New Article: What Is The LSAT?

The Law School Admission test (LSAT) is a law school entrance exam administered four times a year at hundreds of locations. This half-day test provides a standard measure of reading and verbal reasoning skills. Law schools use the LSAT score as one of several factors in assessing law school applicants. Many would-be law students take preparatory courses to help prepare for the test.


The test consists of five 35-minute sections of multiple-choice questions. Four of the five sections contribute to the test taker's score. The unscored section, commonly referred to as the variable section, typically is used to pretest new test questions or to preequate new test forms. The placement of this section will vary. A 35-minute writing sample is administered at the end of the test. LSAC does not score the writing sample, but copies of the writing sample are sent to all law schools to which you apply.