The LSAT: Everything You Need to Know

Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is a 2.5 hour standardized test that applicants may take in order to apply to law school. The LSAT is the only test option that is accepted by all U.S. law schools to fulfill their standardized testing requirement.  Other options include the GRE and the JD Next exams, which are only accepted in lieu of the LSAT at certain law schools. If you take both the LSAT and another admissions exam option, the law school will use your LSAT score. For this reason, the vast majority of applicants have chosen to take the LSAT over the other options. This may change in future years as other options gain more traction.

LSAT Tests are now offered in January, February, April, June, August, September, October, and November.

The LSAT does not test your skills of memorization, and it does not require any pre-existing knowledge of the law. Furthermore, it is not an IQ test. Instead, the LSAT is a skills-based test, testing your logical reasoning, reading comprehension, and writing skills. The skills tested on the LSAT can be improved upon with sufficient preparation. As with learning a language or a musical instrument, learning the skills tested on the LSAT requires significant study and practice over an extended period of time.

Note: The LSAT is a digital test. Meaning that even though you can opt to take it remotely or at a testing center, you will still take the exam on a laptop. Written tests are no longer provided.

  • Logical Reasoning: This section contains 24-26 questions that test your ability to analyze arguments, identify flaws in reasoning, and draw logical conclusions. You’ll encounter various argument structures, including conditional reasoning, causal reasoning, and statistical reasoning.
  • Reading Comprehension: This section contains 26-28 questions based on passages of varying lengths and complexities. You’ll need to understand the main ideas, supporting details, and underlying assumptions of the passages. You’ll also be asked to answer questions about the author’s purpose, tone, and style.
  • Unscored writing section

Please note that the Analytical Reasoning section was replaced with a second Logical Reasoning section beginning in August 2024.

You can typically expect exam results around 3-4 weeks after your test date, so make sure to factor that into your application timeline. For a breakdown of all the LSAT sections and study tips, please see LSAC’s guide.

For a full list of prep resources, click this link.

The LSAT Writing section (now called Argumentative Writing)  is now taken separately from the rest of the exam, from home, on your computer.

We recommend that students do not attempt to take the writing section in the hours immediately following the LSAT. Give yourself a chance to decompress for a day or two, and then plan to take the writing section in a quiet place where others will not be walking in on you. However, do not delay taking the writing section for too long. 

You will not receive your LSAT score until the writing section is complete and law schools will not consider your application complete until they have received a copy of at least one LSAT writing sample.

Law schools will receive a copy of your writing sample along with your LSAT score report. This section is still “ungraded” in that it does not receive any numerical score from the LSAC.  Most if not all schools will read every writing sample, and they will be looking to check your command of the English language,  if your writing quality is similar to that of your personal statement, and how clearly you can make an argument.

The new Argumentative Writing prompt is designed to elicit the kind of argumentative writing that candidates will be expected to produce in law school. You will still be given 15 minutes to prepare your thoughts and organize your essay, and then 35 minutes to write an essay in response to the randomly selected prompt that is presented.

During that 35 minutes, you must craft your response and finish proofreading. Students will have the ability to cut/copy/paste within the document. The interface also underlines words that it does not recognize, but it is not your typical spell-check feature and does not provide a list of suggested words to select from. There is no word limit for this exercise.

A successful writing sample will take a stance on the issue and give reasons to support that choice. There are a lot of directions you can go with the prompt including pointing out why other points of view might be wrong, and/or critiquing the sources provided.  A successful writing sample will also be coherent, cohesive, organized, and relatively free from errors.

Once you have completed the LSAT Writing once, you do not need to retake it every time you retake the LSAT. You are only required to have one writing sample on file in order to apply to law schools. The LSAC will include up to the three most recent reportable writing samples with your CAS report. 

For more information on LSAT writing: https://www.lsac.org/lsat/taking-lsat/about-lsat-writing

The LSAT is by far the most difficult portion of your law school application. In order to properly study for it, it is highly recommended that students spend between 4-6 months (and/or 300 hours total) prepping for the exam, which boils down to between 10-15 hours per week. But due to the variations in learning style and LSAT preparation methods, how you study for the LSAT is really up to you.

The best way to begin your preparation is to take an LSAT practice test so you can determine a baseline score and then see how you improve over time. There are several ways to take a practice exam –  LSAC.org has a free practice test you can take, as well as others available through prep books and online courses.

Additionally, many LSAT prep course companies offer free practice LSATs when you sign up for their content/courses.

Remember: don’t let a low LSAT score on a practice test discourage you; it’s practice! Use your practice test score as a baseline and as a motivator to keep improving.

Here are some considerations when you are weighing your options:

  • What are you able to afford when it comes to LSAT preparation? (review LSAT fees on LSAC’s website).
  • How much time can you devote on a weekly basis? (many prep companies suggest 10-20+ hours)

How did you prepare for the last standardized test you took? (SAT/ACT?) And did that preparation method work? Why/why not?

