All That You Must Know about the Law School Admission Test

Regardless of how you do in college or when you decide to go to law school, you can, and should, prepare thoroughly for the LSAT, a major criterion that is always within your control. As with any important test, the LSAT requires intense study and serious preparation. Though there may be exceptional individuals who can achieve high scores sitting for the test cold (that is, without studying), they are rare and you should not count on being one of them. Further, you may have been told that, since you can sit for the LSAT as many times as you wish, you can consider your first time taking the test as practice. Such an assertion is a harmful half-truth at best. Subsequent sittings can improve a poor first score. However, the first score will be averaged in with subsequent scores and the average score will be reported to law schools to which you apply. Thus, if you score a 150 on your first LSAT and an outstanding 170 on your second try, the average score will be only a modestly impressive 160. Most schools will use this average score in judging your admissions application. Therefore, like the bar exam, the LSAT is a test you should plan to take only once.

You can prepare for the LSAT by taking a formal lecture course, or by home study with the aid of a current test guide publication such as Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc's How To Prepare For The LSAT or ARCO's LSAT. With hard work, excellent results can be obtained with either method. Each method, however, has its own advantages.


A formal LSAT course offers individuals a structured method for preparing for the LSAT. Most of these courses have good instructors who have spent years studying the ins and outs of this exam and can impart at least some of their knowledge to their students. These courses can also offer their students realistic practice exams along with tips on the art of exam taking and timing. The best of the LSAT courses and the one we recommend is Stanley Kaplan's review course, which provides live lectures and taped analyses of old LSAT exams. While this preparation service is relatively expensive, a good LSAT score is worth the price, if you can afford it.

If you have the self-discipline to study without interruption on your own for three or four hours each day for several weeks, an equally good (and far less costly) method of LSAT study is by using a home study guide. One of us used such a method and achieved an LSAT score in the 94th percentile. If you choose this route, try to pick the most comprehensive and challenging study guide possible. Make sure it is updated and revised for the current LSAT format (the test format has changed significantly several times in the last 10 years). You should pace yourself and strictly follow the advice of the guide you have chosen; do not attempt to take a full-length exam at your first sitting since this will probably end up frustrating you. Because the LSAT is a timed test, you should take practice tests under timed conditions approximating actual exam conditions as closely as possible. If for any reason this is difficult for you to do on your own, you should strongly consider taking a formal review course.

Additionally, either method of studying for the LSAT can be supplemented by studying questions from previous tests. These old tests can be obtained from the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) for a nominal charge.

The LSAT score scale currently ranges from 120 to 180. The scoring system is scaled, meaning that your raw score (number of right answers) will be converted to a scaled score by applying a formula. The formula varies from test to test and is designed to adjust raw scores to account for varying degrees of difficulty between tests. The LSAT consists of five 35-minute sections, and a 30-minute writing sample is also required. The LSAT is a multiple-choice exam. Each 35-minute LSAT section presents a series of one type of multiple-choice questions. There are typically 22-28 questions in each series, and five answer choices are given for each question. One of the sections will be experimental and will not count toward your score, but you probably will not be able to tell which. You should therefore not even try to determine which section is experimental—just do your best on every section.

Course and home study guides analyze question types and classify them into groups such as reading comprehension, analytical reasoning (or logical games), and logical reasoning. These groups will correspond to the sections on the test itself. Since your LSAT score will be based solely on the number of correct answers you give, guessing is definitely advantageous.

The LSAT writing sample is a written essay in response to a previously unknown topic or question that is set forth at the end of the test. All that is required is a contemporaneous writing sample. There is no right or wrong essay answers-it is the quality and logical coherence of your prose and expositional skills that count. This part of the test is not reflected in your score, but it is sent to the law schools you apply to for evaluation.

Although it is not quantified as part of the LSAT score, the importance of the essay portion of the test should not be underestimated. While a good writing sample generally will not rescue a poor LSAT score, a poor writing sample may well undermine a good score. Some law schools also use the writing sample as a tiebreaker to decide between different students they are considering for a single spot in the incoming class. Improving your writing skills requires lots of practice, so take college courses that include frequent essay examinations. It also helps to read classics and other well-written literature. In addition, you should consult the classic text by Strunk and White, The Elements of Style.

The LSAT is given four times annually, in June, October, December, and February. You should set up a plan to study during the summer for the October exam; that way, if you need to, you can take the exam again in December and still be considered for admission to law school the following fall. You must register a month in advance of your test date to avoid paying a significant late registration fee. Registration materials and information can be obtained through your undergraduate college dean or pre-law advisor, or by writing to LSAS at the address given previously or calling LSAS at (215) 968-1001. You should also register for the LSDAS along with the LSAT. The LSDAS sends a report to all law schools you designate. The report includes:
 

• your LSAT score and writing sample
   
• a summary of your academic work
   
• your college transcript

Having LSDAS perform this essential service for you will ease your own workload during the stressful application process, and is now required by most law schools.

Letters of Recommendation and Other Materials

Besides your LSAT score and UGPA, law school admissions committees use application answers, writing samples, and letters of recommendation to evaluate candidates. Writing samples, in addition to the LSAT essay, are typically required by the law schools themselves. Most often, the law school requires you to write a personal statement, or an essay on a topic such as why you want to (or are uniquely qualified to) study law. These essays are very important and should be carefully crafted for both writing style and substance. They can go far toward making you stand out from other potential students in your UGPA/LSAT range.

Letters of recommendation are important, too. In securing such letters, you should be aware that letters written by individuals who are intimately familiar with your college work or other work habits almost universally carry the most weight. Thus, you should seek letters from former professors and employers who know something about you personally, rather than from famous alumni of the school you are applying to or other noteworthy individuals (unless, of course, such persons have personal knowledge of your analytical skills or work habits).

For example, if you did exceptionally well in a particular college course, ask the professor who taught the course to write you a letter of recommendation. Even if that professor does not remember you specifically, you can sit down with her and suggest that she could refresh her recollection about your talents by rereading an old exam or term paper. You may also provide her with your current resume. Most professors who are approached in a courteous and respectful manner are flattered to be asked to write a letter of recommendation about their past students and will do so with a fair amount of thoughtfulness, skill, and accuracy.