CHOOSING AN LSAT
WHEN TO TAKE THE LSAT
To maximize your chances of acceptance by August/September of any admissions year, it is best to take the LSAT no later than November (of the prior year) or January (of the same year), especially if you want to be able to apply to any law school in the nation. Click here to see all available LSAT administration dates for 2022- 2023.
In contrast, if you take an LSAT administered between February and April of a given year, you will be more limited in your choice of schools for that year. Thus, a candidate seeking to enter law school in 2023 would be able to apply to any law school with an LSAT score from an exam that was administered no later than January 2023.
In general, the higher the ranking of a law school, the faster its entering class can be selected (due to demand), so the earlier the admissions deadline. But exceptions abound (eg, Yale Law School accepts the February 2023 LSAT for the class entering in August 2023). It is advisable to consult the website for each law school you plan to apply to, in order to determine the last LSAT date each school will accept. Once you determine the application deadlines, you can select an LSAT date and a corresponding prep course schedule. For more on planning a Customized Study Plan, see the Course Selection Page.
PLANNING FOR A RETAKE
Though it is optimal to take the LSAT only once, retaking the exam is a common occurrence even among the most successful candidates. Since law schools generally consider only the highest score an applicant has achieved, the best laid plans will allow for one additional LSAT, just in case the first attempt is not successful. So, when you plan your prep, consider the last LSAT administration that law schools will accept, and prepare to the take the LSAT before that date. For example, if you are applying to a law school with a February 15, 2023 deadline, then the last LSAT accepted will be administered in January of 2023. Thus, it is advisable to prepare for the November 2022 LSAT (or any LSAT prior to that), so that you can retake the exam without missing any application deadlines. Planning for the possibility of a retake is also favored by the recently developed Score Preview Policy-- which allows first-time LSAT candidates to see their scores before deciding to cancel.
ROLLING ADMISSIONS FAVOR EARLY APPLICANTS
Law schools accept on first-come, first-serve basis known as rolling admissions, so by the time the application deadline for a particular school arrives many of the seats in the entering class have been filled. On occasion, the entire first year class of some top schools has been selected before the deadline for applications has arrived. Applications that are submitted early get viewed more favorably than later applications because admissions is a human process: the people who read applications are not as easy to impress after they have read thousands of applications, and the reality is that they become jaded as they read more applications. However, if an applicant’s numbers are stellar (i.e., above the 75th percentile for the school's entering class), that applicant may be admitted even if the application is submitted right before the deadline (or even after). But if one does not have the numbers (i.e., either their LSAT or GPA is below the school's reported mean) - then one is strongly advised to sit out the year rather than apply both late and with low numbers.
In sum, you maximize your chances by applying early with high numbers. However, slow is usually better than low, so if you need to retake the LSAT in order to raise your score, that could be a wise move even if it delays your applications. When it comes to admissions it's better to be great and late, than first and the worst! And it is important to avoid the being both late and low -- which simply leads to a rejection in almost every instance.
TAKE HOME: be sure to prep well before you apply, and plan ahead because rolling admissions requires both a well-timed and well-executed admissions plan.
To maximize your chances of acceptance by August/September of any admissions year, it is best to take the LSAT no later than November (of the prior year) or January (of the same year), especially if you want to be able to apply to any law school in the nation. Click here to see all available LSAT administration dates for 2022- 2023.
In contrast, if you take an LSAT administered between February and April of a given year, you will be more limited in your choice of schools for that year. Thus, a candidate seeking to enter law school in 2023 would be able to apply to any law school with an LSAT score from an exam that was administered no later than January 2023.
In general, the higher the ranking of a law school, the faster its entering class can be selected (due to demand), so the earlier the admissions deadline. But exceptions abound (eg, Yale Law School accepts the February 2023 LSAT for the class entering in August 2023). It is advisable to consult the website for each law school you plan to apply to, in order to determine the last LSAT date each school will accept. Once you determine the application deadlines, you can select an LSAT date and a corresponding prep course schedule. For more on planning a Customized Study Plan, see the Course Selection Page.
PLANNING FOR A RETAKE
Though it is optimal to take the LSAT only once, retaking the exam is a common occurrence even among the most successful candidates. Since law schools generally consider only the highest score an applicant has achieved, the best laid plans will allow for one additional LSAT, just in case the first attempt is not successful. So, when you plan your prep, consider the last LSAT administration that law schools will accept, and prepare to the take the LSAT before that date. For example, if you are applying to a law school with a February 15, 2023 deadline, then the last LSAT accepted will be administered in January of 2023. Thus, it is advisable to prepare for the November 2022 LSAT (or any LSAT prior to that), so that you can retake the exam without missing any application deadlines. Planning for the possibility of a retake is also favored by the recently developed Score Preview Policy-- which allows first-time LSAT candidates to see their scores before deciding to cancel.
