Do you want to become a lawyer or do some jobs associated with laws? Well, you can be sure a long path is waiting for you, but the outcome of your persistence will certainly pay off one day. You won’t only make a lot of money, but you will also do what you love!
The way you start your journey is absolutely identical for everyone! You will have to pass the LSAT as it is the unskippable part of any law school admission in the USA and some other countries. But, before you even start preparing for the test like that, it is essential to get more information about it.
The LSAT exam may seem daunting, but let’s not forget other aspects of learning, such as knowing how much does memrise cost. Memrise offers a budget-friendly platform for students and teachers seeking a flexible way to learn.
In this article, you will literally find out everything! We will analyze together what is LSAT, how hard is LSAT, ways you can prepare for the test of this type, and many other useful pieces of information.
Let’s start!
Before we provide answers on “is the LSAT hard”, it would be good to precisely determine what this test is all about. LSAT stands for Law School Admission Test. The purpose of the test is to check out the skills of every candidate that applies for any law school. If you pass the test, then you can be sure that your skills are enough good for the first year of the school you want to attend. If you are looking for a law school admissions consultant, contact this US-based business. Its best law school admissions consultants have helped students secure admissions into some of the most sought-after law schools in the world. They also provide high-quality support and guidance to clients throughout the application process.
Skills that you will have to confirm are various, which already gives you insights into how hard is the LSAT exam. Some of the skills you will have to confirm are connected with writing, reasoning, and reading comprehension. After you complete the test, the responsible individuals will get more insights into how qualified and ready you are for law school. Blueprint is one of the best LSAT tutoring companies, with a variety of courses and professional instructors. Check our Blueprint LSAT reviews if you want to get started with one of the best law school prep courses available online.
The entire test is divided into two different parts that contain different types of sections. We will shortly explain each one.
The first part is actually a multiple-choice exam. In this part of the test, all the candidates will have to answer questions related to analytical reasoning, reading comprehension, and logical reasoning.
On the other hand, the second part refers to a written essay. Most people call this section LSAT writing. All the students will have to complete the writing part that is going to be unscored but important for their future.
Let’s analyze together each of these sections in detail!
Analytical reasoning actually refers to the so-called logic games that all students will have to pass. There will be between 4 and 7 multiple-choice questions that all the candidates will have to answer for less than 35 minutes (that’s the time limit). In other words, answering each logic game will have to be accomplished for around 8-8.5 minutes.
This section is most challenging and confusing as it contains a bunch of tricks that often confuse the student. Your duty will be to define the bond between two different things – competing and complex concepts. Without logic, solving these confusing tasks is not going to be easy.
It seems that you can already imagine how hard is the LSAT exam.
The reading comprehension is made of 4 different sections, and each one has around 60 lines. You will have to reach the desired results for 35 minutes (just like in the previous case). Tasks you will have to solve there are connected with the exact same topics – social science, natural science, humanity, and law.
The purpose of this part of the test is to check your ability to understand confusing texts for a short period. Besides, you will certainly read the text under pressure as your time is limited. Your task will be to find the most relevant pieces of information from the text and determine the main idea of the mentioned “passages”.
However, when you do not have prior knowledge of the section, things become even more confusing. You probably understand now even better why is the LSAT so hard.
Logical reasoning actually has two different sections (out of five) and each section has a time limit of 35 minutes. Just like in the previous cases, your job will be to answer multiple-choice questions. In most cases, the LSAT test has contained between 24 and 26 questions that every candidate has to answer.
Anyway, there are multiple reasons why this part of the test is challenging. Its purpose is to check out how capable you are of identifying the main points of certain legal arguments. Once again, you will have to include logic to complete some of the questions on the test.
Every argument that you find in the test will require in-depth analysis. Without proper research and logical reasoning, you won’t manage to pick the most important information.
Generally speaking, most students will probably agree this is the most stressful part of the test. Unfortunately for you, it brings 50% of the total number of points that you can collect.
Last, but not least – written section. This section is pretty interesting as it remains unscored. But, that doesn’t mean it is less relevant than the other parts. The essay you write is going to be delivered to all the law schools that you plan to apply to. Thanks to this part of the test, the responsible individuals will get more insights into your ability to think of proper arguments based on certain facts.
The entire process lasts for 35 minutes which additionally confirms how hard is the LSAT. However, Franz Kafka said in one of his interviews – “Lawyers write a 10-000 word document and call it a brief”. That probably confirms the importance this part of the test has.
The name of this section probably explains everything. The variable section is always different, and you won’t know what waits for you there until the test starts. It can be any of the three multiple-choice sections. Just like in every previous case, you will have 35 minutes to complete it. The purpose of this part of the section is to check out how capable you are of getting out of your comfort zone and thinking out of the box.
There is one thing that potentially makes this part of the test less stressful. Just like the written section, it is unscored, but it means a lot to people that will check out your score.
