If you’re taking a prep course for the October LSAT, it’ll probably be starting sometime next month (or thereabouts). Once it begins, you’ll have an incredible amount of work to do. Studying for the LSAT is one of the most rigorous things you’ll ever have the pleasure of undertaking. Your social life is going to be going into hibernation for a few months, and you very well might end up with a vitamin D deficiency due to lack of sunlight. It’s gonna be great. But you’ll get through it all if you keep your eye on the prize, namely an awesome LSAT score.

But what should you do between now and the beginning of class? Well, for most people, nothing. Good prep classes are designed to be thorough and intense. They go from the basic foundations to the more complex concepts to reviews and drills, barreling forward into test day. You’ll want to free up as much time as you possibly can once your class starts – the homework can take double the hours that you spend in class. But for now, you can enjoy your summer, and mentally prepare for the rigor that’s just around the corner.

One of the reasons to not start until your class begins is so that you don’t build bad habits. A lot of people who begin early just start taking tests and feeling their way around in the dark. If you do this, you’ll start coming up with your own rudimentary techniques for tackling problems, but these techniques will probably suck. You’ll then have to unlearn them once you start your class. So don’t just dive into LSAT material unguided.

If, however, you have an insatiable and burning desire to start right now, you can do so. But you need to make sure you do so in the right way. Some courses allow you to begin self-study early, and that’s the only way you should do this. At Blueprint, we offer a video upgrade, which allows students to do the lesson chapters at home. For these people, starting early can work. If you’re taking a class where you can go through the books on your own, or where they offer an online component, then go for it. But again, do this only with the materials from the class you’re taking. You don’t want to use conflicting methods, at least not at first. And for most people, you’re best off waiting. Enjoy the sun before it disappears for good.