Just by the name of the city alone, you can guess the main attraction in the lovely city of Oceanside, California. Located between Los Angeles and San Diego, Oceanside is the third-largest city in San Diego county. Here, you’ll find miles of beach, with an iconic wooden pier stretching out into the ocean.
While it is not the sprawling metropolis of its nearby neighbors, there is plenty to do in this Southern California gem. Those who love nature are in for a treat as there is plenty of outdoor recreation to be had, whether it walks on the beach or beautiful parks like the Guajome Regional Park. Lovers of art will appreciate the Oceanside Museum of Art, and you can find other neat attractions at the California Surf Museum and the Buena Vista Audubon Nature Center. If you are out too long to catch the weekly Daytime Farmers Market, no worries, the Sunset Market has you covered.
Visiting Oceanside is nice, but living and studying here could be even better. To live in this high cost-of-living city after school, you’ll need a well-paying job, so it’s the perfect place to look into a career in law. Lawyers in Oceanside make roughly $100,000 per year.
Southern California is one of the best areas in the world for law school, and students hoping to be accepted into a law school will find a long list of places to apply to within a two-hour radius. Those wanting to stay closer to Oceanside will be looking at schools like the University of San Diego School of Law or California Western School of Law. While these schools are not as highly revered as some of the schools you would find closer to Los Angeles, they are ABA-accredited. The University of San Diego School of Law is more competitive, with an acceptance rate that hovers around 35%. That is compared to the acceptance rate of California Western, which fluctuates around 60%.
None of these schools are a sure thing when it comes to gaining acceptance. To be allowed in any of these schools, students will need to have a resume that shows a history of strong academic performance. On top of that, they will need to perform well on the law school admission test, known as the LSAT. The LSAT is known for how hard it is, as evidenced by the number of students it has stressed out over the years. To best mitigate the difficulty and the stress, a good amount of preparation is in order.
Finding an LSAT prep course that is right for you can be a daunting task in its own right. There are so many available, and so many different types. Considering that the LSAT is the most important test you’ve taken to this point, it follows that this will be the most important prep course you will have chosen.
There is so much to factor in when determining the right LSAT prep course for you that knowing where to start can be a chore itself. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the things you should be looking for when making a decision about which LSAT prep course to choose. Using the information provided, you should be able to more easily make a decision that you will feel comfortable with. Before we dive into the details, there are several things that we think are necessary for any good LSAT prep course:
- 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
There is going to be a lot to consider when looking for an LSAT prep course, so where should you start? A great starting point is determining where you want to take your LSAT prep course. You’ll be spending a whole lot of time studying for the looming LSAT, so you want to make sure you are committed to your location and comfortable with it as well. There are two standard types of LSAT prep courses: in-person and online.
In-person classes have been the popular choice for years, but with the internet making everything so accessible, online courses are proving that they are every bit as effective as in-person courses. Clearly, there are differences between the two. Those differences will be the determining factors as to where you take your LSAT prep course. Let’s take a look at some specifics.
In-person LSAT prep courses are great for those who prefer the traditional classroom setting. If you learn best surrounded by others, this is the way to go. In these classes, you will be in a small class with a group of peers. This is a built-in support system that can allow you to bounce ideas off of others who are striving for the same thing as you. These classes are normally kept very small so that you will have plenty of access to your instructor. The instructors for these courses are hired for any given number of reasons. It may be their expertise on the LSAT, or it could be that they scored highly on the test. Courses generally layout hiring guidelines on their websites. These courses also provide out of class learning in the form of video instruction.
If you are going to choose to do an in-person LSAT course, you will want to make sure that you are committed to going. These courses typically run for about two months and meet once or twice a week during that time. That’s not the only downside to in-person courses: they are also incredibly expensive, and you often don’t get much for this increased cost.
Those who prefer flexibility will want to go the route of an online LSAT prep course. These courses offer so much flexibility because they are taught via video lessons, allowing you to do them in whatever setting you’d like, whenever you’d like. While you don’t have the same access to an instructor, you will receive support via email. Some courses even offer 24/7 support.
Those who prefer to learn at their own pace will also prefer online courses. Here, you won’t ever have to worry about being the one holding the class up, or being the student twiddling their thumbs because you are so far ahead in the course work. These courses are especially great for those who are switching careers and have full, busy schedules. Not only are these courses flexible, but they are considerably more affordable when compared to in-person courses. Online courses are getting better and better with each passing year, which is evidenced by their growing popularity.
