LSAT Writing is a mandatory writing sample that students complete on their own time in the days, weeks, or even months following the test. We put together this guide to explain what’s expected of you, how it’s administered, its general importance, and how to write the most compelling essay possible.
LSAT Writing is a 35-minute assignment that requires you to write a persuasive essay in favor of a particular choice among two possible options. We’ll explore the specifics of the task, known as a “Decision Prompt,” shortly. First, let’s discuss some notable aspects of LSAT Writing itself.
1. It is mandatory.
Your file is not complete until you have submitted at least one writing sample. LSAC is serious about this! Your Law School Report (the compilation of your school records, test scores, writing sample, letters of recommendation, etc.) will not be sent to any law school you’ve applied to until it’s done. You officially have one year from your test date to complete a writing sample. Our advice is to get it over with sooner rather than later. You don’t want to drop the ball and miss your application deadlines! Keep in mind that LSAC claims that it may take 3-4 weeks to process your sample and update your file.
2. It only needs to be done once.
Candidates only have to have a single writing sample on file, even if it’s from a past, paper-based test. Re-takers do not have to complete additional LSAT Writing unless they want to. Maybe you want to submit more than one! Perhaps you’d rather have a typed sample on file rather than a handwritten essay. Or maybe you feel after reading this post that you could do a better job. If you already have a writing sample on file and really want to submit another one, you’ll have to pay a small fee. Schools will receive the 3 most recent writing samples as part of your Law School Report.
3. It is unscored.
Yep, you read that right: your essay will not receive a number or value. Unlike the multiple-choice questions you recently tackled on the LSAT, the difference between “great” effort and something inarguably mediocre is more qualitative than quantitative. It comes down primarily to your ability to adhere to a handful of suggestions that I’ll outline in detail below.
LSAT Writing is sent to every law school to which you apply. Many will skim it, and some will read it carefully. So don’t blow it off!
The last thing you want an admissions committee that reads your essay to think you’re not serious about the process. Law school is brutal. It requires a Herculean level of dedication. Imagine what it says to a group debating your intentions and potential if you don’t commit yourself to a half-hour writing exercise. The risks of dismissiveness far outweigh the rewards. Plus, according to a few admissions directors we spoke with, they’re looking at the quality of your unedited and spontaneous essay as a further indicator of your writing chops. It’s skillset central to law school success.
You’re in this to win it, so let’s go nuts. I’m going to dissect LSAT Writing piece by piece. From the General Directions to the specific essay Directions to the details of an actual Prompt. And I’ll even give you the tools to craft an essay that any board would be pleased to receive.
Using the Digital Interface
You’ll need access to a computer running Windows or Mac OS, not Chrome OS. It has to have a webcam, a microphone, a single connected monitor, and an internet connection. You’ll definitely want to run the proctoring software in advance and get some experience via the practice environment on the LSAC site. You will receive a link to the “Get Acquainted with LSAT Writing” proctoring software in your LSAC.org account. That interface will offer common word-processing functions, including a spell-check function and the ability to cut, copy, and paste. There are also accessibility features such as a font magnifier, line reader, and speech-to-text compatibility.
The proctoring platform will use input from your keyboard, webcam, microphone, and computer screen to ensure you’re not getting outside assistance. You’ll have a video check-in process where you show a government-issued ID as well as your workspace to the camera. The platform will close any outside messaging or web-browsing applications and your actions will be recorded and reviewed by proctors.
General Directions
Per LSAC:
“You will have 35 minutes in which to plan and write an essay on the topic provided [it will be a randomly selected prompt]. Read the topic and the accompanying directions carefully. You will probably find it best to spend a few minutes considering the topic and organizing your thoughts before you begin writing. In your essay, be sure to develop your ideas fully, leaving time, if possible, to review what you have written. Do not write on a topic other than the one specified. Writing on a topic of your own choice is not acceptable.
No special knowledge is required or expected for this writing exercise. Law schools are interested in the reasoning, clarity, organization, language usage, and writing mechanics displayed in your essay. How well you write is more important than how much you write.”
