As the COVID-19 lockdown has affected the vast majority of Americans, LSAC has decided to cancel the March LSAT and reschedule the April LSAT to an as yet to be determined date in late May, and for the first time, this exam will be conducted online.
The new online exam will be called LSAT-Flex and will feature a live proctor who will monitor students through their webcams and microphone. LSAT-Flex will be composed of 3 sections instead of the usual 5, and will not include any breaks. One of the biggest differences will be that LSAT-Flex will feature 1 Logical Reasoning section instead of the usual 2. The Logic Games and Reading Comprehension section will not change. There will be no experimental section, so the full exam will feature ~75 questions instead of the standard 125.
For more information on the format and execution of the inaugural LSAT-Flex, check out LSAC’s FAQ page here: https://www.lsac.org/update-coronavirus-and-lsat/lsat-flex
Here are some main points for currently enrolled testers to consider:
- The most important unanswered question about the new format is whether the Logical Reasoning section will still be 50% of your score or whether it will now be 33%. In other words, will the test-makers double the impact of the single Logical Reasoning section? No one yet knows, but we will post an update as soon as we have more information.
- The June LSAT and all future LSATs are still (optimistically) scheduled to happen in person. But if physical distancing requirements and gov are still in place, those exams will likely be administered online in the LSAT-Flex format.
- In addition to offering an online option, LSAC will also allow students who have previously canceled an official LSAT to see the score that they would have gotten, and if they like it, they can “un-cancel” and keep that score. Eligible students should have received an email from LSAC.
- The scoring scale is still the same: 120-180. And while a student’s application will indicate whether he/she took the exam online or in person, law school admissions officers will not discriminate.
- Admissions officers will also not discriminate based on pass/fail grades. Law schools understand that many schools are forcing students to accept pass/fail grades. Some good advice we recently heard from an admissions officer at a top tier program: “if you can, get a letter of recommendation now to show that you are still working hard and exceeding expectations in these strange times.”
- LSAT Engine students who were preparing for the March or April LSATs will automatically have their LSAT Engine test date changed to a place-holder “May 23rd” selection in the course, but they will still need to make sure at www.lsac.org that they are officially enrolled for an upcoming LSAT. We will change this date programmatically when it is released.
Our LSAT Engine Team will continue to send updates as we learn more. We are all working harder than ever from home to keep adding new features and improving the course for the best possible LSAT preparation experience.
We wish you and your family the best of health and happiness!
Posted: 4-14-2020
