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How Law School Admissions Views LSAT-Flex

Will law school admissions look down on LSAT-Flex takers if they've already gotten a low score on the regular LSAT?

Let's say, your in-person score was low, your LSAT-Flex score is higher.

No, they won't look down on it.

They'll know you took the LSAT-Flex, but it's not a huge deal.

Law schools are confident in LSAC's ability to administer a valid and reliable admission test. They're confident that a 75-question exam can be equivalent to -- or equated with -- a 100-question exam.

Obviously, there are pros and cons to doing a shorter LSAT at home vs a longer one in-person, but law schools want the number.

They have incentive to care only about the number because that's what goes to the ABA -- meaning that's what's factored into the US News Rankings. So, don't worry about it.

(The admissions professionals in a previous LSAC webinar, as well as those I've spoken with directly, all say they will consider LSAT-Flex scores equal to those earned on the paper and Digital LSATs.)

I wish LSAC wasn't annotating LSAT-Flex scores with an asterisk - it adds a lot of unnecessary stress for students (especially considering they used to add an asterisk to accommodated scores until settlements forced them to stop).

However, if anything, this will remind admissions you took a new LSAT format during a global crisis. It provides a bit of context. Your score is still your score, of course, regardless of the format.

tl;dr Just get the score, the number is what matters the most at the end of the day.

New LSAT Retake Limits (September 2019)

LSAT retake limits (beginning September 2019) are:

-3 times in 1 testing year
-5 times in 5 years
-7 times for life-if you get a 180, you can't take it again (within a 5-year period).

As before, law schools can see previous LSAT attempts and cancellations on your record, but your highest score is the one that counts (with *very* few exceptions).

All LSAT attempts prior to September 2019 don't count towards the numerical limits. In other words, the policy is not retroactive.

LSAT-Flex vs Regular LSAT

"For someone who's taken the LSAT previously, but not done well, would you do LSAT-Flex or regular LSAT?"

We don't know when LSAT-Flex will be available again. We know that it's available now for the May LSAT and my suspicion is that it will probably be available for the June LSAT, as well, if the June in-person is canceled, which I think it will be

It depends on your personal timing and when you're ready for the LSAT versus 3 sections at home versus five 5 in-person.

For a lot of folks, if they have a quiet home environment, 3 sections at home is preferable because it's shorter, it's a smoother test day experience, on the flip side though, the 75 questions you do count relatively more per question than when you're doing four scored sections, so that's one thing to consider.

Lots of unknowns -- we don't know how long the online LSAT-Flex will be available. LSAC is taking a wait-and-see approach, as they typically do.

You may not necessarily have both options. You'll probably have one option or the other, for each administration, as things unfold.

As for the writing sample, that will still remain online, they're not going to administer that in-person, whether you're doing LSAT-Flex at home online, or digital LSAT tablet in-person, you'll still be doing LSAT writing online, at a separate point, at a separate time, either way.

If you knew then what you know now...

Ever hear the phrase “hindsight is 20/20”?

One way to think about it is, you could’ve avoided all your later troubles if you’d only had a time machine!

Obviously, we don’t have those yet, which is both good and bad.

Bad, because advice from our future selves is something we could ALL benefit from at some point.

Howeverrrrrr…when it comes to the LSAT, there’s nothing wrong with benefiting from the collective hindsight of HUNDREDS of other LSAT students who’ve already been through the process.

So, with that in mind, I approached some readers who’d recently completed the test, and I asked them the following questions;

What do you know now that you wish you'd known before starting your LSAT prep?

What would you have done differently?

Then, I put all the responses together in a big article.

There are some real nuggets of gold tucked away in that article - regrets, wishes and suggested reading materials.

It’s worth looking through the comments as well, to see a LOT more people offering their $0.02.

So if you’re just starting out, or currently studying for the LSAT, check it out – you’ll find some great advice to help you study more effectively.

Anyway, here it is, enjoy!

LSAT Test-Taker Survey --->

I hope you find it useful!

-Time Travelin’ Steve

P.S. If you’ve recently taken the LSAT and have anything to add, I’d love to know - I’m hoping to compile more articles like this.

Recommended Resources:
1. LSAT CoursesThe best of my LSAT material with exclusive access to attend my Live Online LSAT Master Classes + Q&As, and on-demand video lessons you can watch anytime. Plus, LSAT study plans to keep you on track. Save hundreds of dollars with an LSAT course package.

