The city of Irvine, California hasn’t been around for long, but in a short amount of time it’s had quite a lot of development. Plans for Irvine were conceived in the 1960s and saw quick completion, and the city was formally incorporated by the year 1971. Irvine is located in Orange County and is part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Because of this, you are never far from something exciting when you are in Irvine.
Irvine has racked up quite a few accolades as well. It is regularly mentioned among the best places to live in America, notably for the weather, opportunity and safety. Film companies use Irvine all the time, and many huge companies have headquarters here. But there’s more to Irvine than entertainment and big business. There is no shortage of great opportunity when it comes to learning anywhere in Southern California, and that is especially true in Irvine. Not only is UC Irvine the largest employer in the city, but it is also a great school. And, as far as great schools go, it is one of many in the area. It’s not hard to see why this would be a great place for an aspiring law student. It’s a great place for law professionals as well, as lawyers in the area make an average of $120,000 per year.
Those seeking to go to law school will have a plethora of choices in Southern California. UC Irvine is a well-reputed school that most recently ranked as the 21st best law school in the country. While that is impressive, it isn’t even the best law school in the metropolitan area. But although there are a lot of schools to choose from, this doesn’t mean you’ll have an easy time getting in. For example, UC Irvine only takes about 10% of the students who apply. The students they admit generally have a very strong academic background, but that isn’t the only thing the board of admissions looks at. Students who make it into UC Irvine typically score in the 75th percentile or higher on the law school admission test, known as the LSAT. The LSAT is a daunting exam that has stressed-out law students for decades, but with the right preparation, you can go into your exam date with a strategy and confidence.
Finding the right prep course for your needs can be a stressful task in and of itself. Considering you’re probably already feeling the weight of the importance of this exam, this might be an unwanted extra amount of stress. There are a lot of factors to take into account when it comes to which LSAT prep course might be right for you. There are also a ton of options when it comes to the courses offered. Even knowing where to start looking can be a daunting task. In this article, we will go over some of the different factors to consider and the different types of courses that will be available to you. Using this guide, you should be able to more easily find an LSAT course that you are comfortable with. Before we discuss the different factors to consider when choosing an LSAT prep course, there are some things we think should be required. 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 before, when you are deciding which LSAT prep course to go with, there will be a lot of factors that go into play. The first thing you will want to consider is the location of your LSAT prep course. This is a very important consideration considering the amount of time you will be spending doing your prep work. Here, you’ll find two options: online or in-person. The traditional way of studying would place you in a classroom with your peers and an instructor, but when it comes to resources and support, online courses are able to offer every bit as much as in-person courses these days. There are differences between the two, though.
If you love being in a classroom, then an in-person course could be the way to go for you. Courses held in-person are typically held once or twice a week for about two months. Here, you will be with a group of your peers, which could be an advantage as you can use them as resources. You will also be placed with an instructor who has normally have performed very well on the exam themself. In-person courses commonly come with support outside of the classroom as well, typically in the form of video instruction.
Of course, there are a few downsides to in-person courses. First of all, they offer very little in the way of flexibility. If you are going to go this route, you will want to make sure you are 100% committed and available, because these take up a lot of your time. They are also very expensive. Considering how much online courses have to offer, it becomes harder to make the case for in-person courses with each passing year.
On the other hand, online courses offer a whole bunch of flexibility and take up only as much time as you want them to. Because of modern technology, the gap in available resources is practically zero between online courses and in-person courses. You won’t have a face to face relationship with an instructor in an online course, but you will receive plenty of video lessons and support from an instructor through email. Because these courses are taught via video instruction, they can be taken wherever and whenever you would like. Another perk of this is that you never have to worry about getting ahead or behind your peers. The flexibility of these courses make them great for people who already have very busy schedules, and the affordability of these courses makes them great for everyone. These courses cost just a fraction of what in-person courses cost.
Practice exams will be a crucial part of your LSAT prep. Whether you choose an in-person or online course, you will want to make sure that your course offers practice exams. These are great for several reasons. They let you see where your weaknesses are, giving you time to work on them before your exam date. Since most courses’ practice exams are actual LSATs from years past, they will give you a good idea of how taking the actual test will feel. Some courses offer these at strategic times throughout a course, while others will give you as many as you want to take whenever you would 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.
Best Online LSAT Prep Courses in Irvine
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
Best In-Person LSAT Prep Courses in Irvine
Manhattan Review:
Address-Manhattan Review GMAT GRE LSAT Prep, Irvine Teaching Center at the Marriott, 18000 Von Karman Avenue, Irvine, CA 92612
Phone Number-(949) 208-6893
Link-https://www.manhattanreview.com/irvine-lsat-prep-courses/
Why they are a good choice
Manhattan Review is a test prep firm that has seen many of its former students gain admission to some of the world’s most prestigious law programs. They pride themselves on only hiring the best instructors, and teaching the LSAT in strategic phases. Instead of just focusing on content, they will help you come up with a strategy to best attack the LSAT. Manhattan Review in Irvine is located near the John Wayne Airport, just south of the Irvine Business Complex.
TestMasters:
Address-University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697
Phone Number-(800) 696-5728
Link-https://www.testmasters.net/Lsat-Prep-Courses/california-irvine
Why they are a good choice
TestMasters only hires instructors who scored in the 98th percentile or better on the LSAT. They also have a curriculum that was developed by the world record holder for most perfect scores on an LSAT, Robin Singh. Throw those two facts on top of the 60 hours of classroom time you will get, plus the 100 plus hours of video support, and you have a pretty good recipe for success. TestMasters in Irvine are located at UC Irvine right by Aldrich Park.
Manhattan Elite Prep:
Address-UC Irvine Science Library, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA 92623
Phone Number-(800) 858-0152
Link-https://www.manhattaneliteprep.com/lsat-irvine-prep-course-class/
Why they are a good choice
Manhattan Elite Prep designed their courses to help test takers of all skill levels. Their courses are specifically designed for people who may already have busy schedules, such as those who are working full time but also working to switch careers over to the practice of law. They understand that teaching the LSAT in a short amount of time is not easy, so they only hire the most experienced instructors who know how to concentrate on the material that matters most. Manhattan Elite Prep in Irvine meets just outside of the University Town Center, next to the William R. Mason Regional Park.
The Best Law Schools Near Irvine
- Gould School of Law at USC
- University of California – Irvine Law School
- Loyola Law School
- Fowler School of Law at Chapman University
- Western State College of Law
Interested in going to the best law school near Irvine? See the best law schools in California.
