The LSAT Graduate Admissions Test

The LSAT, or Law School Admissions Test, is a test that assesses potential future lawyers and their general ability to complete law material and work. Used as a barometer for law schools to assess potential incoming students, the LSAT is accepted by all law schools nationwide, and offers challenging questions in several areas of assessment.

About the LSAT

The LSAT is half day exam that consists of five 35-minute sections of multiple-choice questions. Four of the five sections contribute to the test taker’s score. The unscored section, commonly referred to as the variable section, typically is used to pretest new test questions.

The LSAT is broken out into the following areas of assessment: reading comprehension, analytical reasoning, and logical reasoning. There is also a 35 minute writing portion which measures your skill in planning and writing short essays. The writing portion will not be included in your final composite score, but will be sent along with your LSAT score. The test is taken in a classroom over 4 or 5 hours and which includes two short breaks. Find out more about the different sections of the LSAT below:

Reading Comprehension: Reading comprehension measures your ability to read with understanding and insight, which mimics examples of lengthy and complex materials similar to those encountered in law school work. The reading comprehension section contains four sets of reading questions, each consisting of a selection of reading material, followed by five to eight questions that test reading and reasoning abilities.

Analytical Reasoning: Analytical reasoning measures your ability to understand a structure of relationships and to draw logical conclusions about that structure. You are asked to make assessments from a set of statements, rules, or conditions that describe relationships among people, places, things, or events. They simulate the kinds of detailed analyses of relationships that a law student must perform in solving legal problems.

Logical Reasoning: Logical reasoning problems are designed to evaluate your ability to understand, analyze, criticize, and complete a variety of arguments. Each logical reasoning question requires you to read and comprehend a short passage, then answer a question about it. The questions test a variety of abilities involved in reasoning logically and thinking critically.

Who Needs to Take the LSAT?

The LSAT is available to all potential future lawyers who are looking to attend law school who already have a college degree. All law schools in the United States accept the LSAT.

How Much Does the LSAT Cost?

The LSAT registration fee is around $150 for the LSAT, which sends out your results scores to several colleges of your choice.

Other fees
-Changing your test date after registration: $66
-Viewing your scores online: free

How do I Assess My LSAT score?

The LSAT gives individual test scores for all sections as well as an overall composite score which is an average of the scores of all sections (minus that of the random unscored section). Your composite score will be assessed in your entrance applications to the law schools of your choice. The LSAT scores range from 120-180.

When and Where is the test offered?

The LSAT exam is offered 4 times a year in June, September, December, and February. Your LSAT test scores are typically available for viewing 8 weeks after taking the exam.

There are LSAT test centers conveniently located throughout all 50 states and United States territories. Please visit www.lsac.org to find a testing center near you.

How Can I Prepare for the LSAT Exam?

You can prepare for the LSAT exam by practicing full-length exams, signing up for instructor led classes, online prep courses, private tutoring, and more. There is a variety of graduate test prep companies who offer many services aimed to help you achieve your ideal score on the LSAT. Popular LSAT test prep companies include Kaplan, Princeton Review, Sylvan Learning.