2. LSAT Day-By-Day Study Plans
Preparing for the LSAT is confusing. There are dozens of prep books and practice tests out there, and 1,000+ articles on my website alone. When, and how, should you use them all? These super-specific study plans give you a clear plan of attack.

3. LSAT Checklists
All the little items and details students don't usually think of. They hold you accountable and help you make sure you're not missing anything.

The struggle is real, but so is the victory!

Hey fellow LSAT dudes and dudettes!

(just got back from Sunny California)

Steve here again. Today, I’m going to share a personal story with you and some of my best advice on how to ace the LSAT.

When I was in college, I was pretty proud of my track record when it came to standardized tests - I even tutored some kids for their SATs.

So, you can imagine my frustration when it came to the most important test of my LIFE - the EL SAT –(aka LSAT) when I hit a wall.

Ever since I was a kid, I was determined to go to law school and become an attorney. But everything came to a grinding halt when I finally started to prep for the LSAT - believe me, I put it off long enough because everyone knows how hard it is!!!

I bought every book, read every prep guide, and studied every LSAT ever released. Night and day I studied, hidden away from the world - the sun? People? That was all from a distant past life. The LSAT was my life now.

Finally, I felt ready to take my first real practice test.

All those hours, all that effort, and I scored a…

...152.

Not NEARLY good enough - I wanted to go to a top-14 law school!

So I picked up the pieces and read even MORE prep guides. I studied harder than ever.

The practice tests piled up, but my scores barely shifted.

Something was wrong here – maybe I just wasn’t cut out for LSAT success. Maybe I didn’t have what it takes and would NEVER get a top score on this test. What if I wasn’t cut out to achieve my law school dreams?

Luckily, a lifetime of dreaming and working towards a goal doesn’t fade easily. I needed a change of tactics, a game plan. I needed a new perspective.

And then, one late night while going over my practice tests, it hit me.

FINALLY, after many months of studying and sacrificing everything else…

I cracked the LSAT code!

All I had to do was look at the test DIFFERENTLY - I had to think like the test-makers and try to see it the way they do.

Once I learned how, the content didn’t matter, it was all in the beautiful underlying pattern.

There were these little dots of logic just waiting to be connected...

And when you see them, you’ll never look at the LSAT the same way again.

I call this the “LSAT mindset.”

After that moment, I was actually *excited* to try more practice tests. Test by test, I saw my scores climbing higher and higher, and it wasn’t long before I cracked 170. After that, I never dropped below.

When the day of the big test came - honestly, I was still sweating buckets and nervous as hell…

But I did it!

I entered the LSAT mindset and scored a 175!

And it felt AMAZING. More than a year’s worth of studying, worrying, and bashing my head against the wall had finally paid off.

And, of course, everyone wanted to know how I’d done it.

The LSAT secret needed to be shared, so I decided to start tutoring it.

As obsessed as I’d been before taking my own test, I soon realized I’d barely scratched the tip of the iceberg. I went even deeper, created a website, wrote a few books, and eventually published a series of LSAT courses. I live and breathe the LSAT, but there’s always something more to know.

(I even befriended one of the question writers - weird guy!)

And it’s great to know my work isn’t for nothing. I get constant feedback from my students that I’ve helped them get through their own struggles to achieve their law school dreams.

So, that’s how I got to where I am today. I struggled, and it was hard, I could have given up, and pursued something easier. But in the end I got exactly what I wanted (a kickass 175 LSAT score), and I’d do it all again in a heartbeat!

It’s not easy to get where you want to be, but not impossible, either. Investing in yourself is necessary to become the person you want to be.

The key is to always be on the lookout for information and resources you can use to better yourself. There’s no shame in asking for help.

If you’re struggling with your LSAT prep right now, please don’t wait as long as I did to get the resources that can help you crack the LSAT code!

In order to make the process easier for you, I've created an entire series of LSAT courses. They contain the same information you'd get from working with me one-on-one, but with a couple of extra benefits:

* they're a fraction of the price

* they allow you to go at your own pace

* you can watch (and re-watch) course videos anytime

Join my LSAT courses so I can help you achieve the same LSAT mindset that led me to score a 175.

-LSAT Steve

P.S. If you’re having second thoughts about buying this...I offer a full 30-day money-back guarantee. If FOR ANY REASON you don’t like the LSAT courses, just let me know, and I'll give you back all your money the very next day.

P.P.S. Please reach out if there’s anything you’re struggling with - it only takes a minute, and I read every message myself.

