Documentation Requirements

Automatic Approval Based on Prior Approval of LSAT Accommodations

Except as noted below, registered test takers will be automatically approved to receive the same or substantially similar accommodations they previously were approved to receive on their last administration of the LSAT, without having to submit a request for accommodations. No supporting documentation will be required from these candidates. An approval letter will be posted to the candidate’s online account noting any automatically approved accommodations.

Please note that accommodations that were approved due to a temporary condition (e.g., broken bone) are not subject to automatic approval under this policy. Rather, candidates who were approved to receive accommodations on their last administration of the LSAT due to a temporary disability and who wish to seek the same, different, or additional accommodations on a later administration of the LSAT must submit a new request for accommodations and submit the required documentation (detailed below) by the accommodation request deadline.

If your last LSAT was more than five years before your current test registration date, LSAC may no longer have data or records related to your accommodations on that test. If for any reason you do not see an approval letter posted to your LSAC online account within one week of registering, please contact LSAC immediately by phone at 855.384.2253 (toll-free), or by email at accom@LSAC.org. If LSAC no longer has data relating to your prior request and approval, it will be your responsibility to provide LSAC with acceptable proof that testing accommodations were approved on the LSAT and specifically identifying what those approved accommodations were.

It is your option not to accept some or all of your automatically approved accommodations and to test under standard testing conditions. If that is your election, please contact LSAC by email (accom@LSAC.org) or visit your LSAC online account within one week after registration to opt-out.

Candidates who were approved to receive accommodations on their last administration of the LSAT and who seek different or additional accommodations on a later administration of the LSAT must submit a request for the different or additional accommodations and submit the required documentation (detailed below) by the accommodation request deadline.

This requirement applies if, for example, you were previously approved to receive 50% additional time on the LSAT but now wish to receive 100% additional time on the LSAT. In this case, you will still be automatically approved to receive 50% additional time, but you must submit the appropriate documentation within the published deadlines to support your request for 100% additional time. Specifically, you must provide:

• Candidate Form (PDF) (If you’re completing your request through your LSAC online account, you do not need to download this form. You’ll complete the Candidate Form during Step 2 of the request process.
• Qualified Professional Form (PDF) (Please download this form and have it completed by a qualified professional. If you’re submitting your request through your online account, you can upload the completed form during Step 3 of the request process.)

This policy only applies with respect to accommodations previously received on the LSAT. There is also a streamlined process and approval procedure, however, for candidates who were previously approved to receive testing accommodations on certain other standardized postsecondary admission tests. Candidates who wish to request accommodations on the LSAT based on proof of their receipt of accommodations on certain other standardized tests should review LSAC’s Policy on Prior Testing Accommodations on Certain Other Standardized Postsecondary Admission Tests and submit the required documentation (detailed below) within the published deadlines.

In the event you have any questions regarding automatically approved accommodations, please contact an LSAC Accommodated Testing Customer Relations Specialist by phone at 855.384.2253 (toll-free), or by email at accom@LSAC.org.

LSAT Accommodation Request Based on Prior Accommodations on Certain Other Standardized Postsecondary Admission Tests

You may be eligible for LSAT accommodation(s) based on your history of prior accommodation(s) on certain other standardized postsecondary admission tests, provided you meet all of the eligibility criteria.

Review eligibility criteria

If you meet ALL of the eligibility criteria for this alternative and are seeking the same accommodations you were previously approved to receive OR are seeking only additional Category #1 accommodations for the LSAT, the following documentation is required:

• Candidate Form (PDF) (If you’re completing your request through your LSAC online account, you do not need to download this form. You’ll complete the Candidate Form during Step 2 of the request process.)
• Verification of Prior Accommodation from test sponsor

If you are seeking different/additional Category #2 or #3 accommodations than you were previously approved to receive on other standardized postsecondary admission tests (i.e., a greater amount of testing time), then you will also need to submit the following to support your additional requests:

• Qualified Professional Form (PDF) (Please download this form and have it completed by a qualified professional. If you’re submitting your request through your online account, you can upload the completed form during Step 3 of the request process.)

Other Requests

These documentation requirements apply if you are not requesting accommodations based on proof of approval to receive accommodations on the LSAT or certain other standardized postsecondary admission tests. You are required to submit one or more statements that provide a reasonable explanation for why you need testing accommodation(s).

