LSAT Writing Sample

Class Location: The Internet.

Description: This course is designed to help students prepare for the Writing Sample section of the LSAT.

Objective: Score well on the Writing Sample section.

The final portion of the LSAT is a writing sample, in which you will have 35 minutes to plan and write an essay on a supplied prompt. The writing sample does not require any specific knowledge. Rather, law schools are interested in your ability to reason, organize your thoughts, write clearly, correctly use language and syntax, and support and fully develop your ideas and arguments. The writing sample is not graded, but all the schools that receive your LSAT scores will also get a copy of your written essay.

The writing sample randomly provides one of two kinds of prompts—decision or argument. The decision prompt will present two sides to an argument, and you must choose one viewpoint and advocate it. Both sides are valid, and the prompt will include information and criteria on which to base your decision and support your arguments. The idea is to assess how well you support your choice and devalue the opposing viewpoint.

The argument prompt will give you an argument, and you must evaluate its validity. This kind of prompt assesses your ability to understand, analyze, and evaluate an argument and express your analysis in writing. The passage will make a case for a course of action or interpretation of events backed by reasons and evidence. You must then evaluate the reasoning and evidence and discuss the validity of the claim.

Begin by carefully reading the topic and directions. It is essential that you write on the topic provided. Spend a few minutes organizing your thoughts and preparing a rough outline of your argument before you start writing. If possible, save a few minutes at the end to review your essay and make sure you have fully developed your ideas. Law schools are more interested in quality than quantity. The writing sample response sheet provides a lined area on the front and back of the sheet, and you must keep your essay within this designated space, as only that area will be reproduced for law schools.