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Test takers
are given 30 minutes to complete the brief writing exercise, which is not
scored but is used by law school admission personnel to assess writing
skill. Read the topic carefully. You will probably find it best to spend a
few minutes considering the topic and organizing your thoughts before you
begin writing. Do not write on a topic other than the one specified. Writing
on a topic of your own choice is not acceptable
There is no
"right" or "wrong" position on the writing sample topic. Law schools are
interested in how skillfully you support the position you take and how
clearly you express that position. How well you write is much more important
than how much you write. No special knowledge is required or expected. Law
schools are interested in organization, vocabulary, and writing mechanics.
They understand the short time available to you and the pressure under which
you are writing.
Confine your
writing to the lined area following the writing sample topic. You will find
that you have enough space if you plan your writing carefully, write on
every line, avoid wide margins, and keep your handwriting a reasonable size.
Be sure that your handwriting is legible.
Scratch paper
is provided for use during the writing sample portion of the test only.
Scratch paper cannot be used in other sections of the LSAT.
The writing
sample is photocopied and sent to law schools to which you direct your LSAT
score. A pen will be provided at the test center, which must be used (for
the writing sample only) to ensure a photocopy of high quality.
A sample
essay question would like this:
Newhall
City's television is choosing between two shows on steroid drug use. Write
an argument supporting one show over the other based on the following
considerations:
"A Question
of Health" is an investigation of teenage steroid use in Newhall City's four
high schools narrated by Martene Seligman, prizewinning health columnist for
the local newspaper. Seligman interviews a number of local students as well
as school administrators, coaches, and faculty about the effects of steroid
use on the students' lives. She also visits local hospitals and counseling
centers to interview doctors and psychologists, who outline the serious
physical and psychological effects of using steroids. Included in the show
are detailed descriptions of treatment options available in Newhall City and
their costs, as well as advice for parents who suspect their children of
using steroids.
"David's
Game" follows the story of 16-year-old David Worsley, a high school track
star from another city who was removed from the team and lost a college
scholarship offer after using and selling steroids. A physician who worked
with David is interviewed, but the show focuses primarily on David, his
family, and his teammates, all of whom describe how David's increasing
dependence on steroids gradually distorted both his appearance and his
personality. Family and friends discuss their helplessness as they watched
him become more aggressive and violent. David explains the pressures he felt
to excel in sports, to the exclusion of all other interests, and he suggest
ways in which the larger culture intensified this pressure. David ends the
show by directing a plea to other teenagers to avoid steroids.
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