Hi everyone! I somehow only recently realized that LSAT Argumentative Writing is a separate part of the LSAT, and I’m trying to figure out the best way to prepare for it.
For those of you who have already taken it or are currently preparing:
How much time did you spend preparing for the writing portion?
Does 7Sage have specific lessons or practice prompts for Argumentative Writing that you recommend?
How many practice essays did you do before taking the real thing?
Is there a particular structure/template that worked well for you?
How seriously should we treat the writing sample given that it isn’t scored but is still sent to law schools?
I was planning on taking the LSAT in October, but after my recent PT I decided to hold and take my time to prepare, so I’m trying to figure out how much of my study time I should dedicate to this versus LR and RC.
Would really appreciate hearing about your experiences and how you approached it!
5 comments
hey I took the august argumentative and while im not an expert I can share my experience with it.
I spent like a day or two preparing but only a totality of like maybe 3 hours
they do! its this https://7sage.com/lessons/lsat-writing/lsat-argumentative-writing/the-new-lsat-writing-and-how-to-prepare
I did two just to build confidence and get exposure to what it's like. use law hub to find the prompts and try to mimic testing conditions
the structure I used was a paragraph each for intro + thesis, argument 1, argument 2, counterargument and conclusion + restate thesis
give it your best shot and treat it as if it was graded because with the rise in AI use for stuff like this law schools are taking it more seriously but with that said also dont stress out too much about it, its more fun than difficult.
Echoing jamandaa's advice! I personally found after doing a few writing preps, building out a personalized template is very helpful. I tend to get nervous on the real test and my brain just freezes lol, so having those templates in my head that are ready to use relieves the stress of having to write everything from scratch.
Also make sure you have a good webcam that can take a clear pic of your ID, and test out your equipment prior :)
Commenting so I can come back to this! I have all the same questions !:)
Its really not that serious. Unless your application is suspicious or English isn't your first language, you should be fine. They just want to see that you put in some kind of effort. I did a 4 paragraph essay.
Intro
Body 1
Body 2 (counter argument)
Conclusion
It really isn't that bad, don't stress it. Chances are they wont even look at it. As long as you don't write like you're uneducated or a child, I'm sure you can write well enough to not have to worry about it. I'd say it's safe to assume you're at least a somewhat reasonably intelligent person considering you are applying to Law School. DONT STRESS, YOU'LL DO GREAT! :)
I spent months without my score because I was so nervous about it. My advice is
make a template of sorts for the essay. mine was: thesis, reason 1, reason 2, response to possible counter-arguments, conclusion.
maybe do a practice or two from the ones they have online
most importantly: practice writing in your free time to feel confident.
remember they're looking for proper writing (grammar, spelling etc) along with ability (clear argument and structure). It should be simple. You don't need to make a daring, interesting, or long piece, just something that makes sense.