The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is a standardized test administered by the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) and that is required for admission to most North American law programs.
Applicants to McGill Law are not required to take the LSAT. However, if a candidate has taken or will be taking the LSAT, the score will be considered. Applicants who have taken, or will be taking the test, must report the date(s) of sitting(s) and provide their LSAT identification number in the appropriate places on the application. They must do so regardless of whether the LSAT may, in their estimation, strengthen or weaken their candidacy.
Candidates must admissions.law [at] mcgill.ca (subject: LSAT) (advise) the Faculty of Law Admissions Office in writing of any change regarding registration for the LSAT when the change occurs after the submission of the application form. If writing the LSAT, the file will be reviewed ONLY when all pending LSAT results are received.
Consequences of Failure to Disclose
The Faculty of Law may revoke an offer of admission or cancel an application at any time for material misrepresentation, including omissions, in an application.
Although the LSAT is not a mandatory element in an application for admission, every applicant who has taken or will be taking it must disclose their LSAT information and failure to do so is a material misrepresentation.
The Admissions Office conducts random verifications for LSAT scores throughout the admissions process and a systematic verification with respect to candidates who receive an offer of admission. These verifications have, in the past, resulted in the revocation of offers of admission.
Why does the Faculty of Law not require the LSAT?
The Faculty of Law is a bilingual learning environment. We believe it would be disadvantageous to the significant proportion of applicants and admitted students who indicate French as a first language to require, as a matter of eligibility, a test that is not offered in French.
Who should take the LSAT?
While it is not required, it may nevertheless be advisable for many candidates to consider writing the LSAT. Admission to McGill’s Law program is highly competitive; there are roughly eight times as many applicants as there are available places in the first year class. Accordingly, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for admission to a number of faculties of law. Almost all faculties of law outside Quebec (with the exception of the Civil Law program at the University of Ottawa and the French Common Law programs at the University of Moncton and the University of Ottawa) require the LSAT.
The quality of McGill’s applicant pool is exceptionally strong. Among admitted students, the average entering GPA is 3.8 on a 4.0 scale (about an 85% average). Applicants with academic records below this average GPA or percentile are encouraged to consider writing the LSAT.
Candidates who are considering writing the LSAT only to improve their application to McGill Law should consider how the results could impact the strength of their application. For candidates who write the LSAT more than once should be aware that McGill Law takes the average score.
See the ‘Education’ section of our Eligibility page for more information on how LSAT scores can impact chances of admission.
When should I write the LSAT?
Candidates should write the LSAT at the latest by November of the year prior to the year for which they seek admission. Candidates who register for the November LSAT should be aware that consideration of their file will be delayed until receipt of the score.
Applications from candidates who register for the January LSAT will be reviewed only when all required elements, including the January LSAT score, are received. As offers of admission are made on a rolling basis starting in December, candidates who register for the January LSAT risk that the class will be full by the time their file is reviewed and may face a lower chance of being admitted.
For candidates who write the LSAT in November or January following the application deadline, the status of their application will appear as “Items outstanding” until such time as the Admissions Office receives their LSAT results from LSAC. Please see the ‘Verify the status of the application’ section of the Admission Process page for more information.
Processing of LSAT Results
McGill University does not administer the LSAT. Applicants who wish to register for the LSAT must do so directly with the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). For more information about the LSAT, visit the Law School Admission Council web site at www.lsac.org.
The Admissions Office obtains test results directly from the LSAC. Applicants whose service with the LSAC has expired must reactivate their service in order to enable the Admissions Office to obtain their LSAT score.
For additional information, see the LSAT section of our FAQ
