LSAC LSAT Cancellation Fees + Coronavirus

LSAC has been good about waiving fees for LSAT test date changes due to coronavirus.

Of course, they're obligated to waive those fees --  someone who signed up for the April LSAT did not necessarily sign up to do the May online LSAT-Flex, and they might not be able to take that exam.

So LSAC is waiving fees for those particular situations -- they're not looking to keep your money for something that you didn't sign up for. 

If you're waiting on a refund from them, be patient. They are inundated with emails and phone calls right now, but they will ultimately give you your money back, they're not looking to keep your fee for something that you did not sign up for.

Is LSAT-Flex Harder?

Will LSAT-Flex be harder? Will it have tougher questions? I don't see why it would.

They are looking to make this experience, overall, equal in difficulty to other administrations of the LSAT, whether the digital tablet LSAT or the older (and international) paper and pencil LSAT. 

Theoretically, if the online at-home LSAT-Flex were such an easier experience -- doing three sections, not five, the comfort of your own home ---

And if students performed significantly better on the LSAT-Flex --

would LSAC have to include more difficult questions to account for that? 

Maybe.

However, I'm not entirely convinced that it would be that much easier, for the average student, to the point that it would require including much more difficult questions. 

If anything, they'd provide questions of roughly equal difficulty, and then they might adjust the raw score conversions a little bit. In other words - you'd need to get more questions correct to get a particular scale score out of 180. 

I'm not sure there would be such a difference in performance, to warrant that. Remember that, this is not a content change. The difficulty of the questions should be the same -- it's only the delivery mechanism that is different.

LSAT-Flex Cost + LSAC Fee Waivers

LSAT-Flex Cost + LSAC Fee Waivers

They're charging $200 for it, just like the regular LSAT. While they're saving money on testing centers and proctors, they still have to pay ProctorU to handle the security.

They're also getting tons of questions from applicants about the online LSAT-Flex, and that's a labor cost in customer support.

I wouldn't be looking to LSAC to be reducing fees anytime soon. The trend line on what LSAC charges for anything has only gone in one direction, as far as I've seen, so I wouldn't count on any pricing getting lower.

However, you can apply for a fee waiver, if you have or think you have financial need, you could save hundreds of dollars, at the very least. 

By the way, also apply for law school application fee waivers -- that could save you a ton of money, too. All you have to do ask. just shoot them an email. They aren't strangers to being asked for those fee waivers, and it could save you tons of money, especially if you're applying to lots of schools -- definitely worth asking.

2020 Law School Application Deadlines

Students are understandably very concerned about deadlines. 

A lot of law schools will be taking results of both the June LSAT (if it happens) and the July LSAT.

Since the April LSAT was recently canceled, law schools are going to be extending those deadlines, if they haven't already, because their job is not to enforce these deadlines, their job is to fill the seats. 

So if they've got to move things back due to the LSAT being delayed, they will extend those deadlines. The July LSAT could be good for some folks to start law school a month later or in the spring. 

There are obviously benefits to applying early rather than later -- in general, I would say applying earlier is better, but some folks would (very reasonably) argue that this cycle those rules are thrown out the window due to the coronavirus situation.

Online LSAT-Flex I How to Study

Do some practice runs -- take a practice test online with the Official LSAT Prep Plus with a friend watching you on Skype/Zoom on the other end to simulate the online proctoring with ProctorU.

You could also get a group together and do a Zoom call, where you take practice tests together and watch each other, to have the feeling of not being alone in this process and also to have the feeling that somebody might be watching you and holding you accountable.

Another thing you could do that's popular on YouTube is doing a "study with me" session, where you livestream yourself in front of your desk on camera, studying for the LSAT.

However, you don't have to have your face on camera, if you're shy about that. Instead, you could have the camera stationed over your desk, to simulate that experience, just a little bit.

You're doing this on computer, whether desktop or laptop, not on an iPad, which is somewhat ironic since the digital LSAT was on a tablet for the in-person administrations. That's no longer the case with the online LSAT-Flex being on desktop. 

The look and feel will be the same, but obviously on a computer, you're not using a touchscreen. You'll be doing it with a keyboard and mouse instead.

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.

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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.

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Who’s afraid of big, bad LSAT books?

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.

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