What do you do when the only game in town hauls up stakes? Students in China looking to pursue a law degree in the United States will face that conundrum in the near future.
The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) announced on August 18, 2025, that it intends to suspend online Law School Admission Test (LSAT) testing in China after the upcoming test date in October. Citing "increasingly aggressive" cheating attempts, Executive Vice President for Operations and Chief of Staff Susan Krinsky noted that the ban is intended to be temporary and will depend on how long it takes to develop adequate protections and countermeasures.
That's of little consolation to those in China who had planned to take the International LSAT test scheduled for January 2026. Now, those who didn't cheat are forced to pay the price along with those who may have intended to.
Did Anyone Recheck Elle Woods' LSAT Score?
While some law schools accept Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) scores from their applicants, all ABA-accredited schools welcome LSAT scores for admissions. The test is split into two main parts. The first consists of multiple-choice questions in two scored sections of Logical Reasoning and one scored section of Reading Comprehension. Another unscored section contains questions that may be used in future versions, but test-takers are not told which section this is.
The second part of the LSAT is a 50-minute argumentative essay completed online. Test-takers can write the essay at any time from eight days before until up to a year after taking the other part of the LSAT. The essay is unscored but may be used by admissions officers to determine an applicant's writing and reasoning abilities.
The LSAT is overseen by the LSAC, a non-profit organization that also works with students throughout their legal schooling and beyond. Over 100,000 prospective law students take the LSAT each year, and the test is one of the most heavily weighted influences on the admission process.
Scores range from a low of 120 to a perfect score of 180, which is achieved by fewer than 0.01% test-takers each year. Each test has its own curve, based on the difficulty of the questions, that affects final scores. There's no additional score deduction for incorrectly answering a question.
The Wise Warrior Avoids the Battle
Organized rings dedicated to helping test-takers cheat on standardized tests have continued to grow in China. These sophisticated groups use a combination of simple methods and cutting-edge technology to provide their clients with an easy (but expensive) path to near-perfect LSAT scores.
In addition to having groups take the tests solely to memorize questions, the cheating facilitators also use state-of-the-art cameras to record both in-person and online tests, including the LSAT. Always on the alert for scoring irregularities, the LSAC decided that the cheating in China-based LSATs had gone beyond the point of no return and was unfair to others taking the exam.
The suspension of the online LSAT option in China means that, since in-person testing is not currently available in the country, those who wish to take the test will be unable to do so until the LSAC is comfortable with the security level. While the annual average of 500 or so China-based test takers is a tiny percentage of the worldwide number, it will likely be a bitter pill to swallow for those denied the opportunity due to the cheating of others.
Related Resources
- Preparing for Law School (FindLaw's Pre-Law)
- Preparing for the LSAT (FindLaw's Pre-Law)
- Best Apps for Studying in Law School (FindLaw's Surviving Law School)
