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Discover Vital Information about the Law School Admission Test

by: Jacquie Barry

When you're applying to law school, your Law School Admission Test, or LSAT, is by far the most important factor in whether or not you'll be accepted into law school. The LSAT is a half-day standardized test required for admission to law school, whether taking online law course or on-campus law courses.

Your Law School Admission Test is a standard measure of acquired reading and verbal reasoning skills that law schools use to assess their applicants and measure how well you're expected to do in law school.

A high LSAT score doesn't guarantee you'll be a good lawyer or even a good law student, but to score well on the Law School Admission Test you need to show critical thinking ability and solid reading comprehension skills; two of the most important skills to a law school student.

Law School Admission Tests Stir Controversy

The Law School Admission Test has stirred a lot of controversy, along with other standardized tests like the ACT and SAT. Detractors claim that these tests are biased toward students who "test well" and that they don't adequately measure students' ability.

Though these claims may have merit, it still holds that law schools are more concerned with your grade point average (GPA) and LSAT score. These, along with your personal statement and your strengths in writing and speaking, will decide the fates of all but a few law school applicants.

If you are serious about applying to law school, whether you take traditional or online law courses you will want to have a good Law School Admission Test score. The best way to get a good score is to study; even great students don't do very well on the first LSAT they take.

The LSAT is given four times a year at hundreds of locations around the world. Each year three of these old tests are released to the public.

The best advice for LSAT success is:

  • Study with an LSAT prep book. Kaplan is a popular publisher for these guides. The LSAT prep book will give you an overview of the LSAT along with some suggestions on how to study and how to do the test well.
  • Take old tests under timed conditions that will mimic the conditions of taking the real LSAT
  • Become familiar with the format of the test and the questions, especially when dealing with the logic puzzles. The LSAT format doesn't change from test to test

It's advisable not to even think about taking the official Law School Admission Test until your practice test score has stabilized within five points. When you have the LSAT practice tests fine tuned and you are feeling confident enough to write the official LSAT, then don’t delay. Many law schools require that the LSAT be taken by December for admission the following fall. However, taking the test earlier, in June or October, is often advised. You need to leave yourself enough time to retake the test should this be necessary.

Good luck!

For more information visit the Law School Admission Council