Welcome, April 2023 LSAT survivors and June 2023 LSAT aspirants! It’s time to gather ’round because we’re back to give you a rundown on the most recent test administration.

First, a hot take: April is one of the toughest test administrations of the year. Now, we’re not saying the exam itself is more difficult than, say, the June or November tests, but it is tougher logistically. Not only do April testers endure studying through holidays (Ramadan, Easter, or Passover, anyone?) and final exams, but many are also struggling to meet the very last admissions deadlines for Fall 2023 admission. With that said, you have our earnest admiration – and congratulations for making it to this side of the finish line!

April LSAT Breakdown

A fierce debate broke out online surrounding the April test’s perceived difficulty, and two primary factions emerged: those who believed the test was relatively easy (compared with the previous August, February, and June administrations) and those who found it catastrophically challenging. As the author of a synthesis passage would tell you, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. 

Most complaints centered around the Logic Games section. Several students noted that while no individual game was unusually difficult, each of the four games was complex and time-consuming. For those of you preparing for upcoming tests, remember: your #1 time-saving tool in Logic Games is making scenarios. At least one (and sometimes every) game on the test lends itself to scenarios, and these little sketches will have you flying through the questions in record time. Check out our tips on getting faster at Logic Games..

April test-takers discussing the exam online were more united when it came to Logical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension. These sections had a “standard” difficulty level,  with LR slightly edging out RC as the “easiest” section on most versions of the exam. Harder questions in both LR and RC involved convoluted language (in both the stimulus/passage and answer choices), which may reflect the fact that test makers have recently administered old versions of the test (from the 1990s and early 2000s) as a result of pandemic-related delays in producing new content.

LSAT Score Release Date and Next Steps

We’ve got approximately two weeks until Wednesday, May 3, when LSAC releases the April LSAT scores. If you haven’t tackled your writing sample yet (remember, you only need one writing sample on file for admission), now’s a good time to do so. If you’re an April test-taker considering retaking in June, you should know that April’s score release date is after the registration deadline for June. This means you’ll need to decide whether to sign up for the June test by April 25 before you know how the April exam went (isn’t LSAC considerate?).

Decisions, decisions! Whatever you decide, keep in mind that the vast majority of law schools only consider your highest score when evaluating your application – and they won’t hold multiple takes against you. Not sure if you should retake the LSAT? Check out our advice on retaking the LSAT for more information!

For now, we hope you’re rewarding yourselves for all the hard work you put into this test – no matter what your results sheet says, you deserve to feel proud of this accomplishment!