You will be able to use scratch paper to sketch out any notes or initial thoughts. Use it to jot down the pros and cons and develop a game plan for your overall response. Before you start, you will need to show the camera both sides of any scratch paper. If you wrap things up early, you’ll have time to proofread your writing and make quick edits as needed. And, trust me, there will almost certainly be some mistakes to touch up.
Next, this essay is all about your interpretation of the information they give you. It is not about your specific knowledge of the topic nor the volume of text you submit. Readers care about how persuasive your argument is and that’s it. Focus on crafting a convincing defense of your chosen path and worry less about subject knowledge and word count.
Oddly, there is a second set of directions immediately before the essay topic. These are more specific to the nature of the Prompt itself. Be sure to understand these directions prior to beginning your essay. Re-reading them wastes valuable time!
You Must Make a Choice
The scenario presented below describes two choices, either of which can be supported on the basis of the information given. Your essay should consider both choices and argue one over the other based on the specified criteria and provided facts. There is no “right” or “wrong” choice: a reasonable argument can be made for either. Again, easy enough. These directions outline the crucial points for what’s to come. You’ve got an either/or decision to make with no “right” choice. There’s information provided in support of both options and yet you have to choose one and stick to it.
This is critical.
You must take a side.
There’s no clear winner. Both options have advantages and disadvantages, but you can’t hedge here. You need to choose one and go all-in in your defense of it. However, and as we’ll see, that doesn’t mean blind devotion. The fact that you’re leaning one way doesn’t mean the alternative is without merit. Acknowledging the occasional failings of your path while simultaneously hinting at the upsides of the other is what great essays are made of. But more on that in a second.
Consider This Example
Let’s examine the Writing Sample from the June 2007 LSAT for a detailed look at exactly how this plays out. Go to the link and review the sample, which is about BLZ Stores.
As you can see, you have to commit to one of two choices based on two criteria. In this case, increased and one assumes somewhat immediate, profitability and long-term financial stability. As is true of every LSAT Writing prompt, the dilemma is the same. Each choice will presumably better satisfy one governing objective while simultaneously under-performing with respect to the other. In other words, there’s no clear winner. An odd situation for a test all about right answers.
Here the two choices are particularly opaque: neither seems to clearly accomplish either goal. Still, you can expect to assign each option to an objective, and that provides a starting point. What are our objectives, and which plan better serves each?
- Increase profits, meaning we need a way to generate income and hopefully as quickly as possible. Although the “national plan” mentions profits, it is also a costly and seemingly high-risk move in the short-term. From a profit objective, it seems more prudent to pursue the “regional plan” where BLZ avoids serious debt by using its cash reserves to increase the size and number of its stores and quickly raise prices. Basically, this option requires little change in terms of infrastructure. Thus, it allows for some potentially speedy results, as previously observed in a trial store. It doesn’t offer much in the way of long-term growth/stability, however. It only applies to the stores in the company’s home region where we’re told competition is increasing. In a sense, this is a much more incremental, small-scale change than the alternative. But, with the potential to produce modest but fast financial gains.
- Ensure long-term financial stability, meaning we need a way to safeguard against potential setbacks on the scale of years, perhaps decades. With the talk of increasingly heavy competition in BLZ’s home region, it seems as though the “national plan” offers the more appealing long-term, large-scale solution. Granted, there are greater risks than with the regional plan. BLZ will incur considerable debt, devote significant resources to new staff and marketing/distribution efforts. They’ll also face an uphill battle of not-so-great odds given the historical consequences for other companies that adopted this strategy. But with a strong reputation and the need to expand beyond their home region, the long-term viability of the company may well depend on this big picture approach.
Two things about those bullets. First, I’ve tried to categorize the two plans according to their likelihood of satisfying the criteria provided. Generally, it’s much more black and white to see which plan serves which objective. This particular Sample is annoyingly unclear. I also explained my reasoning for why I paired them as I did and mentioned the downsides of each. That’s roughly how you should begin the planning phase of your essay. Consider how to partner a choice with the criteria it most satisfies and why. Simultaneously determine the ways in which it falls short of perfection. Second, I wouldn’t actually write that all out on the real thing, at least not as I did here. I listed it merely to demonstrate the thought process behind the assignments I’ve chosen.
