Beginning July 2019, the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) will begin to unveil the digital LSAT to prospective law school applicants. Since the organization understands that many test takers have planned to complete this exam in a pencil and paper format, they will administer tests in both digital and traditional interfaces. In addition, they will incentivize law school applicants during the trial period, allowing July test takers to see their score before they decide whether or not they’d like to cancel it. They can then retake the LSAT again for free through April 2020.

The LSAC plans on transitioning the LSAT to a fully digital process by September. Law school applicants will take this test on a tablet that is loaded with specific LSAC software. The LSAT is the last major graduate school exam to transition to a technological format; the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) and Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) have used their current digital compositions for several years.

If you plan on taking the LSAT in or after July, you may benefit from taking digital practice tests.

The benefits of going handheld

There are plenty of benefits to this digital transformation, including faster reporting of scores, ease of use and improved security measures. Administering these tests on tablets, rather than the conventional pencil-and-paper method, provides increased accessibility to test takers with disabilities. These tablets allow for various enhancements to meet different accommodations, including built-in screen readers and adjustable font sizes.

Increased LSAC accommodation

In addition to increasing the physical accessibility of this test, the LSAC plans on increasing the amount of test administration dates to allow more candidates to pursue their dream of Law School. There will be nine LSAT dates in the 2019-2020 test administration year, an increase from the six dates of the present 2018-2019 year, according to the LSAC.

How to prepare for the digital LSAT

If you plan on sitting for the LSAT in or after the month of July, you might be wondering how you can prepare for the test’s new format. Although many test preparation organizations have begun to offer digital practice test materials for law school applicants, many have not yet transitioned from the pencil-and-paper composition. To feel prepared to complete your work on the LSAC-administered tablets, it may benefit you to complete practice exams and review study materials using your personal computer, tablet or mobile device.

It’s important to keep in mind that the exam length, content, scoring scale and allotment of time will remain the same throughout this transition. Completing practice materials using digital devices will help you get accustomed to the feel of working with an online interface.