Honestly, if you are here, then the answer is probably, yes. In general, if you are thinking about going to law school then you should consider taking the LSAT. At least find a practice test and take a diagnostic to see if it is something that you would enjoy studying more.

The LSAT is a learnable test and preparation is key.

The sooner you decide if you want to take the LSAT, the more time you'll have to study and do well.

There are a lot of ways to prepare. Some are free, some cost a little, and some cost a lot. Regardless of what tools you use, focused studying is the most important piece of preparation. We made an easy guide that helps to compare the major test preparation tools. You can find ithere.

Khan Academy is a great place to start. Their program was made in collaboration with LSAC and is free. The first step with Khan is a scored diagnostic test, so even if you don’t want to use them to study, you should still check it out. We recommend taking your diagnostic test in conditions as close to a real test as possible.

The LSAT is a two-part test.

Multiple-choice portion

The first part is the only part that impacts your official LSAT score. It is a multiple-choice exam that includes four 35-minute sections, each containing one type of question. The three types of questions are reading comprehension, analytical reasoning AKA Logic Games, and logical reasoning questions.

Although there are three types of questions, the multiple choice part has four 35-minute sections. The fourth section is an unscored experimental section that is used to validate new questions. The unscored section can appear in any order among the four sections of the test. That means the first section of the test might be unscored, or the fourth, and you have no way of knowing which one it is, so you have to take them all like they matter!

Written portion

The writing portion is mandatory but unscored. LSAC sends your essay to schools along with your LSAT score.

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COVID NOTE: The LSAT used to be five sections, but due to COVID the LSAC dropped it down to four. When it was five sections, there were always at least two logical reasoning sections. Additionally, now through at least June of 2022 the test is being administered remotely. This means that you take it at home on your own computer. LSAC has stated that: “Depending on how the COVID-19 situation evolves, we may also provide an option to take the LSAT at test centers.”

Generally, it is good to take the LSAT sooner rather than later, but there is a balance between taking it early, and making sure you are prepared so that you can get the best score possible.

Ideally, you would take the LSAT and have an official score before October, assuming you're applying this year. This way, you'll have time to take the LSAT again if you are unsatisfied with your first score.

Without a doubt, you should take a diagnostic test as soon as you are thinking about law school so that you can determine the best way to prepare, and decide when you want to take an official test. We are working on some recommendation tools to help you determine when you should take a test and when you should prepare more.

No, LSAC will send the scores from each of the official LSATs you have taken. 

However, law schools only look at your highest score, unless you are an extreme outlier.

You can cancel your test after you take it, but before you get your score. We generally recommend against cancelling your score. We know people felt like they did terribly and then ended up receiving their highest score ever.

You should take the LSAT as many times as makes sense for you, financially and score-wise.

Law schools only look at your highest score, unless you are an extreme outlier.

LSAC imposes the following limits:

• Three times in a single testing year
• Five times within the last five years
• Seven times maximum