If you’re planning to apply to law school and to take the LSAT, there are likely plenty of questions on your mind. You might be wondering, “What’s a good LSAT score? Where can I find practice tests? How can I possibly complete all of those logic games in such a short period of time?”
Before you can take on the LSAT’s complex questions, there’s one all-important question you need to answer first: “When am I going to take the LSAT?” The LSAT is only offered on fixed dates, with registration deadlines several weeks prior to the exam date. It is critical to plan ahead, to know your LSAT test date options, and to create a study plan accordingly.
In 2020-2021, the LSAT is offered on:
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Saturday, April 25, 2020
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Monday, June 8, 2020
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Monday, July 13, 2020
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Saturday, August 29, 2020
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Saturday, October 3, 2020
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Saturday, November 14, 2020
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Saturday, January 16, 2021
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Saturday, February 20, 2021
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Saturday, April 10, 2021
Registration deadlines for each exam are announced by LSAC, or the Law School Admission Council.
(Note: The registration deadline for the March 30, 2020 LSAT has passed.)
LSAT test dates for Saturday Sabbath observers
In the past, LSAC offered several LSAT test dates on Mondays as an option for those individuals who observe the Sabbath on Saturdays, as Saturday is the most common day of the week for LSAT exams. However, LSAC recently announced a new policy: the LSAT will still occasionally be offered on Mondays, but Saturday Sabbath observers will now have the option of requesting a non-Saturday test date within one week of any given Saturday LSAT—provided the testing month only offers Saturday dates.
Note that a formal request with documentation is required, and that it must be received before an LSAT test date can be assigned. So, if you plan to exercise this option, you should begin the process well in advance.
Disclosed vs. nondisclosed LSAT test dates
When you’re reviewing LSAT test dates, you’ll see some marked as disclosed tests. This means that your score report will include not just your score, your score band, and your percentile rank, but also a copy of all scored sections of the exam, along with your own answer sheet so that you can see which questions you got right and wrong. You will also receive a score-conversion table. (These are all terrific resources to share with an LSAT tutor if you plan to retake the exam.)
Three LSAT exams are disclosed each year. If you have plenty of time before you apply to law school and a corresponding choice of test dates, taking a disclosed exam is a great option that gives you a head start on improvement on a future LSAT. If your application deadlines are rapidly approaching, however, you may not have the luxury of waiting for a disclosed exam. Rest assured that there are LSAT practice tests and other tools that can help you in much the same way that a disclosed LSAT report would.
Receiving and reporting your LSAT score
Many law schools require that your LSAT be taken by December of the year prior to your beginning law school, meaning that even if a January or February administration is technically prior to your application due date, you should check in advance to make sure that you’re taking an LSAT administration that will work with your application plans.
Because you sometimes just have a bad day, it’s a good idea to take the LSAT before your “last chance” administration so that you not only have a backup plan, but you also get to take the test with the confidence that your worst-case scenario is a retake, not a catastrophe. Note that if you do retake the LSAT, schools will not only see all of your individual scores but also a single average score of all your tests. While in years past schools only saw that average, the good news nowadays is that schools overwhelmingly say that they make admissions decisions based on your highest score, not the average. As a rule of thumb, don’t take the LSAT on a whim because that score will be reported to schools, but don’t test in fear of a bad day: you’ll primarily be judged on your top score.
Typically, it takes 3-4 weeks to receive your LSAT scores in your LSAC.com account, and LSAC publishes official score release dates for each of its administrations during the registration period for that test.
Preparing for your LSAT test date
Regardless of when you plan to take the LSAT, the best piece of advice is to start studying early on. The LSAT is a challenging, competitive exam. Preparing for the LSAT well in advance means that you can have a choice of test administration dates that work best for your schedule. Fortunately, Varsity Tutors has a full suite of resources to help you start your LSAT review well in advance, including personalized LSAT tutoring. Start early, put in the work to hone your test-taking skills and knowledge, and you can look forward to a successful LSAT exam day.
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