Cracking the LSAT with DVD, 2009 Edition (Graduate Test Prep) | 
| Author: Princeton Review
Publisher: Princeton Review
Category: Book
List Price: $36.95
Buy New: $21.51
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Avg. Customer Rating:  3 reviews
Sales Rank: 29231
Media: Paperback
Edition: Pap/DVD
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 560
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 10.7 x 8.4 x 1.6
ISBN: 0375428623
Dewey Decimal Number: 340.076
EAN: 9780375428623
ASIN: 0375428623
Publication Date: June 17, 2008
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Condition: Brand new Book, ALL days Low Price !
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Product Description
Cracking the LSAT offers major features on DVD, including engaging video tutorials from The Princeton Review’s top instructors. We also bring you full length practice tests in the book and exclusive free access to additional practice exams and expert advice online.
Of course, you’ll also get all the test-prep techniques you expect from The Princeton Review. In Cracking the LSAT, we’ll teach you how to think like the test writers and
Master specific strategies for answering every question type
Solve even the toughest questions in Arguments, Reading Comprehension, and Games
Get the most out of your prep time with the study plan that’s right for you.
Practice online with full-length LSAT practice tests
Learn directly from our teachers and tutors in an LSAT strategy session on DVD
We give you plenty of practice problems to help you master our proven techniques. In addition, this book contains 2 full-length, “paper and pencil” practice tests. Our practice questions are just like those you’ll see on the real LSAT–but with detailed answers and explanations for every question.
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| Customer Reviews:
 A Decent Introduction January 5, 2009
A quick introductory note, this is NOT a review of the two practice tests and the DVD. I have not looked at those yet, but I cannot see those changing the basic score.
OK, this book is a good introductory choice for those unfamiliar with the LSAT. The book is broken up fairly logically, and the format makes sense. They have an early section of general strategies, and then it gets more specific with large sections dedicated to the three major portions: reasoning/arguments, logic games, and reading comprehension.
Each of those three sections provides general guidelines and tips as to how to prepare for each section, and most importantly, several examples in each section with the reasoning on how to solve the problem. PR deserves credit for not just tossing easy ones in there, and explaining why tricky answers were wrong in a clear, cogent way. For instance, the Logic Game section contains nine different games outside of the practice tests, with full explanation for the results. The other two sections give similar offerings, although I found the reading comprehension section a little lacking in comparison. The book is consistent in fully explaining how one choice was more solid than another, and other than a minor format change on my part (I would have put the answers to the drills at the end of the section as opposed to the middle of the book), a couple stars are earned there.
One nice little perk is that they change their format when asking sample questions to mimic the the form the LSAT takes, and that gives credit to the familiarity they promote in the book (which is the point of the reviewer who opposed the DVD inclusion). With that said, it's a tad unhelpful of them to promote huge diagrams as the method to solve puzzles when they admit you won't have the space for big diagrams, but so be it.
However, the book portion has several flaws in my view. Their explanation of the logic games is HIGHLY dependent on arriving at their diagram. There is some merit to this, as their diagrams work for the example and it was fast with it right. However, the book offered no assistance if you decided to go with a different format, and you could easily get lost. The games are unforgiving in real life, and that's not the problem, but their explanation hinged on using their format of diagram, and the beginner's results show if you steal their format and figure out the information on your own as opposed to using your own diagram.
Beyond the specific complaint, the book seemed to suffer from a lack of truly concrete advice. They often refer to what "not" to do, such as discarding a reading section based on subject matter, but they leave the discriminating to, as they put it, "your gut". The non-example sections were, for the most part, common sense. The parts that were not entirely common sense were helpful, but it seems to me that the 290 or so pages of information could have been broken down to half that size, and that includes the examples. They give processes for how to approach each section (Assess-Analyze-Act for one of them, for short), but they often leave a little too much to the reader, at least in my opinion.
I have no experience with the tests yet, and I'll edit the review when I do, but they admit that they are not as good/official as the ones LSAC puts out choice wise, so that should tell you what you need to know. The tests are bonuses.
If you are beginning your preparation for the LSAT and you are green to the process, I actually recommend the book. Their tips are basic, but it is a respectable introduction to the test, the format, and the types of questions. Their advice sections near the end are useful for mental preparation as well. However, if you are already somewhat familiar with the test and have done decently on a practice one, I may suggest something a little more specialized. It is worth the 25 dollar investment for someone who is curious about the test, but I think the money is better spent on practice tests or put toward specific books if you already know the basic deal.
 Don't Use ANY LSAT book That Comes With A DVD!!! November 22, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
As a professional LSAT tutor/blogger in NYC, I can tell you that it is CRUCIAL that you practice only with real practice exams published by LSAC. The LSAT is not a computerized exam. It has never been one.
When LSAT prep companies start publishing books with DVDs in them, you know that they're just trying to take your money. Steer clear of this book and go with LSAC's "Next 10 Actual Official LSAT Preptests."
Too basic October 5, 2008
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
Kaplan/Princeton Review: I don't recommend wasting any time with either of these books. They are much too basic. If you want to study for a couple weeks and just get familiar with the test, then these are fine. However, you won't do your best if you rely simply on these general books.
I recommend the following:
Introduction to the test: Look at the free stuff from LSAC
Logic Games: Read the book "Ace the LSAT Logic Games", by Get Prepped.
Logical Reasoning: read the book "LSAT Logical Reasoning Bible", by Power Score.
Notice that the conditional reasoning, formal logic, and parallel reasoning sections are probably the most helpful sections. However, these questions are by far the hardest on the logical reasoning section. I recommend saving them for last to make sure you get done in time, since they are the most time consuming. (Before I read these sections I incorrectly thought conditional and logical reasoning was far to easy to be worth studying, since I had an engineering background.)
Reading Comprehension: don't read any books that tell you to highlight and underline stuff, you won't have time to finish the exam. Instead, read a bunch of novels to improve your reading skills if you were never much of a reader before. So ladies, read some romance novels, and guys well you know what to read.
Lastly, make sure to put down all study books the entire week before the test and simply do practice exams.
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