Most law schools approved by the American Bar Association require applicants to take the LSAT (Law School Admission Test) for admissions and to prove they have what it takes to succeed in law school. If you’re aiming for some of the top law schools, you’ll need to achieve almost perfect scores. Here’s all that you need to know to ace the LSAT.
LSAT at a Glance
Law schools across the United States, Canada and many other countries require applicants to take the LSAT as part of their admission process. The half-day standardized test gives law schools the opportunity to assess an applicant’s reading and verbal reasoning skills, as well as other abilities required to excel as a student.
The Law School Admission Council (LASC) establishes the test dates, locations, deadlines and procedures well in advance of the LSAT exam, which is administered four times each year. According to Law Services, which produces the test, the LSAT is designed “to measure skills that are considered essential for success in law school: the reading and comprehension of complete texts with accuracy and insight; the organization and management of information and the ability to draw reasonable inferences from it; the ability to reason critically; and the analysis and evaluation of the reasoning and argument of others.”
What to Expect From the LSAT
The LSAT has five 35-minute sections of multiple-choice questions, out of which one section is not part of the score.
- The first section consists of logical reasoning and measures your ability to analyze, evaluate and complete arguments.
- The second section consisting of analytical reasoning assesses your ability to understand relationship structures and arrive at logical conclusions.
- The third is the reading comprehension section to measure your ability to understand lengthy and complex reading materials that are similar to the studies you’ll undertake at law school.
- The fourth section of the LSAT test is the experimental section, which is meant for pretesting new test items for future use and can appear anywhere across the test. Remember that the placement of the experimental section will vary, and it will not be a part of your score, but you’ll be able to identify the unscored section after receiving your score report.
- Towards the end, you’ll be administered a 35-minute essay writing test to measure your ability to argue in support of or against a particular subject. Similar to the experimental section, the writing test is also not graded, but your essay will be sent to the law schools you’ve applied as part of the admission process.
LSAT Scoring Explained
Your LSAT test score will be calculated on a scale of 120 to 180 points based upon the number of correct answers marked by you, but there will be no deductions for any incorrect answers you may have provided. If you’ve applied to some of the top law schools, then you should aim high as most of them accept applicants with almost perfect scores such as 170 or higher.
If you’ve registered for an account with LSAC.org, then your score will be automatically emailed to you about three weeks after you take the test. Remember that your LSAT score will be released only to you as well as to the law schools you have applied.
When You Should Take the LSAT
The LSAT is administered four times in a year and you can choose from the test dates of June, late September/early October, December, and February. Some particular LSAT test dates may provide you an added advantage by allowing you more time for making preparation and studies.
For instance, if you take the LSAT in June, you’ll get enough time during the remaining summer to better prepare your application to law schools, obtain recommendations, draft your personal statement, and get to submit your application at the start of the admission cycle. Taking the LSAT in June will also allow you retake the test in September/October in case you decide to cancel your scores. Having said that, remember that it’s always best to take the LSAT on the earliest date when you are confident of being fully prepared.
How to Best Prepare for the LSAT
Achieving perfect scores in the LSAT requires some preparation, and you should consider taking a class, hiring a private tutor and using practice exams. The best way to achieve your highest possible LSAT score is to use a combination of these three approaches.
- Take an LSAT class: Enroll for a well-structured LSAT course taught by a qualified instructor and having a limited number of students. This will help you prepare better for the test and learn a number of ways in which you can increase your score.
- Higher an LSAT tutor: Hire a professional LSAT tutor with at least a couple of years experience in teaching for the test. This will help you identify your weaknesses and focus on the areas that you need to strengthen in order to excel in the test.
- Take practice exams: After completing your LSAT class and one-to-one tutoring, you should take a minimum of 30 full-length practice exams to be fully prepared for the real LSAT exam. When taking practice exams, it’s important to know how to allot your time. Timed practice is one of the most critical parts of the test, and you should always use a stopwatch while taking a practice exam.
When You Should Cancel Your LSAT Score and Take a Retest
If you’re not satisfied with your exam performance, you can always cancel your LSAT score within five business days after taking the test. Keep in mind though that if you cancel your LSAT score after appearing for the test, you’ll never know how much you scored.
You can always take a retest and sit for the LSAT more than once, but you cannot appear for the LSAT more than three times in any two-year period. Remember that Law Services will report your average score, each separate score, and each cancellation to the law schools you apply. While one cancellation is unlikely to invite any queries from most law schools, multiple ones are bound to raise questions.
The decision to take a retest is fraught with risks as there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to achieve a significantly higher score and in fact, there are chances that you could fail to better your previous LSAT score. Still, if you feel that you were unprepared the last time you appeared for the LSAT and can increase your score after studying harder this time around, then you should definitely opt for a retest.
