An Introduction to the LSAT

The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is a reading and reasoning test. The skills tested on the LSAT are highly relevant to the work of law students and lawyers.

LSAT scores heavily impact admission decisions. In part, this is because the rankings of law schools are influenced by their admitted students’ LSAT scores. The higher a law school’s rank, the more money it can charge students. So, you can help a law school make money by bringing them a high LSAT score.

They like that — so much that they pay for high scores. Law school scholarships — at least in the United States — are highly influenced by LSAT scores at most law schools. High scores lead to large scholarships. Lower scores lead to lower scholarships. If your score is too low, you won’t be admitted at all. If your score is high enough, you can obtain a scholarship that covers 100% of your tuition.

The LSAT is produced and administered by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), a nonprofit whose members include hundreds of law schools. Through LSAC’s website, you can review available testing dates, register for the test, apply for disability-related testing accommodations, review your test scores, etc. LSAC’s website normally also plays a central role in law school applications.

Read more about setting LSAT Goals and studying for the LSAT.

Full table of contents.