The LSAT Test – Overview
The LSAT, or Law School Admission Test, is a standardised examination, traditionally used to determine whether candidates are well-suited to a career in the legal sector, and are likely to perform at a high level during their studies in law. The LSAT is required in the USA, Canada and by the University of Melbourne, Australia.
LSAT vs. GRE Test
Like the SAT, the LSAT has attracted some criticism over the years, and, at the time of writing, a number of American universities have begun to move away from requiring LSAT results, and have started allowing applicants to submit their scores from the GRE (Graduate Record Exam).
However, it is worth bearing in mind that all American universities accept the LSAT, whereas only a few have made it optional and moved towards accepting the GRE instead. The latter include Georgetown University, Harvard School of Law, Columbia University, Northwestern University, the University of Hawaii Law School, University of Arizona College of Law and Washington University in St Louis. It seems likely that this trend will continue, however, and that the number of universities which accept both the GRE and the LSAT, or either test, or even both, is bound to grow. For up to the minute information, call us here, at Elab, and we will check whether the law school you wish to attend still insists on LSAT scores, or whether it has changed its entrance policies.
The LSAT Test – practical information
You can take the LSAT up to three times in one admission year and will have to pay a fee of approximately $215 for every attempt.
Scores fall in the 120-180 range and are calculated and adjusted through ordinal grading systems. Although you are not likely to get 180 in the LSAT, and anyone who scores 160+ has a chance of being admitted to study law – if their GPA, references and Personal Statement are strong – leading law schools tend to accept candidates who have scored over 170. For example, both Harvard and Yale require 174, as does Columbia Law School; Stanford, the University of Chicago and New York University demand 172; while Cornell,Georgetown, Northwestern, UPenn and the University of Michigan ask for a slightly lower score of 171 in the LSAT.
Sitting the LSAT
You can sit the LSAT five times a year: in February, June, July, September and November. Once you register with the LSAC, see below, you will be given a list of dates available for your geographical region.
At present, the LSAT is taken online and is a live, proctored test. You will need to make sure that your laptop or computer uses a Chrome or Firefox browser, and that it has a microphone and camera. You can choose a date and time, which you are able to change online via LSAC on the LSAT status page, if you make a mistake. Note costs for late changes, below.
You register to sit the LSAT through the LSAC, the Law School Admission Council website, which combines the scores you gain in the LSAT with writing samples into a report, and sends this to the law schools to which you have applied. This process is called the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) and you have to pay a fee of $195, and $45 for the law school report. Virtually every law school expects you to submit CAS reports when applying for a place. Other fees include: $135 for changing your test date up to 10 days after the registration deadline, and $215 if you go over the test date registration by 11 or more days.
The LSAT Writing paper
This is a mandatory part of sitting the LSAT and your application is not complete until you have provided a writing sample, in spite of the fact that the essay is not scored. The writing paper can be done up to eight days before you sit the LSAT multiple-choice paper, and takes 35 minutes. You will need to install proctored software on your computer. The writing paper gives you a decision-prompt: a problem with two criteria for making a decision. You are expected to explain why you chose one option and not the other. You must show that you can use evidence to back up your position, structure and organise your material, argue logically and create a persuasive argument. The majority of LSAT candidates prefer to do this paper before they sit the main test, and get it out of the way!
The LSAT Test preparation courses
Take the LSAT Test preparation course and you show that you're able to work or study effectively in an English-speaking environment.
The LSAT sections
Each section of the LSAT is made up of multiple choice questions which have to be answered in 35 minutes. You are given a break between Section 2 and Section 3, but must check in with the proctor before you resume the test, in order not to be disqualified.
One section of the test is experimental and is not scored, although you will not be told which it is at the time of doing the LSAT. The aim of the experimental section is to try out new forms of questions for future tests.
Reading Comprehension
You will be given four passages of 400-500 words each, and will be asked to answer between five and eight questions. This section has 26-28 questions in total and the texts could come from the arts, law, philosophy, social sciences, physics or humanities. One of the four passages usually includes two sources. The passages will be used to: ask you to find the main idea; to make inferences from the information you have been given and apply it to another situation; to highlight specific information. When you look through old LSAT papers, you will appreciate the complexity of many of the texts. Do not panic if it is a field with which you are unfamiliar, or you come across words which you do not know. Just concentrate on the argument and the reasoning and suppositions behind it.