Instead, what I suggest you do to keep this process organized is create an x-, y-axis type graph on your scratch paper. Here you can list the Pros and Cons of each choice so that you do not overlook any as you begin to type. Something like this.
Now you can easily catalog the advantages and disadvantages of the two plans according to the criteria on offer. So if I were to then fill in each of those quadrants, it would appear as…
At this point, the only thing left to do before I get to writing is to pick a side. Again, there’s no right or wrong answer. Choose whichever option you feel you’re better able to defend based on the points you’ve just sketched out. Whichever happens to appeal to you or that you believe has more attractive pros and/or less detrimental cons.
For me, with this particular Prompt, I’d choose the regional plan. Here’s why. The regional plan seems to give better immediate prospects in terms of low-risk financial success. While it’s unlikely to be a permanent solution to the company’s long-term ambitions if it generates quick profits with little investment. In turn, it would minimize the consequences associated with eventually pursuing a more nationally-oriented expansion. In short, employ the regional plan now, make as much money as possible from your loyal, local customer base before the competition gets untenable. Then, use those gains to offset the “considerable debt” associated with something more aggressive down the road.
Note that I’m not recommending “do both!” That would be a mistake. I made a decision in favor of one over the other. However, my reasoning can still allow for the possibility that doing one now doesn’t inherently preclude the other’s potential existence at some point in the future. Unless, of course, the initial choice craters the company entirely, a very real concern with the national plan in this case.
Let’s Recap
You have to make a decision between competing options with no right or wrong answer and contrasting points for and against each choice based on a pair of desired outcomes. You must choose, despite neither being a perfect solution, spend several minutes determining which plan is better suited to the criteria provided, and make a quick sketch to note the pros and cons of each choice. Once you choose the plan you feel better equipped to defend, you defend it while acknowledging the downsides of your choice and the potential upsides of the alternative.
And now we write.
For a lot of students out there, the most familiar essay structure is the old, high-school-favorite five-paragraph response. That’s far too involved for this task. Instead, I encourage you to craft a simple, two-paragraph essay, as follows.
Paragraph 1: Your Choice
- Begin with a clear statement expressing which of the two options you’ve chosen. Then spend the remainder of the first paragraph in defense of that decision: explain why your pros are notable and relevant and the driving factors in the determination, and downplay the weaknesses that your selection contains. This is important! You need to explicitly mention that your choice does in fact have failings, at which point you can then describe why their consequences aren’t a deal-breaker.
- One of the primary considerations of anyone reading your essay will be whether you were candid and fair-minded in your treatment of an imperfect plan. Remember, admitting a degree of weakness can ultimately be a strength, provided you proactively address it and mitigate its nastier effects. This is your opportunity to do just that.
Paragraph 2: The Alternative
- In your second paragraph, you’ll provide your reasoning for avoiding the other option, specifically by downplaying its advantages and emphasizing its shortcomings. Again, you need to grant that this choice has some merit. Doing so shows that you’re not only equitable—diplomacy of a type goes a long way here—but it also allows you to then de-emphasize those benefits.
- Finally, conclude this paragraph with a sentence that quickly restates your choice and, in broad terms, how the information you’ve provided speaks in favor of it.
Of course, if you have a few minutes remaining—and it’s a good idea to pace yourself so that you do—reread what you’ve written looking for typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors that the word processing functions might miss. These things won’t keep you out of law school if you’re otherwise qualified, but they hardly serve to make a great impression. Clean it up if you can.
In Closing…
I’ve provided more of a template for how to write the essay, rather than an “ideal” sample essay itself.
While I strongly encourage you to adhere to the points and pattern outlined above, the reason for this is that I am not here to dictate your writing style. Your voice is your own, and it’s important that it rings true and read authentically throughout your essay.
Are there soft rules you should follow? Yes. And the text here should give you a clear idea of what those are. But it’s up to you to fill in the gaps with words—and reasoning—of your creation. Fortunately, by following this guide I’m confident you’ll have no trouble expressing yourself commendably when it counts.
