Your first session focuses on assessment and strategy planning. A tutor will review your diagnostic test results, identify which sections are causing the most difficulty, and understand your target score and law school timeline. From there, you'll develop a personalized study plan that addresses your specific challenges—whether that's mastering Logic Games, improving reading speed, or sharpening logical reasoning skills. This foundation ensures every future session builds toward your goals efficiently.

Logic Games require a different skill set than most students have practiced—they demand spatial reasoning, pattern recognition, and the ability to work quickly under pressure. Many students struggle because they haven't learned the systematic diagramming techniques and game-type strategies that make these questions manageable. A tutor can teach you proven approaches for each game type, help you build speed through targeted drills, and show you how to recognize game patterns so you're not starting from scratch each time.

Reading Comprehension challenges students who try to read for perfect understanding rather than strategic comprehension—the LSAT rewards knowing where information is located and understanding the author's main point and structure. Tutoring helps you develop efficient reading strategies, practice active annotation techniques, and learn how to eliminate wrong answers systematically. With guided practice on real LSAT passages, you'll learn to work faster while maintaining accuracy.

Practice tests are essential—they're the most accurate predictor of your actual test performance and reveal patterns in your mistakes that you can't see from individual questions. Ideally, you should take full, timed practice tests regularly throughout your study period, then review each one thoroughly with a tutor to understand why you missed questions and what strategies would have helped. This cycle of testing, analysis, and targeted skill-building is what drives real score improvement.

Timing is a major challenge because the LSAT gives you about 1.5 minutes per question, which feels rushed if you're not using efficient strategies. Rather than trying to work faster, effective pacing comes from learning which questions to prioritize, when to skip and return, and how to recognize question types quickly. A tutor can teach you pacing strategies tailored to your strengths—for example, if you're strong at Logical Reasoning but struggle with Logic Games, you might allocate more time to games and move through Logical Reasoning efficiently.

Test anxiety often stems from uncertainty about the format and question types, or from past testing experiences. Building confidence through repeated exposure to real LSAT questions, timed practice tests, and proven strategies significantly reduces anxiety—you'll feel more prepared and in control. A tutor can also help you develop mental strategies for staying calm under pressure, like knowing when to move on from a difficult question rather than spiraling, and practicing positive self-talk during timed drills.

Look for tutors with strong LSAT scores themselves, ideally in the 160+ range, combined with proven teaching experience helping students improve their scores. They should understand the nuances of each section, know the common mistake patterns students make, and be able to explain strategies clearly—not just know the answers themselves. Varsity Tutors connects you with expert LSAT tutors in Columbia who have the knowledge and teaching skills to help you reach your target score.