For a full list of free resources, please visit this link here.

As a final point, LSAC has their own prep program called LawHub that might be more affordable than a traditional LSAT course. You can learn more about it here.

In an ideal world, you should try to take the LSAT for the first time at least 15 months before you plan to enter law school (by June of the year before you wish to start law school). That schedule leaves sufficient time to retake the LSAT if necessary and to apply early in the application cycle. However, that timeline doesn’t always fit an applicant’s individual circumstances and interests. The important thing is to understand the ideal schedule and then to adjust the timing based on what is best for you individually.

Students Planning to Go Straight to Law School 

If you are planning to go straight to law school after graduating, your options for when to take the LSAT are relatively limited. You should try to take the LSAT for the first time no later than June in between your junior and senior year. Then, if you aren’t satisfied with your June score, you can retake the LSAT in August and still apply to law schools relatively early in the admissions cycle.

Unfortunately, the June test between junior and senior year isn’t ideal for everyone. Students studying abroad second-semester junior year should not plan to take the June LSAT. Students with heavy course loads or significant extracurricular involvement second-semester junior year should not plan to take the June LSAT. Instead, those students should plan to either take the LSAT before spring semester, or test in August, 13 months before they hope to start law school. It is important to note that by taking the LSAT for the first time in August, the most viable retake options are October or November. Testing in November would delay the review of your law school applications until Mid/late December, which is past the most advantageous time to apply. Many law schools will also accept January LSAT scores, but applications involving January test scores are generally reviewed at the very end of the application cycle, which is not ideal for most candidates who want the best chances of both admission and scholarship offers..

Alumni/Students Planning to Take Time Between College and Law School

If you are an alum or a student planning to take time between college and law school, you have more options for taking the LSAT than a student intending to go straight to law school. An LSAT score is good for 5 years, and the LSAT is offered eight times each year. So you will want to think carefully about which test will allow you the most time to prepare in the months leading up to the test. Ideally, you would still take the LSAT for the first time at least 15 months before you intend to start law school. Many applicants prefer to take the test early (often while still in college), while others have circumstances requiring a later LSAT date. It is very important to choose a test date that will allow you sufficient time to prepare, but try not to take the LSAT for the first time any later than August, 13 months before you hope to enter law school, unless absolutely necessary.

It is important first to understand the scoring system on the LSAT. There are approximately 74-80 scored questions on each LSAT, and the total number that you answer correctly is your raw score. Note that there is no penalty for wrong answers. Raw scores are then scaled based on the difficulty of each particular test. The scaled score range is 120-180.

A “good score” on the LSAT is a score that will help you gain admission to your preferred law schools. Law schools publish their 25th/75th percentile and median LSAT scores.

To determine a “good” score for a particular school, look at the school’s median LSAT score. The median score is calculated by putting in order the scores of all the students who were admitted, and selecting the middle value. While the median LSAT score is a “good” score for purposes of admission to that school, admission isn’t a sure thing just because you attain that score. Law schools will closely evaluate all other elements of your application before deciding whether to admit you.

To determine a “great” score for a particular school, look at a school’s 75th percentile score. The 75th percentile score is considered a “great” score for that particular school because the score is equal to or better than 75% of that school’s admitted applicants. Note, however, that a score at or above the 75th percentile still doesn’t ensure that you will be admitted; it just increases the likelihood of admission.

If your LSAT score is not quite at or above the median or 75th percentile scores for a law school you wish to attend, don’t panic!  Many students are admitted with scores below the published median. To determine how far below, look at the school’s 25th percentile LSAT score. This number gives you a sense of the lower end of the range of scores that might be sufficient to help you get into that school. A full 25% of applicants were admitted with a score lower than the 25th percentile score, so if you don’t have a score equal to a law school’s median, don’t assume that you won’t get in. It may still be worth applying if you have an LSAT score relatively close to the 25th percentile score and/or if you have other strong factors in your application that might compensate for the lower LSAT score. 

You can find more information on LSAT scores and how they are calculated at the test maker’s website: https://www.lsac.org/jd/lsat/your-score

  • Self-Study
  • One-on-One Tutoring
  • Prep Course (in-person or live online)

Villanova University does not endorse any specific LSAT preparation companies or methods, but here is a list of popular options that other Villanova students have used:

  • LawHub (LSAC Official Prep Program)
  • Kaplan
  • Princeton Review
  • Powerscore
  • 7sage
  • LSATDemon
  • PLUCK
  • StudyLark
  • Blueprint
  • LSATMax
  • TestMasters

The Law School Admissions Council is committed to assisting candidates with disabilities with requests for accommodations needed to take the LSAT. For the most up-to-date information on LSAC’s accommodation services and policies, please visit their website to learn how to request accommodations, provide documentation, contact information, and more.

For a full list of free prep materials, please visit our LSAT Prep Career Connections page.