Why LSAC Created LSAT-Flex

Why Did LSAC Create LSAT-Flex (and what is it)?

The April LSAT was canceled because most of us now have stay-at-home orders. There was no way to administer it in-person at an LSAT testing center. Instead, LSAC has added a new LSAT-Flex administration the week of May 18. (Most will take it May 18 and 19.) It will be an alternative for those who had initially wanted to take the March and April LSAT in North America.

It will be administered online, at home on your computer. It will be different -- three sections, not five. You will have one section of games, one reasoning, and one reading comp back-to-back. They will equate the scores nonetheless. In other words, you will still get a score out of a possible 180 as an equivalent to the traditional five-section exam.

As for scores, LSAC’s site says two weeks for the online LSAT-Flex. They can't get them back much faster because of all the statistics they have to analyze, but they're also working quickly because law schools want those scores before they can evaluate applications.

By the way, most law schools are extending deadlines to wait for the LSAT-Flex. They may extend further if they need more applicants.

Virginia extended the stay-at-home order until June 10. Others, like California, extended it indefinitely. The June LSAT is June 8 and will have to be canceled, as many other states will likely extend to June 10 or beyond, meaning there's likely going to be at least one more LSAT Flex opportunity. If we see second and third waves of COVID-19, as I've been reading, the Flex will be around for a long time.

It may even be that LSAT-Flex will be here to stay as the new normal. It's very hard to go back on technology once you've advanced. Remember, there have been a number of difficulties in administering the LSAT in-person. They had to book the testing centers, hire proctors, get all the tablets in place and make sure they were fully charged. Additionally, students had to travel long distances to take the exam. If they offer the LSAT more frequently online, pulling out some of their old undisclosed test forms, it would have a number of advantages.