The Law School Admission Test, more commonly referred to as the LSAT, is an entrance exam American law students must take in order to gain admission at the majority of law schools located throughout the United States. Administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), the exam is administered seven times per year. Pre-law students are encouraged to sit for the exam by the summer of their junior year, or, at the latest, fall of their senior year of college. LSAT are not only mandatory at most law schools, but function as a primary component of a student’s law school application.
After completing the LSAT, students can use their scores to determine what types of law schools they can apply to. For example, Yale Law School is widely regarded as one of the finest law schools in the nation, and students attending Yale have a median LSAT score of 174 out of a maximum 180. By comparison, students at the University of Virginia, another prestigious institution, have a median score of 171.
The LSAT is comprised of between 99 and 102 multiple-choice questions, broken down into four sections: logical reasoning (or arguments), analytical reasoning (or logic games), reading comprehension, and an unscored writing sample (also referred to as an essay). There is also an unscored experimental section. Students are provided 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete the exam, which has been designed in such a way that students should be able to comfortably and thoughtfully answer each question.
Upon completion, a student’s test is scored between 120 and 180. Students can take the LSAT multiple times, but are encouraged to prepare for the exam as if they are only taking it once, as top ranked law schools typically take the average of a student’s scores. The average law student scores 152 on the LSAT. Law schools with median scores in this range include Vermont Law School and Duquesne University.
The LSAT was not always formatted and scored in the manner it is today. The exam’s origins can be traced back to as early as 1948. Until 1981, LSAT exams were scored on a scale of 200 to 800. In 1981, the test was reformatted to accommodate a 48-point grading scale, though this measurement was only used for a decade. The current iteration of the exam has been used since 1991.
The LSAT changed again in May of 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the entirety of the existence of the LSAT, the exam was administered as a paper-and-pencil test. In response to health and safety protocols, LSAC unveiled the Law School Admission Test-Flex (LSAT-Flex). The online exam consists of three sections, though it is still scored using the same 120-180 standards.
Considering the importance of a strong LSAT score, it is important for individuals to do everything they can to prepare for the test and optimize their score. In addition to familiarizing themselves with the process and format of the test, students can sit for timed LSAT practice exams, work with individual tutors, join pre-law study groups at college, and sign up for a variety of preparation courses.
