Why LSAT Prep Classes Designed With Accommodations From the Start Change Everything

For many aspiring law students, preparing for the LSAT is one of the most stressful academic experiences they will ever face. The exam is high stakes, fast paced, and often treated as a test of raw speed and endurance rather than reasoning ability. For students with learning disabilities, ADHD, anxiety, processing differences, or other neurodiverse learning profiles, traditional LSAT prep classes can feel not just unhelpful, but actively harmful.

Most LSAT prep programs are built around a single assumption. Everyone learns the same way, at the same pace, under the same conditions. Accommodations, if they are discussed at all, are treated as an add on or an exception rather than a foundational part of the learning process.

At Ginsburg Advanced, this assumption is challenged at its core. Our LSAT prep classes are designed from the ground up with accommodations in mind, not retrofitted after the fact. The result is a fundamentally different learning experience, one that prioritizes access, understanding, and confidence.

LSAT prep classes designed with accommodations in mind change the entire dynamic of preparation. They recognize that access is not a workaround or a special favor. Access is the foundation. When instruction, pacing, materials, and strategy are intentionally built for students who think differently, the LSAT becomes a test of reasoning rather than endurance. Preparation becomes empowering rather than demoralizing.

Why Traditional LSAT Prep Often Falls Short

Traditional LSAT prep classes tend to follow a familiar model. Large groups. Fast moving lectures. Heavy emphasis on shortcuts and speed. Limited time for questions. Minimal individual feedback.

This model rewards students who can process information quickly in real time and penalizes those who need more time to absorb, reflect, or organize their thinking.

Students who struggle in these environments are often told to:

• Practice more questions

• Push themselves to move faster

• Stop overthinking

• Trust shortcuts that do not feel intuitive

  
  

For neurodiverse students, this advice can be deeply frustrating. A student with a reading based learning disability may need time to decode dense passages before engaging in analysis. A student with ADHD may understand the material but struggle to maintain focus in long lectures. A student with anxiety may experience cognitive shutdown under constant speed pressure. A student with processing speed differences may reason accurately but need additional time to arrive at conclusions.

In traditional prep settings, these challenges are frequently misinterpreted as lack of effort or ability. Students internalize the belief that they are bad at the LSAT, when the reality is that they are being asked to prepare in conditions that do not align with how their brains work.

What It Means to Design LSAT Prep With Accommodations in Mind

Designing LSAT prep with accommodations in mind does not mean lowering standards or making the test easier. It means building instruction intentionally around how students learn best.

At Ginsburg Advanced, this design philosophy shows up in every aspect of our LSAT prep classes, including:

• Small group formats that allow for individualized attention

• Explicit, step by step instruction rather than assumed knowledge

• Multiple explanations for the same concept

• Flexible pacing that prioritizes mastery before speed

• Practice that mirrors actual accommodated testing conditions

  
  

When accommodations are embedded into the structure of a course from the beginning, they stop feeling like exceptions. Students no longer have to advocate constantly for basic access. The class itself is designed to support diverse learning needs.

The Power of Structure and Predictability

One of the most important features of accommodations designed LSAT prep classes is clear structure. Predictable routines reduce cognitive load and anxiety, especially for students with executive functioning challenges.

Classes designed this way typically include:

• Clear agendas and learning goals

• Consistent lesson formats

• Regular review and reinforcement

• Explicit transitions between activities

This structure benefits all students, not just those with diagnoses. When students know what to expect, they can focus their mental energy on reasoning rather than on navigating uncertainty.

At Ginsburg Advanced, structure is not rigid or punitive. It is intentional and supportive. It creates a learning environment where students can engage fully without feeling overwhelmed.

Rethinking Pacing and Time Pressure

Traditional LSAT prep often treats speed as the primary marker of success. Students are encouraged to rush through questions and passages as quickly as possible, sometimes before they truly understand the underlying logic.

Accommodations designed prep takes a different approach. Accuracy and reasoning come first. Speed develops as a byproduct of understanding.

Students learn:

• How to slow down strategically

• How to check their reasoning without second guessing themselves

• How to manage time realistically within their own cognitive framework

For students with extended time or stop the clock breaks, practicing with those accommodations from the beginning is essential. Ginsburg Advanced emphasizes alignment between practice conditions and actual testing conditions so students are not forced to relearn how to take the test at the last minute.

Strategy That Matches How Students Actually Test

One of the most overlooked problems in LSAT prep is strategy misalignment. Many prep programs teach strategies designed for standard time conditions and expect students with accommodations to adapt them on their own.

Courses designed with accommodations in mind teach strategy in context. Students learn how their accommodations affect:

• Passage reading techniques

• Question prioritization

• Timing decisions

• Mental stamina across sections

This alignment helps students build confidence and consistency. They are not constantly trying to translate generic advice into something that works for them. Instead, they are given tools that fit their actual testing experience.

