You Should Take the July 2019 LSAT. Here’s Why!!

You Should Take the July 2019 LSAT. Here’s Why!!

If you’re thinking of taking the LSAT this summer or fall (or even if you haven’t given it any thought), you should seriously consider taking the July 2019 LSAT. The July exam is unique because the LSAC is using this exam to transition from a paper to digital format. It might seem like this is a reason not to take the exam but the LSAC has broken with tradition to give test takers accommodations that make it worth your while. These incentives are reason alone that you should sign up for the exam if you are thinking of taking it at all.

You Should Take the July 2019 LSAT. Here’s Why!!

1. You will have the ability to see and cancel your score…

This is the crystal ball you’ve been waiting for! On a typical LSAT exam, you don’t have the luxury of seeing your score before you decide to cancel it. This is, of course, a major source of anxiety for test takers. Usually, test takers just have to trust their gut instinct and cancel the exam without knowing how they actually performed.

However, if you take the July 2019 LSAT, LSAC will allow you to actually see your score before you decide to cancel. If you didn’t perform as well as you’d hope, you can cancel your score with little consequence. This is completely unprecedented and is reason alone that you should take this exam.

Keep in mind that this will not be offered of later tests; this is a one-time only exception for the July exam. Furthermore, know that if you cancel your score, a “C” will still appear on your CAS report. However, as long as you don’t have multiple canceled scores, one won’t impact the strength of your application and most admissions officers won’t give it much thought.

2.  …and have the ability to retake through April 2020.

Not only can you cancel your score after you see it, but you can then retake the exam through April 2020 at no additional charge. Typically, every time you take the exam you must pay to do so irrespectively of whether you canceled previous scores or not. Having the chance to re-take the exam at no cost if you are not happy with your score is a guarantee that you won’t regret signing up to take the July LSAT exam.

3. The substance doesn’t change.

The only variable in this exam is the format in which you take it. The substance of the exam will be exactly the same. Sure, you won’t know whether you’ll be using a pencil or a stylist but as long as you focus on the substance of the exam, the platform shouldn’t impact your performance on the test.  This should also help quell any anxiety over the uncertainty of your test format. Once the test begins, you’ll probably give little thought to whether you are using paper and pencil or a tablet.

The only thing to keep in mind is that if you are using pencil and paper (as everyone up until now has done), be sure that your scantron answers line up with the question being asked. This is one concern that digital test takers won’t need to worry about.

4. It’s not too late to register!

You still have plenty of time to register for the exam and study for the exam. If you weren’t previously thinking of taking the July LSAT exam, take some time to consider it. The incentives that are being offered for this exam will not apply to any future exams, so it’s a take it or leave it deal. Furthermore, remember that your LSAT scores stay good for five years. If you’re not ready to apply to law school just yet, that’s perfectly fine and your score should still be there when you’re ready.

The registration deadline is Tuesday, June 4^th and you can log into your LSAC account to register.

Rachel Margiewicz, Director of Pre-Law Services, wrote this post. Rachel is a licensed attorney with years of admissions experience across three law school programs in different markets of the country. She knows what schools are looking for and how to make your application stand out.