As a college student starting my own LSAT journey, I can offer a unique perspective to the review process. Unlike other websites that implement “experts” who do not intend on taking the LSAT in the coming future, I will be able to objectively evaluate each program with a fresh perspective. To review each test prep program, we will use the following five categories: affordability, quality of materials, convenience, support, and weighing the pros and cons.
So you’ve decided that it’s time to start researching what the best LSAT prep programs are. You’ve come to the right place. With dozens of LSAT programs on the market, it can be hard to figure out which ones are worth the investment. Not to mention, an excellent LSAT score is important for earning a ticket to a great law school (or to be considered for merit scholarships). Our review will offer a comprehensive understanding of BluePrint’s LSAT program so that you can decide for yourself if it’s worth the money. After all, you can’t spend your hard-earned money on just anything!
BluePrint is one of the more popular LSAT programs on the market. For over 15 years, BluePrint has claimed to help students improve their LSAT score by an average of 11+ points. They also guarantee that in general, anyone who takes their program will improve their LSAT score.
Understanding the LSAT
Before we delve into BluePrint LSAT Review, we like to start our LSAT prep reviews with a basic understanding of the exam (let’s call it “LSAT 101”). The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) has been a significant part of the law school admissions process for decades. The main purpose of the LSAT is to evaluate whether students have the skills necessary to succeed as a first-year law school student (1L). Much research suggests that an LSAT score is the biggest predictor of success for 1Ls. In other words: this test is no joke.
The LSAT consists of the following sections: logical reasoning, analytical reasoning, reading comprehension, an unscored section featuring one of the former three, and a writing sample. All of the questions, apart from the writing sample, are multiple-choice with five options to choose from. Test-takers are scored from a range of 120-180.
Unless you plan on taking the GRE, you will need to take the LSAT exam in order to apply to law school. While reading these kinds of articles is a great step in the right direction, we encourage you to think about why you want to attend law school and whether it could be the best fit for you. Be sure to check out our blog post, answering the question: “Should I Go to Law School?” As you continue on, it is important to remember that your LSAT score can be a huge predictor of how the admissions process, law school, and finances might play out for you. Now, on to the review.
Related: Straight or Wait? Your Guide to Timing Law School
Affordability
BluePrint offers a huge range of LSAT programs that vary in price depending on the format and length. The sticker prices are as follows:
- Self-Paced Course: Monthly Subscription – $249/mo
- Self-Paced Course: 3 Month Plan – $699
- Self-Paced Course: 6 Month Plan – $999
- Self-Paced Course: 12 Month Plan – $1,499
- Live Online Course: ~3.5 months – $1,499
- Tutoring Course: Time Varies – $1,999 – $9,200
- Hourly Tutoring: $225/hr
When BluePrint promised range, they really meant it. Their offerings appeal to all kinds of students with different needs. Unlike a lot of LSAT programs that provide between 2-4 types of program, BluePrint appears very committed to meeting students where they are at.
While it’s great that BluePrint has such a huge range, it’s important to explore the resources available to people who choose to pay for a one-month subscription or a three-month plan. An affordable sticker price certainly wouldn’t make up for insufficient resources. As we continue on in the article, we will explore the available features of each program, before assessing if it is worth the money.
Related: How to Pay for Law School
Quality of materials
Given that BluePrint offers so many different programs, we will first look at their self-paced course; then, we will lay out the different tutoring packages available through a table which you will see down below (under the “Support” section):
Modules
BluePrint’s self-paced course offers over 68 learning modules to students. The modules are designed to be engaging by helping students develop a solid understanding of the material over time. Each learning module includes quizzes that are meant to make sure students retain the information. The modules are also coupled with over 9,000 real LSAT questions that come with clear explanations. This is an incredibly important feature, because studying with past test questions is the best way to be familiar with the kinds of questions that’ll appear on your exam.
Videos
BluePrint claims that their videos are some of the most engaging on the market. Having tried out their program, I would have to agree! Their videos use fun animations and illustrations to help better visualize difficult LSAT questions. Their videos are also mobile-friendly, adapt to your Wi-Fi speed, and come with the typical controls of video streaming services, like pick-up where you left off, pause, speed control, skip, etc.. The idea is that watching the videos will actually be something you look forward to, which is a bit different than what other LSAT prep programs claim to do. The video instructors are professional LSAT tutors who have earned incredibly high scores themselves.
