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The LSAT is more than just another test; it’s one of the most significant determinants of your law school admissions outcomes. “Want Admission to a Top 10 Law School? Start October LSAT Prep Now” is therefore not simply a statement, but a call to action. For students who are serious about elite admissions, June is the month that separates contenders from the rest of the applicant pool.

Why the October LSAT Matters

The October LSAT remains one of the most popular administrations for applicants targeting top-tier law schools. Its timing aligns with early and regular decision deadlines, making it the last feasible test date for those applying in the fall. More importantly, it provides enough runway for a full summer of intensive, uninterrupted preparation. For applicants targeting Yale, Stanford, Harvard, or any law school within the T14, a strong October LSAT score can shift the entire trajectory of an application.

The LSAT is not a test you “warm up” to. It requires a structured, professional strategy that simulates Test Day conditions long before you arrive at the testing center. Students who wait until late summer or early fall to begin preparing often find themselves in a compromised position—juggling school, work, or other responsibilities while trying to force mastery on a tight timeline. The results are predictable, and rarely favorable.

LSAT Summer Prep: The Strategic Advantage

For applicants who are still in college, summer is the most valuable window of the year for preparation. Without the constraints of full-time coursework, most have the time and bandwidth to engage in the deep, repetition-based study that the LSAT demands. The sections—Logical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension—are all learnable, but not casually. Therefore, even for the lion’s share of applicants who are already in the workforce, leaving sufficient time to prepare is critical.

Professional LSAT prep involves more than reviewing question types. It includes:

  • Professional methods for every question type
  • Development of a formal logic toolkit
  • Diagnostic testing under realistic conditions
  • Iterative performance analysis and adjustment

This cannot be achieved in two or three weeks of “intensive” study. It is the result of consistent, calibrated work across 4 months. Starting in June helps you to be ready for the October LSAT and fully confident in your command of the material.

Planning Over Procrastination

Every year, otherwise qualified applicants undermine their own potential by delaying preparation. We hear all sorts of justifications: “I’ll start after my internship,” or “I’m planning a condensed prep in September.” Unfortunately, these rationalizations ignore how skill acquisition works. One does not become proficient at diagramming conditional statements or avoiding trap answer choices by waiting—one becomes proficient by doing it repeatedly, with purpose, over time.

Top LSAT scorers are not just intelligent, but also deliberate. They plan their study schedule the way a litigator builds a case—methodically, with evidence and forethought. If your goal is a 170+, your prep must reflect that ambition from the outset.

October LSAT Strategy: Leaving Sufficient Time

A professional October LSAT strategy allocates sufficient time for:

  • Internalizing professional methods for every question type
  • Full-length timed exams
  • Performance analysis and score optimization

Starting in June allows you to move through each of these phases without overlap or compression. Instead of cramming multiple steps into a four-week panic in September, you can spend June and July building core competency, August reinforcing, and September fine-tuning.

This is what correct prep looks like. It is measured, not frantic. Structured, not speculative. The opposite of last-minute.

What’s Another Major Benefit of Starting Now?

The sooner you begin, the more you can personalize your strategy. Whether your challenge is logic games, RC endurance, or navigating LR traps, starting in June gives you the time and space to resolve weaknesses before they cost you a spot at a top program.

Your Next Step: Starting Professional LSAT Preparation 

Seek out an instructor with a track record of success. No amateurs. Just top instruction and mastery-based progression.

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SHSAT Test Section # of Questions Timing
English Language Arts (ELA)
67
180 minutes
Math
67

Total Exam Time

3 hours not counting breaks between sections

SSAT Test Section # of Questions Timing
Writing Sample
1
25 minutes
Quantitative 1
25
30 minutes
Reading
40
40 minutes
Verbal
60
30 minutes
Quantitative 2
25
30 minutes
Experimental
16
150 minutes

Total Exam Time

2 hours, 50 minutes not counting breaks between sections

ISEE Test Section # of Questions Timing
Verbal Reasoning
40 questions
20 minutes
Quantitative Reasoning
37 questions
35 minutes
Reading Comprehension
36 questions
35 minutes
Mathematics Achievement
47 questions
40 minutes

Total Exam Time

2 hours, 10 minutes not counting breaks between sections

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GMAT Test Section # of Questions Timing
Quantitative Reasoning
21 questions
45 minutes
Verbal Reasoning
23 questions
45 minutes
Data Insights
20 questions
45 minutes

Total Exam Time

2 hours, 15 minutes not counting breaks between sections

GRE Test Section # of Questions Timing
Analytical Writing
1 essay prompt
30 minutes
Verbal Reasoning
Section 1: 12 questions

Section 2: 15 questions
Section 1: 18 minutes

Section 2: 23 minutes
Quantitative Reasoning
Section 1: 12 questions

Section 2: 15 questions
Section 1: 21 minutes

Section 2: 26 minutes

Total Exam Time

1 hour, 58 minutes not counting breaks between sections

SAT Test Section # of Questions Timing
Reading and Writing
1st module: 27 questions

2nd module: 27 questions
1st module: 32 minutes

2nd module: 32 mintues
Math
1st module: 22 questions

2nd module: 22 questions
1st module: 35 minutes

2nd module: 35 mintues

Total Exam Time

2 hours, 14 minutes not counting breaks between sections

ACT Test Section # of Questions Timing
English
75 questions
45 minutes
Math
60 questions
60 minutes
Reading
40 questions
35 minutes
Science
40 questions
35 minutes
Writing (Optional)
1 prompt
40 minutes

Total Exam Time

3 hours, 35 minutes not counting breaks between sections

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