Summer LSAT season is funny. On the one hand, you spend nine months or so out the year waiting for the sweet release of summer, only to be reminded that as the weather heats up, so must your LSAT prep. Then there’s the agony of waiting for your score which will determine if you spend the rest of your summer studying for a Fall LSAT. On the other hand, if you do well, you can celebrate your victory over several weeks before school starts again.

This year, there’s another factor to take into account when deciding which month to take the LSAT. The LSAT’s transition to digital will begin July 2019, and it’s set to have a lasting impact on law school admissions. The March and June LSATs will be the last opportunities you have to take a guaranteed paper LSAT. If this is news to you, welcome to the party! Fortunately, registration is still open for both March and June. If you’re wondering if you should beat the race to digital or wait until July, ask yourself these three questions.

1. Do you have enough time to prep for the LSAT?
We recommend studying for the LSAT for three to six months if you’re going the self-study route, or two months if you’re taking a class with an instructor. That said, it’s now the beginning of February, which gives you just enough time to study for March, and more than enough time to study for June. However, you must also keep in mind your personal schedule, and how much available time you have to devote to LSAT prep. A customizable and interactive scheduler, like the one available in Blueprint’s Self-Paced Course, helps keep you accountable and makes it easy to switch up your study plan if life happens.

2. Can you handle surprises well, especially in high-pressure situations?
Really ask yourself this question! The July 2019 LSAT is going to be a cruel toss-up, with half the test centers administering the paper LSAT and half giving out the never-before-seen digital format. There’s no way to know beforehand which version you will receive. If you don’t particularly care, then finding out your fate at check-in won’t be much of an issue. However, if you’ve prepared for the LSAT banking on it being a paper test, you may not want to leave it up to chance.

3. Do you like working on a tablet?
Anyone taking the LSAT will tell you nothing throws off a student more than unexpected and unnecessary stress. The truth is, tablets really aren’t for everyone. Some people hate the tapping, the common unresponsiveness of your taps, and the also common, and equally as infuriating, over-responsiveness. Anyone who has read a book on a tablet knows it’s a different experience from holding a physical book in your hands. Despite our increasing need for advanced technology, some things are better left in print.

Time is running out to make some big decisions about when to take the LSAT. You can prep now and take the test you’ve come to know this spring, or you can take a risk and see which format you take in July. If you’re head is spinning and don’t know what to do, schedule a free call with our Academic Managers who will help walk you through your strengths, schedules, and goals to determine when you should take the LSAT.