Interview With Graeme Blake, Author of the Hacking the LSAT Series

Graeme Blake is an LSAT Tutor in Montreal. He scored a 177 and has worked for multiple prep companies. His latest project is a series of free lsat explanations. His books are available in paperback form and as pdf downloads.

Obviously, a lot of time and effort goes into writing explanations; why make them free and why now?

I wanted to try something new. Each new book of explanations incrementally added a little to my income, and helped the people that bought the book. But they wouldn’t change the LSAT industry.

By releasing the explanations for free, any LSAT student can use them. There are free logic games video explanations, but there are no good, comprehensive explanations for the other sections.

I don’t know what will come from making the explanations free. This is an experiment. If they become popular, I think I’ll be able to find other paid products to helps people study for the LSAT.

I’m also selling pdf versions of the explanations for offline access and easier navigation.

How do you envision people will be preparing for the LSAT 5 or 10 years from now?

I think the traditional industry will hollow out. Currently, many people still go with a Kaplan or Princeton Review course, because that’s what they’ve heard of. Or they go to a bookstore, and buy Barron’s LSAT, because it’s there.

These methods are in decline however. Go to Top Law Schools or Reddit.com/r/LSAT, and you’ll see people recommend alternative methods. The most common names I see now are Manhattan Prep, Powerscore, Blueprint, 7Sage, LSAT Blog, Velocity, and of course Cambridge LSAT.

What do these method have in common?

• They use real questions
• They specialize in the LSAT
• They all offer self-study options
• They all offer options much less expensive than a traditional classroom course

I think some people will continue to study in classrooms. Classroom instruction has been with us for hundreds of years, and it has its advantages, particularly if you can afford it.

However, it’s very possible to study effectively for the LSAT on a $200 budget. You can buy a good quantity of official preptests, and a good set of strategy guides.

At a slightly higher cost, you can add an online course, supplementary books, or sessions with a tutor.

I think the best students will start with self-study, then add other options as needed. A higher LSAT score is an excellent investment, and it’s worth spending money if you believe it will help you get even a few extra points. They can be worth tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships and higher salaries.

For students who are self-studying, what do you think are the best methods to build and develop a solid foundation for this test?

Timed practice with official LSAT PrepTests, and intensive, rigorous review. WHY are you getting questions wrong? How could you avoid those errors in the future?

I think students should track their mistakes, and redo those questions at a later date. Students should also track questions where they were uncertain, and got the question right by luck.

Also, there are many base skills that are required for LSAT success. Students should master all of the following:

• Conditional Diagramming
• Logic Games Diagramming
• Identifying LR question types
• Identifying the conclusion and reasoning of arguments
• Statement negation
• Quantifiers (some, many, most, all, none, etc.)

There are many other things you need to know for LSAT success, but the skills above are the most learnable. If a student finds they can’t do one of those things flawlessly, they should drill it until they can.

Since the LSAT doesn’t repeat questions from past tests, what do students stand to gain by using explanations for actual LSAT questions?

The LSAT is a standardized test. The questions themselves don’t repeat, but the concepts and traps used in the questions certainly repeat.

Master a few tests, and you’ll do much better on any new tests you try. I personally got much better at the LSAT by teaching students LSATs 29–38.

Those were the tests everyone used 2-3 years ago. I did them over and over again with students, and my confidence with new tests improved dramatically.

How do you recommend that students best incorporate your explanations into their studies?

I would recommend the following:

1. Track every question you got wrong, or had any uncertainty about.

2. Review them on your own.

3. Review the explanation.

You can’t just read the explanations and get smarter. You have to approach them actively.

If you still don’t understand, or disagree, then reconsider the whole question to see if you can figure it out. If that fails, post a comment and I’ll respond to clarify.

In hiring a tutor, what are the chief qualities and/or credentials on which students should focus?

A good tutor will have a high score (173+), and a track record of helping students. A high score doesn’t guarantee that someone is a good teacher, but it’s hard to be a good teacher without a thorough understanding of the material.

Reviews are a good way of judging whether a teacher is effective. But probably the best method is to try a lesson. Most tutors will offer either a free trial, or a satisfaction guarantee on the first lesson. I offer both.

One factor I do not think is important is physical location. It’s 2013, and remote lessons are 100% as effective as in person lessons. I’ve done Skype lessons and in person lessons and there’s no difference in learning outcomes.

By considering Skype lessons, you also get access to the best tutors.

What makes a tutor uniquely-qualified to identify and target reasoning issues students are having, and how can students go about realigning their methods and thought processes if tutoring is outside their budget?

The LSAT is very hard. Often, you won’t even realize you’re making a mistake. You’ll see the right answer, invent a wrong reason for why it’s right, and make the same mistake next time.

A tutor gives you external feedback. You’ll be forced to see exactly what is going on in the questions you review together.

A tutor is also the fastest way to improve. They’ll instantly see where you’re going wrong and give you tailored advice. You might read a whole book and still not fix certain errors that a tutor would spot.

The closest substitute is a good study group. When you review together, you have to justify your reasons for choosing an answer. Your fellow students can often spot the same flaws in your reasoning that a tutor would point out.

How do you envision your role as an independent LSAT instructor changing as technologies (especially mobile devices, apps, etc.) evolve in the coming years?

I don’t think that mobile devices will change much. None so far have been compelling.

The LSAT is a pencil and paper test. It demands focus.

Mobile apps tend to be something you use for a few minutes in between things. That kind of brief focus won’t help you improve on the LSAT.

One use might be a logic games app that had repeat drills for certain concepts and game types that came up over and over again.

I don’t see my role changing, unless the test format changes. Tutoring is an institution that has been largely unchanged for millennia and I don’t think apps will do much to change it.