During your LSAT exam, you need to complete a writing section, which consists of an essay. You will have 35 minutes to plan and pen a persuasive essay. The topic is assigned in the exam framed as a question that presents you with two options.
This essay is not designed to test your knowledge of the law. However, the overriding factor that determines success is how you argue for one position and against another.
Here is what you should know about this LSAT component:
It is compulsory but not scored
You might not need to write your essay immediately after taking the LSAT exam, but you will have to do it if you want your law school report to be complete according to new regulations that came into effect in June 2019.
Therefore, you can do it days, weeks, or even months afterward, but do so on the understanding that no law school will receive your application until you submit it. Procrastination will have long-term consequences. It takes about a month for your essay to be processed, your file updated and sent on to law schools.
While your essay might not be scored, it is still vital to write one and do so in a cogent, meaningful manner. Think of a likely scenario at a law school admissions office where demand for places is higher than it can accommodate.
Your LSAT score is identical to another candidate’s, and there is only one place left. What do you think might happen? Your essay might be the deciding factor, making it essential for you to produce an excellent text to secure your spot.
Not completing it places your future in jeopardy
Therefore, an LSAT tutor will strongly suggest that you write yours as soon as possible as delaying it could cause you to miss application deadlines.
Tutor the People offers support to students preparing for their LSAT, including coaching them on the writing section.
Using previous exams for practice, you can write several essays in preparation for the LSAT exam, with your tutor providing constructive feedback that helps you improve. Knowing what to expect and how to tackle it will make the exam easier for you.
Make a choice
An LSAT essay’s structure is reasonably simple. In your first paragraph, you need to make a clear statement about which of the two presented options you have selected.
Devote the remainder of this paragraph defending your chosen position, describing its pros and their relevance, while downplaying its cons. Explain that your choice is not perfect but point out why its consequences are not that far-reaching. Admitting a degree of weakness in the position is a strength, provided it is addressed by mitigating its less-than-favorable effects.
In the second paragraph, explain why you are not in favor of the other option by downplaying its advantages and highlighting its flaws.
Point out some of this point’s merits but point out that they cannot outweigh its less advantageous consequences. Conclude by restating your position using your chosen option and how the information you have presented supports it.
There is no right or wrong answer
Do not be disheartened if you discuss your essay with another examinee and discover that they chose the other option. A successful outcome is less about which option you selected, but more about how you advocated for it and argued against the other.
In court, one lawyer persuades a jury that they are correct, and their opponent is not. The same applies to your essay. A convincing, persuasive essay will succeed regardless of which position you took.