The LSAT

  1. Rationale: The LSAT is designed to measure the intellectual abilities and skills that are deemed essential to the successful study of law. Based upon validity studies, the LSAT is considered to be a fairly reliable predictor of first year grades in law school. All ABA-accredited law schools accept the LSAT.
  2. Dates given: The LSAT is administered approximately eight (8) times each year, as follows: January, February, April, June, August, September, October, and November. You may complete the LSAT in an online, live remote-proctored testing environment or in person at a Prometric digital testing center.
  3. Registering for the LSAT: You may register for the LSAT (1) online through your LSAC.org account or (2) by telephoning LSAC at 215.968.1001. You also should register for the Credential Assembly Service at the same time.
    • You should take the LSAT by no later than October or November of the year preceding the fall in which you wish to matriculate at a law school. For example, if you intend to begin law school in Fall 2025, you should take the LSAT by no later than November 2024. Although schools may accept scores from a later exam date, admissions decisions are made on a rolling basis. Therefore, the sooner you submit your application, the better positioned you will be in the applicant pool. Optimally, you should take the LSAT in the summer after completing your junior year courses or in early fall of your senior year. In either case, you should plan to submit your applications early in the fall of your senior year, preferably September, October or November.
  4. LSAT accommodations for students with disabilities: If you have a documented disability (as defined by the Americans With Disabilities Act), and require accommodations to complete the LSAT, you MUST first register to complete the LSAT on a specific test date and submit a request for the accommodations by the registration deadline for that specific LSAT test date. Be sure to provide all of the requested documentation to LSAC. Requests for accommodations are reviewed by LSAC in the order in which they are received. Because of the large volume of requests received by LSAC, you should apply as early as possible before the designated test date deadline. By applying early, you will afford yourself ample time to respond to requests by LSAC for additional information, or to file a timely appeal with LSAC in the event of a denial or inadequate accommodations. All requests for reconsideration and supporting documentation must be received by the deadline for the specific LSAT test date for which you have registered. PLEASE, PLAN AHEAD!
  5. Form of the LSAT: Beginning with the August 2024 LSAT administration, the test will include three scored sections and one unscored section (that will be used to validate new test questions for future use.) The unscored section can be either of the question types — reading comprehension or logical reasoning — and can occur at any point in the test. You will be allotted 35 minutes to complete each section. The LSAT also includes a new writing sample, framed as an argumentative writing sample, that can be taken on a separate date and time.
    1. The multiple-choice section of the test is comprised of the following:
      1. Reading Comprehension (one section of approximately 27 questions)
      2. Logical Reasoning (two sections of approximately 25 questions each)
      3. One unscored section (consisting of questions from one of the two types of questions listed above)
    2. The argumentative writing sample is replacing the previously-employed writing prompt and is administered separately from the multiple-choice section of the LSAT via a secure online testing platform. You are required to have a completed writing sample in your file in order to see your test score or have your score released to law schools. You are eligible to take LSAT Writing sample starting eight (8) days prior to your LSAT administration. For your LSAT to be considered complete, you will need to take the LSAT Writing section of the test if you do not already have a writing sample on file from a previous LSAT administration. The writing prompt is changing as of the August 2024 test administration. You will be afforded 50 minutes in total to complete the essay: 15 minutes for prewriting analysis and 35 minutes for essay writing. This new approach to the writing assessment aims to assess a test taker’s ability to construct a cogent argument based on a variety of evidentiary sources, reflecting different perspectives on the issue, that will be provided to you. After considering all the materials and your own perspective, you will draft an argumentative essay in which you take a position on the issue, while addressing some of the arguments and ideas presented by the other perspectives. In short, you will have an opportunity to construct an original thesis and defend it based on your own judgment and analytical evaluation. Law admission officers will have a better opportunity to evaluate your ability to employ various rhetorical techniques, evidentiary strategies, and other important aspects of argumentative writing. Your essay should reflect the logical development of your position. In addition, you should pay special attention to the mechanics of good writing – organization, clarity, grammar, and spelling. The writing sample is unscored; however, it is forwarded to the law schools with your LSAT score and may be considered in the admission decision.
  6. Scoring: The multiple choice sections of the test are scored based upon the number of correct answers given. No penalty is assessed for guessing. Therefore, never leave an answer blank -- guess! The LSAT scale ranges from 120 (the lowest possible score) to 180 (the highest possible score).
  7. Score Cancellation: You may cancel your LSAT score within 6 days of your test administration date. Note, however, that you will not yet have received your score so you will be cancelling without knowing the actual score. If you choose to purchase LSAT Score Preview (the cost of which varies depending upon whether you purchase before or after the test administration date), you can cancel your score within 6 days of receiving your score. Be aware that cancelled scores count against the number of times you may take the LSAT, and a notation will appear on your law school reports indicating that you cancelled the score.
  8. Repeated Tests: Starting with the September 2019 test administration, test takers will be permitted to take the LSAT:
    • Five times within the current and five past testing years (the period in which LSAC reports scores to law schools).
    • A total of seven times over a lifetime.
    • This policy is forward-looking, not retroactive. Tests taken prior to September 2019 will not count against these numerical limits.
    • Please see the LSAC’s website for further detailed information regarding these parameters.

