Archive for November, 2009

A New LSAT Resource

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

Thanks to John Rood at Next Step Test Prep for providing the following insightful questions.

A short bio of you and your company

After taking the LSAT and preparing to apply to various law schools, Morley Tatro decided that he was much more passionate about the test itself than the idea of going to law school for the next three years. An avid test taker and regular SAT tutor, Morley was particularly intrigued by the “games” section of the LSAT. Sensing that test takers needed a quicker/more efficient means of obtaining real test content and solutions, Morley conceived of Cambridge LSAT as the ultimate LSAT resource center.

How did you first get the idea of electronically distributing PrepTests?

I took notice of the fact that students typically scramble to find extra prep material in the weeks leading up to any particular administration. All the typical sources tend to run low on the most recent PrepTests at the approach of each new test, and people are forced to pay for expedited shipping to get their materials rapidly. Even then, there is no guarantee that the materials will arrive on time. It struck me as odd that in this day and age of technological sophistication, a company had not yet offered LSAT prep materials in this manner.

How can students best integrate Prep Tests into their overall study plans?

Prep Tests can be used in many different ways. They can be taken timed, untimed, in their entirety, or in pieces. In the early stages of prep work, students should develop their familiarity and understanding of the test content and focus on improving their accuracy with the various question types. Breaking PrepTests into sections and taking them untimed can provide a solid foundation for later timed work. Once a person has done a certain amount of untimed work, he or she can take a diagnostic and begin to transition towards taking full-length PrepTests under strictly timed guidelines.

How was working with LSAC to license these exams?

It was a challenge at times, because LSAC has stringent requirements for delivering its content through the web. After examining a number of different options, they accepted the current method of delivery. Other than that, working with LSAC has been a breeze.

Will you be offering any other materials in the future?

We currently have logic games solutions for PrepTests 40-58, and will eventually have solutions for all the available games. We will be working with various tutors and test prep experts to develop additional materials, including strategy guides, videos, podcasts, and packages consisting of both questions and solutions.

How are you planning on working with tutors and LSAT prep professionals?

As mentioned above, our company is a radical departure from the traditional test prep company. Rather than compete with tutors and professionals, we seek to create mutually beneficial relationships with them and make it easy for their students to get the best prep materials. For those who would like to publish their own strategy guides/products, our site provides an ideal method of distribution: no inventory and no overhead. Contact us if you’d like to offer an e-book through our site: info@cambridgelsat.com

Cambridge LSAT

Cambridge LSAT

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Five Words that Do Not Mean Accredited

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

Adapted from the E-Online Education Blog

A regional accreditation is the most coveted accreditation any online schools can receive, the same for a ground university for that matter, but many online schools try to trick you with the terminology they use to make their institution sound more reputable. It’s important that you be on the lookout for some key terms that are tossed around but that hold little to no value.

Pursuing accreditation: This seems pretty self explanatory. I could be “pursuing” a run for the presidency, but until I’m president who cares. This verbiage says nothing about the institutions chances of achieving that accreditation.

Chartered: In some places, a charter is the necessary document that a school needs to grant degrees. A common ploy for diploma-mill operators is to form a corporation, and state in the articles of incorporation that one of the purposes is to grant degrees. Do you see the conflict of interest there? Stay away.

Licensed or registered: This usually refers to nothing more than a business license, granted by the state, city, or country in which the school is located, but which has nothing to do with the legality of the school, or the usefulness of its degrees.

Recognized: I love this one. It does sounds great, but what are you being recognized for? Who is recognizing you? Are you recognized for being a scam?

Member: Swiss Business School advertisers itself as a “member” of the accrediting agency, the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs. That’s not a lie, but it’s not exactly being frank either. Some accrediting bodies also serve as trade associations for their respective fields, and in that capacity offer industry representation, in the form of a “membership” to any school that pays them annual dues, whether it’s accredited by the body or not.

So do yourself a favor and proceed with caution. There are plenty of reputable institutions out there. Don’t let those few bad seeds get in your way.

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