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LSAT Basics

The LSAT consists of 3 graded sections

  1. Games
  2. Reading
  3. Reasoning

When you take the LSAT, these sections may appear in any order.

There will be an 4th "experimental" section that is ungraded

This experimental section could be any of the 3: Games, Reading, or Reasoning.

You will not know which section ungraded.

Don't psych yourself out guessing which is which

Don't bother trying to figure out which section is the "experimental" one on test day. Guessing is, at best. a distraction.

You have 35:00 to complete each section

For Games and Reading, this gives you an average of 8:30 for each of the 4 games/texts.

For Reasoning, this gives you an average of 1:20 per question.

Do not always aim for the average.

Learn more: how to work on timing

Breaks

You get a 1:00 pause to read instructions between each section and a 10:00 break in the middle, between sections 2 and 3.

In other words, your test day looks like this: 35:00 section, 1:00 pause, 35:00 section, 10:00 break, 35:00 section, 1:00 pause, 35:00 section.

If you finish a section early, you can review flagged questions within that section or rest. You can't go back to the last section or ahead to the next section.

If you qualify for an accommodation you may receive more time per section.

Request an accommodation directly from the LSAC.

You will take the test digitally and at home

The LSAC offers several free practice tests on LawHub you can try out. You can use these to get a baseline score and try out the interface.

Tip

If you can't afford to pay $100 for the full version of LawHub, you can request free access from the LSAC.

On test day, you will be subject to a number of security-theater-requirements. These include limits on what can be in the room, special software you need to install, the size of your earbuds, your camera angle, how many pieces of paper you can have, etc... To protect yourself and prevent disruptions, learn those rules by reading the official list of requirements.

There will also be a proctor watching you the entire time. The proctor will have the power to control your computer.

Danger

The proctors are unreliable. Students frequent report that their proctors made a mistake.

Expect something bad to happen so you don't get thrown off on test day.

Report problems with proctors or the test experience to the LSAC directly.

If you have any questions about test logistics, contact the LSAC directly. Their site is often confusing, but always correct. Other students and test prep companies can be helpful translators, but always verify with the LSAC. Don't be afraid to hound the LSAC for information you need. If they don't give you what you want, ask again.

Score

The LSAT is graded on a curve.

That means your score consists of both a "raw" score, which is the total number of questions you got right. As well as a scaled score, which indicates how many people you did better than.

Your scaled score can range from 120 to 180.

  • A 120 means that you did worse than 99.9% of test takers.
  • A 150 means you did better than 50% of test takers and worse than 50%.
  • A 180 means you did better than 99.9% of test takers.

Learn more: how to think about your score

The LSAT Writing

In addition to the 4 multiple choice sections, you'll need to write a short essay in 35 minutes. You'll do this Writing section at a different time.

My suggestion would be to do it about 3 days after your test day. That gives you a day or two to prepare, which is all you need. Practice once or twice before you do it for real. Otherwise, don't worry about it much.

My recommendation for this Writing section is to keep it simple by writing a basic 5 paragraph essay:

  1. Tell them what you'll tell them.
  2. Tell it to them.
  3. Then, tell them what you told them.

Law School Connection

Keeping things simple with this basic structure is also good advice for your future law school exams.

The Writing section appears to have 0 effect on admissions decisions. There is some speculation that schools will check your Writing section against your admissions essays to test for plagiarism.

Warning

I'm not an admissions officer. If you are an admissions officer, please let me know if I'm wrong about the unimportance of the Writing section.

For more information, read the LSAC's official advice about the writing sample.