Category #1 Requests
No extended time requested

If you are requesting an accommodation on the LSAT that does not involve extended test time, the following documentation is required:

• Candidate Form (PDF) (If you’re completing your request through your LSAC online account, you do not need to download this form. You’ll complete the Candidate Form during Step 2 of the request process.)
• Qualified Professional Form (PDF) (Please download this form and have it completed by a qualified professional. If you’re submitting your request through your online account, you can upload the completed form during Step 3 of the request process.)

For Category #1 requests, a statement of need should include a reasonable explanation for why you need the requested testing accommodation. You may provide this statement in the Candidate Form, and/or your Qualified Professional may provide this statement in the Qualified Professional Form. You may provide more than one statement in support of your request for testing accommodations.

Category #2 Requests
50% extended time for candidates who do not have severe visual impairments OR 100% extended time for candidates with severe visual impairments that necessitate taking the test in an alternative format

If you do not have a severe visual impairment and you are requesting up to 50% extended time, or if you have a severe visual impairment that necessitates taking the test in an alternative format and you are requesting up to 100% extra time, the following documentation is required:

• Candidate Form (PDF) (If you’re completing your request through your LSAC online account, you do not need to download this form. You’ll complete the Candidate Form during Step 2 of the request process.)
• Qualified Professional Form (PDF) (Please download this form and have it completed by a qualified professional. If you’re submitting your request through your online account, you can upload the completed form during Step 3 of the request process.)

For a Category #2 request, a statement of need should provide a reasonable explanation for why you need the requested testing accommodation. You may provide this statement in the Candidate Form. You may provide more than one statement in support of your request for testing accommodations. The statement should include appropriate data or other relevant information in support of your request. Relevant information may include but is not limited to:

• A record of K-12 formal testing accommodations.
• A record of K-12 informal testing accommodations.
• A record of postsecondary formal testing accommodations.
• A record of postsecondary informal testing accommodations.
• A record of attendance at a specialized school that provided such testing accommodations to all students.
• A record of similar testing accommodations provided on previous standardized or other examinations.
• A record of similar testing accommodations provided through a previous IEP, Section 504 Plan, Summary of Performance, Private School Formal Written Plan, or other relevant document.

If you have not previously received testing accommodations, you must provide documentation to justify each requested testing accommodation. Such documentation must include a written statement from a qualified professional in support of the disability diagnosis. This statement may be provided within the Qualified Professional Form. Your accommodation request must include a reasonable explanation supporting the need for each testing accommodation as it relates to your disability. This statement may be provided by either you, a qualified professional, or a teacher.

Category #3 Requests — “Exceptional Needs”
More than 50% extended test time for candidates who do not have severe visual impairments OR more than 100% extended test time for candidates with severe visual impairments that necessitate taking the test in an alternative format

If you do not have a severe visual impairment and you are requesting more than 50% extended time, or if you have a severe visual impairment that necessitates taking the test in an alternative format and you are requesting more than 100% extended time, the following documentation is required:

• Candidate Form (PDF) (If you’re completing your request through your LSAC online account, you do not need to download this form. You’ll complete the Candidate Form during Step 2 of the request process.)

• Qualified Professional Form (PDF) (Please download this form and have it completed by a qualified professional. If you’re submitting your request through your online account, you can upload the completed form during Step 3 of the request process.)

For Category #3 requests, a statement should provide a reasonable explanation for why you need the requested testing accommodation. You may provide a statement on the Candidate Form. You may provide more than one statement in support of your request for testing accommodations. The statement should explain why more than 50% extra time is necessary. The statement should include appropriate data or other relevant information in support of the request.

A qualified professional must provide a rationale based on history and objective evidence for the extended time request. The rationale may be provided by the qualified professional in the statement of need on the Qualified Professional Form.

Examples of appropriate justifications include but are not limited to:

• On any past standardized test, the candidate was provided with more than 50% extra time, where more than 50% extra time can be shown to have been granted as a consistent testing accommodation, and was approved by an appropriate professional.
• A qualified professional provides documentation with a reasonable explanation that supports the need for more than 50% extra time. The discussion should include the rationale for the need for additional time and further explanation of the severity of the disorder(s), including relevant information such as comorbidity with other disorders.
• A qualified professional provides documentation containing a reasonable explanation that supports the need for extra time on certain sections of the test, but not others.
• A postsecondary disability service provider provides a signed statement indicating that the candidate was approved to receive more than 50% additional time on college examinations.
• The candidate has concurrent diagnoses and functional limitations that warrant more than 50% extended time.