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LSATMax Review
Our comprehensive review of the LSAT Max prep course
Relatively new to the LSAT prep scene, LSATMax takes a very different approach to studying than the traditional players. Rather than offering live class sessions, and strict study schedules, LSATMax boasts a modern, mobile-first approach and flexible study options. But the question is, does breaking the LSAT prep mold work in this case? We break down and evaluate all of the features of the LSATMax prep course in this review, so you can make an informed decision about whether it’s right for you.
Since this is a detailed, lengthy review, we’ve added jump-to links above for easy navigation.
Video Review: Is LSATMax Worth It?
In the video above, John from the Test Prep Insight team (who scored a 170 on the LSAT) covers everything you need to know about the LSATMax prep course. He discusses pricing, quality of prep materials, and much more. Alternatively, you can always keep reading for even more detail regarding LSATMax.
Evaluation Of The LSATMax Lessons & Coursework
The LSATMax prep course is different from more traditional LSAT prep courses like Kaplan, Princeton Review, and LSAT Lab. Appealing to those students who want to prep from anywhere at any time, LSATMax takes a classless, mobile first approach to their course structure.
As a result, their on demand digital video lessons are arguably the most important aspect of their offerings and at the core of their curriculum.
Knowing this, it is clear they have invested a ton of time and money into their over 100 hours of video lessons. These video lessons take the form of a dynamic, digital whiteboard, where the instructor provides a voiceover lesson while working problems and making notes on the whiteboard.
They utilize quality tech to make notes in a variety of colors and manners, all while giving their verbal lesson on the concept or problem at hand.
LSATMax video lesson
I personally prefer digital lessons that include video of the instructor so that you can see their mannerisms and nonverbal cues as they work problems on a real whiteboard – after all, 93% of communication is nonverbal.
That said, I found the LSATMax video lessons to be rather effective, mostly as a result of the dynamic whiteboard with constant updates and the quality of the instruction (better than the LSAT video lessons from Magoosh).
The videos are mixed between being broken down into 2 to 20 minute segments within a larger video lesson on a topic, or in some cases, running a full straight hour plus. I didn’t notice the difference in video breakdown in most cases, and honestly did not care whether they were split out or not.
In addition, hovering below each video lesson is a message board where students can post questions or make comments, and instructors will reply in the thread. I think this is a cool feature, but not as helpful as their chat function (more on that below).
In terms of the overall structure of the course, LSATMax breaks down concepts into various sections, or modules. For example, there are sections on “Linear Games,” “Solitary Passages” and “Errors in Reasoning,” among many others.
Each section contains a video lesson, as described above, and homework to reinforce what you’ve learned in the lesson. These assignments include answerable flashcards, problem sets, and drills to work.
Example practice question
Breaking down each type of assignment, my personal opinion is that the flashcards were just okay. I found them to be often repetitive, hitting the same concept over and over again.
Perhaps that’s the best way for some people to learn, but it did get annoying at times as the flashcards seemed somewhat derivative of each other.
I found the problem sets and drills, however, to be incredibly helpful. Not only does LSATMax use only official past LSAT questions as learning material, but the manner in which they help to explain problems is top notch.
As you work through a problem, you can click a button next to each answer choice to eliminate that answer as option, graying it out and leaving only remaining possible answers visible. This is very clean and makes for a nice experience.
In addition, at any time you can click the “Explanation” button and there is a short video about the problem, breaking it down and explaining why the correct answer is correct and the incorrect answers are incorrect.
There is also a message board for each practice problem with past notes, comments and explanations, as well as a feature to star a problem. It all makes for a super effective means of working problems and drills.
The structure of the course, with its modules for varying concepts and sections, along with the quality of video lessons and digital practice problems makes for a great all-around learning experience.
LSATMax Course Options & Pricing
LSATMax offers a few different monthly subscription plans to choose from.
The first option is their Self-Study Plan, which costs around $40 per month. This plan includes access to over 90 practice tests, as well in-depth answer explanations. As such, this plan is best for students who really just need additional practice.
