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Most law school applicants who plan to take the LSAT from this
June onward are aware of the test format changes they will face on test day.
(See our
November 2006 newsletter for details.)
Now, it turns out, applicants should also be prepared to take a plastic baggie to the test center with them – and to leave earplugs and electric timing devices at home.
The Law School Admissions Council has announced a number of changes to its test center regulations, effective as of June 11:
The only items allowed inside the test room will be the test-taker's LSAT Admission Ticket stub; their ID; their wallet and keys; personal hygiene products; #2 or HB lead pencils (but not mechanical pencils); pencil sharpeners; highlighters; erasers; Kleenex; and a snack and a beverage. Beverages must be in a plastic container no more than 20 ounces in size. All of the above items must be carried in a clear plastic zip lock bag no more than 3.79 liters in size. (The LSAT doesn't explicitly say that applicants have to bring their own bags to the test center with them, but it's a good idea to play it safe and assume that will be the case.) Test-takers must store the plastic bag with their belongings underneath their seat during the test. The bags can be taken out and opened only during the break. Snacks and beverages can be consumed only during the break. The only items test-takers may have on the desktop during the test are their ID, Kleenex, pencils, erasers, a pencil sharpener, a highlighter, and an analog (nondigital) wristwatch. No electronic timing devices of any kind will be allowed inside the test room. (That's a change from past years.) Other prohibited items are ear plugs, books, backpacks, handbags, papers of any kind, calculators, rulers, listening devices, cellular phones, recording or photographic devices, pagers, beepers, headsets, and/or other electronic devices. Guns and weapons are also specifically banned. (We can't help wondering whether there was a particular incident one time that led to that rule.) The only hats or hoods that test-takers can wear inside the testing room are those with a religious purpose (skullcaps, headscarves, etc.) Aside from the zip lock bag described above, no purses, handbags, briefcases, backpacks, or other kinds of bags are allowed into the testing room.
Another significant change to LSAT test procedures is that, beginning in June, test takers have only 6 days from the test date to register a complaint about their test administration or to request a score cancellation.
Be sure you familiarize yourself with the test center regulations that will be in place when you take the test. The LSAT is grueling enough when everything goes smoothly. You don't want to increase your test stress by having to take the test without the electronic timer you're used to using, or by having to figure out what to do with a bag or cell phone you can't take into the testing room.
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