Niloofar Farboodi says
Dave and Jon, you two are LSAT giants! I resort to you, your posts and podcasts, every time I hit a deadlock. Same was true for the writing portion of the exam.
Thank you!!!!!
Jon Denning says
Thank you so much! And I can’t tell you how happy it makes us to know we were able to help 🙂
Amy says
Thank you so much for all the great info. I have a question about LSAC’s take on security/secrecy for the writing portion of the test. I’m clear on how restrictive they are on actual LSAT questions; what’s their stance on the writing part?
I just took the June ’21 flex and I’m registered for August as well. I completed my writing exam at the beginning of the month. They’ve already marked my essay as completed and I can see both the original prompt that I got, as well as my sample. Am I able to share my writing sample with others? I know I did well, but I low-key want it to be perfect, and I’m wondering if I can share it and get feedback from others.
Thanks in advance!
Jon Denning says
Hi Amy – thanks for posting, and congrats on completing both the test and the Writing! Smart of you to take care of it early so your score release isn’t delayed 🙂
As for sharing it, I’d strongly advise against it!
The main reason not to share *any* details about your test is that LSAC is quite…sensitive when it comes to people discussing their materials in a way that could give others a clear idea on what was tested/presented. And I suspect if someone were to read your essay they could reconstruct a fairly accurate version of the essay prompt you saw, which violates LSAC’s disclosure policies.
Happily, since the Writing isn’t scored, even if a test professional (or someone at least knowledgable about the LSAT) were to review it in private there’s not much that could be said to quantifiably assess the essay’s quality or give you a sense of how admissions committees might “rate” it, assuming any read it in the first place. General writing suggestions are of course always possible, as is feedback on diction, grammar, structure, and the like, but in terms of trying to apply some objective, admissions-centric metric, it’s far less concrete.
So simply take comfort in the fact that you know you did well, along with the relief that comes from never having to do it again!
Amy says
Makes sense, thank you Jon!
AG says
For Lsat writing, should we address every single point in our pros and cons chart or just a couple (maybe 3 per paragraph)
Dave Killoran says
Depends on the time you have and the strength of each of your points. I’ve seen both approaches used, and it’s all about what makes you the most comfortable. So, while I wouldn’t advise throwing in the kitchen sink, you can certainly make more than 3 points 🙂
Christina says
Hi Jon! Thanks for this guide, it was straight to the point and made it extremely simple to understand, and master the basics of the LSAT writing section. I’m wondering if there’s any way you could re-upload the pictures you posted of the pro/con and x/y-axis graphs? I understand the general idea but they don’t seem to show up on any of my devices and would love the visual example. Thank you!
Jon Denning says
Hi Christina – my pleasure, and thank you so much for taking the time to read it! Happy to hear it helped 🙂
Happy too to let you know those images have been re-added and should be visible for you now. But please let me know if not and I’ll give it another look!
Samantha says
Hey Jon ,
I got a response from LSAC saying that my writing has been completed, so I’m hoping that this means that it did submit correctly. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see. Thanks for your help!
Jon Denning says
Sounds like it, yeah! That’s great news 🙂
Samantha K says
Hey there! I just finished my LSAT writing and unfortunately, the clock ran out as I was editing my essay. I was happy with it but I did not get the chance to click submit. Do you think this means that it in fact did not submit? I contacted LSAC but I’m still waiting for a response.
Also, this post helped me so much in preparing for this portion of the exam, you guys are the best!
Samantha
Jon Denning says
Hi Samantha – thanks for posting. I can’t say with certainty, of course—you’ll have to wait on a response from LSAC to get confirmation one way or the other—but my understanding is that unless you hit Submit the essay isn’t saved and uploaded into their system, so unfortunately you may find that you have to redo it. Fingers crossed that they can access the recording and salvage what you wrote from that, but I know in past instances when sessions have ended (time ran out, internet disconnected, etc) people have been forced to start from scratch.
Please keep us posted on what you hear from LSAC! Rooting for you!