    You should not approach the LSAT, however, with a view that you can "just take it again" if you're not satisfied with the score from your first effort. Why not?

    1. Absent unusual circumstances (such as illness during the test), you should not assume that you would gain a dramatic increase in your score simply by repeating the LSAT. A research report sponsored by the LSAC determined that on the 120-180 LSAT score scale, second-time takers earned, on average, about 2.7 points higher than their first scores, and third-time takers earned only 1.5 points higher than their second scores. (See The Performance of Repeat Test Takers on the Law School Admission Test, Deborah L. Schnipke, Lisa Anthony, and Lynda M. Reese.)
    2. Law schools will be aware of each of your LSAT scores. LSAC automatically reports the results of all LSATs in your file, including cancellations and absences, since June 1, 2004. Law schools may be influenced by an LSAC-sponsored study which concluded that the average score better predicts first year law school grades than using either the highest or most recent score. See The Validity of Law School Admission Test Scores for Repeaters: A Replication, Susan P. Dalessandro and Lori D. McLeod.

    In short, you should be prepared to take the LSAT once and perform to the best of your ability. HOWEVER, if you do not score within a consistent range of your practice tests, it may be to your advantage to take the LSAT again given the weight assigned to this score in the decision-making process.

  9. Test Preparation:
    1. You would be ill-advised to take the LSAT without adequate preparation.
    2. The LSAT is unlike any other test you have taken and requires some time to acquaint yourself with the types of questions posed. Although you cannot study for the LSAT in the same way in which you study for college exams, you can develop a familiarity with the form of test questions and develop a strategy for responding to the questions. In any event, it is very unlikely that you will perform well if you walk in cold.
    3. The LSAC makes available study materials, including past tests, that you can use to prepare for the LSAT. You can access these materials through LSAC’s LawHub and, for an additional fee, LawHub Advantage. In addition, LSAC has partnered with Khan Academy to provide FREE, personalized test prep. These resources are accessible through the LSAC’s website under the tab The LSAT and LawHub. You should explore the LSAC’s webpage to determine which resources might work best for you.
    4. A number of commercial courses also exist to help you prepare for the exam; however, the cost of these courses can be substantial. You are NOT required to take an LSAT prep course!
    5. The most important point to remember is that you take time to prepare for the LSAT, regardless of which method you choose. The golden rule when it comes to preparing for the LSAT is practice, practice, practice!
  10. LSAT Alternatives: Some law schools are willing to accept GRE scores in place of LSAT scores. Be aware, however, that some schools may not offer scholarships to GRE test-takers. Also, if a student completes the LSAT and submits a GRE score, the LSAT score will automatically be reported to law schools as part of the student’s application unless the student cancels the score. Each school will determine how to consider the GRE and LSAT scores in the application process. The ABA recently amended its rules and will allow law schools to choose which score to report – LSAT or GRE. The impact of this rule change is not yet known. Finally, law schools are beginning to consider whether to accept the J.D. Next score for purposes of the application process. If you have any questions about whether or how LSAT, GRE and J.D. Next scores will be considered for purposes of the admissions and scholarship processes, you should contact the specific law schools to which you are applying.