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LSAT
Information:
The
Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is currently offered four
times each year usually in early October, early December,
mid February and mid June. The specific testing dates and
the cost for the current year LSAT exam can be found at Law
Services Admissions Council .
The LSAT
exam score and academic record earned by each applicant are
clearly the main criteria for law school admission and for
that reason, the LSAT should not be taken lightly. Applicants
should be adequately prepared for the exam. Plan to prepare
and take the LSAT once, since most schools average multiple
scores, unlike the SATs where many schools use the highest
score. Prep courses are fairly expensive ($600-$900 for a
live course), however they appear more reasonable when you
spread these costs over your lifetime earnings as an attorney.
If you can earn 5-8 more points on the LSAT it may have a
huge effect on the law school you will be accepted at. The
school you attend will likely have a big effect on your starting
salary upon graduation.
Registering
for the LSAT:
If you
plan to register for the LSAT by mail, registration materials
are available in the racks outside of my office in Stein Hall
501 or in the racks in the Career Planning Office in the Hogan
Center. Once the registration forms are completed, mail them
in with the required fees. If you wish to register via the
internet, contact Law
Services Admissions Counsel.
You can
register for LSDAS at the same time if you wish. LSDAS is
short for the Law School Data Assembly Service, a service
provided to the law schools by LSAC. Essentially, you forward
an official copy of your transcript from the Holy Cross Registrars
Office to LSDAS, where it is analyzed and evaluated. Your
GPA is then recomputed with rules that make transcripts and
GPA calculations consistent from school to school (quarters/trimesters/semesters:
different value scales are brought in line with 4.0, etc.)
My understanding is that they count all course work in the
LSDAS GPA except 4 types; they exclude physical education
grades, ROTC grades, performance art courses (pottery, oil
painting) and performance music (choir, learning to play the
guitar). All other courses count in the LSDAS GPA. Note that
although Holy Cross may not include Junior Year Abroad or
summer school grades in your grade point average, LSDAS does.
National
Test Preparation Programs:
Stanley
Kaplan LSAT Preparation
Princeton
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