LSAT

Prepare for your LSAT test

The Law School Admission Test – commonly abbreviated as "LSAT" – is a standard for evaluating the law school applications of aspiring attorneys across the United States. You cannot get into an American Bar Association–approved law school without writing the LSAT test, and the exam assesses both your verbal and logical thinking skills.

Understand the LSAT Exam

The LSAT exam consists of four scored sections, plus a fifth unscored section which is experimental. Test-takers do not know which section is the experimental one, as it's designed to assess questions for possible inclusion on future exams, and allowing examinees to know which section is not being scored would pollute the data.

When you write the LSAT test, you'll face logical reasoning, reading comprehension, analytical reasoning and critical writing sections. Because your future career as a lawyer will require you to have sharp critical thinking, logic and persuasion skills, LSAT testing is designed to assess your abilities in these areas. Questions are presented in multiple-choice format, except for the essay section.

LSAT Preparation Tips

It is strongly recommended that you take an LSAT prep course to get ready to take the examination. These courses are taught by highly qualified instructors who have taken the LSAT test and achieved extremely high scores. During an LSAT prep course, your instructor will go over the types of questions you will encounter in each of the four scored sections and show you how to solve them. Some prep courses include LSAT registration fees as part of their cost.

Writing an LSAT sample test is an important part of your preparation for the real exam. LSAT sample tests are readily available online, through many undergraduate colleges, LSAT testing centers and tutoring and instructional companies. At first, you can focus solely on mastering each type of question on the exam before taking a timed LSAT sample test.

The higher your LSAT score, the more impressed the law school admissions committees will be. If you have your sights set on the top law schools in the country, it's extra-important that you study hard, because you'll need to outperform the vast majority of your peers to be considered.