Logical reasoning
This section generates half the marks in the LSAT as a whole and is made up of two sub-sections, each of which contains 24-26 questions to be answered in 35 minutes (70 minutes total). The questions all contain arguments which you have to assess, evidence, use to find conclusions, critique or disprove. You must ensure that you read the questions very carefully and watch out for words such as “but”, “however” and “therefore “ which will steer you towards the right answer.
You may have to identify assumptions or statements which either undermine or strengthen an argument, or use parallel reasoning to extract the main point and apply it to a different scenario. Remember, too, that you are being asked for the best answer and, on occasion, you may be torn between two possible options If this occurs, make sure that you choose the most likely and most logical option.
Analytical Reasoning
Often referred to as the Logic Games section, Analytical Reasoning is made up of between 22 and 24 multiple-choice questions, which have to be answered in 35 minutes. Sequencing games, which ask you to put selected items in the right order, are very common in this part of the LSAT. You will be given short 100 word passages of text, called set-ups, which describe items and conditions: for example, John, Marty, Alex, Rose and Howard (items) and differences in age, i.e.: John is not the youngest, but is ten per cent older than Howard (conditions).The environments vary and are based on real-life rather than the law. They can include queues, appointments, meetings, manufacturing processes, seating plans etc.
The best way to approach this type of question is to try and eliminate any item which does not fit the conditions, and it is once again important to differentiate between indicator words such as “and /or”, “must/might” etc., since they are crucial signposts which will lead you to the right answer. The Analytical Reasoning paper is worth 25 per cent of the overall LSAT marks and is one which you can practise. Futhermore, the aim of this section is to determine whether you can use a selection of rules and facts to discover what is true, and to find out if you can grasp the structure of a set of relationships, make accurate inferences, recognise the effect of the conditional and the hypothetical, and determine what cannot be true.
There is a large body of resources available online which you should find the time to work through, in order to get a good score in the Analytical Reasoning section of the LSAT. Make sure that you do not simply tackle the questions, but that you also read through the explanations given with the answers, so that you start to understand how the questions are formed and how they can be approached. Remember, too, that you will have under 90 seconds to digest the question and the possible answers before you need to choose – and this is not a long period of time.
Sitting the LSAT
On the appointed day, you must make sure that the room you have chosen for the online test is quiet, free of banned items, that no one, human or animal, is going to come in and disturb you while you are online ,and that you have checked-in with the proctor in good time and shown photo-ID.
Regulations – prohibited items:
Sunglasses
Hoodies or any clothing which hides your face
Fitness trackers
Digital watches
Chronograph watches
Mobile phone
Pager
Books or other printed material
Calculator
Headset
iPod or any media player
Cameras
Recording devices
E-cigarettes
Bags
- Ear plugs – UNLESS they are generic, foam ear plugs.
Your test will be recorded and reviewed by the proctors, and your face has to be seen at all times while you are sitting the LSAT.
Regulations – permitted items:
- Highlighter
- Eraser
- Pencil sharpener
- Drink in a juice box – not a can – up to 20 ounces in volume
- Non-digital watch – which you must hold up to the camera for the proctor to inspect
- Tissues
- Pencil and pen
When will I get my LSAT results?
You will get your results 3-4 weeks after sitting the LSAT, and have a six-day period in which to request cancellation of your score, so it is not sent on to the law schools to which you are applying. You will be able to access your results on the LSAT status page of your LSAC account, and will receive an email to alert you that your score is posted online. If you have not completed the LSAT writing paper, your score will not be released.
And finally…
Contact Elab if you have any questions or need extra information on the LSAT – and start working towards the test at least three months in advance. Familiarising yourself with the styles and types of questions you will have to answer will train you to work quickly and look for relevant facts and statements.
Above all, stay calm and make sure you have done a number of timed mock papers before you come to sit the LSAT.
Good luck!
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