IN THIS CHAPTER
Exploring the various sections of the LSAT Understanding the LSAT scoring system Knowing how and when to register for the LSAT If you want to go to law school, youâll likely take the Law School Admission Test, also known as the LSAT. The more than 200 law schools that belong to the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) require the LSAT (see the later section âWhat Have You Done for Me Lately? The LSACâ for info about the LSAC). Some schools may allow you to substitute a GRE score for the LSAT. Law schools that donât 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 be careful about choosing a school that doesnât require 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 studentâs abilities, but the schools still canât know for sure that theyâre getting the real goods â 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 youâre going to be a lawyer, you have to get used to disclaimers, and hereâs 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 canât expect to walk into a test center cold, never having encountered an LSAT in your life, and just ace the questions.
You donât necessarily have to study for a long time. If youâre 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 four different question types:
- Analytical reasoning questions
- Logical reasoning questions
- Reading comprehension questions
- Writing sample
The analytical reasoning, 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 an electronic tablet rather than a paper booklet. The tablet format is similar to a paper test, but instead of marking answers with a No. 2 pencil, you mark and eliminate answers and highlight portions of the questions with a stylus. The testing center supplies you with scratch paper and a pen to work through problems; you can also bring in your own pencils and eraser.
The Digital LSAT consists of five separate test sections presented in no particular order:
- Two scored sections of logical reasoning
- One scored analytical reasoning section
- One scored reading comprehension section
- One unscored section that can be another section of any of the three multiple-choice question types
You donât 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 analytical reasoning, logical reasoning, or reading comprehension; you donât know which section is unscored.
The writing sample isnât 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 donât 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 at the LSAC website (
www.lsac.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 three different kinds of multiple-choice questions and an unscored written essay. Each questions type has its own virtues and vices, and youâll come to know and love them all (though we wonât blame you if you pick a favorite).
Analytical reasoning â playing games with your head
The analytical reasoning section consists of four logic problems â the infamous âlogic gamesâ â each of which is followed by between five and eight questions. These games involve a group of players (or game pieces) that you need to arrange or assign and the rules that govern how you go about it.
You may get something like: âFive college students â B, C, D, E, and F â must share three rooms in a house. B canât stay with D. E must stay with F.â This fact pattern is followed by several questions that allow you to explore your understanding of the relationships between the students and the dorm rooms. One question may propose five possible roommate arrangements and ask you to choose which one is the only one that could work.
This kind of puzzle commonly appears on IQ tests or in books of games to amuse travelers on airplanes. What they have to do with law school is a mystery to many people. The LSAC PrepTest booklets say that these types of problems âsimulate the kinds of detailed analyses of relationships that a law student must perform in solving legal problems.â And itâs true that the skills the analytical reasoning section tests are important in law school. To answer these questions correctly, you must read carefully and accurately. You have to apply rules to a system, which is similar to applying statutes or case law to a problem. You have to restrict your analysis to whatâs directly stated or to what can be logically inferred. So the analytical reasoning section is fairly useful at predicting who might succeed in law school.
The analytical reasoning section is worth about 25 percent of your LSAT score. See Chapters 4 through 6 for more on analytical reasoning.
Logical reasoning â 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 concl...