Next, we have the company’s On-Demand Plan, which costs around $120 per month. This plan includes everything from the Self-Study Plan plus video lessons, daily drills, and flashcards.
Lastly, there is the Live + Tutoring Plan, which costs around $200 per month. This plan includes everything mentioned above plus access to live classes, one tutoring session per month, and a higher score guarantee.
All in all, LSATMax lands near the more affordable end of the LSAT prep industry. We think their monthly subscription plans are a tremendous value.
How Are The LSATMax Practice Tests?
LSATMax, like many other LSAT test prep companies, including Princeton Review and Blueprint, offers students access to official past LSAT exams – more than 90 of them in total.
This content is offered through a built-in subscription to LSAC’s LSAT Prep Plus (additional $115 fee). So, if you are nervous about a lack of practice exams or that the diagnostic tests you’ll be getting with LSATMax won’t be of good quality, this should nip those thoughts in the bud.
Access to the official past LSATs through LSAC has become the gold standard among LSAT test prep companies, and LSATMax steps up to the plate. And similar to other test prep companies, I was fan of the digital exam simulator.
One of the most important aspects of taking practice tests is that you take it under exam-like conditions, and LSATMax offers that advantage. Since the LSAT went digital a couple years ago, it is critical that you practice in the same fashion, so I like that this feature is available.
No LSAT Prep Books
Unfortunately, LSATMax no longer offers prep books. Therefore, if you are more of an old-school type of learner that prefers reading and learning via textbooks so you can dog-ear pages, and highlight key points to revisit later, then LSATmax is not an ideal option for you.
Live LSAT Classes Daily
For students who purchase the company’s Live + Tutoring subscription plan, you will have access to live classes daily. Each class session is led by a 99th percentile instructor and covers different topics and question types.
Plus, what’s nice is that each class is recorded and made available for you to watch later. That way, if you can’t make the class that day for a particular reason, you can always watch it later. You can also filter past recordings by topic and difficulty level as well.
All in all, I found these live class sessions to be super valuable. Not only are the instructors fantastic (they clearly know the LSAT like the back of their hand), but I also like that each session focuses on a specific topic or concept, as opposed to a more surface level overview of several different points. As such, you can really focus on the areas where you are falling behind in order to make improvements.
Other Included LSAT Resources
In addition to the video lessons, practice problems, diagnostic tests and other features of the core curriculum, LSATMax offers a number of other resources, which I found to be helpful. As advertised, you can IM, email or call one of their 99th percentile LSATMax instructors at just about any time of day.
I put the chat feature to the test by sending an IM with a question on a logic games practice problem, and true to their word, an instructor got back to me within minutes. It took a few back-and-forth messages to tease out the info I needed, but all in all, it was a pleasant exchange and they were very responsive.
One other resource tool that I personally found to be incredibly useful was the analytics tool that tracks your progress. As you work practice problems and take diagnostic exams, it provides some great data on where you’re performing well and where you need work.
It provides some cool metrics around percentiles in scoring, and really zeroes in on your weaknesses. This allows you to allocate more time to these areas, and spend less energy on topics you’ve already mastered.
LSATMax flashcards
Another nice feature unique to LSATMax is their “Weekly Office Hours,” which is essentially a Q&A with their founder and lead instructor Mehran (at least most of the time). Mehran, or another LSATMax instructor, hosts an Instagram live feed and opens the line up to questions. Students fire off questions and comments and they do their best to respond.
LSATMax also offers up sample study calendars with recommended study schedules. This is a nice feature with great detail and is thoughtfully planned out. And while great in concept, I found it gets thrown out the window the moment you miss your target (or get ahead).
Some people may be able to follow a predetermined study schedule to the second – I guess I’m just not one of those people. But if you’re good at sticking to study schedules or use it as a general timeline resource, it offers some real value.