Customizability
Another standout feature that BluePrint has is their ability to customize their resources to match the specific needs of each individual student. The over 9,000 LSAT questions they offer come with an even greater perk: advanced analytics. BluePrint not only shows students which questions they got right or wrong, but they also help you find your weaknesses. They do this by finding the underlying patterns of specific question types you get wrong. They can even teach you if you have a habit of picking the right answer and then switching last-minute to the wrong one! Their data visualization allows aspiring test-takers to understand their own pattern of flaws, helping to correct mistakes in the future.
In addition, BluePrint allows you to go further by taking these patterns of flaws and using them to create custom practice tests for addressing weak areas. You can even create custom practice tests based on specific question types and/or areas you want to work on. Their features allow you to change the level of difficulty or to have BluePrint itself adapt to a level of difficulty that will allow you to continuously improve. Lastly, you can do these practice sets either in exam-mode or question-by-question. I found that this made it much easier to improve areas of weakness for me (and trust me, I had plenty).
Convenience
BluePrint’s Self-Paced program offers two specific areas that I find to be most convenient: a personalized LSAT study planner and an updated interface for practice exams.
Regarded as “the first and only” on their website, BluePrint helps you to create a perfect study calendar that is meant to align with your own schedule as well. If you find yourself getting behind, there is an option to re-adjust your plans within minutes. Their study plan also syncs to your phone, helping you to stay accountable.
Another useful feature of the program is the ability to take exams that reflect the most up-to-date version of the LSAT exam. BluePrint constantly updates their exams to ensure they are providing students with the most relevant interface and format available. This adaptable interface ensures that students are prepared on the day of their exam with no unpleasant surprises.
Support
If all the resources above weren’t convincing, BluePrint also offers office hours. These live office hours are two hours long and provide students with the opportunity to work through LSAT material, understand specific types of questions, and ask any and all questions. They are offered 6 days per week and can be scheduled online and put on your study plan.
Lastly, BluePrint also provides online proctored exams that help to simulate the in-class test-day experience. This is an amazing feature, because few self-paced programs provide students with direct access to tutors. This format can appeal to students who want both personalized support as well as the individual structure of studying. In other words, most students could benefit from this type of support because of its sheer flexibility.
It is also important to note that BluePrint offers a wide variety of tutoring services. What separates their tutoring services from other LSAT programs is that they offer 12+ packages available to suit the needs of any student. Their core and premium packages offer both tutoring and enrollment in their self-paced course.
Not interested in the self-paced course? They also have a supplemental package that promises tutoring hours and a customized study plan. However, their tutoring packages are fairly expensive; I would encourage anyone looking into their program to assess their needs and budget before forking over a couple grand. They offer a free consultation for people interested in seeing what package would be best suited for them.
Weighing options: pros and cons
Pros:
- Customizability (adjusting length of program and being able to “subscribe” to self-paced program as needed)
- Personalization features (custom study calendar, question analytics tool, exams curated to improve weaknesses)
- Engagement (animated videos and tutors)
Cons:
- High prices (tutoring packages can go as high as $9,200)
- Subscription package may provide flexibility, but students would lose money if they were already planning to study for 3 or 6 months
- Does not appeal to non-virtual learners (no books are provided); all materials are digital
Final remarks
Overall, BluePrint offers a wide range of LSAT prep options to suit every student’s needs. While there are a lot of amazing features included in their self-paced program, I would have to say that their absolute standout is the customizability option. Unlike many LSAT programs on the market, BluePrint allows you to monitor your strengths and weaknesses; this gives you the ability to curate exams that will allow you to constantly improve. The biggest piece of advice we can offer is to be aware of how long you want to study for the LSAT. If you want to study for more than a couple of months, you will save more money by paying for their 3-month program as opposed to their one-month subscription.
While BluePrint has all the tools we believe are necessary to attain a strong LSAT score, their programs may not be suitable for someone who dislikes strictly virtual resources. Their program does not deliver hard copies of books to study with; if that is a requirement, I recommend looking for a program that offers a more hybrid option. If that is not a problem for you, then we highly recommend checking out BluePrint for yourself! Their website shows sample videos, offers free samples, and shows in-depth details surrounding all their packages. Click here to learn more.
We wish you the best of luck on your LSAT journey, and we hope you find the best LSAT program available to suit your needs.
Devianna Smith is a rising senior at Boston College. Devianna grew up in Massachusetts and is majoring in Political Science and Communication, Management and Leadership. She is on the undergrad pre-law track and currently preparing for the LSAT exam and law school applications.
