Chapter 1

The L Team: The LSAT and Its Administrators

IN THIS CHAPTER

Exploring the sections of the LSAT

Understanding the LSAT scoring system

Knowing how and when to register for the LSAT

Studying for the LSAT

Meeting the LSAC

If you want to go to law school, you’ll likely take the Law School Admission Test, also known as the LSAT. Most of the more than 200 law schools that belong to the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) require the LSAT (see the later section “What Have You Done for Me Lately? The LSAC” for info about the LSAC). Some schools may allow you to substitute a GRE score for the LSAT. Testing requirements for law school have relaxed somewhat since 2020, but some law schools that don’t require either the LSAT or GRE for admission may not be approved by the American Bar Association (ABA), which in turn may not qualify you for admission to a state bar, so research throroughly a school that doesn’t require or highly recommend the LSAT.

The LSAT, annoying though it can be, provides a significant metric for law schools to evaluate their applicants on the same playing field. Colleges are different, backgrounds are different, and cultures are different, but the LSAT is the same for everyone. The LSAT is carefully designed so that the testing experience of test-takers is virtually identical. Each LSAT test is crafted so that test-takers have a 90 percent chance of scoring the same on a different version. So, law schools feel confident that the LSAT is an objective measure of student ability.

Grade point averages, unlike the LSAT, are highly subjective; they vary depending on the difficulty of a school, the difficulty of particular courses, and other random and unpredictable factors (like the grading policies of individual professors). Law school applications include other information like personal statements that can give schools an idea of a student’s abilities, but the schools still can’t know for sure that they’re getting the real goods — plenty of students get help writing those essays. That leaves the LSAT as one of the most reliable and objective means to compare candidates.

In this chapter, you get an introduction to the LSAT and its various parts and learn all about registering and preparing for the big day. You also get a peek at the organization behind all this madness, the LSAC.

If you’re going to be a lawyer, you have to get used to disclaimers, and here’s ours for this chapter. The technical information we offer about fees and procedures is subject to change, so refer to the official website (www.lsac.org) to verify the facts and figures for yourself.

Getting to Know the Enemy

If you want to get a decent score on the LSAT, you need to know the test. You can’t expect to walk into a test center cold, never having encountered an LSAT in your life, and just ace the questions.

You don’t necessarily have to study for a long time. If you’re good at standardized tests, you may be able to flip through one or two sample tests, work a few of the problems, get the idea, and score in the 95th percentile. Some people can. If, on the other hand, you find standardized tests generally challenging, and the LSAT difficult in particular, you probably need to devote yourself to more practice time to master the proven strategies provided by this book. Whatever your situation, keep motivated and prepare with the certainty that you can and will improve with dedicated practice.

The LSAT is offered digitally and consists of three different question types:

• Logical reasoning questions
• Reading comprehension questions
• Writing sample

The logical reasoning and reading comprehension sections consist of multiple-choice questions. You take these questions at a testing center in a format called the Digital LSAT, which delivers these questions via electronic software (available through the LSAC’s LawHub) rather than a paper booklet. The testing center supplies you with the computer and scratch paper and pencil to work through problems.

The LSAC also offers the option to take the LSAT via remote proctor (at least through 2024). Taking the test remotely allows you to test anywhere you have a reliable internet connection and interruption-free space. A remote proctor monitors your every move while you work. The LSAC hasn’t committed to offering this format after 2024.

The Digital LSAT consists of four separate test sections presented in no particular order:

• Two scored sections of logical reasoning
• One scored reading comprehension section
• One unscored section that can be another section of any of the three multiple-choice question types

You don’t know which section is unscored, and the unscored section looks just like any other LSAT test section. Every section lasts 35 minutes.

The unscored section that you take is a collection of questions that the LSAC is considering using on a future LSAT. The LSAC wants to see how well these new questions work when presented to actual LSAT-takers. This section can be logical reasoning or reading comprehension; you don’t know which section is unscored.

The writing sample isn’t offered at the test center. You prepare an essay on your own computer at home (or some other secluded place free of interruptions) in response to a specific prompt. The scheduled writing session is timed and remotely proctored. You must complete at least one writing sample before the LSAC will report your LSAT scores to law schools, but you don’t need to complete a writing sample every time you take the Digital LSAT.

The quickest way to get your hands on an actual LSAT is to take the free sample tests available in the LawHub on the LSAC website (www.lsac.org) or through http://khanacademy.org. Completing the samples is a good way to familiarize yourself with the test and its digital format.

Taking a Quick Look at the Types of Questions

The LSAT has two different kinds of multiple-choice questions and an unscored written essay. Each question type has its own virtues and vices, and you’ll come to know and love them all (though we won’t blame you if you pick a favorite).

Logical reasoning — putting your arguing skills to good use

The logical reasoning section consists of about 25 short (for example, three or four sentences) passages about various topics. Each of them is followed by one question. The questions ask you to identify the point of an argument, to make deductions about what the author is assuming, to draw conclusions, to identify principles or argument structures, to spot logical errors, and so forth.

Most of these questions involve informal or casual logic, the kind you use to make everyday decisions. All you have to do is read carefully (and quickly) and think clearly. Sometimes the wording is tricky, and you have to concentrate to avoid getting confused. Jotting down some notes or paraphrasing the passage in your own words can help you focus.

Every LSAT has two logical reasoning sections. Together, they’re worth about 50 percent of your LSAT score. Chapters 4 through 7 are full of information about logical reasoning.

Because the logical reasoning section is worth a considerable percentage of your total LSAT score, work hard on your technique for these problems. You get twice the benefit if you do well on this section!

Reading comprehension — concentrating and remembering what you read

In the reading comprehension section, you read three fairly long and one pair of shorter passages on particular topics and answer several questions about them. The questions ask about the author’s conclusion, the author’s tone, the meaning of words, how the passage is organized, and other points designed to test your ability to understand what you read. The good news: The LSAT uses a limited pool of question types over and over again. Because you can predict the types of questions being asked, you can practice reading to answer the questions you know you’ll see.

Topics range from humanities and science and social science disciplines to law-related writing. You don’t need any expertise in any particular area; in fact, if you have expertise in the subject of a passage, try to forget your outside knowledge. You want to answer all the questions from the information given to you in the passage. Outside knowledge may actually distract you!

This section tests your ability to read and understand a fairly long reading passage. Reading and understanding a long passage is applicable to law school because most law classes consist of reading long, densely worded passages on obscure topics and then answering questions about them.

The reading comprehension section accounts for about 25 percent of your LSAT score. See Chapters 8 and 9 for the lowdown.

The writing sample — jumping the final hurdle

The other part of the LSAT is the digital writing sample. You get 35 minutes to write your essay on your own computer. The essay topic lets you exhibit your skills at using a set of facts to defend one course of action over another.

For example, your question may ask you to decide which dog a widow should buy: a German shepherd, which would be a good guard dog but not very...