Mariana says
Hi there, I just finished the writing portion of the LSAT and but couldn’t finish it. I’m happy with the overall product and was able to check for structure, grammar, flow, etc. I did select one choice right at the beginning of the essay and argued in favor of it in the second paragraph and against the other option in the third paragraph. I just couldn’t finish a sentence I wanted to add at the end to close the argument, something along the lines of “It is therefore in the best interest of X company to select Y option.” I was only able to type until “It is therefore in the best interest of X company to select -“. Do you think I should repeat the writing part? Thank you so much.
Dave Killoran says
Hi Mariana,
There are mixed opinions on what to do here. At many schools it won’t make a difference, but at some it most definitely could. The problem is, there’s no list of schools that tell you how much they care about something like this :/ My feeling has always been that if you are looking at schools in the Top50, you really don’t want any issues (however minor) and I’d redo it.
Thanks!
Joyce says
Hi,
Just wondering if I can use an external monitor connected to my laptop keyboard to take the LSAT writing? My laptop is not functioning well lately.
Dave Killoran says
Hi Joyce,
Thanks for the message! If this is a second monitor attached to your laptop, it will NOT work. LSAC is very clear about no second monitors being allowed.
I’m sorry 🙁
Jackie says
With the two criteria provided, do you recommend arguing that one is more important to support the choice made or demonstrating that the selected choice satisfies both criteria better?
Dave Killoran says
Hi Jackie,
It’s about overall strength to me, but that said I could see shifting that depending on the context of the prompt. The good news is that almost all of these are built so one choice suits one of the two criteria better (and thus the other supports the other criterion better), so it’s most often balancing them two against each other and making an overall argument.
Please let me know if that helps. Thanks!
John Rosenfeld says
Quick questions:
I’m about ready to take the writing section but I am having a little problem figuring out the formatting tools. I am used to indenting the beginning of each paragraph, as well as not having a double space between my paragraphs. Will the absence of either of those look bad? If so, using the tools they give me, how would I go about doing it? Also, should I include a heading or title? I know that format is not nearly as important as content, but I want to make sure the format looks as professional as it can with the constraints given.
Thanks!
Dave Killoran says
Hey John,
Thanks for the question! You won’t need to worry about the absence of those elements because everyone’s essays are designed to look the same as far as formatting. So, if you want a title, make it the first line of the essay and then space down form there, same with paragraph breaks. Aside from that there’s nothing to worry about as far as a “professional” look because law schools know this is a preset format that you can’t control 🙂
Thanks!
AR says
It seems like there are a lot of requirements for the room in which you complete the writing sample. Any suggestions on where to do it? I’m not sure how to find a space in which there are no other electronic devices, as described on the LSAC website. How strict are they about things like a television or a kitchen timer being nearby, if not in the immediate area?
Dave Killoran says
Hi AR,
Yes, the requirements are kind of ridiculous, and even now they continue to have problem after problem with it. And of course, the issue you mention — a largely electronic-free environment — is basically impossible to come across these days! In the case of things like a TV, those aren’t specifically prohibited (but could fall under “media players”) and so far as long as the TV is off I haven’t seen issues arise; kitchen timer is pretty broad but if it is standalone you should remove it, otherwise it shouldn’t be an issue.
Do a thorough check and get rid of all the obvious items. That usually is good enough! Good luck!
Zijie says
Hi, I took the LSAT exam in September and just finished the writing today. Apparently I wrote a bit too much (over 500 words) and ran out of sufficient time to edit. I felt okay with my arguments and content, but spotted 2-3 minor grammatical and formatting (double-spcaing) errors afterwards. Do you think I should consider re-taking it? How important are 100 percent accurate grammars and formats? Thanks!
Dave Killoran says
Hi Zijie,
If this is minor stuff as you say, it won’t be a big deal. they know it’s timed, and so there’s a certain amount of “give” in the analysis that overlooks imperfections. They will really be looking for bigger picture elements like idea construction and phrasing, as opposed to nitpicky errors. So you should be good 🙂
Thanks!
Dolapo says
Hi,
Thank you so much for your article. I took the LSAT for the first time in June 2019 and I’m about take my writing test anytime now. I must say that you’ve been very helpful.
Thanks again!
