How long should law school reading take?
Asked by: Jewel Rodriguez | Last update: December 22, 2025Score: 4.6/5 (70 votes)
Law school typically has a heftier work load than undergrad. You should treat it like a full-time job, dedicating at least 40 hours (or more) to reading and studying each week.
What is the reading period in law school?
If your law school gives you a break between the end of classes and the beginning of finals (often called “Reading Week”), it is important to effectively use that time to study! In this post, we give you some tips on how to study during Reading Week.
How long does it take to read a case in law school?
Typically, the average first year law student reads only three pages an hour in their first month of law school. By the end of the first semester, most students read ten pages an hour and keep at that pace until the end of their second year.
How many pages of reading in law school per week?
First-year law students should expect to commit an average of 30-40+ hours of studying per week (some advocating for more), with around 30-60 pages of reading per class each week. At the very least, some say that you should study for twice the amount of class time you have per semester.
What is the hardest year in law school?
Law school is an academic challenge; most students agree the first year (“1L” year) is the most difficult. In part, this is because law school is taught using methods entirely different than the lecture method used in most college classrooms.
12 Things You NEED To Know Before Law School
Is law school harder than med school?
Each path demands extensive education and a commitment to rigorous training before becoming a qualified professional. Although both law and medical schools present their unique challenges, it's generally accepted that medical school demands a higher level of intense coursework and thorough training.
What LSAT score do I need for Harvard?
So let's take a look at what it actually takes to have a chance of being admitted to the most prestigious and preeminent law school in the world. As you can see from these numbers, an LSAT score of 170 or higher and a GPA above 3.75 will give you a chance of gaining admission to Harvard Law School.
How long does law school reading take?
In law school, you will be reading and writing a ton.
How much exactly will depend on the class, of course, but 50–100 pages of reading a night is not uncommon. However, you will also take special legal writing and academic support classes early on that teach you how to read cases and analyze information quickly.
Is law school harder than college?
In summary, law school is hard. Harder than regular college or universities, in terms of stress, workload, and required commitment. But about 40,000 people graduate from law schools every year–so it is clearly attainable.
What is the Socratic method in law school?
Unlike college faculty and instructors, law professors teaching introductory law classes often use a pedagogical technique known as the Socratic method, which involves cold-calling on students and interrogating them about the facts and decisions in various court cases.
Is law school a lot of memorization?
The type of memorization required for law school is a bit different than what you dealt with in undergrad and high school. You'll need to memorize a lot more in a shorter amount of time. And, beyond just memorizing rules and elements, you'll also be required to understand and apply what you've memorized.
How to get better at reading for law school?
If you want to improve your reading skills, you need to read A LOT. Practice active reading instead of passive reading and re-reading (which is not effective for law school). A great tip for this is to try and read quickly. Just go through the text as quickly as you can while understanding every word.
How long do law students study a day?
Law Students' Average Daily Study Hours
All in all, however, law students typically spend around 30 – 40 hours per week studying. That may sound like a lot, but a good rule of thumb is that you should be studying at least two hours for every one hour of class time per week.
How long is the reading section on the LSAT?
Reading Comprehension
This section is 35 minutes long and has four passages to read. There are about 27 multiple-choice questions about the passages.
Do law schools get breaks?
As a traditional law student at a three-year law school, you have two summer “breaks.” The first is between your first and second years of law school (your “1L summer”). The second is between your second and third years of law school (your “2L summer”).
What is the reading period at Yale?
Reading period The Yale College Faculty established the reading period between the end of classes and the beginning of final examinations in order to provide a period of about a week during which students might conclude their course work and prepare for final examinations.
Is law easier than doctor?
In short, medical school is hands-on and requires a lot of memorization. Law school requires analytical work and critical thinking. Law school requires heavy reading and writing while medical school requires learning about problems through clinical studies and hands-on training.
Is it hard to get all A's in law school?
If you are looking to get all A's in law school, you should know that it is difficult but very possible. Here I will tell you how I did it. I got all A's (three A-s) and 55% of my letter grades were A+'s. I was not the smartest person in my law school and I did not study 24/7.
What is the hardest subject in a law degree?
First-year law school classes tend to be the most difficult of any that you will experience in your three years of law school, as you are getting used to new subject matter and heavier readings. Some of the hardest classes in law school, according to current and former students, are: Constitutional Law. Civil Procedure.
What is reading period in law school?
Fortunately, most law schools give their students a reading week (or at least a few days) where no classes are held so students can focus exclusively on preparing for exams.
How long does it take to read a passage of the LSAT?
You will have a total of 35 minutes to read the four passages and answer the questions about them. That works about to about 8-9 minutes per passage, for both reading and answering the questions.
How many pages of reading per week in law school?
The rumors are true: law school is a lot of work! You should expect to be assigned anywhere from 10 pages to 200 pages of reading for each class! Then, multiply that number by 4-5 classes, and each class will likely meet 2-3 times per week! This is in addition to other assignments that you will have to work on.
What was Obama's LSAT score?
The easiest to predict, by far, is Barack Obama's score, mostly because we have some data. Based on admissions records, we can deduce — somewhat reliably — that Barry-O scored between the 94th and 98th percentile on his LSAT. Using today's grading system, that would place him somewhere around a 170.
Is a 135 on the LSAT bad?
Average LSAT Score
LSAT passing score of at least 165 on the LSAT. In recent years, the average LSAT score has stayed at around 151-152. Correspondingly, applicants should aim to score 151 at a minimum to get into an accredited law school because of how competitive and challenging admissions are.
What was Elle Woods' LSAT score?
Elle Woods, a fictional character portrayed by Reese Witherspoon in the movie Legally Blonde, is known for her remarkable LSAT score—179 out of 180. Portrayed as a stereotypical "valley girl," she embarks on a journey to Harvard Law School in the movie that has since become a cult favorite.