The Law School Admission Test (LSAT), the standardized exam that is required for admission to most law schools in the United States and Canada, will undergo a major change in its structure starting from August 2024. The LSAT will no longer include the logic games section, also known as the analytical reasoning section, which has been a part of the test since 1991. Instead, the test will have two logical reasoning sections, one reading comprehension section, and one unscored section that could be either logical reasoning or reading comprehension.
Why the Change?
The decision to eliminate the logic games section was announced by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), the organization that administers the LSAT, on October 18, 2023. The LSAC said that the change was the result of extensive research and a settlement agreement with two blind individuals who sued the LSAC in 2019. The plaintiffs claimed that the logic games section discriminated against blind test takers because they could not draw or use diagrams to solve the questions. The LSAC agreed to research alternative methods for assessing analytical or deductive reasoning skills, as well as the extent to which those skills were assessed on other existing sections of the LSAT.
What are the Implications?
The LSAC said that the change will not affect the validity or reliability of the LSAT as a measure of the reasoning, reading comprehension, and writing skills that are essential for success in law school and the practice of law. The LSAC also said that the change will have virtually no impact on overall scoring or on the correlation between LSAT scores and first-year law school performance. The LSAC analyzed over 200,000 test sessions and found that substituting a second logical reasoning section for the logic games section changed the mean score by only 1/100th of a point.
However, some experts and students have expressed mixed reactions to the change. Glen Stohr, lead instructional designer for Kaplan’s pre-law programs, said that he was pleased that there was now certainty regarding the future of the LSAT’s logic games section. He said that logic games were long the most challenging section of the exam for many students and that replacing them with a second logical reasoning section would ensure that the LSAT continued to assess the reasoning skills that were important for law school success.
On the other hand, some students said that they enjoyed the logic games section and that it was a fair test of their analytical abilities. They also said that they were worried about how the change would affect their preparation and performance on the test. Some students said that they had already invested a lot of time and money in studying for the logic games section and that they felt frustrated by having to adjust their strategies and plans.
How to Prepare?
The LSAC said that the change will not take effect until August 2024 and that it will provide plenty of information and resources to help students prepare for the revised test. The LSAC also said that it will continue to offer free practice tests and other materials on its website.
For students who plan to take the LSAT between now and June 2024, there is no change in their test structure or content. Their test will still consist of one logical reasoning section, one reading comprehension section, one logic games section, an unscored section, and one writing sample. For these students, experts advise them to continue their preparation as usual and focus on mastering all sections of the test.
For students who plan to take the LSAT in August 2024 or later, their test will have two logical reasoning sections, one reading comprehension section, and one unscored section. For these students, experts suggest them to start familiarizing themselves with the logical reasoning section as soon as possible and practice more questions from this section. Experts also recommend them to review their basic logic skills and concepts and improve their speed and accuracy on logical reasoning questions.
