Should You Take a Cold LSAT Diagnostic?
Why I have brand-new students learn the test before they take one, and when a diagnostic is worth taking.
One of the first pieces of LSAT advice most people hear is to take a practice test cold, before studying anything, to see where they stand. It sounds sensible. For a brand-new student, it is usually the wrong first move.
This is not an argument against practice tests. LSAC calls previously administered LSATs “the best way to prepare for test day” (LSAC), and I agree. The question is when to take the first one. A student’s work in the first few sessions tells me what I need to start teaching, and a full timed test tells us more once the student knows what each question is asking.
First: what is a cold diagnostic?
A cold diagnostic is a full-length, timed official LSAT, usually one of LSAC’s PrepTests, taken before any preparation: four 35-minute sections (two scored Logical Reasoning, one scored Reading Comprehension and one unscored section of either type) and a 10-minute break (LSAC), two and a half hours of testing. The writing portion is taken separately. “Cold” means you have not yet learned the question types or how to pace a section.
The calculus exam problem
Putting an LSAT in front of someone who has not learned the question types is like putting a calculus exam in front of someone who has never taken calculus.
You would teach the course first. The exam means more once the student knows what it is asking.
The comparison has limits. LSAC says Logical Reasoning tests how you analyze arguments “as they occur in ordinary language” (LSAC), and cold test-takers get plenty of questions right. But LSAC also advises anyone unfamiliar with the concepts tested to “get better acquainted with them,” and two things do have to be learned: what each question asks (its stem) and how to pace a section.
Example: same argument, two questions
Argument: The city’s new bike lanes on Guadalupe Street will physically separate cyclists from car traffic. So the new lanes will make cycling on Guadalupe safer.
Question 1: Which one of the following is an assumption the argument requires?
Question 2: Which one of the following, if assumed, allows the conclusion to be properly drawn?
Answer A: Car traffic poses at least some danger to cyclists on Guadalupe.
Answer B: Anything that separates cyclists from car traffic on a street makes cycling on that street safer.
A is correct for Question 1: if car traffic posed no danger, separating cyclists from it would not make cycling safer. B is correct for Question 2: together with the premise, it proves the conclusion, but the argument does not need a claim that broad (see LSAT Language Strength).
A beginner who picks B for Question 1 may not know what the stem asks, may have confused what the argument needs with what would prove it, or may have misread the stem. The answer alone does not say which, but the difference has to be learned either way.
What a cold test can tell you
More than a number: which questions a student missed or never reached, how the sections compare, how the student explains their choices. A 167 and a 135 are different starting points, and the gap can change how much instruction a student needs, how fast we move and how long preparation takes.
I don’t need a full timed test to decide how to begin teaching a new student. Short exercises on the question types we have just covered show me how a student reads, reasons and explains each answer while the reasoning is fresh, which is enough to set the pace and plan the next lessons. A full test adds performance across a whole test under real conditions, which means the most once the student knows what the questions ask.
What it costs
- Time. Two and a half hours of testing, before setup and review.
- A fresh test. Taking a test does not use it up, but you can take it unfamiliar only once, and an unfamiliar test is the cleanest benchmark later. That matters most with the four free PrepTests on LawHub, LSAC’s practice platform; LawHub Advantage ($124 a year) opens a much larger library (LawHub).
- Your read on yourself. A first score can anchor expectations either way. Students who start low sometimes decide they are “a 145 person” before learning a single question type; students who start high sometimes decide to skip the fundamentals.
When a diagnostic is worth taking
An early full test makes sense if:
- You have already been studying. Then practice tests are how you find what is costing you points; they are the best data you have.
- You are retaking. You have an official score, and practice tests measure progress from there.
- You have to pick a test date right away. If you are choosing between a test a few months out and a much later one, a cold score can help. Treat it as a ballpark.
- You just want to see the test. That is your call; just do not read much into the score.
My objection is narrow. It is to making a brand-new student sit a full timed test to produce a baseline before anyone has taught them anything.
What I do instead
I start by teaching the test. The first session covers the whole LSAT: the format, every question type, how an argument is built, and how the same principles carry over to Reading Comprehension. The next six sessions work through the major Logical Reasoning question types, one family at a time.
Along the way, students practice by question type, untimed at first, with blind review: reworking the questions they were unsure of before checking the answers. The first full timed test comes once a student understands what each question type asks and has practiced the basic approach. For most students, that is after the question-type sessions, though it depends on the student. Its results then refine the plan we already have.
Learn what the test is asking. Then measure how well you do it.
What this looks like at your desk
- Skip the cold test. Begin by learning the format and the question types, practicing by type before you practice under time.
- Learn the interface with LawHub’s tutorial videos (LSAC) and practice untimed with LSAC’s free sample questions (LSAC).
- Take your first full timed test when you meet that same standard, and treat the score as a guide, not a verdict.
This is where my method starts. The LSAT Masterclass Study Guide is included with tutoring. Logic Refined is my separate practice app for original questions, answer explanations, Review and saved progress. Try the free samples, or start 7 days free, then $9.99/month.
If you are starting out and want a plan that begins with the fundamentals, book a free 15-minute consultation. If you have already taken practice tests, bring the scores; they are the best place to start.