The New Year is nearly upon us. 2012 will be a momentous time, with something for everyone. For those interested in sports, the Summer Olympics will be held in London. For those interested in idiotic nonsense, the world will come to an end in December. And for those going to Law School, the LSAT will continue to stand in their path. So what’s on the horizon for our favorite standardized test? While no one can know for sure, I’ve used the power of guessing and lies to come up with some predictions for the LSAT.

More Annoying Regulations – The LSAT used to be a simpler animal. When I first took the LSAT back in 2005 we were allowed such luxuries as earplugs, digital timers, and hoodies. But those days have been gone for some time. And then, just to make your life harder, this year LSAC added the requirement of a passport-style photo. Are more regulations coming your way? No more snacks? Everyone having to wear pre-approved all-gray LSAT attire? Adding wallets and keys to the list of contraband that already includes phones, forcing you to hitchhike to and from the testing center? Yes, all those things will happen.

More Structural Changes – This year we saw the experimental portion of the LSAT break free from the first three sections. Some people had their unscored section after the break, which hadn’t been confirmed to have happened before. Could more changes like this be on the horizon? The writing sample coming first? People getting different versions of the test with different questions? A new section that’s just math? Probably. Just in case, you should take some calculus classes.

New Cancellation Policies – It used to be the case that if you pulled out three weeks before the LSAT or later, you got an “absence” on your record. But this year they changed it so that you can withdraw up to the night before without any black marks on your file. Will they be even more generous? Withdrawing up until the test starts? Cancel your test with no repercussions? Cancel up to your first day of law school? Up to your first day at the firm? Up to your retirement? The sky’s the limit.

Happy New Years, everybody.