The Law School Admission
Test (LSAT) is a standardized test developed by the Law
School Admissions Services. It is designed to indicate a
candidate's potential to succeed in the first year of law
school. LSAT is offered four times each academic year: in
June, October, December, and February. The June test is
given on a Monday afternoon; the others are administered
on a Saturday morning. For observers of Saturday Sabbath,
alternative test dates are available. Those with handicaps
or who need special equipment or consideration may make
special arrangements in advance.
The test consists of four
scored, 35-minute sections, involving three question types:
logical reasoning, analytical reasoning and reading comprehension.
In addition, there is an unscored 35-minute section composed
of experimental questions, and a 30-minute writing sample
ends the test. Test takers do not know which section is
experimental. The scoring scale ranges from 120 to 180 points.
When
To Take the LSAT
For students who plan to
apply to law school in their senior year (for admission
to the fall class after graduation), you should plan to
take the LSAT in June following your junior year. This date
has several advantages. Since the semester is finished,
there is no tension between trying to study for classes
at the same time as preparing for the LSAT. You have approximately
a month between the end of classes and the LSAT administration
to prepare. Your score is in your hands by the end of July
so you can begin the process of selecting law schools. You
also have the opportunity to take the test again should
you decide to cancel your score or feel you need to retake
the test.
For some, a school-year date
is preferable. The summer may be too busy, exam sites may
be too distant, or a student may be going abroad. Many feel
they are more focused during an academic year or slip into
"test mode" more easily. If you plan a Fall admission
to law school, you should take the test no later than October
of the year prior to anticipated entry into law school.
Registration
Regular registrations
for the LSAT are due approximately one month before the
test date. Deadlines may vary for those requesting special
arrangements for test sites. Late registrations, accepted
only as space is available, are permitted by mail, or by
telephone with a credit card. Test dates and deadlines are
listed on the inside front cover of the LSAT/LSDAS Registration
and Information Book. Registration forms are in the back
of the book. To be certain of getting your first choice
of test site, you should mail your registration well ahead
of the deadline date. If you anticipate applying to law
school within a year, you may register for the LSDAS at
the same time.
When you register to take
the LSAT, please be sure to have your score reported to
Wartburg. This will enable the prelaw advisor to offer you
and future students personalized advice and accurate statistical
information on law school acceptance ratios and rates. All
information held in our office remains strictly confidential.
- Suggested Readings:
-
Law Services, LSAT:
The Official Triple Prep, Vols. 1 & 2 (New York: Bantam
Doubleday Dell, 1999).
Bobrow, Jerry,Barron's
LSAT: How to Prepare for the Law School Admission Test (Hauppauge,
NY: Barron's Educational Series, 1999).
Robinson, Adam, et
al, The Princeton Review: Cracking the LSAT (New York:
Villard Books, 1993).
Weber, Karl, How
to Prepare for the LSAT (San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich,
1990).
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Preparation |
You SHOULD prepare
for the LSAT. Generally, you should take the exam once, and be
well prepared. There are many methods of preparation (and multiple
modes of preparation are most effective in improving scores),
that will allow you to become familiar with the types of questions
asked on the exam before you take it.
When it is time to
take the test, if you feel unprepared, distracted due to family
or personal problems, or ill, DO NOT TAKE THE TEST. You can get
a partial refund of the test fee. Prepare for the exam, and be
sure you can give it your best effort. Someone who has taken the
test once can be expected to score a few points higher the second
time, so schools will often discount any improvement on a score
on a retake. Many schools will average multiple scores, so you
would need to score substantially better on the retake to make
it worth your time and money. You also always run the risk of
lowering your score.
Still, if you take
the LSAT once and receive an unsatisfactory score, you may wish
to take it a second time. The information you glean from your
first test can help you target the question types you need to
study and practice. You CAN improve your skills--and thus your
score--with increased preparation. Some law schools will forgive
an earlier low score if you improve your score substantially on
a subsequent test.
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