Law Schools

The Shorter, Online LSAT Is Here To Stay For A While

In a weird twist, COVID may have made something easier...

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Though it sometimes feels like the world has stopped for COVID-19, it, in fact, soldiers on. And the law school admissions game has changed to reflect these strange times. That includes the LSAT, which moved to an online model, LSAT-Flex — despite some initial hiccups — to accommodate all the people who still want to go to law school.

The LSAT-Flex is similar to the traditional LSAT but is composed of three 35-minute scored sections instead of five 35-minute sections (four scored and one unscored). It’s an online exam available on any computer with a Windows or Mac operating system, and is proctored through webcam and microphone. All of which is nice — especially if the length of the traditional LSAT was a challenge for you — and the online test is evaluated the same as the traditional LSAT by law school admissions professionals.

And, given the under two hours test time, we’ve yet to hear about anyone having to sit in urine or give birth during the exam — which is a marked improvement over other online exams we know about.

It’s a good thing the LSAT-Flex has turned out alright for test takers, because yesterday, the Law School Admissions Council, the group that administers the LSAT, said the online test is going to be here for a while — at least through April 2021.

What does this mean for applicants? Jeff Thomas, executive director of legal programs at Kaplan, has this advice for wannabe law students:

“Given the current trajectory of COVID-19 cases, it seems more than likely that the pandemic will continue to impact our lives for the foreseeable future. The Law School Admission Council’s decision to extend administrations of the LSAT-Flex through April 2021 adds a degree of certainty to an unprecedented admissions cycle and that’s good news for pre-law students who were wondering about which version of the test they would have to take. While the LSAT-Flex and regular LSAT are relatively similar in content and format, the LSAT-Flex is significantly shorter, so knowing exactly what you will face months in advance should have a calming effect on test takers. Additionally, law schools are telling us that test takers who take the LSAT-Flex — the only version of the exam being offered since May — will be at no admissions disadvantage compared to those who submit scores from the regular LSAT. Just prepare for the exam, get a great score to accompany a strong application, and that will go a long way in helping you get into your top choices.”

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So good luck and take the gift of a shorter exam and run with it.

headshotKathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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