Well, we think you could already determine on your own how hard is the LSAT test after reading the previous part. The shortest answer would be – “a lot”. However, that should not be something that should scare you. Instead of being anxious and afraid, it is much better to find the best possible solution for the problem that you have!
There are two things that we would want to say here and potentially motivate you. The average LSAT score was 151.88 last year (the score is between 120 and 180). That means everyone manages to somehow prepare for the test. On the other hand, we also have two questions from you.
Is the MCAT hard? Is the GRE hard? You can read a bunch of articles on this subject online and see that both tests are, just like LSAT, pretty difficult. However, people still manage to get ready for the challenging obstacles, confirm their talents and skills, and pass the test. All you will have to do is to find the best possible way to prepare for the exam.
That’s something we would also like to discuss in this article!
There are a couple of stages you should pass through to get ready to the fullest for the test of this type. Let’s find them out together!
Logically, you will primarily need to register for the LSAT and pick the date that perfectly works for you. There is a good reason why we start a list of tips this way. When you register and choose the date, you will know exactly how much time you will need to prepare for the test.
That way, you can cancel all the holidays and trips you planned to have until you prepare properly. After the test passes, you can organize a trip or any other form of entertainment as a reward.
It would be in your best interest to leave enough time every day for studying. You do not have to spend more than 3 hours a day in case you study at least 5 days a week (weekends can serve as a break).
However, no one says that you can’t change your plans later. For instance, you may notice that you need more time. In that case, you may need to study the educational material for more than 3 hours a day (or more than 5 days a week). Ensure that you feel comfortable during the preparation process.
Without any doubt, online technology will make your life a lot easier. You will manage to download a bunch of different books and prepare properly for the exam. But, even if you are a self-taught type of person, it is strongly recommendable that you find someone who will guide you through the entire process.
As a rule of thumb, most students decide on subscribing to some of the top LSAT prep courses online. Do not hesitate to spend money on educational material of this type as you will certainly get a bunch of useful pieces of advice.
Do you know what is the difference between tutor and teacher? The tutor is an expert in a particular field that will work 1 on 1 with you. Hiring a tutor will be a much better choice as he can directly focus on your personal improvement. Despite that, that person will know which skills you need to work on the most and how to motivate you to work harder!
Teachers, on the other hand, work with more students at once, and they can’t be fully aware of their flaws, things that motivate them, etc. That is enough good reason to find someone who can work 1 on 1 with you.
Speaking of educational material, books and courses are not the only options that you have. After a certain period of time, you should try out to complete the full-length LSAT practice test. As a rule of thumb, students usually decide on accomplishing this form of test 4 times before the test date comes.
Tests you can find online are there to serve as a guideline. Of course, the questions you see in the test examples are never going to be the same. However, you will manage to see how everything should potentially look, which tricks the potentially waiting for you, and how much time you need to complete the test.
Generally speaking, there is no reason to complete practice tests at the beginning of your journey. Find and try to complete the first one when you start feeling that you are ready.
However, in case you are completely unsatisfied with the outcome, there is no reason to be demotivated. It is essential to properly analyze the mistakes that you made while practicing and turn them into valuable lessons. If you can’t do that alone, work together with the tutor that you hired.
We already analyzed all the stages of the test and determined how hard is the LSAT exam. But, without any doubt, logical reasoning is the most stressful part as it brings more than half of the total amount of points you can get. We do not want to say that other parts of the test are less important or valuable. But, it is completely fine to dedicate more time to the part of the test that matters the most.
Indeed, being good at logical reasoning will certainly boost the number of points you collect. However, if you want to ensure even better results, focusing on your weakest areas is a mandatory thing.
Here comes the moment when the role of the tutor is crucial. Some students simply do not recognize their biggest weaknesses. On the other hand, tutors will easily notice which parts of the tests are the most difficult for you. His role is to motivate you to work hard on things that seem like science to you. If you get the necessary support, your weaknesses will quickly turn into your strengths.
There is one myth that we have to debunk in this article. You can hear some people saying that December LSAT is easier compared to others during the year. However, there is no physical evidence that something like that is correct. Don’t wait for the end of the year; instead of that, register for the test when you feel that you can pass it! Leave rumors and myths to someone else and focus on your personal development.
Before we end this part, there is one more quote we would like to write down here. Christopher Darden, one of the best lawyers ever, said an amazing thing about his desire to go to law school when he was young. He said:
“I decide to go to law school as I believed that, one day, somehow, I would make the difference”.
Without any doubt, the LSAT exam is going to be pretty difficult when you start this crazy journey. But, one day, you will truly manage to do something big. Isn’t that type of belief an amazing source of inspiration?
Be patient, practice, hire a tutor, and the results will come!
Images are taken from Unsplash
by Alina Burakova 
January 6, 2024
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