Students can take the LSAT four times a year: in June, September or October, December, and February. One of the most common questions students ask us at Blueprint LSAT Prep is which administration they should take. (The most common question is how they can avoid it altogether, but like aging or Lindsey Lohan going back to rehab, it’s sadly unavoidable).

You Need To Take The LSAT Eventually, But When?

We tell all of our Blueprint LSAT students that the best time to take the test is when you have the most time to prepare for it. The LSAT is a difficult exam and it doesn’t yield to last minute cramming in the way an English paper or history final does (yes – we at Blueprint LSAT Prep were once humanities majors, too). Learning to do well on the exam requires learning a certain critical thinking process, so at Blueprint LSAT Prep we recommend studying for two or three months for optimal preparation. However, there are factors other than preparation time that can be considered when deciding which administration of the LSAT to take. Like do you party/play Mass Effect II/watch the Lifetime Movie Channel every night and sleep till noon? If so, we at Blueprint LSAT Prep know of a special exam for you. Really.

The June LSAT

June is beloved by slackers (and so the folks at Blueprint Prep) as the only LSAT that is administered in the afternoon. That’s right, kids, the June LSAT begins at 1:00PM, a far cry from the 8:00AM wake up call required by the other three administrations.

The June LSAT is typically the second largest administration of the test. Its advantages are that students who take the June LSAT can apply early in the law school admissions cycle. Because most law schools admit students on a rolling admissions basis, applying earlier in the process is a good idea. However, we at Blueprint LSAT Prep have found that some students find the June LSAT challenging because they must study for the most part while in school. If this is the case, Blueprint LSAT Preparation recommends taking a lower class load or easier classes so you can devote significant time to the LSAT.

The September/October LSAT

The September/October LSAT date is usually the largest administration of the test. We find our Blueprint LSAT students like it because students taking the exam in the fall can study for it during the summer, when they are not otherwise attending classes or working. Of course, this means you’ll have to forgo your “research” trip to Ibiza but hey, the discothèques will be waiting for you the following summer.

Like the June administration, taking the September/October LSAT will still allow applicants to apply to law school early. However, if for whatever reason you need to postpone taking the test until December, your application will be in later in the process.

The December LSAT

The December date is the last LSAT administration that many law schools will accept. Students who choose to take this test will have their scores released approximately three weeks after they take the exam, which means law schools will not receive their LSAT score until late December or early January.

In order to have their applications in as soon as possible, we tell our Blueprint LSAT students taking the December test to finish their written applications before their scores are released so the LSAT score is the last piece of their application to be finalized. That way, the thinking goes at Blueprint LSAT Prep, they can still be ahead of the December test takers who finish their applications after they take the test, as well as the February test takers.

The February LSAT

The February test is usually the smallest of the four test administrations, according to our numbers at Blueprint LSAT Prep. Students who take the February exam are either very early or very late in the law school application cycle (not all schools accept the February LSAT for that year’s admission cycle). Its advantage is that much of the studying for the February test happens over winter break, which college students find helpful. However, the February test is non-disclosed, which means that students who take this exam will not receive copies of the questions, which is a huge disadvantage in our opinion at Blueprint LSAT Prep. This will not impact their score, but we find that our Blueprint LSAT Prep students like to pore over the exam afterward to torture themselves about things they cannot change.

 

Article written by Jodi Triplett and Trent Teti of Blueprint LSAT Prep. Blueprint offers live and online LSAT classes to students across the country. Blueprint LSAT Prep was founded in 2005.