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LSAC
The Law School Admission Council (LSAC)
is a nonprofit corporation whose members are
200 law schools in the United States and
Canada. Of these, 185 law schools are
located in the United States; 15 are in
Canada. Headquartered in Newtown,
Pennsylvania, about 30 miles north of
Philadelphia, LSAC is best known for
administering the Law School Admission Test
(LSAT).
Programs and Services offered by the LSAC:
- The Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
- The Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS)
- Candidate Referral Service (CRS)
- Law School Forums
- MILE Program (Minorities Interested in
Legal Education)
- Publications, Software, and Videos for
Legal Education Questions
LSDAS
The Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS)
provides a means of centralizing and
standardizing undergraduate academic records
to simplify the law school admission
process.
Almost all ABA-approved law schools and
several non-ABA-approved schools require
that their applicants register for the LSDAS.
The LSDAS prepares and provides a report
for each law school to which you apply. The
report contains information that is
important in the law school admission
process. Your report will include:
- An undergraduate academic summary
- Copies of all undergraduate, graduate,
and law school transcripts
- LSAT scores: Up to 12 exam scores are
reported in the LSDAS report. Exam scores
are averaged when more than one reportable
score is on file.
- Writing sample copies: If more than
one LSAT has been taken, photocopies of
the last three LSAT writing samples are
provided in the LSDAS report.
- Copies of Letters of Recommendation if
processed by LSAC
Admissions Index
If desired by the law school, the
objective measures of an applicant's
background (LSAT and GPA) can be combined
into a single number called an admission
index, using a formula provided by the law
school. The Admission Index is a single
number obtained by applying a formula drawn
from two predictors: undergraduate GPA and
LSAT score. The index is produced by:
- Mulitplying the LSAT score by some
constant (A)
- Multiplying the undergraduate GPA by
some other constant (B)
- Adding the sum of these two quantities
to a third constant (C)
The law school determines the values of
the constants A, B, and C. Please note that
not all law schools use index formulas and
those that do use index formulas may not use
them in the same way.
Law school admission decisions are made
on a rolling basis. This means that
decisions are made as applications are
received and reviewed. It is critical that
you complete the LSDAS and submit your
applications as early as possible.
Financial Aid
Money for law school is available, in the
form of scholarships, grants, work-study,
and loans. Law students finance most of
their education through loans, either from
the federal government or private
sources—often both. The amount of aid you
receive and the form it takes is largely
determined by the law schools; therefore,
the law schools to which you are applying
should be your primary source of
information.
LSAT
The Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) is
a half-day standardized exam that is
designed to measure skills that are
considered essential for success in law
school. It is comprised of five 35-minute
sections of multiple-choice questions. Four
of the five sesions contributes to the test
taker's score. The unscored section is used
to pretest new test items and forms. The
test is divided into the following sections:
- 1 Reading Comprehension
- 1 Analytical Reasoning
- 2 Logical Reasoning
- 1 Experimental section (unscored
section)
In addition to the five sessions, a 30
minute writing sample is administered at the
end of the test.
Legitimate reasons for retaking the LSAT
include:
- Significant discrepancy between
college grades and LSAT scores.
- Taking the exam prematurely.
(Inadequate preparation, i.e. studying)
- Serious illness or dire situation that
affected your ability to perform well.
- Recommendation from a law school or
admissions committee member that the LSAT
be retaken.
It is suggested that applicants take the
LSAT no later than December for admission in
the following fall's entering class.
Applicants are not permitted to take the
LSAT more than 3 times within a two-year
period.
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