When Should I Take the LSAT to Apply to Fall Law School?
If you spent the summer studying for the LSAT, ideally by the fall you’ll be feeling prepared to take the exam. At the very least, you might feel prepared to move past the test.
The easiest method to determine a test date is to work backwards from when you will be submitting your law school application, taking into account any conflicts with personal obligations like family events or final exams.
Ordinarily, September is when law schools accept applications. You should submit an application by November for the best chance of acceptance because the law school admissions process is rolling. Even if you might get a judgment earlier, applying earlier wouldn’t give you any more advantages.
Nine times a year, both in-person and online, the LSAT is made available. August, September, October, and November are typically available months for dates. In rare years, examinations are also offered in December and July.
You must take the LSAT by November if you intend to submit an application by that date. With early decision deadlines in November, the majority of law schools accept the November test.
LSAT retesting
Although everyone who applies expects to get a perfect score on the LSAT the first time, it is best to plan on taking it more than once. You can perform lower than you anticipate on the test even if you feel completely prepared because of test anxiety, proctoring complications, or just plain bad luck.
Up to three attempts may be made on the LSAT during the testing year, which runs from July to June, and a maximum of five attempts may be made in a five-year period. When applicants submit multiple LSAT results, schools often choose the person with the highest score.
To give yourself some wiggle room in case you need to postpone or retake the LSAT, try to take it by August or September. Furthermore, it is best to take it in June, right before the testing year resumes.
If your performance suffers in between exams, review the foundations and use focused practice to strengthen any areas where you are lacking.
Keep in mind that mastering the LSAT requires targeted practice, not just taking test after exam. To make consistent development, quality practice is more crucial than quantity.
Future LSAT modifications
The Law School Admission Council intends to modify the logic games on the LSAT’s analytical reasoning part in the upcoming years to better accommodate the blind. The time and specifics of these modifications are not yet known. Any modifications would be made public months in advance of the new testing year and wouldn’t go into effect until July, when the new testing year officially began. The test should thus be taken by June if applicants are concerned about prospective modifications.
Most law schools now take the GRE, which is offered far more frequently than the LSAT, so applicants who prefer English and math problems over logical reasoning questions should be aware of this.
Since May 2023, the American Bar Association has put on hold discussions for allowing approved law schools to accept more applicants without LSAT or GRE scores.
After the LSAT, what happens?
The LSAT and transcript are the two most crucial considerations for admission to law school, but they are not the only ones. To make sure you have everything prepared, go over our autumn application check list.
Putting together your résumé, personal statement, and other written materials can take weeks. Make sure you give lecturers, employers, or other supervisors enough notice when asking for recommendation letters; preferably, at least one month.
Requesting and submitting your transcripts through the LSAC Credential Assembly Service, the main hub for law school applicants, can take a few weeks as well.
However, the element of the admissions process that requires the greatest time is LSAT preparation. Therefore, once you have a strong game plan for the test, the other steps should be simpler to arrange.
In May 2023, the Graduate Management Admission Council announced the revisions, which coincide with a decline in GMAT test takers and a rising post-pandemic trend of business schools either accepting the GRE in place of the GMAT or turning entirely test-optional.
The score scale for the new version will be slightly different from the old one, ranging from 205 to 805 rather than from 200 to 800. According to experts, the adjustment was intended to allow test-takers and institutions to identify which test version a score came from. The previous version’s scores are still valid for five years.
In the United States, the cost of taking the test varies depending on whether it is taken online or in a testing facility; the latter option costs $275. The price will not change despite the new version’s lower length, according to GMAC.
GRE
The general test and the topic tests are the two GRE variants. The general examination, given by the Educational Testing Service, or ETS, gauges a student’s general academic preparedness for graduate study. Subject tests, often known as content-specific exams, measure a student’s proficiency in a certain subject of study, such physics or psychology. Subject assessments are designed specifically for students who have majored in or devoted significant study time to the exam subject.
The recently revised GRE, which takes 1 hour and 58 minutes to complete, measures verbal, mathematical, and analytical writing skills. The “Analyze an Issue” question is the only one in the 30-minute analytical writing portion; in contrast, the 27-item quantitative and verbal reasoning sections each take 47 and 41 minutes to complete.
Scores for verbal and quantitative tests vary from 130 to 170 and are always whole numbers. Writing scores range from 0 to 6, and they are given in halves of a point. GRE subject test results range from 200 to 990.
On the psychology subject test, test takers are given not only an overall score but also a number of subscores, ranging from 20 to 99, which show their mastery of specific subjects within the academic field.
The standard exam costs $220 in the majority of places around the globe. But those who take it in Australia pay $228, while those who take it in China pay $231.30. Each and every subject test costs $150.
Trying to find a graduate program? Obtain our comprehensive list of the Best Graduate Schools.