Changes are afoot in standardized testing for law school applicants, from the end of logic games on the LSAT to the emergence of JD-Next as a rising alternative to the LSAT or GRE.
Likewise, the LSAT Argumentative Writing section has now replaced the LSAT Writing section.
This shift is not radical. The section is still required, taken online separately from the LSAT, with a remote proctor. The section is still unscored, although the sample you write will be provided to admissions offices as part of your file.
You will still have a wide window of dates to complete the writing sample, and you may take it on a different day from the test itself. You must complete the section for your LSAT scores to be released, but you need to take it only once, even if you end up retaking the LSAT.
What’s New With the Argumentative Writing Section
Previously, the LSAT writing prompt was based on a decision, like weighing competing considerations to argue for whether a town should improve its bus system or build new bike lanes. While this made writing straightforward, there wasn’t much room for originality.
Now, the section provides a debatable issue, like whether transportation needs should be based on serving as many people as possible, along with a few written excerpts that provide different viewpoints on the topic. A series of questions will help guide test-takers through ways to analyze the issue. Then, test-takers will have to present their own argument about it.
[Read: How to Do Your Best on LSAT Test Day]
The new prompts are intended to permit a broader spectrum of original responses, instead of forcing test takers to choose between two sides of a dispute.
Since the new prompts are more nuanced, test-takers will have 15 minutes to review the materials provided, take digital notes and prepare their argument. They will have 35 minutes to write the argument.
How to Handle the LSAT Writing Sample
To avoid raising eyebrows, treat the LSAT writing sample as a test of clear, logically organized writing. Like a good legal writer, write plainly with succinct and direct prose, rather than show off.
Start by carefully reviewing both the prompt and the written perspectives provided. Choose a position and express it as a clear thesis. Then, back it up with a few supporting points.
[How to Get a Perfect Score on the LSAT]
Organize your essay to proceed logically. State the issue at hand, then articulate your thesis about it. Over the next few paragraphs, support your thesis with arguments that engage with the materials presented.
Engage with counterarguments as you explain why they should not outweigh your thesis. Acknowledge the benefits or fair points of other positions to avoid appearing closed-minded.
Finally, restate your thesis and perhaps add a qualification or a few questions for consideration. Save time to review your writing and to correct and elucidate any points that seem unclear or underdeveloped.
How Much Does the Writing Sample Matter?
To a busy admissions officer, your LSAT writing sample is worth little more than a glance. It will go unnoticed unless it is so incoherent, inappropriate or incompetent that it casts doubt on the authenticity of your application or your suitability for law school.
[READ: 7 Deciding Factors in Law School Admissions]
Your personal statement, recommendation letters, transcript and other materials reflect your writing abilities. Indeed, since the writing prompt provides arguments to draw upon, it is not a good assessment of research or creative thinking skills.
This doesn’t mean, however, that the writing sample can be ignored. Admissions officers may review it for a general sense of your ability to think and write under timed conditions. This could be particularly important if, for example, a reader suspects that you used writing tools based on artificial intelligence to help write your personal statement.
While a misfortunate typo in your application can have outsize impact, admissions officers are very forgiving about mistakes in the LSAT writing sample. They are more concerned with the coherence of your argument and the fluency of your prose than the precision of your proofreading.
If your essay has a ponderous or slightly awkward style or the structure is a bit redundant, it will not raise a flag. On the other hand, even an elegant or sophisticated LSAT writing sample may not improve your odds of admission.
There are hints that the LSAT writing section may one day become scored. Until then, just aim to do a solid job.
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What to Know About the LSAT Writing Sample originally appeared on usnews.com