ROLLING ADMISSIONS FAVOR EARLY APPLICANTS
Law schools accept on first-come, first-serve basis known as rolling admissions, so by the time the application deadline for a particular school arrives many of the seats in the entering class have been filled. On occasion, the entire first year class of some top schools has been selected before the deadline for applications has arrived. Applications that are submitted early get viewed more favorably than later applications because admissions is a human process: the people who read applications are not as easy to impress after they have read thousands of applications, and the reality is that they become jaded as they read more applications. However, if an applicant’s numbers are stellar (i.e., above the 75th percentile for the school's entering class), that applicant may be admitted even if the application is submitted right before the deadline (or even after). But if one does not have the numbers (i.e., either their LSAT or GPA is below the school's reported mean) - then one is strongly advised to sit out the year rather than apply both late and with low numbers.
In sum, you maximize your chances by applying early with high numbers. However, slow is usually better than low, so if you need to retake the LSAT in order to raise your score, that could be a wise move even if it delays your applications. When it comes to admissions it's better to be great and late, than first and the worst! And it is important to avoid the being both late and low -- which simply leads to a rejection in almost every instance.
TAKE HOME: be sure to prep well before you apply, and plan ahead because rolling admissions requires both a well-timed and well-executed admissions plan.
CONSIDER PREP TIME WHEN CHOOSING AN LSAT DATE
Since score increases are directly proportional to preparation time, we urge students to begin their preparation as early as possible. In general, students should begin preparing at least 2 months before their expected LSAT date. For example, a candidate sitting for the November 2022 LSAT should begin preparing no later than September 2022. Of course, it is best to give yourself 4 to 6 months to prepare for the LSAT, since it counts as much as your whole GPA. Other relevant factors in determining when to begin prep are your starting score, which you can determine by taking an actual, past LSAT. The best place to get a real LSATs is from the testwriters who have recently created an inexpensive online tool called the Official LSAT Prep Plus - aka LawHub- that includes over 70 actual, past LSATs formatted exactly like the current online LSAT.
and facility with the language and diagramming skills the exam requires. Though it is not a perfect formula, give yourself about 1-2 weeks of preparation time for each LSAT point you hope to gain. Another metric for estimating length of prep is based on the number of practice LSATs. Candidates generally need to take between 2 to 5 practice LSATs to effect one point of improvement. Many of our students have achieved meteoric rises (i.e., 15 points or more) in a few weeks, while others have taken over a year to show a modest improvement (eg, 6 points). On average, students require two-to-six months to achieve 10-15 points of improvement. Keep in mind that successful preparation is usually very time consuming because of the long hours of testing. Our program has two modules which take about 200 hours to complete: (i) Theory Phase: which requires about 40-90 hours to master our proprietary Binary method; and (ii) Application Phase: which requires taking at least 25- 35 practice LSATs with each exam followed by our specific Analytic Exercise. Such immersive testing is crucial for developing speed and familiarity with the format.
**Note: The best place to get real LSATs is from the testwriters who have recently created an inexpensive online tool called the Official LSAT Prep Plus - aka LawHub- that includes over 70 actual, past LSATs formatted exactly like the current Digital LSAT.
Since score increases are directly proportional to preparation time, we urge students to begin their preparation as early as possible. In general, students should begin preparing at least 2 months before their expected LSAT date. For example, a candidate sitting for the November 2022 LSAT should begin preparing no later than September 2022. Of course, it is best to give yourself 4 to 6 months to prepare for the LSAT, since it counts as much as your whole GPA. Other relevant factors in determining when to begin prep are your starting score, which you can determine by taking an actual, past LSAT. The best place to get a real LSATs is from the testwriters who have recently created an inexpensive online tool called the Official LSAT Prep Plus - aka LawHub- that includes over 70 actual, past LSATs formatted exactly like the current online LSAT.
and facility with the language and diagramming skills the exam requires. Though it is not a perfect formula, give yourself about 1-2 weeks of preparation time for each LSAT point you hope to gain. Another metric for estimating length of prep is based on the number of practice LSATs. Candidates generally need to take between 2 to 5 practice LSATs to effect one point of improvement. Many of our students have achieved meteoric rises (i.e., 15 points or more) in a few weeks, while others have taken over a year to show a modest improvement (eg, 6 points). On average, students require two-to-six months to achieve 10-15 points of improvement. Keep in mind that successful preparation is usually very time consuming because of the long hours of testing. Our program has two modules which take about 200 hours to complete: (i) Theory Phase: which requires about 40-90 hours to master our proprietary Binary method; and (ii) Application Phase: which requires taking at least 25- 35 practice LSATs with each exam followed by our specific Analytic Exercise. Such immersive testing is crucial for developing speed and familiarity with the format.
**Note: The best place to get real LSATs is from the testwriters who have recently created an inexpensive online tool called the Official LSAT Prep Plus - aka LawHub- that includes over 70 actual, past LSATs formatted exactly like the current Digital LSAT.