Who’s afraid of big, bad LSAT books?

I am. Or at least I used to be.

Lemme ask you something:

Are you taking the LSAT 20+ years from now?

That’s literally how long it’d take to get through the majority of the “recommended reading” lists for the LSAT.

At least if you want to stay sane while you’re studying..

Sometime in history (details are fuzzy), someone came up with the idea: “bigger is better.”

And this seems to be the mindset of the major LSAT companies.

Just look at some of the most popular books out there - I’m talking about you Kaplan, the makers of phone-book-sized prep guides.

If you do the math, their books for the LSAT’s 3 sections are collectively almost 1,000 pages long!

I love reading, don’t get me wrong, the right novels of that length could make for some great beach reading.

But 1,000 pages of wishy-washy garbage, discussing all kinds of “LSAT theories” seems like a huge waste of time!

I didn’t always think like this - unfortunately.

When I was studying, I thought I had to read every page of every prep book if I stood any chance of getting a decent score on Test Day. When I still didn’t get decent practice test scores, I thought there must be something wrong with me – after all, I’d read all those huge books!

Boy, was I wrong.

Since going deeper into LSAT world, I’ve managed to write my own books, covering more material in less than 1/10 the time.

And the short articles on my website contain as much, if not more, than a typical chapter in one of the mainstream publishers’ books, without all the fluff.

That’s not to say they’re all bad. Kaplan actually publishes a good book called Mastery Practice.

Why’s it good?

Because it’s packed full of nothin’ but actual LSAT PrepTest Qs sorted by type (unlike their other books).

And working your way through 100s and 1,000s of actual LSAT questions is the best way to rock the LSAT!

However, there’s more to it than just working through these questions. You need to look at them the right way, with the LSAT mindset - the tried and tested technique of the highest-scoring test takers.
My guides show you how to do just that!
At some point in history, a wise man or woman said, “Quality over quantity.” So, the main point here is BIGGER isn’t always better.

Keep that in mind when you’re choosing your LSAT books.

Lovingly yours,

Page-Shreddin’ Steve

P.S. Let me know what you’re reading, or tell me some of the worst books you’ve used during your studies - I’d like to make a comprehensive blacklist.

Tea with LSAT Steve (Student Feedback)

Feedback on the most recent Tea with LSAT Steve (received via email):

"One thing stuck out with me- the gentleman who mentioned hearing from someone ( a dean maybe?) at a law school who basically implied the LSAT was bogus and didn't predict success in school, etc.

Your response was excellent and addressed the studies out there that show otherwise. With that said, I wanted to add on how that mentality is a dangerous one, that may set folks up for failure. Downplaying the difficulty of this test is not how you conquer the test. People who scale mountains, or run marathons with any level of competitiveness know that they are facing a great challenge, and prepare as much as possible. This test is a full on battle, not a water balloon fight.

To say the test doesn't mean much in how you will do in school or as a lawyer is mentally telling yourself why worry? It's just a little test, and I'm smart and can handle it.

I think I mentioned to you previously that I am in law enforcement- a lot of our training involves having the right mindset in situations. Having the right mentality when the stuff hits the fan can mean the difference between life and death. Furthermore, it has been proven that under stress, you revert back to your training- so on exam day, whether or not you have prepped will show.

Obviously the LSAT isn't quite life or death, but the results can greatly impact the rest of your life so it should be taken seriously! Years ago I remember preparing for the physical fitness test (mile and a half run, x amount of pushups and situps in a minute based on your age and gender). I remember people I knew saying how great of shape they were in, how it was going to be easy, etc. I can't say all of those folks didn't make the cut, but a good majority did not due to their attitude (and lack of preparation).

I could go on about this- please forgive the mini stream of consciousness rant! I'm not sure if you have read it, but there is a great book called "You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself". Basically, it goes over a lot of psychological principles that affect our daily lives. I think a few apply to this discussion (Dunning-Kruger effect for one).

Anyway, as always thanks for all you do. I'm going back to prepare for the LSAT!"

How LSAT language is different from regular language

Wanna know a weird thing that drives LSAT students kray-zee?

The fact that, in LSAT Land, the word "most" allows the possibility of "all"

That's TOTALLY different from the way we speak in everyday life!

Think of it this way:

If you have 100 apples in a basket (I don't know why you would, but whatevs)...

and want to see how many are still fresh....

you'd only need to look at 51 of them in order to be able to say MOST of them are fresh.

