Every law school applicant must register an account with the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). LSAC is an online service that collects letters of recommendation, features online law school applications and handles registration for the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT). For a small fee, LSAC transmits all data electronically to each law school an to which an applicant applies. The service provides schools with a consistent portfolio of information for each applicant, allowing for more efficient admissions processing times.
The Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) is the mandatory admissions test that all law school applicants must complete. The standardized test features five 35-minute sections, comprised of the following sections: analytics reasoning, two logical reasoning, reading comprehension and an experimental section which is not scored. The experimental section may be any one of the three categories. At the end of the test, a 35-minute writing sample is taken from all test-takers, which is then forwarded to law schools along with the score results. LSAT scores stay on an applicant's record for five years. Applicants may not take the test more than three times in a 24-month period. LSAT scores range on a scale from 120 to 180, with 180 as the highest possible score.
Most law schools require two letters of recommendation. In a recommendation, law schools prefer that a professor or an immediate supervisor who is familiar with an applicant's work ethic and character author each letter. An applicant supplies a professional who knows the applicant well with a letter of recommendation form. The form contains a bar code and should accompany the letter. Once received by LSAC, the bar code is scanned, and the letter is loaded into the electronic account of the applicant. The applicant then determines to which schools the letter should be sent.
Law schools refer to a cumulative undergraduate grade point average when reviewing an applicant's academic record. LSAC requires that every undergraduate class ever taken--including summer courses and courses taken at academic institutions from which a degree was not conferred--supply a transcript. Utilizing the cumulative grade point average from every class taken, an official undergraduate grade point average is determined by LSAC and shared with law schools. If a class was retaken for a higher grade, only the original grade is counted in the calculation.
The law school application process is critical in gaining admission. In addition to the basic application information, questions regarding character and fitness play a role in admission decisions. Every school also requires a personal statement from each applicant. Additionally, schools may request supplemental essays, a resume or further documentation that may assist in the decision making process.
Prior to law school, an applicant must earn a bachelor's degree. However, the discipline of that degree is not subject to any restrictions. Law schools accept applicants with degrees in all types of different fields. Since the law can be applied to just about any employment field, a diverse student body with specializations in different backgrounds can add to the collective learning environment at a school.