Have You Heard…???

Since Covid, there have been some major changes in the LSAT, the biggest being the switch to an online format. Below we address some of the most recent changes and debates as of August, 2022.

What’s Up With the Logic Games Section?

You may have heard that the logic games in the Analytical Reasoning section of the LSAT is going away. This is the section with those pesky questions that make you want to pull your hair out. The Analytical Reasoning section is not going away, but is being redesigned and eventually will have different kinds of questions that will replace the logic games.

Back in 2019, after a lawsuit, the LSAC agreed to research and develop alternative types of questions to measure analytical reasoning skills. They began testing new questions in the summer of 2022.

The bottom line:  if you are taking the LSAT before the fall of 2023, your Analytical Reasoning section will still be the logic games questions.

Can I Take the GRE Instead?

Recently, some law schools started accepting the GRE as an alternative test. There is still a lot of debate over the effectiveness of the GRE as a predictor of success in law school (in other words, law schools don’t know exactly how to evaluate GRE scores and will usually want much higher scores), and less than 2% of people going to law school took the GRE. So your safest bet is still to take the LSAT.

Wait a sec!  I heard a rumor that I don’t have to take the LSAT.  What’s the deal???

Another debate that got some traction in 2022 was over whether the LSAT would become optional. The American Bar Association (ABA), which is responsible for accrediting law schools and sets the standards for admissions, began consideration of a proposal that would allow law schools to decide if they were going to require the LSAT. In other words, this proposal would let law schools decide if they wanted to make the LSAT optional.

First and foremost, this is still very much in the proposal stage. Even if the ABA adopts this proposal, it is going to be a while before it goes into effect. And even if it does go into effect, it is unclear how many law schools would make the LSAT optional. Law schools are obligated to admit people they think will succeed, and right now, the LSAT is their #1 indicator of success.

You can easily find lots of commentary and discussion about this online, but the bottom line:  don’t start jumping up and down with joy yet.  The LSAT is not going away anytime soon.