Do law schools care about the LSAT writing sample?
Asked by: Prof. Tommie McKenzie | Last update: August 20, 2025Score: 4.6/5 (2 votes)
To a busy admissions officer, your LSAT writing sample is worth little more than a glance. It will go unnoticed unless it is so incoherent, inappropriate or incompetent that it casts doubt on the authenticity of your application or your suitability for law school.
Is the LSAT writing sample important?
The LSAT writing sample is not scored and does not affect your overall LSAT writing score. However, it is still considered an integral part of the admissions process as it provides a window into your aptitude for a career as a lawyer.
Do law schools see your writing sample?
Once completed, reviewed, and approved, your writing sample will be shared with the law schools to which you have applied. Test takers will be required to have an approved writing sample in their file in order to see their test score or have their score released to law schools.
Does the written portion of the LSAT matter?
LSAT Argumentative Writing samples are not scored, but LSAT Argumentative Writing is a required part of the LSAT. Your LSAT score cannot be released to law schools if you do not have a completed and approved LSAT Argumentative Writing sample on file (or an LSAT Writing sample from a previous test administration).
Does Harvard law look at LSAT writing?
The CAS report includes any LSAT scores as well as copies of your academic transcripts, LSAT writing sample, and a summary of your undergraduate grades.
How I Got Into Law School With a LOW LSAT and Gpa || Releasing my LSAT || My Admission Story
How serious is LSAT writing?
LSAT writing samples are rarely used to evaluate law school candidates, so no matter how well or poorly you did, this exercise will most likely not affect your admissions chances.
How hard is it to get a 175 on the LSAT?
The LSAT is scored on a bell curve, ranging from 120 to 180. On recent tests, the hump of the curve has centered around 153. Percentiles vary slightly between tests, but generally around 25% of test-takers score 160 or higher, 5% score 170 or higher, and 1% score 175 or higher. Only one in 1,000 test-takers scores 180.
What is the hardest portion of the LSAT?
Analytical Reasoning
You'll need various skills to do well here. You'll have to figure out relationships between complex concepts and apply logic even when things seem unclear. The situations presented can be ambiguous and complex, making this section notorious among LSAT takers.
Should I stress about LSAT writing?
Don't stress about this unscored part of the LSAT, but take it seriously.
How long should my LSAT writing sample be?
How long should my LSAT writing sample be? While there's no strict word limit, most responses are between 300-500 words, so 1-2 pages long. Your LSAT writing sample should be as longs as necessary to present a clear and persuasive argument in response to the prompt, typically spanning a few well-organized paragraphs.
What counts as a legal writing sample?
Share your best legal writing.
Examples could include: moot court brief; upper year seminar paper or research project; memo, letter, administrative comments, or advocacy piece from an internship or externship; clinic work sample; or journal note. o Remember that your sample should (usually!) be only 5-10 pages.
How many pages a day do you read in law school?
Not count- ing legal research and writing assignments, most first year law students meet with three classes on average per weekday. Thus, an average reading load could range from thirty-six to over seventy-five pages of reading on "school nights" - well over 2,000 pages of dense reading a semester.
Do law schools check your social media?
Law schools often look at your social media presence when reviewing applicants' candidacy. You don't have a lot to gain, but so much to lose by posting inappropriate things to social media. Use this helpful law school application social media checklist to make sure you are covered!
Should you skip LSAT questions?
You're not penalized for wrong answers, so you should never leave any questions unanswered. 2. All right answers count for one point, no matter how you get them, so always guess on questions you choose to skip or don't make it to. You don't have to attempt every question to get a great score on the test.
How many times can I take the LSAT?
How many times may I take the LSAT? Five times within the current reportable score period (i.e., since June 2019). A total of seven times over a lifetime.
Do law schools care about LSAT?
Law schools care about many things: your GPA, your LSAT, the story you tell, the obstacles you've overcome. But if there is one thing law school admissions committees care least about, it may be your major.
Is a 138 LSAT bad?
“If you have a 2.3 GPA and a 138 LSAT, you — unfortunately — are very unlikely to be able to make it through law school and pass the bar exam after graduation.
Have LSAT tests gotten harder?
Short answer: No. The only difference across practice tests over time is that early Logic Games are harder, so if anything, the LSAT has gotten easier.
How do I control my LSAT anxiety?
Study Under Testing Conditions
Not only does this involve sticking to the plan you set out for yourself, it means practicing under live testing conditions. Taking timed exams in an environment that replicates what you'll face on actual test day can help you manage LSAT anxiety and feel confident once test day arrives.
How rare is 172 LSAT?
So, a great score on the LSAT is a 172, but more than 100,000 people take the LSAT every year and only 1% score 172 or higher. For the top 50 law schools, the median LSAT score is between 164 and 174. A good LSAT score for top tier(defined by T14 schools for this article) law schools is between 171 and 174.
Which LSAT month is the hardest?
There isn't one specific month that is the easiest or hardest to write the LSAT, and if there was, it would change each year since the students writing the LSAT change each year! The hardest test will be the one you haven't fully prepared for, regardless of the month!
How bad is a 135 on the LSAT?
As previously stated, the score range for any LSAT exam is 120 to 180, but the average score is about 150. However, most of the top ten law schools require a candidate to have scored at least 165 on the LSAT.
What was Obama's LSAT score?
The easiest to predict, by far, is Barack Obama's score, mostly because we have some data. Based on admissions records, we can deduce — somewhat reliably — that Barry-O scored between the 94th and 98th percentile on his LSAT. Using today's grading system, that would place him somewhere around a 170.
How rare is a 180 LSAT?
How Hard Is It To Get A Perfect Score On The LSAT? According to LSAC, only 119 test-takers out of nearly 60,000 achieved this in 2022. So when you ask, “How many people get a 180 on the LSAT?” the answer highlights the rarity and difficulty of this achievement.
What score did Elle Woods get on her LSAT?
Elle Woods, a fictional character portrayed by Reese Witherspoon in the movie Legally Blonde, is known for her remarkable LSAT score—179 out of 180. Portrayed as a stereotypical "valley girl," she embarks on a journey to Harvard Law School in the movie that has since become a cult favorite.