Where Do I Take The Online LSAT Test?
Finally, now that we’ve planned the day and paid for the test, it’s time to sit down and take the LSAT. But where do I take the LSAT? Do I have to find a test center? Or can I take the LSAT exam online? What’s it like dealing with an LSAT proctor? Do they take bribes?
Aside from the last one, these are great questions, [your name here]. (Don’t worry, it’s not a glitch. I’m just trying to be funny. You can tell the joke is succeeding by the way I have to explain it.) Recent changes to the LSAT exam, many of which were enacted during COVID lockdowns, have made it harder to understand how, when, and where the LSAT is given. Here, I’ll try to lay out the most important, most up-to-date pieces of info.
Where do I take the LSAT?
Many years ago (three years ago), if you had asked, “Where do I take the LSAT?” you’d be directed to one of the many test centers across the country. I took my first LSAT in a hotel ballroom in Southern California, three hours away from where I lived because everything closer had been fully booked. That hotel was filled with anxious students boasting about perfect logic games scores and how they routinely crossed into the 170s. I’d say roughly 99% of the students there claimed to be in the 99th percentile. If you know math, you know what’s wrong with those numbers.
Thankfully, it seems like we’re done with the days of in-person testing next to your (sometimes smelly, sometimes sneezy) competitors. Today’s LSAT exam is completely online, which means you can take it from your favorite study spot at home.
So to those who are asking, “Where do I take the LSAT?” is truly wherever you’d like…except for maybe that stuffy hotel ballroom. Believe me, you don’t want to be there anyway.
What if I can’t take the online LSAT test at home?
If you don’t feel like your home is a good place to take a potentially life-changing online LSAT, I feel you… and the LSAC does too. That’s why they let you request funding for an alternate testing location, like a hotel. Don’t trust your own technology? You can ask for an LSAC-provided testing device. For more information about these types of assistance requests, check out the LSAC FAQ.
Make sure, though, that your choice of location is a quiet place, with no one around who would walk in or make noise loud enough to hear through the walls. The LSAC is really strict about maintaining perfect test conditions. If you give your proctor an excuse to flag you, they will.
How do I get my room ready for the LSAT?
So many of my students ask me what they can and can’t have in their room during the online LSAT. They’re worried that their proctor will flag them as an LSAT evildoer even though really they’re just trying their best. It’s a valid concern. Many of these proctors are independent contractors who are hired for whatever test is happening that day. They are not as deeply familiar with the LSAT online exam as the students who are taking it. They’re definitely not familiar with the stress and stakes that surround the test. There is a not-unrealistic chance that they will flag something that is actually legal according to LSAT rules. That’s why LSAT students should be extra careful preparing their space for the online LSAT test.
If you are wondering whether your room is legal for the online LSAT exam, check for the following:
Additional screens (TVs, computer monitors, etc.)
Anything that could be interpreted as a listening device (headphones, speakers, microphones Alexa, Google Nest, Siri, Hal 9000, etc).
Printed materials (Books are okay as long as they’re far away)
You want to avoid as much of the above as possible. Prepare days in advance, if you can. Make sure your desk is clean, clear anything potentially problematic out of your room, and if you have roommates, put a sign on your door that alerts them about the test. Put three signs on your door, or twelve signs on every door. Seriously, the level of obsession is worth it.
If you have someone walk in during the online LSAT test even once, it could ruin your entire day and render your exam invalid. Proctors are on the lookout for infractions, and even if you are ultimately declared “not guilty,” the interruption alone can hurt your performance on the test, not to mention spike your anxiety.
I’ve covered the main items you should watch out for in your testing space. For more, you should read the LSAC testing instructions backwards and forwards. And if you hate reading fine print… what are you doing studying to be a lawyer?!
What to do next to plan for the LSAT?
If you haven’t signed up for the LSAT yet, you should totally do so (provided your score is where you want it). If it’s not, keep studying, maybe by using some excellent LSAT self-study materials. If you haven’t even started studying yet, don’t let yourself worry about where to take it. Instead, take a free diagnostic test and get your LSAT study party started.