Jon Denning says
Happy to help! Thanks so much for taking the time to give this a read 🙂
Gabriel Francisco says
I took the LSAT in June and July and just finished the writing sample yesterday. How long should my writing sample be? What is a suitable word count? I left as though mine was too short at 300 words…
Jon Denning says
Hi Gabriel – thanks for posting, and great question!
You know, there’s not really a firm recommendation on word count per se, as LSAC has certainly never specified a preference and neither have schools. So let me offer instead two useful rules of thumb:
First, LSAC *does* make a point of encouraging people to be concise and efficient, where they even go so far as to point out in the directions: “How well you write is more important than how much you write.” (https://www.lsac.org/lsat/lsat-prep/practice-test/writing-sample-general-directions)
So prioritize getting your points across without feeling the need to overly-elaborate or write more simply for the sake of bulk!
Second, that said, I think anything between 300-400 words is more than enough, again assuming it’s thorough and well-written. That comes to maybe 60-80% of the volume of a typical Reading Comp passage, to give you an idea of length by comparison to something familiar.
When I see passages in the 150-200 word range, or the 500+ word range (believe it or not some people write that much), I grow a little concerned: the former is awfully limiting in fleshing out your points/choice; the latter is almost certainly wordier than it should be. So something in between is generally the sweet spot 🙂
I hope that helps!
Nihal Singh says
Thank you so much! I just wanted to be sure before I started freaking out! Love the podcast and love the Bibles!
Cydney says
Hi!
I took the LSAT in June and preparing for the writing portion. Are we allowed to infer anything or are we strictly bound to what it provides?
For example: whether to excavate a site or not it discussed damage from excavating and theft from leaving the items where they are. Am I allowed to also state that as a con of leaving the times is that natural disasters like landslides could occur and the artifacts be lost?
Thanks!
Jon Denning says
Great question, Cydney! I’d say that the “assumptions” inherently permitted—i.e. those which no reader would squint at, judgingly—are of the same type considered reasonable on the test itself: real world likelihoods that don’t strain against common sense. So natural disasters (landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, wildfires, etc) are all regrettably plausible enough to merit consideration, and thus primed for inclusion as you weigh the most appropriate action(s). Just be mindful of speaking too absolutely about unpredictable events, particularly when it comes to nature/geography; it’s one thing to say it rains a lot in Seattle, and another entirely to promise August 6th will be wet.
Similarly, to say that we shouldn’t build a new stadium in, for instance, Phoenix, because an earthquake will likely level it is a bit extreme…to note that an open-air stadium in Phoenix is going to be subject to brutal heat in the summer, however, is entirely justifiable. Highrises in Tampa aren’t exactly tornado-prone, but Topeka…well, you get the idea.
And those are the kinds of real-life knowledge that you can safely allow to factor 🙂
Jen says
Just listened to the podcast episode where y’all talk about the online writing. June was my first LSAT and I thought I heard y’all mention that your test won’t be scored until you have a writing sample on file. Is it true that I won’t receive my score until I do the writing sample?
Jon Denning says
Hey Jen – thanks for giving that a listen! The policy as I understand it—and I’ll have to relisten to the episode to see if maybe we could’ve done a better job making this clearer—is that you’ll receive your score on release day whether you have a writing sample on file or not, but LSAC won’t send your applications to schools (or at least schools won’t be able to see your full info) until you’ve done the writing.
So you’ll get your score on the 28th as planned. But you’ll need to complete the writing portion before schools are made aware of how you did!
Hope that helps, and thanks again for tuning in!
Jen says
Thank you so much! I just wanted to be sure before I started freaking out! Love the podcast and love the Bibles!
Jon Denning says
You’re too kind! Thanks so much for sharing the encouragining feedback 🙂
rain says
Good afternoon and thank you Mr. Jon.
Just read this and I appreciate this.
Good weekend.
Jon Denning says
My pleasure as always, Rain! 🙂
Gayle says
hi there, do you know what’s the new requirement for writing sample starting June 3, 2019? It won’t require writing to be completed immediately after the test. So they allow testers to finish the writing sample at home?
Dave Killoran says
That is correct! And you will only have to take a single time and no longer for each LSAT). LSAC has yet to release full details, but the sample will be administered online via secure proctoring software. Meaning, you can take it from home 🙂