LSAT

The Law School Admission Test, or LSAT, is a half day standardized test administered four times each year at designated testing centers throughout the world. All American Bar Association approved law schools, most Canadian law schools, and many other law schools require applicants to take the LSAT as part of the admissions process. In the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and some other countries, the LSAT is administered on Saturdays except in the month of June when it is administered on Monday. For those who observe Saturday Sabbath, the test is administered on a weekday following Saturday administrations. Many law schools require that the LSAT be taken in December for admission for the following fall. Some take the test earlier in June or September, and that is advised by most law schools. Most law schools evaluate the whole of a student’s credentials and each school places a different weight to the LSAT. For obvious reasons, LSAT practice is advised.

Basic Components of the LSAT Test

The test consists of five 35 minute sections that are multiple choice question formats. Four of the five sections contribute to the test taker’s score. The un-scored section is referred to as the variable section is used to pretest new questions or to pre-equate new test forms. The placement of this section will vary. A thirty five minute writing section is administered at the end of the test. Copies of the writing sample are not scored but instead sent to law schools that the student may be applying too.

The LSAT is divided up unto three sections and an essay. These consist of: Reading Comprehension Questions, Analytical Reasoning Questions, and Logical Reasoning Questions. The reading comprehension questions measure a student’s ability to read, with understanding and insight, examples of lengthy and complex materials similar to those encountered in law school work.

The reading comprehension section contains four sets of reading questions divided into reading material followed by five to eight questions that test reading and reasoning abilities. The analytical reasoning questions are designed to measure a student’s ability to understand the structure of relationships and to draw logical conclusions about that structure. The student then has to make deductions from a set of statements, rules, and conditions that describe relationships among entities such as persons, places, things, or events. This simulates the detailed analyses of relationships that a law student must perform in solving legal problems. The logical reasoning questions are designed to evaluate the ability to understand, analyze, criticize, and complete complex arguments. Each logical reasoning question requires you to read and comprehend a short passage and then answer a question about it. These questions test a variety of deduction abilities involved with reasoning logically and thinking critically.