All aspects of the LSAT have the capacity to inspire confusion and anxiety, but the LSAT writing sample occupies a unique place in a test-taker’s mind.
The other sections of the test, while not without their own difficulties, are relatively straightforward: If you choose the best of the five answer choices, you get a point. Your total points make up your raw score, and your raw score converts into your 120-180 score, which law schools care a lot about.
[Cultivate essential skills for each LSAT section.]
But what about the writing sample? It isn’t scored, and admissions committees provide little to no guidance as to how they use the sample. This uncertainty can make the writing sample appear more daunting than it actually is.
W e will attempt to demystify the writing sample. This week , we’ll focus on the basics of the writing sample and how admissions committees use it as they evaluate candidates.
What Is the Writing Sample?
The writing sample is a 35-minute writing exercise that is the sixth and final section of the LSAT, following the four scored sections and the experimental section. To complete the writing sample, you are given one page of scrap paper and approximately 1 3/4 pages of lined paper within which to write your response.
The prompt always follows the same format and presents two options and two criteria on which to base your choice between the options. Two paragraphs of prose follow this basic information and describe the consequences of choosing one of the two options. You are then asked to construct an argument in favor of one option over the other.
Similar to questions that ask you to spot the issue — which are standard on first-year law school exams — the writing sample prompts are constructed such that neither option is better than the other. The goal in constructing the writing sample is not to choose the right option but rather to construct an argument that recognizes the strengths and weaknesses of both options.
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How Do Admissions Committees Use the Writing Sample?
When considering how the writing sample will factor into your law school applications, the most important point to remember is that the writing sample plays no role in your LSAT score. Instead, the Law School Admission Council sends copies of up to three of your most recent writing samples to law schools to which you apply.
Although schools receive your writing samples, these play only a small role in the schools’ evaluation of most candidates. The most common situation in which the writing sample has a significant role is when an applicant’s writing ability is in question, either because of poorly written application essays or because the applicant’s native language is not English.
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Some admissions committees use the writing sample as a means to authenticate an applicant’s essays. If an admissions committee has reason to question whether the applicant was in fact the author of his or her essays, the committee may compare the submitted essays against the writing sample, which is a reliable, verified piece of writing.
Finally, many admissions officers state that clear indications the applicants didn’t take the LSAT writing sample seriously — that is, not writing anything, filling only half the space available, drawing pictures instead of writing, etc. — will adversely affect their chances of admission.
Although the writing sample likely will play a minor role in your candidacy, it is important to complete the writing sample and give your best effort.
Stay tuned next week for strategies to prepare for and approach the writing sample on test day.
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Know the Ins, Outs of the LSAT Writing Sample originally appeared on usnews.com
