The LSAT is a skills-based, standardized law school entrance examination overseen by the Nonprofit Law School Admission Council. This is the council responsible for assessing the prospective Law student’s cognitive, analytic, and logical reasoning skills. This is achieved by organizing the LSAT; an exam that consists of an ungraded writing section, which is sent to law schools to which the student sends out their applications.
It has been consistently shown by studies that the LSAT is the solitary best predictor of first-year law school performance, even superior to undergraduate grade-point average. Most law schools consider an applicant’s LSAT score together with the other components of their law school application, like the GPA, personal statement, letters of recommendation, and the CAS (Credential Assembly Service) application. Several law schools weigh an applicant’s LSAT score just as heavily (or even more heavily than) their undergraduate GPA. Thus, the higher a law school applicant scores on the LSAT, the more options they will have for attending law schools.
Annually, a student can take the LSAT seven times. Students need to schedule their LSAT adequately early to ensure their scores are available by the application deadline of their first law school. It’s vital to note that several law schools accept students on a rolling basis. This means the earlier a student can submit a complete application, the better it’ll be for them.
The LSAT includes four main sections, namely:
· Arguments or Logical Reasoning
· Logic Games or Analytical Reasoning
· Reading Comprehension
· Essay (which is an unscored writing sample)
The test also includes an unscored experimental section.
When a student gets their LSAT score, it will include:
· An overall score in the range of 120-180
· A “score band,” which refers to a range of scaled scores below and above the student’s score
· A percentile score, which ranks the student’s performance relative to the scores of a big sample population of other LSAT test-takers
Typically, a student will get their LSAT score through email approximately three to four weeks after taking the test. For an applicant who has taken the LSAT more than once, law schools will be able to see all the scores they have earned within the past five years. However, most schools will assess the applicant based on their highest score. Law schools can also notice if an applicant has withdrawn a score, canceled it, or was a no-show at a test administration. A test-taker’s LSAT score is only released to them and the law schools to which they have applied.
