LSAT Exam

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Take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT)

Once you have graduated with a bachelor’s degree, you should schedule a day and time to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). This standardized test, administered in two parts, is offered four times per year at testing centers worldwide and must be passed in order to be accepted into an American Bar Association (ABA)-accredited law school. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both parts of the LSAT are currently being administered online, remotely proctored (as of 2020-21).

The first part of the examination is the LSAT-Flex, a multiple-choice exam administered online that features reading comprehension, logical reasoning, and analytical reasoning questions. The LSAT Flex is offered online in January, February and April. Part two of the LSAT is the LSAT Writing, also administered online and remotely proctored. When you register online to take the LSAT, you will automatically become eligible to take LSAT writing eight days before you take LSAT-Flex.

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How to Prepare

Preparing for both sections of the LSAT is very important. The LSAC recommends using its free, Official LSAT Prep practice tests available on LSAC Law Hub. They also recommend reviewing the technical requirements you must meet in order to take the test online, using this information. The LSAC has provided an LSAT Writing Tutorial and LSAT Writing Instructions to help you prepare for the LSAT Writing portion of the exam. Free LSAT Prep is also offered at khanacademy.org/prep/lsat.

As of 2020-21, the fee to take the LSAT (both the Flex and Writing portions) is $200. You must also pay $195 for the Credential Assembly Service (see below for more info), and $45 for each Law School Report requested. Fees may be paid online via credit cards. You may also request a fee waiver if you have extreme need and meet the following criteria:

Are a U.S., Canadian or Australian Citizen, or
Are a U.S. national, or
Are a permanent resident alien of the U.S., or
Have been granted deferred action under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), or
Have applied for deferred action under DACA, or
Are a permanent resident of Canada, or
Are a protected person/convention refugee in Canada

Credential Assembly Service (CAS)

The Credential Assembly Service (CAS) is a service of the LSAC that helps to streamline your law school application process. Using CAS, your transcripts, letters of recommendation, and other documents required for law school applications are sent only once to LSAC. Most ABA-approved law schools use the CAS, so you may apply to as many as you wish using this service. The LSAC will combine your documents in the CAS with your LSAT score and forward a full report to all law schools to which you apply.

LSAT Scores

The LSAT may be retaken three times in a single testing year, and five times within the current five and past five easting years, for a total of seven times over your lifetime. If you receive a perfect score of 180, you may not retake the LSAT.

The average LSAT score is 150. In order to be accepted into a top 14 law school, you must score above 162. To be accepted into a top 50 law school, you must score 154 or above. Examples of average LSAT scores accepted by the top law schools, as of 2020, are:

Yale University: 170-176; 6.9 percent acceptance rate
Stanford University: 169-174; 8.7 percent acceptance rate
Harvard University: 170-175; 12.9 percent acceptance rate
University of Chicago: 167-173; 17.5 percent acceptance rate
Columbia University: 170-174; 16.8 percent acceptance rate

Starting with the August 2020 administration of the LSAT-Flex, you may use their Score Preview program. This allows first-time test takers to pay an extra amount ($45 before test day, $75 within two days of taking test) to see their score before canceling it. Using this service, you have six days after taking the test to cancel your score online through your LSAC account. If you want to cancel your LSAT score and have not paid for Score Preview, you must call or email LSAC directly within six days of taking the test.