LSAT/Law School Application Questions

[leadeann]

1. When registering for the LSAT test, do you have to fill out the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) at that time or can you wait until you begin filling out your law school application? This has been causing me some confusion, since the CAS is a different fee than the LSAT.
2. Do you have to pre-pick the law schools that you are applying to when registering for the LSAT or CAS? Or, can you select the schools you wish to apply to once you receive your LSAT score?
3. After you receive your LSAT score, does it automatically appear on your centralized law school application or do you have to actually send those scores to each law school?
4. What types of letters of recommendations do you need to submit? How many? How many does LSAC allow you to submit?
5. How long (or how many characters) should your personal statement be? What are the restrictions/criteria?
6. In order to register for the LSAT, do you need to sign up for a LSAC account? If it is not required, is it preferred or advised?

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hi,

Thanks for your questions. See my answers below.

Thanks!

1. When registering for the LSAT test, do you have to fill out the Credential Assembly Service (CAS) at that time or can you wait until you begin filling out your law school application? This has been causing me some confusion, since the CAS is a different fee than the LSAT.

To use the CAS service and sign up for the LSAT, you first need to have an LSAC.org account. However, registering for the test is different from registering for the CAS. Neither is a prerequisite for the other. However, I would NOT wait to fill out the CAS until I start the application process. Do it ASAP! Read the advice provided on their website: You should sign up and pay the fee for the Credential Assembly Service at least four to six weeks before your first law school application deadline (I would do it at least 4-6 weeks before I plan to submit my apps). It takes approximately two weeks to process a transcript or letter of recommendation from the time it is received. Source: http://www.lsac.org/jd/applying-to-law-school/cas

There is absolutely no reason to wait to fill out the CAS: you will need the service in order to apply to any law school, and it streamlines the process dramatically.

2. Do you have to pre-pick the law schools that you are applying to when registering for the LSAT or CAS? Or, can you select the schools you wish to apply to once you receive your LSAT score?

You do not need to select any law schools at this point. It's good to have a general list of 12-15 schools that you wish to apply to (safeties/targets/reaches), but you don't actually need to choose any schools until after you receive your LSAT score. The latter is such a large predictor of where you can get in, it would be silly to choose any schools before you have that number.

3. After you receive your LSAT score, does it automatically appear on your centralized law school application or do you have to actually send those scores to each law school?

That's what the CAS is there for. It streamlines the admission process because you need only have your transcripts, recommendations, and evaluations sent one time to LSAC. They summarize them, combine them with your LSAT scores and writing samples, and send that report to your prospective law schools. You don't need to do anything other than designate which schools should receive your report, and pay the application fees (along with the additional fee to have them send each report).

4. What types of letters of recommendations do you need to submit? How many? How many does LSAC allow you to submit?

Generally, you only need two letters of recommendation, at least one of which should be from a professor or someone familiar with your academic work. Check this out: http://www.lsac.org/jd/applying-to-law- ... valuations

5. How long (or how many characters) should your personal statement be? What are the restrictions/criteria?

The guidelines vary, but generally speaking it should not exceed 2 pages, double-spaced, or approximately 1,000 words. Consult with each individual school to make sure they don't have some bizarre guideline (such as the 250-word essay required by YLS, for instance).

6. In order to register for the LSAT, do you need to sign up for a LSAC account? If it is not required, is it preferred or advised?

Yes, you do. See above.