Digital Platform & User Experience
Compared to most other test prep companies, the LSATMax user experience is great (even better than the digital platforms from Princeton Review and Kaplan). But is has to be – without any classroom experience it relies solely on its digital platform. But fortunately for them, it delivers.
Easy-to-use interface
The dashboard is clean, professional and easy to navigate. The left-hand bar provides quick access to course materials, message boards, study calendars, and other resources.
The course lessons are housed on the main home screen in a nice linear, downward sequence of modules. It is intuitive to follow and shows your progress along the way as you work through your lessons.
The one negative to note would be that there is no real good search function. A couple times I’d want to quickly get back to a problem or lesson concept that I saw previously, but there was no quick and easy search function. Apart from that gripe though, the user interface and experience are solid across both web and mobile.
Private Tutoring With LSATMax
LSATMax offers one hour of private tutoring each month (Live + Tutoring students only). This private tutoring session is with one of their 99th percentile instructors, and you can use this free hour of private tutoring however you like.
You can discuss test taking strategies, how to build a cram schedule, you name it. I used my one hour to work through a couple types of logic games that always give me (and others) trouble, and found my tutor to have some great insights. It was a helpful hour, but went by quick.
And if you need a little extra help, you can always add on some additional hours after the fact. If you choose to go this route, we actually found their rates to be pretty reasonable, especially relative to the cost for private tutoring other test prep companies charge.
Length Of Content Access
LSATMax only offers monthly subscription plans. Therefore, the length of access depends on how long you plan on studying for. In my experience, most LSAT students generally need around 2-4 months to properly prepare.
The LSATMax Mobile App
Not only does LSATMax have a mobile app, but it is a critical component of the overall LSATMax course offering. This app enables you to access your prep materials anytime, from anywhere. And if you struggle with the smaller screen size on your phone or tablet, you can also stream their videos on Apple TV.
The app is available on iOS in the Apple App Store and Android in the Google Play Store, so you can access LSATMax from multiple devices. Content accessibility is limited, however, to your computer, one tablet device, and one mobile device.
Is there A Higher Score Money Back Guarantee?
If you’re worried about the effectiveness of LSATMax’s course, you can rest easy knowing that LSATMax provides a higher score guarantee, at least for their premium Live + Tutoring plan.
The Self-Study and On-Demand plans unfortunately do not carry such a guarantee, which is obviously not ideal.
Refund Policy
If, after enrolling, you are not happy with the course, you can request a refund within seven days from your date of purchase. Your LSATMax course fee refund will exclude LSAC licensing fees, and shipping/processing fees. And again, app store purchases are also refundable, minus the 30% that is paid to Apple.
Verdict: LSATMax Prep Course Review
Whether the LSATMax prep course is right for you will ultimately turn on whether you’re the type learner that needs structure and guidance, or whether you’re good learning at your own pace.
If you need to see a set study schedule, and classes that build on one another, LSATMax likely isn’t in the cards for you. But assuming you don’t need the rigidity of a clear study plan, LSATMax is a great option.
They offer high quality video lessons and coursework, and daily classes that touch on various topics led by top tier instructors. Plus, the user experience on both their online platform and mobile app is clean, modern and easy-to-use, and we loved their digital practice problem sets with video explanations.
As a result, LSATMax easily makes our list of the best LSAT courses of the year. In fact, LSATMax is near the top of the list, only trailing Blueprint LSAT and Kaplan LSAT.
The LSATMax course costs anywhere from $40 to $200 per month, depending on the level of access and amount of LSAT study materials that you need.
Does LSATMax have in person classes?
No. LSATMax is completely digital, meaning all of its content and study materials are offered online and through its mobile app.
Will the LSATMax prep course increase your LSAT score?
Yes. LSATMax guarantees that their prep course will increase your baseline LSAT score, or you get your money back (at least for their Live + Tutoring course).
Is LSATMax worth it?
Yes, absolutely. Our team thinks the LSATMax course is one of the best in the entire industry, especially considering their premium, flagship course costs less than $200 per month.
