Your first session focuses on understanding your baseline and goals. Expect to discuss your target law schools, timeline, and any sections where you're currently struggling. Many tutors will have you take a diagnostic practice test or review your recent practice test results to identify patterns in your mistakes—this helps create a customized study plan tailored to your needs rather than generic test prep.

Logic games intimidate many test-takers, but they're highly learnable with the right approach. A tutor can teach you the diagramming systems and game types that appear most frequently, help you recognize patterns quickly, and build the speed and accuracy you need. Working through games together allows you to see expert strategies in real time and get immediate feedback on your approach—something that's hard to develop from self-study alone.

Reading comprehension requires both strong comprehension skills and strategic question-answering techniques. Tutors help you develop active reading strategies, identify the main point and structure of dense passages, and avoid common traps in answer choices. Many students benefit from learning how to annotate passages efficiently and understanding the specific question types (main idea, inference, author's tone, etc.) so you can approach each one strategically rather than re-reading constantly.

Timing is one of the biggest challenges on the LSAT—you have about 8.75 minutes per logic game and roughly 8-9 minutes per reading comprehension passage. A tutor helps you develop a personalized pacing strategy based on your strengths; for example, if you're fast with certain game types, you might tackle those first to build momentum. Practice under timed conditions is essential, and your tutor can help you identify where you're losing time and adjust your approach accordingly.

Most students benefit from taking 20-30+ full-length practice tests as part of their LSAT prep, especially in the weeks leading up to test day. Your tutor can help you use practice tests strategically—not just to measure progress, but to identify patterns in your mistakes and refine your strategy. Regular timed practice tests build the stamina and confidence you need for the actual exam, and reviewing your results with a tutor helps you learn from each attempt rather than just repeating the same mistakes.

Test anxiety is common on the LSAT, but it's manageable with the right preparation and mindset. Working with a tutor builds confidence through mastery—as you understand the question types, develop reliable strategies, and see your practice test scores improve, anxiety naturally decreases. Your tutor can also help you develop a test-day routine, teach you how to manage time pressure without panicking, and provide perspective on what scores actually mean for your law school goals.

Look for tutors with strong LSAT scores themselves, experience helping multiple students improve, and familiarity with current test formats and question types. Ideally, your tutor should be able to explain not just the right answer, but why wrong answers are traps—and adapt their teaching style to how you learn best. Varsity Tutors connects you with expert tutors who have proven track records helping students achieve their target scores and gain admission to their goal law schools.