Everything You Need To Know About LSAT
Law School Admission Test or LSAT is a standardized test mandatory for getting admitted to the majority of law schools and approved by the American Bar Association. It is administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) and is the most important factor considered during the admission process along with undergrad GPA.
What is the LSAT format?
| Section | Description | Skills | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logical Reasoning | Two sections with 24-26 sections each. (Arguments and Logical omissions) | Ability to dissect and analyze arguments, identifying errors, parallel reasoning, etc | 35 minutes each |
| Reading Comprehension | 4 passages of 400-500 words. 26-28 questions in total | Finding specific information in the passage, drawing inferences, decipher arguments, points of view and use of evidence. | 35 minutes |
| Analytical Reasoning or logic games | 4 games falling into categories like grouping, matching, and ordering of elements. 22-24 questions in each sub-section | Skills in basic logic, Analyzing the range of possibilities, deductive reasoning and finding structure within organized data. | 35 minutes |
| Unscored Variable Section | Experimental section not reported in the final score. The examinee is not told which part of the test is experimental. | 35 minutes | |
| Writing Sample | In the form of decision prompt (a problem is provided and the decision has to be taken) | Ability to argue one position over the other, supporting one’s point while knocking down the other. | 30 minutes |
Scoring system
The raw scores are converted to normalized scores on a scale between 120-180, 120 being the lowest and 180 being the highest score. LSAT uses an ordinal scale of grading. Hence the exact percentile of a given score might vary in values. The 50th percentile is typically a score of about 151 while the 99th is about 173.
What score should I aim for?
LSAT was designed to determine if you can succeed in law school or not. So obviously, LSAT scores are a crucial part of your applications. And if you are aiming for a top school, then no doubt you’ll have to score above average. There are a lot of law schools in the USA who admit students who score in the 50th percentile. But these schools often do not make it in the top 10 list. The average score required for the University of California- Berkley is 168, whereas it is 175 in Harvard and Yale. The range for Columbia University is 169-173 and for University of Pennsylvania is 163-170.
How important are LSATs?
LSAT serves as a measure of one’s ability to do well in law schools. Preparing for LSAT is definitely a worthwhile investment of time and efforts. The more you score, the more your chances of getting admitted in your dream college will increase. For law aspirants, it is your introduction to the world of law. Preparing for the test will help you understand your dream career and field of study better. Some law school admission committees openly claim that they put more weightage on LSAT scores than the GPA. Which probably makes it the most important piece of your application at times.
When can I take the exam?
The LSATs are conducted between June to February in the months of June, September, December, and February. The registration fee for LSAT in India as of 2019 is Rs 3800.
Here are also some of the other mandatory standardized tests for studying abroad–