Whether you choose in-person or online, you will need to make sure that your course offers practice exams. These exams are the best way to see how you are progressing as you near your test date. Different courses administer these in different ways. Some will hand out only a few, and at strategic points during the course, while others will give you a whole stack to do when and wherever you’d like.
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.
The Best Online LSAT Prep Courses in Oceanside
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
Kaplan Live Online LSAT Training
https://www.kaptest.com/lsat/courses/lsat-prep-live-online
Delivered over the course of eight live classes, the Kaplan Live Online LSAT Training also includes two live, proctored LSAT practice exams. While the Kaplan instructors have good reviews, this 32-hour course is more expensive than many alternatives offering 100+ hours of video training. Kaplan also allows students to purchase three additional hours of one-on-one training by upgrading to the Live Online PLUS plan. One drawback to the format of the Kaplan Live LSAT training is that it’s not very flexible: you must attend classes during specific times, or attend a make-up session later.
Pros:
- Access to 80+ real LSAT tests
- Includes LSAT lesson books
Cons:
- One of the most expensive online LSAT courses
- Must attend live classes during scheduled times
- Only 32 hours of video training included
Law School Admission Council Official LSAT Prep
https://www.lsac.org/lsat/prep
The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) is the organization that administers the actual LSAT, so their official prep course is definitely worth looking at. While this is one of the least expensive LSAT prep products available, there are also some large omissions. First, the LSAC only uses practice tests for their online platform, not authentic LSAT questions from past tests. Second, while access to the real test interface is a nice touch, there is little actual instruction in this package. Due to the low price and these missing pieces, this service is best used as a supplement to your study rather than your primary prep course.
Pros:
- Uses the real LSAT test interface
- Low price
Cons:
- Just the practice tests, so no instruction is included
- Practice questions aren’t taken from real LSATs
The Best In-Person LSAT Prep Courses in Oceanside
TestMasters:
Address-Courtyard San Diego Mission Valley, 595 Hotel Circle South, San Diego, CA 92108
Phone Number-(619) 291-5720
Link-https://www.testmasters.net/Lsat-Prep-Courses/california-oceanside
Why they are a good choice
TestMasters wants students to be as prepared as possible for the difficulty of the LSAT. That’s why they offer 60 hours of in-class time and an additional 100 hours of video instruction once you get home. These courses are taught by instructors who have scored in the 98th percentile or better on the LSAT, and the curriculum was designed by the world record holder for most perfect scores on the LSAT, Robin Singh. TestMasters is located in San Diego, 40 minutes south of Oceanside.
Manhattan Review:
Address-
Manhattan Review GMAT GRE LSAT Prep
San Diego Teaching Center at the Sheraton, 1380 Harbor Island Drive, San Diego, CA 92101
Phone Number-(619) 819-0716
Link-https://www.manhattanreview.com/san-diego-lsat-prep-courses/
Why they are a good choice
Manhattan Review is known for the lengths they go to help their students succeed. Even though you will be in a class with others, you’ll take evaluation before the course so that the instructors can help individually teach you the way that you learn best. The instructors are also great, as they must have scored in the 99th percentile on the LSAT. Manhattan Review is located in San Diego, 40 minutes south of Oceanside.
Manhattan Elite Prep:
Address-330 A St., San Diego, CA 92101
Phone Number-(800) 811-2019
Link-https://www.manhattaneliteprep.com/lsat-san-diego-prep-course-class/
Why they are a good choice
Manhattan Elite Prep was designed with the busy student in mind. They also understand that teaching the LSAT in a shortened amount of time makes an already difficult task that much more difficult. That’s why they target learning towards the areas that you’re weakest in, while also giving you access to a host of self-directed resources. Those who are taking the LSAT hoping to switch to a career in law may find the flexibility of Manhattan Elite Prep to be preferable for them. Manhattan Elite Prep is also located in San Diego.
The Best Law Schools Near Oceanside
- University of San Diego School of Law
- California Western School of Law
- UCLA School of Law
- USC Gould School of Law
- Dale E. Fowler School of Law at Chapman University
Interested in going to the best law school near Oceanside? See the best law schools in California.
