LSAT For Dummies (with Free Online Practice Tests), 2nd Edition
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The LSAT will include a writing prompt. Remember to be clear and concise and prepare your argument before you begin writing. Take a look at this sample LSAT writing prompt.

Sample writing prompt

Gael is a senior in college who plans to attend law school the following year. She has been accepted by several law schools and has narrowed her choice down to two of them. Write an argument for selecting one law school over the other, keeping two guidelines in mind:

Gael wants to go to a friendly school where she can pursue her main interest, environmental law and the preservation of resources.

Gael wants to borrow as little money as possible and to find a lucrative job as soon as she graduates.

Law School A is a small school attached to a state university in a fairly undeveloped state known for its liberal tendencies. Because of the school's small size and relaxed atmosphere, students and faculty get to know one another very well. It has one of the best environmental law programs in the country; graduates of this program usually find jobs with agencies dedicated to protecting the environment.

Securing employment sometimes takes several months, and the jobs usually do not pay as well as those with private law firms. Because Gael comes from another state, she will not receive an in-state tuition discount and will have to take out a substantial loan.

Law School B is a larger law school that is part of a well-known and prestigious private university. The tuition is about the same as the tuition at Law School A, but Law School B has offered Gael a partial scholarship that would cover about one-third of her costs.

This law school is known for its cutthroat environment; students compete with one another viciously, and professors don’t socialize with students because they are busy working on their own research. Law School B has an excellent job placement record, and nearly all its graduates accept high-paying jobs at private law firms. Law School B offers courses in environmental law but is not especially known for its environmental program.

Sample answer: Fighting for Law School B

If you prefer Law School B, here's an example of how you can state that argument:

Gael should choose Law School B. Law School B is much more prestigious than Law School A, which will provide Gael with more opportunities after she graduates. It has offered her a partial scholarship, which will decrease her financial burden upon graduation and is more likely to provide her with a lucrative job after she completes school.

Because Law School B offers this prestige and financial advantage without preventing Gael from pursuing environmental law, Gael should choose to attend the larger law school.

A degree from a well-known law school is a valuable commodity. Future employers are extremely impressed with credentials such as a degree from Law School B.

A degree from this school will allow Gael to pursue employment anywhere and in any field and will not restrict her to specialized environmental employers. Gael wants to find a job that will pay her well, and a degree from Law School B would be the best way to ensure that she does.

Law school is very expensive. If Gael accepts the partial scholarship from Law School B, she will be able to pay off her loans in a much shorter period of time than she would if she had to take out loans for the full amount of tuition she would have to pay for Law School A.

Attending Law School B would mean that Gael would be financially free much sooner and would be able to leave her lucrative law firm job to take a lower-paying job in an environmental agency later if she wanted to. Attending Law School B allows Gael to combine financial success and career satisfaction.

Although Law School B is known for its competitive atmosphere, spending three years in a less enjoyable law school is a small sacrifice to make for a scholarship and a degree that will allow Gael to pursue employment anywhere and in any field.

Even though Law School B's environmental law program is not as complete and well-known as that of Law School A, Gael will still be able to specialize in environmental law if she chooses. She may find that her interests lie elsewhere, and she will be in a better position to pursue them if she attends a school that does not specialize entirely in one area of the law.

Although Law School A does offer some benefits, Law School B would be a much better choice for Gael. It would provide her with prestige, financial independence, and an excellent job, without taking anything away from her environmental aspirations. She should therefore choose Law School B.

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book authors:

Lisa Zimmer Hatch and Scott A. Hatch have prepared students for standardized testing from more than 300 universities. Amy Hackney Blackwell is a former attorney who received her JD from the University of Virginia School of Law.

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