How to prepare for law school admission test (LSAT)

Since your performance in an LSAT or Law School Admission Test will determine whether you can get admitted to a law school of your choice, it is extremely important that you prepare well for it, especially considering that some law schools will not accept students falling below a certain threshold.

This guide will provide tips on how to prepare for a law school admission test.

Register for the LSAT

Firstly, you will need to register with the Law School Admission Council to be eligible to take an LSAT. You can do this either by phone, post or online.

Registration fee

According to the Law school Admission Council, the fee to register for an LSAT is $118 for the year 2006.

Remember that the LSAT tests take place four times a year and there should be a location not too far from where you live. You should take the test on a date that will allow you enough time to consider your law school options. Also, in the event of not achieving the desired score on your LSAT, then you could retake the test at a later date to try and boost your score.

LSAT dates

The test takes place 4 times a year in October, December, February and June. The exact date will vary every year, but typically, those are the months the test takes place.

The result of an LSAT is valid for a period of 5 years.

The purpose of the LSAT

The purpose of the LSAT is to see whether you are able to digest and evaluate information. You will also be tested on your ability to make logical arguments. Since a lot of what a lawyer does requires researching and analysing complex case material, this test will provide some indication of your skill level at that.

What you are tested on:

• Reading comprehension
• Analytical reasoning
• Logical thinking

The test itself is not intended to analyse or examine your writing style, only how you process and evaluate the information.

Realise the importance of getting a high score

You should not view the LSAT merely as a pass to law school, rather, you should realise the importance of passing the test with a very high score. This will give you more options as far as number of law schools that will still be open to you as an option.

The top law schools will be looking of a score up upward of 165.

Test preparation

Before you do the LSAT you should test yourself thoroughly to familiarise yourself with the type of questions that you can expect. If you go into an LSAT without any preparation and idea of what to expect, you will likely not do as well as you would like.

How a person prepares for the LSAT will depend on their personality, but you should avoid overburdening yourself by becoming too rigid in your preparation. A lot of the test is your ability to respond to particular pieces of text and information that you will have not come across before.

You will be able to find plenty of information on the Internet about the nature of the tests. You can also obtain for yourself study guides that provide good preparatory material for the LSAT.

LSAT courses

There are short courses available that provide LSAT preparation, however, they may not be necessary for everyone. Also, the cost for such courses often renders them not providing enough value for money. But, this decision is entirely up to you because some do well as result of taking these courses, while others do just as well with their own preparation.