Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few months, you’ve probably heard that Blueprint has an iOS app now. If you mentally diagrammed that last sentence, congratulations, you’re studying for the LSAT.
Today, we’ll talk about what the app does and how to use it to help you study. Our app is only for current students, so if you want to use it you’ll have to sign up for a Blueprint in-person or online course.
In the app, you can watch lesson videos, do homework, score homework, get breakdowns of how the homework went including full explanations, take practice tests and score practice tests. Everything you do will earn your points and advance your status on the Greatest Chain of Being — you’ll start with pretty much no status and end up someplace much better.
If you’re a Blueprint student, you can also do most of these things on your myBlueprint account on the web, so you get a choice of screen. If you’re watching the lesson videos, for example, the app lets you work wherever you want without having to lug a computer around. So if you study better with a constant intake of “coffee” drinks that really have way more sugar and cream than coffee, grab some headphones and head to the coffee shop.
You can also do your homework in the app or on your myBlueprint web account. This has some advantages — you don’t need to have your books with you and you can get instant feedback and explanations without having to check an answer key. There’s also a disadvantage — the LSAT is a paper and pencil test, and doing your homework on a screen is different from what you’ll do on test day. On a screen, you can’t underline conclusions or tag Reading Comp passages, and your logic games diagrams will have to go on scratch paper.
These drawbacks aren’t that big a deal; you’ll still learn a lot from practicing LSAT questions whatever the format. But I would suggest that you not use the app exclusively. Use your books for at least some of the practice, so you get used to how you’ll do things on test day.
One of the best things about the app is that you can take it anywhere. The LSAT is a test of skills. Repetition is more important than the sheer number of hours you spend studying. When you have the app, a few minutes waiting for the doctor can turn into a few LSAT questions. On the subway? Replace that time spent playing Candy Crush with something that’ll help you crush the LSAT. If that Tinder date is tardy, swipe right on a few answer choices instead. The more often you think about the LSAT, they better you’ll get at it, and with the app you can study even when you haven’t committed to a few hours with your books.
The app is also a great resource for when you take practice tests. You can score your tests by taking a photo of the answer sheet, as long as you use our special answer sheet. You can also input your answers manually in the app or in myBlueprint on the web, and either way you’ll get a complete breakdown of your performance and access to explanations of the questions. You can also take your practice tests in the app. This is great for, say, when you’re out of town and don’t want to lug books with you. It’s also not something I’d recommend for every practice test you do — it’s important that you get used to working with a good ‘ol #2 pencil and bubbling in those answers.
If you’ve used the app, chime in: how have you found it useful? Happy LSAT studies to all.
