By Casey Sadler | Reporter
Baylor Law School is accepting applications for the spring 2023 semester, with submissions due Nov. 10.
Students must meet a number of requirements to be eligible for acceptance, including taking the Law School Admission Test, more commonly known as the LSAT. According to the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), the purpose of the LSAT is to test the skills necessary for success in the first year of law school.
According to LSAC’s website, the LSAT involves two components: the multiple-choice section and the writing section. The multiple-choice section consists of logical and analytical reasoning questions, as well as reading comprehension questions. These help determine one’s ability to execute good comprehension and choice-making skills.
The writing section requires students to draft a persuasive essay that takes a logical position based on the given prompt, according to LSAC’s website. This can be completed up to eight days before the scheduled LSAT but must be submitted the day you submit the multiple-choice section.
Katherine Sims, director of admissions and financial aid at Baylor Law, said taking the LSAT is a crucial step in the admission process.
“It’s an important factor in the admission process because it is something all applicants do, at least for Baylor Law,” Sims said. “It really allows us to have some sort of an objective factor to be able to see a student’s abilities that might predict their success in law school.”
The LSAT, including both the multiple-choice and writing sections, must be taken online through LSAC’s website, and it must be turned in by Nov. 14 in order to be considered for Baylor’s spring admission. The next LSAT will be administered from Nov. 11 to Nov. 12.
LSAT practice tests are available online through resources such as Khan Academy and LSAC. According to LSAC‘s website, the LSAT costs $215 for the 2022-2023 testing year.
Portland, Ore., senior Garrett Taylor said he prepared thoroughly to take the LSAT.
“I really took every single practice test — literally every single practice test that is available from the LSAC,” Taylor said. “I did all of those and then separated it, tried to identify common denominators between problems that I missed, and then that’s when I really did the prep course.”
LSAT preparation courses can be purchased from various providers, including Princeton and Blueprint. They include various logical strategies that may help some study and practice.
Taylor said ultimately, preparation differs among individuals.
“Be conscious of where you’re at naturally,” Taylor said. “Some people are going to come in and just be better at it off the rip. But I truly believe anyone is capable of getting a borderline perfect LSAT. It’s about learning how to play the game and beat the system.”