Emotional Safety and Confidence Building

LSAT prep is emotionally demanding, especially for students with histories of academic frustration or test anxiety. Traditional prep environments often amplify stress through competition, comparison, and pressure to perform quickly.

Accommodations designed LSAT prep classes prioritize emotional safety. At Ginsburg Advanced, this means:

• Normalizing questions and confusion

• Treating mistakes as part of the learning process

• Measuring progress individually rather than comparatively

• Creating a supportive, non judgmental classroom culture

When students feel safe, their cognitive resources are freed up. They can engage more deeply with the material and take the intellectual risks necessary for growth.

Guidance Through the LSAT Accommodations Process

For many students, navigating the LSAC accommodations process is as intimidating as the LSAT itself. Students may be unsure whether they qualify, what documentation is required, or how to approach the application.

Ginsburg Advanced specializes in guiding students through this process. Our expertise includes:

• Helping students determine whether accommodations may be appropriate

• Explaining common accommodation options and how they affect testing

• Clarifying documentation requirements and timelines

• Supporting students without pressuring them to apply

This guidance reframes accommodations as a tool for access rather than a reflection of weakness. Students are empowered to make informed decisions about how to best demonstrate their abilities.

How Accommodations Designed Prep Benefits Students Without Learning Disabilities

LSAT prep classes designed with accommodations in mind are often assumed to be useful only for students with diagnosed learning disabilities. In reality, they benefit a much broader group of students.

Clear instruction, intentional pacing, and structured learning environments help everyone learn more effectively. Many students without formal diagnoses struggle in traditional prep classes due to burnout, anxiety, or ineffective study habits.

These students often benefit from:

• Slower, more deliberate instruction

• Explicit reasoning frameworks

• Opportunities to ask questions without pressure

• Emphasis on accuracy over rushing

Even high scoring students can improve through this approach. Many strong test takers lose points due to careless mistakes or overconfidence. Accommodations designed prep emphasizes self monitoring and precision, skills that improve performance across the board.

Personalized Feedback and Individual Growth

Another defining feature of accommodations designed LSAT prep classes is personalized feedback. Smaller class sizes allow instructors to focus on how students think, not just what answers they choose.

At Ginsburg Advanced, instructors look for patterns such as:

• Consistent timing issues

• Attention lapses

• Misinterpretation of question stems

• Anxiety driven second guessing

Students learn not just how to answer LSAT questions, but how to understand their own cognitive patterns. This self awareness leads to more effective studying and greater independence.

Redefining What Success Looks Like

Traditional LSAT prep often defines success narrowly, focusing only on score increases and percentiles. Accommodations designed prep broadens the definition.

Success includes:

• Building confidence as a thinker

• Developing sustainable study habits

• Learning how to advocate for one’s needs

• Accessing the test in a way that reflects true ability

Scores matter, but they are not the only measure of progress. This reframing helps students stay engaged and motivated throughout the prep process.

Benefits That Extend Beyond the LSAT

The skills developed in accommodations designed LSAT prep extend far beyond the exam. Students learn how to manage cognitive load, regulate stress, and approach complex material strategically.

These skills are critical for law school success. Law school demands intensive reading, analytical reasoning, and self regulation. Students who have learned how to work with their brains rather than against them are better prepared for these challenges.

Why Starting With Accommodations Matters

It is possible to add accommodations onto traditional LSAT prep, but this approach has limitations. When accommodations are treated as afterthoughts, they often clash with existing strategies and structures.

Designing from the ground up means starting with the assumption that students learn differently. It means building flexibility, clarity, and support into every aspect of the course. This is the approach Ginsburg Advanced takes, and it is why our LSAT prep feels fundamentally different.

A More Humane Model of LSAT Prep

At its core, LSAT prep designed with accommodations in mind represents a more humane approach to education. It recognizes that intelligence is not defined by speed and that access matters.

For students who have struggled in traditional academic environments, this approach can be transformative. It allows them to see themselves as capable thinkers and future lawyers.

For students without learning disabilities, it offers a more thoughtful and effective way to prepare. It emphasizes understanding over memorization and reasoning over shortcuts.

Getting Started

LSAT prep classes designed from the ground up with accommodations in mind change everything because they shift the focus from forcing students to fit the test to helping the test reflect students’ true abilities.

By prioritizing access, structure, emotional safety, and individualized strategy, programs like those at Ginsburg Advanced create pathways for a wider range of students to succeed. The LSAT is a gateway to legal education. Preparation should open doors, not reinforce barriers.

When LSAT prep is designed with accommodations at the foundation, students are not just prepared for a test. They are prepared to thrive. Get started now.

Article by: Shana Ginsburg, Esq.

Shana Ginsburg is the founder of Ginsburg Advanced and a nationally recognized expert in LSAT accommodations and neurodiverse LSAT prep. She earned a BA in Education from Duke University and her law degree from the University of Maryland and is a practicing disability attorney. Her work focuses on helping students with learning disabilities access the LSAT in a way that reflects their true abilities through personalized, accommodations-aware instruction.