The LSAT: What is it?
Oh, buddy. Where do I even begin?
LSAT stands for law school admissions test. It is what Elle Woods famously had to score a 175 on (and somehow miraculously went from scoring a 143 on her practice test, to a 179 on test day, but I digress). The test is scaled from 120-180, with 180 being a perfect score. The test is broken up into 5 sections: 2 logical reasoning, 1 analytical reasoning, 1 reading comprehension, and 1 unscored experimental section that could be either LR, AR, or RC. At the conclusion of the test, there is an unscored writing sample that is sent with your application to the law schools to which you apply. So while you can totally draw DoodleBob or write “Charlie bit my finger!” it’s probably not very wise to do so.
So, how do you know a section is experimental? You don’t. However, the scored portion of the LSAT always consists of one logic games section, one reading comprehension section, and two logical reasoning sections. Therefore if you see two reading comp sections on the test, then you know that the experimental section was one of them. Similarly, if you have three logical reasoning sections, then the experimental was one of those. Some people claim to be able to sense which section is experimental because ‘it just feels weird’ or it 'contains strange questions.
I, personally, took the June 2017 LSAT, and had a third section of logical reasoning. Thankfully, my test was divided up very well, and each odd numbered section (1, 3, and 5) were all logical reasoning, so my brain didn’t shift into LR overdrive. I hoped that section one was my experimental section because of proctor issues (more on that later) and I actually turned out to be right. I think my prayers to Elle Woods the night before the test were definitely heard.
The test typically lasts between 4 and 5 hours. Each section is timed for 35 minutes, with the obvious beginning and concluding instructions before and after the test, as well as a short break in between sections 3 and 4.
In posts to come, I will discuss the different study methods for the LSAT, how I personally studied for it, how long you should allow yourself to prepare for the test, and proctor issues that I faced and that you could also potentially face! I will also talk about what means more to schools: your GPA or your LSAT score, and how much soft factors on your application really mean to the schools you are applying to.
Until next time!
-Kelly
