Last but not least in this 3-part series is LSATMax.
In 2010, Mehran Ebadolahi graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School. It was during his time at HLS that he co-founded BarMax (“the $1000 app”) in an effort to disrupt the bar exam prep space that had long been a monopoly. Since graduating from HLS, Mehran has continued to work on BarMax (now TestMax, Inc.) full-time and he is currently the CEO of the company.
Read below for his responses about recent changes and innovations to the way you can study for the LSAT.
- What are the biggest technological break-throughs in LSAT prep right now?
I think the most obvious one is the digital LSAT and everything that accompanies this new medium of test taking. Increased convenience from the digital timer, touch technology, highlighting, and flagging questions; but more importantly, the increased personalization that will naturally result from the analytics available to students from digital LSAT prep. This is obviously a very exciting time for us because LSATMax is the pioneer of mobile LSAT prep—offering tablet-based LSAT prep and digital LSATs since 2012—which uniquely positions us in this digital LSAT era.
In addition to our 5-star rated LSATMax app, we recently released Practice LSATs by LSATMax, which is a stand-alone digital LSAT simulator.
I think another break through is the ability for us to provide support via real-time chat, message boards and video conferencing to students regardless of their geographic location, which has allowed us to scale amazing LSAT prep instructors and ensure all students have access to high quality LSAT prep.
2. Should we be moving away from the traditional in-person prep class, and if so – why?
Absolutely! Where does the idea that in-class LSAT prep is the superior model even come from? I am of the opinion that it comes from the fact that when LSAT prep started there was no other way to distribute this content to students. Because when you compare live in-class to on-demand online, there is no comparison.
I actually wrote an article on this exact subject; The Case Against In-Class LSAT Prep Courses that I hope every prelaw student has an opportunity to read before making an LSAT prep decision.
- What are the advantages of online based, software-based prep/tutoring for the LSAT?
Assuming online-based means on-demand and not live online, the number one advantage is that students can progress at their own pace. In-class courses and live online courses by definition will teach to the mean—some students will feel held back, while other students will feel left behind. Additionally, on-demand courses allow students to pause in between classes as they learn and struggle with a concept for the first time as opposed to being forced to learn a new concept right away. Finally, as previously mentioned, the data provided is invaluable to creating a personalized LSAT prep experience.
- What are the most important things for law school applicants to consider when choosing LSAT prep?
(1) Quality of instruction – look for 99th percentile instructors with previous teaching experience who were not naturals.
(2) Real LSAT questions – LSAC now publishes a list of the official licensees so make sure any course you are considering appears on it (if you are wondering why LSATMax doesn’t appear, TestMax, Inc. is the legal name of our company).
(3) Length of access – the vast majority of students will need far more than 8-10 weeks to reach their peak LSAT score. This is why LSATMax offers instant and lifetime access.
(4) Personalization – in terms of content support so you can ask questions when you have them and analytics to highlight weaknesses so you can focus your precious prep time.
And now . . . ,
(5) Digital LSAT experience – the ability to simulate the digital LSAT experience although students have the ability to do this with Practice LSATs by LSATMax regardless of what else they choose to use for their LSAT prep.
5. Tell me about LSATMax and what’s it about:
LSATMax is a comprehensive on-demand LSAT prep course that students can access via mobile and the web. Our vision is to use the latest technologies to address the inefficiencies that pervade traditional LSAT prep courses and create a far more effective, convenient and affordable LSAT prep experience. Students can register for a free trial of our #1-ranked course here, which includes a free digital practice LSAT with video explanations and analytics. Students can enroll in our instant and lifetime access courses directly in our Online Store.
Our Premium course is completely free for LSAC Fee Waiver students and all of our courses are 50% off for current and former members of the military.
