- Take practice tests in a realistic environment.
Pros of an Online Course:
- Make your own schedule.
- An expansive list of readily available resources.
- Less expensive than In-Person.
- Personalized problem-solving.
- Take as many practice tests as you want.
Best Online LSAT Prep Courses in Charleston
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
Velocity LSAT Prep
Founded by two friends who met in college, Velocity LSAT Prep promises to help students “kick the LSAT in the face.” Behind the irreverent style is plenty of substance with in-depth explanations of over 9,000 authentic LSAT questions from previous tests. There is also a series of videos available that explain a wide variety of theoretical concepts that will appear on the test. Each membership lasts eight months. There’s a lot of quality material in Velocity’s LSAT online prep course, but the pricing is somewhat confusing. This is in part because the practice questions must be purchased separately, so costs can get out of hand pretty quickly.
Pros:
- Explanations for thousands of authentic LSAT questions
Cons:
- Only accessible for 8 months
- You must purchase the practice questions separately
The Princeton Review LSAT Prep 165+
https://www.princetonreview.com/grad/lsat-honors-course
The only online LSAT Prep course that claims to guarantee a specific score, the Princeton Review has a course called 165+ that promises a score of 165 or higher on your next LSAT test attempt after completing the course. This may seem hard to believe at first, and upon looking into it further, you will find that it only applies to students who have scored higher than 158 on a previous official LSAT test or on the first required practice test. While this can still be useful to improve your scores the second time around, it’s nowhere near as impressive as it sounds.
Pros:
- Over 80 hours of video instruction by LSAT experts
- Online drills with explanations
Cons:
- Misleading score guarantee
- Very expensive
Best In-Person LSAT Prep Courses in Charleston
College of Charleston LSAT Prep
Address-College of Charleston, 3800 Paramount Drive, North Charleston, SC 29405
Phone Number-(843) 953-6684
Link-http://sps.cofc.edu/ccpe/exam-prep/lsat-prep/
Why they are a good choice
This is an intensive LSAT prep course that will teach students not only the content of the LSAT but test-taking strategies, including time management. Practice exams are given out once a week with individual lessons prepared for each student after the practice exam. You will get a total of 34 hours of instruction split between classroom time and practice test hours. This course is located at the main campus of the College of Charleston, blocks away from Marion Square.
*This course is currently on hold due to the Covid-19 global pandemic.
University of South Carolina LSAT Prep
Address-University of South Carolina Law School, 1525 Senate Street, Columbia, SC 29201
Phone Number-803-777-4243
Link-https://www.sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/continuing_education/test_preparation/lsat_prep/lsat_classroom_course/index.php
Why they are a good choice
The aim of this course is to simplify the LSAT as much as possible. You'll go through each section of the LSAT, strategizing along the way. Materials for the course are included in the price of the course. This course is taught by expert instructors who have at least 7 years of experience teaching the LSAT. You will have the option to take a practice exam before the course or after the course. This LSAT prep course is located at the University of South Carolina right by the State House, about 2 hours northwest of Charleston.
The Best Law Schools Near Charleston
Interested in going to the best law school near Charleston? Check out the best law schools in South Carolina.
