What is the LSAT?
The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is a half-day standardized exam run four times each year at chosen testing centers all over the world. Directed by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for potential law school candidates, the LSAT is intended to measure reading comprehension, logical, and verbal reasoning abilities. The exam is an essential part of the law school admission process in the United States, Canada, the University of Melbourne, Australia, and a rising amount of other countries.
It was originally created to give law programs a uniform way to measure candidates aside from GPA. The existing form of the test has been used since 1991. The test has six total segments: four scored multiple choice sections, an unscored experimental section, and an unscored writing section.
Many students find that using test preparations books help to improve their scores.
See our list of the best LSAT prep books here.
LSAT Format
Logical Reasoning (2 Sections) | 24-26 Questions per section | 35 Minutes per section | Tests ability to determine main points of arguments, apply logic to abstract concepts, find relevant information within a text, and analyze and evaluate arguments |
Analytical Reasoning | 23-24 Questions | 35 Minutes | Tests ability to understand effects of rules on decisions and outcomes, determine relationships between concepts, analyze situations and draw conclusions based on set guidelines, and apply logic to ambiguous or complex situations |
Reading Comprehension | 26-28 Questions | 35 Minutes | Tests ability to draw inferences based on text, determine main ideas of passages, find relevant information within a text, understand a dense, scholarly text |
Essay Section | 1 Essay | 35 Minutes | Tests ability to form an argument based on given facts, support an argument, use written English to express an idea |
LSAT Scoring Structure
The LSAT is a standardized exam in that LSAC fine-tunes raw scores to fit an projected norm to overcome the possibility that some administrations may be more difficult than others. Standardized scores are dispersed on a scale with a low of 120 to a high of 180.
Raw scores are changed to a scaled score with a high of 180, a low of 120, and an average score around 150. When a candidate applies to a law program, all marks from the past five years are reported, though, depending on the program, the highest score or an average score may be used. The 2016–2017 fee to sit for the LSAT is US$180.
Examinees have the choice of withdrawing their scores within six days after the test, before they get their scores. LSAC still reports to law programs that the pupil registered for and took the test, but releases no score. Test takers usually obtain their scores by e-mail between three and four weeks after the test.
LSAT Availability
LSAC runs the LSAT four times per year: June, September/October, December and February. The June examination marks the beginning of a new “cycle” of testing as most students plan to apply for law school the subsequent year. The September/October administration is usually the most widely held with the February administration being the least widely held.
There are a limited amount of seats accessible at each exam center for each exam administration. You should sign up as timely as possible to increase your odds of being assigned to your first-choice exam center.
Find your nearest testing location here.
If you register online, you can check exam center accessibility in real time.
If you register by mail and neither of your chosen exam centers is open, LSAC will assign you to a center that is as nearby to your choices as possible; however, LSAC cannot promise that a center located within a equitable distance from your chosen centers will be available. Your LSAT admission receipt will reflect your assigned exam center.