LSAT Writing: Does It Matter to Law Schools?

LSAT Writing is a 35-minute ungraded essay with an assigned topic. That's right—the essay section has absolutely no effect on your overall LSAT score. But, copies of your writing sample will be sent to law schools, along with your LSAT score, as part of your official report, so youll want to do the best you can with the assignment you receive.

Overview of LSAT Writing

LSAT Writing is an on-demand writing assessment that is proctored and administered online. To ensure a secure testing environment, candidates are required to install proctoring software on their personal computers. This approach has several key features:

• It reduces the overall duration of the LSAT test day.
• It provides candidates with increased flexibility, allowing them to complete the writing portion at a location and time of their choosing.
• LSAT Writing becomes available eight (8) days prior to each test administration.

Every LSAT Writing prompt instructs you to make a decision and develop an argument about it. You are asked to make a choice between two positions or courses of action. Both of the choices are defensible, and you are given criteria and facts on which to base your decision. There is no “right” or “wrong” position to take on the topic, so the quality of your response is a function of how well your choice is supported and other choice is criticized.

How will the essay affect my LSAT score ?

It doesn't. Yes, you read that right; you have to spend 35 minutes composing an essay that has no effect on your overall score. The essay itself isn't even scored separately. Only three sections of the LSAT contribute to your score: one segment for Reading Comprehension, another for Analytical Reasoning, and a third for Logical Reasoning. Note: beginning August 2024, the Analytical Reasoning (“Logic Games”) section of the test will be eliminated. The LSAT will then consist of two Logical Reasoning (“Arguments”) sections, one Reading Comprehension section, and one unscored section.

Is LSAT Writing used in law school admissions?

Not really. There's a chance that your LSAT essay just may go totally unread. LSAT writing samples are rarely used to evaluate law school candidates, so no matter how well or poorly you did, this exercise will most likely not affect your admissions chances.

Note: It's important to be aware that in order to access your LSAT scores or have them sent to schools, you must have a completed writing sample on file.

Do I need to prepare for LSAT Writing?

You won't want to totally blow it off since LSAT Writing is quite easy to master. There's always the chance that a law school admissions counselor will read it, so it doesn't hurt to put some effort into it. By the same token, by no means should you sacrifice study time from other LSAT sections  to work on LSAT Writing. So unless you're scoring in the 99th percentile, 99% of your study time should be spent mastering the sections that contribute to your score. However you like to study, we have the right LSAT prep plan for you .

What are law schools looking for in the LSAT essay?

When you are writing an essay for any type of standardized test, don't ever get it confused with writing a paper for an English class: They are not even on the same playing field. And even though they may not admit it, standardized test makers want only one thing: gaudy excess. They appreciate quantity more than quality, so keep it long. They also seem to enjoy paragraphs, so any crazy thoughts of condensing language into more efficient prose should disappear. And finally, they have developed a Pavlovian response to big, pretentious words. So when they come across a world like "Pavlovian," expect sheer enthusiasm.

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