Worcester is the second-most populous city in Massachusetts and a city with a long and rich history. It is the city that first mass-produced love: while Valentine’s Day was not invented in Worcester, Valentine’s Day cards were first mass-produced by Esther Howland of Worcester. Some claim that this is why a heart is the official symbol of the city. Of course, it could also be because Worcester is known as the “Heart of the Commonwealth” because of its central location in Massachusetts. But that’s not all the city is known for: the monkey wrench was invented in Worcester, and the first perfect game ever thrown in Major League Baseball was thrown by Worcester Ruby Legs pitcher Lee Richmond.
Until the 70s, Worcester was considered its own region, but with a westward expansion on Boston suburbs, the eastern part of the Worcester region and western part of the Boston region blended together. UMass has a medical research building in Worcester and happens to be the city’s largest employer. The architecture is distinctly New England. It is also in proximity to some of the great schools of Boston. That’s good news for people who want to study law here, and it’s a good place for lawyers to live and work as well: the average salary for a lawyer in Worcester is right around $100,000 per year.
All of the major schools in Massachusetts are just under one hour away from Worcester. Harvard is the school that would jump to mind first for most people, but there is no shortage of great higher education in the area. Within an hour of Worcester, you can find Harvard, Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern, and Suffolk University. While Harvard is the hardest to get into, none of these schools are a shoo-in for an aspiring law student.
Students who apply to go to any of these schools will need to have a solid history of excellent academic performance. Even then, you’ll still need to do well on the law school admission test, the LSAT, to get into any of these schools. The LSAT is known for how difficult it is, some even saying it is harder than the bar examinations, so you’ll need to spend plenty of time studying and preparing. For this, you are going to need an LSAT prep course.
Though not as hard as the LSAT itself, finding an LSAT prep course is not easy. There are so many available and so many different types of prep courses out there. Some people may feel daunted by the prospect of knowing where to start looking. There is a lot to factor in when making your decision about the right LSAT prep course for you. Considering the amount of time you will be spending on studying for this test, you’ll want to make sure that all of your studying can be fully focused.
In this article, we will go over some of the things that you should consider when looking for an LSAT prep course. With the information provided, you’ll know where to start looking, what to look for and be able to more easily make a decision about which LSAT prep course is right for you. There are some aspects of LSAT prep that we think is absolutely crucial. 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
As mentioned above, there is plenty to take into account when looking for an LSAT prep course. One of the first things and most important to consider is where you will be taking your LSAT prep. With the amount of time you will be spending on your studying, you want to make sure that you are comfortable with the venue that you are in. There are two main options here: in-person or online.
In-person classes have been popular for a long time, but online courses get more popular every year. These courses have the same goal and offer the same amount of resources and support, but are very different. Why choose one over the other? Let’s take a look.
If you are the type that prefers the classroom, then in-person LSAT prep is going to be the way to go. In these courses, you’ll be placed with a group of peers who act as a built-in support system. For those who worry about class sizes, these classes are kept small so that you have plenty of access to your instructor. Class sizes are normally kept to 12 or fewer students. The instructors could be hired based on a myriad of reasons, but all of them are experts in some way on the LSAT. Most courses will have their hiring guidelines for instructors listed on their website.
The studying that you’ll do outside of the classroom is most commonly supported by video lessons. Some courses only make these videos available for the duration of the course, though. These courses typically run for around two months and meet once or twice during that time frame. The scheduling for these courses is inflexible, but that is just one of the downsides of in-person LSAT prep courses. They are also very expensive, sometimes prohibitively so.
Online LSAT prep courses are great for those who prefer flexibility in their studying. The downside here is that you will not be in a class with a group of peers, or have anyone on one interaction with an instructor. There are plenty of upsides, though. These courses are typically taught via video lessons. Because of this, you can do these courses anytime and anywhere that you want. This may be especially attractive for those who are in the midst of changing careers to law and are still working part or full-time while studying for the LSAT. It may also be attractive for those who prefer learning at their own pace.
With online courses, you never have to worry about falling behind or getting ahead of the class. Support is generally offered via email. Some courses even offer 24-hour support. Not only are these courses much more flexible than in-person LSAT prep courses, but they are also less expensive. Much less expensive. Online LSAT prep courses cost only a fraction of what in-person LSAT prep courses cost.
Whether you choose online or in-person, you’ll want to choose a course that offers practice exams. Practice exams are the best way to gauge your progress leading up to the LSAT. They also give you an accurate feel for how the LSAT test-taking experience will be. This is because the practice exams are actual LSATs from previous years. Some give out only a few, while others give you more than you could possibly take in a session. If a course does not offer practice exams, it should not be considered.
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 Worcester
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
Fox LSAT Demon
Before opening up his LSAT test prep service, Nathan Fox scored 179 on his LSAT, a near-perfect score that placed him in the 99.9th percentile of all test-takers. He’s also personally written six books about preparing for the LSAT. Primarily focused on live LSAT prep courses, Fox LSAT has released their online-centered program called the LSAT Demon. Using A.I., the LSAT Demon program tailors the example problems and explanations to each user based on their strengths and weaknesses. While it is an interesting tool, the program suffers from a lack of video instruction and a fairly high monthly fee.
Pros:
- I. tutor helps reveal your weakest area
- Private tutoring available for an additional fee
Cons:
- Monthly fee for access
- No video instruction, online exercises only
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 Best In-Person LSAT Prep Courses in Worcester
Boston College LSAT Prep:
Address-Maloney Hall, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
Phone Number-(617) 552-4250
Link-https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/cson/academics/continuing-education/test-prep.html
Why they are a good choice
It’s hard to argue with doing your test prep at an actual college! You will be required to buy some course material, but will be surrounded by knowledgeable instructors. The quality of instruction at Boston College should far surpass that at other in-person prep courses, which goes a long way towards making up for the relative lack of resources. These courses are held at Boston College, just under an hour away from Worcester.
Manhattan Review:
Address-Manhattan Review GMAT GRE LSAT Prep, Boston Teaching Center at the Sheraton, 39 Dalton Street, Boston, MA 02199
Phone Number-(617) 861-4086
Link-https://www.manhattanreview.com/boston-lsat-prep-courses/
Why they are a good choice
Manhattan Review curates each individual student’s LSAT prep depending on their needs. They do evaluations before and during the course to make sure that they are teaching you the way that you learn best. Their instructors are top-notch, as they only hire instructors who have scored in the 99th percentile or better on the LSAT. Manhattan Review is located in the Back Bay of downtown Boston.
TestMasters:
Address-Leslie University Doble Campus, 29 Everett Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone Number-(800) 696-5728
Link-https://www.testmasters.net/Lsat-Prep-Courses/massachusetts-boston
Why they are a good choice
TestMasters does as thorough of a job as anyone in the test prep industry. With TestMasters, you get 60 hours of classroom time plus an additional 100 hours of additional resources such as video lessons one you leave the classroom. You will have access to every LSAT question published since 1991. All TestMasters instructors have scored in the 98th percentile or better on the LSAT. TestMasters is located in Cambridge, just under an hour away from Worcester.
The Best Law Schools Near Worcester
- Harvard Law School
- Boston University School of Law
- Boston College Law School
- Suffolk Law School
- Northeastern University School of Law
Interested in going to the best law school near Worcester? Check out the best law schools in Massachusetts.
