The Law School Admission Test looms over the mind of every prospective law student like a great storm on the horizon; Before you know it, that dreaded day arrives and you find yourself sitting at a desk with two number 2 pencils and sweaty palms as your heart pounds and you struggle to remember everything you’ve learned over the years. last n months of your life while preparing for the LSAT. However, the day of the exam has not yet arrived, so let’s take a step back. How hard is it to pass the LSAT, realistically? Can it really be that bad? Let’s take a quick look.
Brief Overview of the LSAT
The difficulty of the LSAT will depend on many things, including how comfortable you are with the subject, how accustomed you are to the format, and several other factors. The exam will be heavily based on logic problems and will of course be timed. Even if you’re comfortable with the topic, it’s important to keep this in mind; Although many people may be able to complete the questions, it is a matter of whether or not you can answer these questions correctly within the allotted time. Additionally, the test takes several hours to complete and most examinees leave the exam room exhausted. Take comfort in the fact that while you may be incredibly nervous about this test, everyone else is too. Surely you are not alone in your concerns.
Punctuation and format
Let’s take a closer look at how the exam is scored. On most exams, failing up to 12 questions out of a possible 101 will result in a score of at least 170, which is definitely a respectable score. You can fail up to 45 questions to get an average score (150). Looking at those statistics, we conclude that if, on average, people miss around 45 questions, the exam must be quite difficult.
The Law School Admission Test can generally be divided into three sections: reading comprehension, logical reasoning, and logical games. Naturally, some students will find certain portions easier than others. When preparing for the LSAT, it is important to determine your strengths and weaknesses, and pay particular attention to the areas in which you find the most difficulty. Below is a general outline of each part of the LSAT.
Reading comprehension
Like the reading comprehension you’ve experienced before, the LSAT will have texts you need to read followed by questions designed to test your comprehension of the text. In addition to the standard reading comprehension you have experienced before that focuses on the content of the passage, these questions will emphasize the structure, arguments, and points of view of the passage. The goal of the LSAT here is to assess your ability to understand a topic with which you are unfamiliar and to quickly determine the main ideas and arguments presented in the passage, and to recognize the ways in which the author proves his or her argument.
Logic reasoning
This segment will present brief arguments followed by a question or two. Here, you will have to build, break down or complete arguments. The idea is to recognize the context of the facts presented, put them together, and then form valid arguments.
Logic Games
Many students struggle with logic games on the LSAT. Logic games apply a set of rules to a group of players, where you must apply these rules to create order. The emphasis here is on the student’s ability to apply the rules to the given facts. Many students find this section extremely difficult.
In conclusion
It’s really impossible to say exactly how difficult the LSAT will be for any given individual; rather, the best you can do is do your best, and based on your outcome, assess your situation. For most students, taking several practice tests can help them gauge how prepared you are to take the test and help you get an idea of how hard the test will really be. With enough preparation and dedication, there’s no reason you can’t pass the LSAT.