The LSAT — or Law School Admission Test — is the most common standardized test that law schools require prospective students to take. Combined with undergraduate GPA, the LSAT score and writing exercise help admissions departments figure out how well an applicant is likely to do in the first year of law school.
Experts say it’s a bad idea to take the LSAT without preparing. It’s expensive, and most law schools put more weight on LSAT scores than GPA.
Whether you’re planning to study on your own, take a test prep course or hire a tutor, law school admissions officers say it’s possible to find out in advance how you’ll do on the LSAT and create a study plan to make sure you get the best score you can.
Take a Practice Test First
The LSAT is divided into four sections. The first three are multiple choice: reading comprehension, analytical reasoning and logical reasoning. The fourth section is an unscored writing test that is shared with the law schools you apply to.
Admissions officers use LSAT scores to help answer one primary question, says Katrin Hussmann Schroll, associate dean of admissions at the University of Miami School of Law in Florida: Does the applicant have the academic ability to succeed in their program?
“The scores certainly don’t speak to how successful a student will be as a lawyer,” she says.
[READ: How to Build LSAT Skills With Deliberate Practice.]
While undergraduate courses that include logic, reading, writing and critical thinking are excellent preparation for the LSAT, the best way to find out how you’ll actually do on the LSAT is to take a free practice test.
“Often students are nervous and they don’t want to know if they’re going to score badly,” says Peter Hanink, a prelaw adviser and assistant professor of sociology at California State Polytechnic University–Pomona. “I want to demystify that. Even if you score badly, or are far away from your target score, it’s better to know that early so you know what areas where you need more practice.”
Hanink, who has written LSAT preparation books and taught prep courses for the Princeton Review, has also tutored prelaw students before they take the LSAT. He says that while prep courses and tutoring can be effective, they are also expensive. He recommends that prospective law students take advantage of free practice tests available online available through the Law School Admission Council, which administers the LSAT.
Decide How Long to Study
Most prospective law school students submit their applications a full year before starting law school. While the LSAT is offered nine times a year, you should take the test no later than the summer or fall of the year you apply.
With that in mind, Hussmann Schroll recommends starting to study three to six months before taking the LSAT. While many students study on their own, she says, more students are paying for tutors or prep courses as law school admission has become more competitive.
Taking a prep course can be helpful because a course can help students manage their time, she says. However, courses are often expensive, some costing several thousand dollars. Hussmann Schroll recommends that students start with the free version of LawHub, an LSAC program that includes four practice tests and study support.
A student who takes a practice test and wants to significantly improve their score by 15 to 25 points should consider taking a course or hiring a tutor, Hanink says.
[3 Last-Minute Tips to Boost Your LSAT Score]
“There’s a real benefit to having someone pointing out what you need to know,” he says. “In the years when I was a tutor, there were some students who really benefited from having that personal attention.”
Do some self-reflection about how you study best, says Rita O’Connell, associate director of career and professional development for prelaw students at the University of Denver in Colorado. Are you self-motivated? Do you do better with an instructor? Students should consider their particular learning style when developing a study plan, O’Connell says.
If a student receives accommodations for tests in college courses, they may also be able to get accommodations for the LSAT, O’Connell says. These can be requested on the LSAC website when registering to take the LSAT.
Prepare as an Undergraduate
If you’re a freshman or sophomore in college and think you want to apply to law school after you graduate, it’s a good idea to choose some courses that will help you do well on the LSAT.
The LSAT tests for logical thinking, symbolic logic, argumentation and analysis. There are courses that focus directly on those skills and, with the help of a prelaw adviser, you can find them in several university departments.
“Take a computer science class for logical reasoning,” says Hanink. “Philosophy courses are good for argumentation.”
As a prelaw adviser, Hanink also advises prelaw students to read a lot.
“Read things that are challenging. Read things that are long. Read things that are boring,” he says. “The LSAT is not going to give you a video and a short block of text.”
Aim for a High Score
Prospective law students who want to get into a top law school will need to get an LSAT score in the 160s, Hanink says. To be accepted into most law schools in the U.S., he recommends a score in the 150s.
Students who do well on the reading comprehension section, but not as well on the other two sections, won’t need to work as hard to prepare, says Hanink. That’s because reading comprehension is a skill that takes longer to build, while logic and analysis are skills that may be unfamiliar but can be developed with practice.
The good news is that practice and study make a difference, experts say.
“It is a skill-based test,” Hussmann Schroll says. “Research shows that with preparation and study, you can do better.”
She also advises students to give themselves enough time to take the LSAT twice. If the first attempt doesn’t go as well as desired, it’s possible to retake the test.
But remember that you can take the LSAT only five times within a testing year and seven times overall, and the LSAC reports your scores to all the law schools where you applied unless you bought LSAT Score Preview, which lets you cancel a score within six days of taking the test. Some law schools go with your highest LSAT score while others average your scores, particularly if you took the test numerous times.
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What the LSAT Is and How to Prepare originally appeared on usnews.com