However, by saying that, you haven't written off the possibility that ALL of them are fresh.

It's still totally possible!

I'll be honest - this kinda stuff used to make my head spin.

So, when I cracked the LSAT code, I learned EVERYTHING I could about these kinds of words.

Words like:

-Most
-All
-Some
-Few
-Many

And many more words that the LSAT-makers use in ways you wouldn't expect.

Then, I put it all together in a big guide to LSAT vocabulary. That's the best place to find out everything you need to know about LSAT language.

Big Guide to LSAT Vocabulary (aka the LSAT Vocabulary Builder) --->

It even goes over how the test-makers try to trick you with language in ways you wouldn't expect.

But if you're ONLY looking for stuff on number-related words, I wrote an article about just those, too.

Lemme know if you have any questions about specific kinds of words, and I'll try to cover them in in the future.

Very truly yours,
LSAT-Word-Obsessed Steve

P.S. The vocabulary builder is worth it, though. It covers all KINDS of different LSAT words, and it comes with a 100% money-back guarantee. You've got nothing to lose by getting a copy.

Law School Admissions During Coronavirus: On Waiting

There’s uncertainty about whether schools are going to be online this fall. It’s worth considering an LSAT retake and applying in the next cycle to be able to attend in-person. If you can get a better score, you can get more scholarship money.

Of course, it’s easy in the moment to take a current acceptance and just go ahead. But if you can retake in June or July, you can go back to the school that only offered $5,000 with your 5-point score increase. You might (honestly) tell them another school offered $20,000 a year, asking if they can match that (especially if the former is also located somewhere with a higher cost of living).

If your request has a higher LSAT score to back it up, you might get $15,000+ more per year over the course of three years by just retaking the LSAT. And that could be the easiest money you'll ever make, so it's well worth it. If your scholarship offers and acceptances aren't what you wanted, then, it's worth waiting a cycle and reapplying with a higher score.

Apply at the beginning of the next cycle (this fall) if you can. Some schools also have spring admissions, which could be less competitive as most applicants apply during the fall rather than the spring. Part-time law school is a little bit less competitive as well, and you still get the same degree at the end of the day.

In short, if you’ve received law school offers you don't love, it may be worth sitting out a cycle or half a cycle and waiting to reapply, especially if schools go online this fall. Taking law school 1L classes online is probably not the experience you were looking for. And if you wanted that in-person on-campus experience, there are no guarantees of what awaits you in the fall.

Longer-term, this will have a massive impact on higher education. Why should a student pay the same price for an online experience as an on-campus one?

If you think you could do better and get more scholarship money by retaking, and you're not in a hurry, then wait and retake.

LSAT-Flex Score Release

The LSAT-Flex score release will be two weeks after you take it -- slightly faster than regular administrations, but not by much.

That's because they still have to do all their detailed statistical analysis to make sure that people performed on Test Day as LSAC expected (previous calculations, internal difficulty ratings, etc.)

A lot of law schools will be extending deadlines if they haven't already to wait for the May LSAT results to be released. They may also extend beyond that for those taking the June LSAT. And if the June LSAT doesn't happen in person -- if it's administered online as another LSAT-Flex later than June 8, they will probably push dates back even farther to account for that.

Online LSAT-Flex Prep I Simulating Test Day

There are four sections in the Online LSAT Prep Plus (and books of published PrepTests) because that's how PrepTests have always been published -- the four scored sections. LSAT-Flex is three sections. One Logic Games, one Logical Reasoning, one Reading Comp.

If you're taking the online LSAT-Flex in May, I would practice like Game Day - only do three sections. A simple solution would be to remove or skip one of the logical reasoning sections from any given published LSAT PrepTest. Then you've got three sections - one of each type. Do them back to back (no break).

If you want to get a scaled score, you could just double your logical reasoning performance. And then use that to convert your raw score into a converted score out of 180. it obviously wouldn't be perfect in part because some logical reasoning sections have 25 questions. Some have 26 You might occasionally have 24, so it won't be a perfect approximation, but it'll be close enough to give you a sense.

(We don't yet know whether Logical Reasoning will be double-weighted or each section will be weighted equally. LSAC should reveal this by Friday, April 17).

It won't be a perfect approximation, but it's probably close enough. Give yourself a margin of error of a couple of points on each end to be safe. If you take the average of your most recent five exams you've done in a relatively short period, that will give you the best indication of where you stand.

Want to increase your LSAT score? Get my free Easy LSAT Cheat Sheet today.