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The hardest LSAT Logic Games I could find
Is LSAT-Flex At-Home Harder Than In-Person?
We can’t say whether testing at home vs in-person at a testing center is better for *every* student. However, I suspect it’s a more pleasant one for many.
Some Potential LSAT-Flex (At-Home) Benefits:
At home, you may have a great internet connection and if you live alone, no one is going to bother you. You're not going to have a proctor walking around and you won’t be in a room full of other test takers making noise, sneezing, and or distracting you in other ways. You also avoid the hassles of booking a testing center and being placed on a waitlist.
Perhaps most importantly, the LSAT-Flex exam is only 3 sections (2 hours) rather than 5, and home is a more comfortable environment for many.
Some Potential LSAT-Flex (At-Home) Drawbacks:
If you live with roommates, family, significant others, kids, or pets, taking it at home may not be so easy.
Perhaps most importantly, if your internet is shaky and slow, or if your computer's old, you might have technical issues.
Overall, most of the students I encounter say at-home and shorter is preferable.
However, one of the biggest concerns is having the right computer and a strong-enough Internet connection. You may have to borrow one, and LSAC is taking that into consideration.
LSAC is committed to equal access. If you have a barrier of some kind that prevents taking the LSAT-Flex at-home in a comfortable environment, reach out to LSAC. They’ll probably give you a loaner device and/or help you take it at a local law school, university, etc. if you need it.
Why LSAC Created LSAT-Flex
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.
LSAT coaching + LSAT study motivation
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Digital LSAT Prep Changes
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Should you avoid the LSAT and take the GRE instead?
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How to avoid LSAT mistakes
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Law School Admissions: Applying Next Cycle
Many law schools will accept the June LSAT. Consider that a lot of schools are going to extend their application deadlines and the LSAT dates they'll accept.
Some students have an urgent need to apply in this cycle and start in the fall.
But most students are in a much better position to use this as an opportunity to slow down, take a break, and apply at the beginning of the next cycle.
If you apply at the beginning, you have better odds of getting in and you could get more scholarship money.
So, for many students, there is a silver lining. You can give yourself another couple months to study for the LSAT and truly master it, taking it in July, August, or October, then applying at the beginning of next cycle.
Most students would benefit from retaking the LSAT. I typically recommend that students retake it at least once when they feel ready. If you could do just a couple points better, even through luck alone, it only stands to benefit you because law schools do not average multiple LSAT scores. They only take the highest.
Say you deserve a 160, got a 161, then retake it getting a 163. That's what you will be applying with for admissions and scholarship money.
And if you go down, no big deal because they only take the highest. It’s fine to wait for another cycle and take it again later this summer. If you're taking it for the first time in the summer, maybe take it again in the fall.
Another factor I discuss in the National Law Journal is the opportunity to wait out the recession - whether you apply this cycle or next:
(As for LSAT retakes, know that 3-4 times is totally fine. 5-6 or more starts to look a little flaky. If that’s your situation, write an addendum explaining why you had to retake it so many times. Admission officers are understanding, especially given the digital LSAT transition and the new LSAT-Flex. There have been a lot more retakes and cancellations than in the past.)
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Law School Deposit Deadlines
Once the deposit deadlines hit and schools find they didn't get as many applicants as they were hoping for, what happens next? They turn to their waitlists.
And if you're at the top of their mind because you just reached out a day or week ago, there’s a great chance you could be chosen. It just depends on the type of student they want.
Watch the deadlines and take advantage.
(Note: if a law school says not to send a letter of continued interest, don't.)
Starting Law School This Year vs Next
I have the feeling that a lot of law schools will be online in the fall. Based on my reading of the coronavirus situation, in-person simply won't be possible, if stay-at-home orders continue, and if there are further waves of coronavirus.
I have the feeling that a lot of law schools will be online in the fall. Based on my reading of the coronavirus situation, in-person simply won't be possible, if stay-at-home orders continue, and if there are further waves of coronavirus.So, if that's the case, then law school might be online in August, but I don't think they will delay the start of the semester.
If you're considering starting law school this fall, you might not want to start online, and you might not want to pay the same amount for starting online versus in-person. Some may want to wait a cycle, in order to have a bit more certainty about what law school will be like.
Alternatively, and I talked about this in an interview for the National Law Journal, some will want to go to law school now, in part to wait out another recession. That could be a reasonable and popular course of action (similar to in the 2008 recession).
Lots of law schools will be extending deadlines, even to account for the July LSAT, and quite possibly, even to account for the August LSAT. (This means you might start law school a week or two late if your August LSAT scores boost you up enough.)
Deadlines are fluid -- they're not fixed.
Law schools don't exist to enforce these deadlines. They want to get bodies in seats. They want to get tuition dollars. They have massive overhead they have to maintain. For that reason, they will bend and even break their previous deadlines to allow new folks to come in.
I've never really understood the idea of these deadlines being so early anyway. Why should the deadline be in February, when law school's not starting for another six months?
If they could have somebody else come along, with a higher LSAT score, higher GPA, numbers that would raise their medians, why wouldn't they consider that applicant? They've got plenty of time to move them into the system, and allow them to start. I don't really see the reason for it.
