Good evening everyone!
I would like to have some feedback on the Argumentative portion of the LSAT and any would be greatly appreciated and helpful!
My first question, what did you use to prepare yourself for this portion of the test and what helped you the most on test day?
My second question is would it be better to take it before my exam or after my exam? I am taking the September LSAT on the 10th and I really want to focus solely on preparing for that and move my attention to the writing portion afterwards. I just want to hear if this is a good path or if I should do something different.
I am nervous for this part of the exam because I’m not sure how to condense my opinion into only a couple of paragraphs and not entire essays like I have in undergrad. Again any help would be so helpful to me!
Hope everyone is having a good week so far!
Also quick note: I saw on Reddit (and Ik I shouldn’t trust it) that I only have to do the writing portion once? Even if I take two exams? This confused me so I want to make sure.
6 comments
Hi! For your first question: since I'm an ESL learner, I prepared a few examples in advance that I could use on test day. Because we only have 50 minutes to write a logical essay, there isn't much time to brainstorm cases for our arguments. I highly recommend using LawHub—they have three writing prompts that can help you get a feel for the topics they choose most often, and what kinds of examples you should prepare in advance.
As for your second question, honestly, it's up to you! I actually took the August test and just finished the writing portion last Friday. I think doing it a week before the score release day is fine if you want your score released on that exact day. If you aren't in a rush, you can take it whenever you feel ready. Just keep in mind that you only need to take it once for your entire LSAT journey (so yes, what you saw on Reddit is true!). Also, if I remember correctly, the argumentative writing is on the second page of the materials submitted with your application. This means that even though it isn't graded, admissions officers will see it, and it can definitely influence their impression of you.
@qtaro Thank you for the advice!
Eek it is kinda scary that the writing is on the second page of the application
1 - Check out 7Sage's writing resources: Study > Lesson Library > LSAT Writing
2 - If you're nervous about the writing portion right now, wait to write it until after you take the main exam. The Argumentative Writing isn't currently graded, but the exam you will take will be :) Don't stress too much about the writing bit, but do your best when you're in a position to complete it. You won't receive a score unless you've submitted at least 1 writing sample, and it can take them anywhere from 3-10+ business days to review your submission.
3 - You only have to submit a single writing sample for multiple exams. That said, it's possible that a school's admissions might actually weigh an applicant's LSAT writing samples against personal statements/disclosures as the LSAT submissions were written in a proctored environment with less opportunity to be AI-assisted. Having writing submissions that match your exams might work in your favor if it comes down to it.
reddit is a cesspool when you're looking to obtain/provide sincere information. I think that I'm banned from some obscure shoelace subreddit because I told a mod that brown shoelaces don't go with a purple shoe. They didn't appreciate my Barney PoopLace joke.
I think I will go ahead and do it afterwards!
Hi! I Googled a bunch of prompts, and I practiced both outlining and writing the essays. I then practiced under testing conditions using the three prompts on the LawHub website. I took it after the exam (spent around 1.5 weeks preparing for it), and got my score on the score release date.
I believe what you saw on Reddit is true—seems like you just need one writing sample on file to get your score for subsequent exams.
@Rena12345 Thanks for the feedback!