Focused on Law
The LSAT is the only standardized test designed specifically for law school admission. Because the test is designed to accurately measure skills critical to success in law school, and it predicts first-year law school performance more accurately than any single factor, the LSAT is a valuable tool for admission professionals to use in crafting their successful incoming classes, as part of a holistic admission process.
LSAT Logical Reasoning questions evaluate your ability to examine, analyze, and critically evaluate arguments as they occur in ordinary language.
LSAT Reading Comprehension questions measure your ability to read, with understanding and insight, examples of lengthy and complex materials similar to those commonly encountered in law school.
How the LSAT Is Used
LSAT results help you and admission decision makers gain valuable insight as to law school readiness. Research consistently shows the LSAT is the best single predictor of law school success — and becomes an invaluable component of a holistic admission process.
The LSAT enables schools to identify qualified candidates who might otherwise be overlooked based on undergraduate institution, GPA, extracurricular activities, or other factors.
How the LSAT Is Designed
LSAC is committed to ensuring the LSAT is designed to assess the skills essential to success in the first year of law school. We conduct studies to ensure the LSAT is focused on the right skills. The law school faculty members who participate in these studies consistently rate the skills assessed by the LSAT as those critical for success in law school.
How the LSAT Is Administered
The LSAT is administered via Prometric in two ways: remotely (online with a remote proctor) or in person (at a Prometric testing center). Both options are available for the vast majority of test takers, so each test taker can choose the option that works best for them.
Through our deep commitment to disability rights, LSAC continues to address the needs of all individuals with disabilities who require testing accommodations, regardless of which testing option they choose.
Learn more about Testing Accommodations
How the LSAT Is Structured
The LSAT is structured in two parts.
The first part is a proctored multiple-choice test consisting of three, 35-minute scored sections of multiple-choice questions and one 35-minute unscored section.
The scored sections are:
Logical Reasoning
Reading Comprehension
The unscored section could be either of these two sections.
The order in which sections appear on the actual test is random, so test takers will not know which section is scored and which section is not.
The purpose of the unscored section is to review the questions for appropriate content and fairness to all groups and backgrounds and ensure they are free from any form of bias and are fair to every group of test takers. Any question that shows any racial, ethnic, or gender bias in field testing is rejected and never used in the scored sections of the test.
LSAT Argumentative Writing
The second part of the LSAT is LSAT Argumentative Writing, a 50-minute, remotely proctored, on-demand writing exam.
LSAT Argumentative Writing is included in the LSAT to give law school candidates the opportunity to demonstrate their persuasive writing skills. Although LSAT Argumentative Writing samples don’t receive a score, they are considered by law school admission committees when reviewing individuals’ applications.
LSAT Argumentative Writing is administered using ProctorU’s secure proctoring software on your own computer. You are eligible to take LSAT Argumentative Writing starting eight (8) days prior to the LSAT test administration. Test takers are required to have a completed writing sample, either from the current test or from a previous LSAT administration, on file to see their test score or have scores released to law schools to which they are applying.
Questions?
Please visit the LSAT FAQs on LSAC.org for more information.