Taking the LSAT: A guide to the LSAT flex

Humza Mehdi Khan | October 9th, 2020

For many people, the LSAT can be one of the most stress-inducing parts of the law school admissions process. However, with the proper preparation and understanding of the test, it does not need to be as daunting as many students believe. It is also important to understand the format of the LSAT and how it has changed in response to moving to a remote test.

The LSAT normally contains 4 scored sections: 2 sections of logical reasoning, 1 section each of logic games (analytical reasoning) and reading comprehension. Logical Reasoning involves questions often regarding the strength of arguments. You may be tasked with finding the flaw or conclusion of a certain argument. Reading comprehension involves reading short passages of around 4-5 paragraphs and then answering questions about the content and ideas contained within those passages.

The logic games section involves being given a scenario with a set of rules and then filling in and answering questions about that scenario. You may be tasked, for example, with assigning students to school buses or ordering movie screenings. For example, a very simple game may give you the following rules: 5 movies (A,B,C,D,E) are scheduled to be played one at a time in a movie theatre. A must be shown after C but before E and B must be shown either right before or right after E.

An example question for this setup may be: which movie cannot be shown second? Of course there are various different types of setups which you may be given, often with more rules and more complex relationships between the rules. Logic Games almost always require you to visually diagram the problem.

Due to the Covid-19 lockdowns, the LSAT has transformed into a remote testing format known as the LSAT flex. The LSAT flex has a few key differences from the original LSAT. Primarily, you do the LSAT flex at your own home. This is facilitated by a proctoring service where you will need to turn on your webcam and microphone during the entire test. You are not allowed to leave the camera view or allow anyone else into the room where you are taking the test. The Flex also only has 3 scored sections because it removes the second Logical Reasoning section, so you only have one of each part of the test. Whereas the regular LSAT has a 15-minute break after the third section the Flex has no breaks outside of a minute between each section.

LSAT Flex scores are often released 2-3 weeks after the test-taking window closes. Scores range from 120-180. Competitive scores for Canadian Law schools vary greatly, with median scores for the 2019 and 2020 admission cycles ranging from 155 to 166 (1,2,3,4). A score in the low to mid 160’s will firmly place you in a group of competitive applicants for most schools, and a school in the high 160’s and above will give you a good chance to get into any Canadian law school. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that LSAT medians indicate that half of an entering class will have scored lower than the listed score.

I took the LSAT Flex on August 29, a day I was both excited and nervous about. The path to that official test date had started in late April when I took my first diagnostic test. This should be the starting point for your LSAT studying. Taking an official previous LSAT test without studying beforehand gives you a good idea of your starting point as well as your strengths and limitations. LSAC, the company which administers the test, has a couple of free tests in the same format that you will be doing the LSAT Flex on their website.

The next step is often to develop a study plan to achieve your goal score. There are various resources to use including the officially LSAC partnered, free Khan Academy preparation. The LSAT Flex runs on multiple days and there are different time slots that you can select. You can select to do your test at almost any time in the day which you think will work best for you. I chose to do the test in the afternoon.

When you log in on the day of your test you will start the test through the proctoring service’s website. From there, you will be connected to a proctor who will walk you through the steps you need to take before the test. This will include a full room scan as well as taking a video of the scratch paper you are using to ensure that it is blank. You will also need to present a government-issued ID. Once you complete these steps and read back a candidate statement you will be directed to the LSAC website where you will begin the test.

If you have done the requisite preparation it is important to remember that this test is no different than any of the previous prep tests you have completed. All the released prep tests are tests that were administered in previous years. The LSAT you receive will most probably not have anything radically different from what you have been preparing with. As long as you apply the knowledge you have gained from your studying and remain in the right mindset there is no reason you can't do equally as well or better on your official test as you have been doing on your practice tests.

Perhaps one of the hardest parts of the whole process other than actually doing the test is the wait between writing and getting your score. You’ve done the hard work at this point, now it's probably best to take some time to relax. Your score is out of your hands at this point so try not to think about it too much! Before you know, results day will have arrived.

I was happy with the score I received. It was a score which would be very competitive at the schools I want to go to. If this is the case for you: congratulations! You have put in the hard work and it has paid off. You probably don’t have to think about studying for the LSAT ever again.

However, if your score isn’t what you wanted it to be this isn’t the end of the world. LSAC offers first-time test takers the option of buying a score preview before the test. This will let you view your score before deciding whether to keep or cancel it. If cancelled, no law school will be able to see the score. Even if you didn’t have the preview option, it's important to note that the vast majority of law schools place most or all of their emphasis on your highest score. Take some time to have a break from the LSAT and when you’re ready you can get back to work to get your goal score the next time!

I hope this article has been helpful to anyone looking to do the LSAT in the future. If you have any questions about the LSAT there are various places you can turn to. LSAC has a website with much more information about the test and you can contact the LSOU for information about mock LSAT days or discounts on preparation courses. Good Luck with your LSAT journey!

Endnotes

1. "First Year JD Class (2020-2021)." University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Last modified August 2020. https://www.law.utoronto.ca/about/fact-sheet.

2. "First Year Class of 2022 Profile." Queen's Law. Last modified 2020. https://law.queensu.ca/programs/jd/class-stats.

3. "Class Profiles." Western University Law. Last modified September 2020. https://law.uwo.ca/future_students/jd_admissions/class_profiles.html.

4. "Dual JD LSAT and GPA Questions." University of Windsor-Faculty of Law. Last modified 2017. https://www.uwindsor.ca/law/570/lsat-and-gpa-questions.