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 when a candidate registers for a test.

Exceptions to the Policy for Individuals Previously Approved to Receive Accommodations on the LSAT/LSAT-Flex

1. Beginning with the August 2025 LSAT administration, paper-and-pencil format tests (excluding braille) will be considered a Category 3 accommodation and are not subject to the automatic approval process. Therefore, any test taker who is seeking a paper-and-pencil format test (excluding braille) for the LSAT or LSAT Argumentative Writing, including those who were previously approved for a paper-and-pencil format on any LSAT prior to the August 2025 administration, must submit a new request in accordance with LSAC’s policies. If approved, the accommodation will thereafter automatically apply to subsequent LSAT administrations, unless approved due to a temporary condition.
2. Accommodations that were approved due to a temporary condition (e.g., broken bone) are not subject to automatic approval. 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. 
3. If your last LSAT registration was more than five years before your current test registration date, LSAC may no longer have data or records related to your approved accommodations for that test. If for any reason you do not see an approval letter posted to your LSAC JD Account within one week of registering, please contact LSAC immediately by phone at 855.384.2253, 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 documentation that 1) shows testing accommodations were previously approved on the LSAT and 2) specifically identifies what those approved accommodations were or else a new request for accommodations will be required.  
    

It is your option to not accept some or all of your automatically approved accommodations and to test under standard testing conditions. If that is your election, please review Opting Out of Approved Accommodations for instructions on how to opt out by the opt-out deadline for your LSAT administration. Once you have opted out of a testing accommodation, the opt-out becomes final — both for the current LSAT administration and for future administrations. If, after opting out of an accommodation you would like to seek the accommodation for a future LSAT registration, you will need to make a new request for the accommodation by the deadline associated with that test date. 

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 by 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 JD 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) (The form should be downloaded and completed by your Qualified Professional. If you are submitting your request through your LSAC JD 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 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 Requests 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 are completing your request through your LSAC JD Account, you do not need to download this form. You’ll complete the Candidate Form during Step 2 of the request process.)

      AND

• Verification from test sponsor of prior accommodations received

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 documentation to support your additional requests. Please view the Category 2 and 3 sections under "I have NOT previously received testing accommodations on the LSAT or on another standardized postsecondary admission test" below for additional information regarding documentation requirements. 

Other Requests

The documentation requirements listed below applies if you are not requesting accommodations based on proof of approval to receive accommodations on the LSAT or certain other standardized postsecondary admission tests. Documentation requirements vary based upon which category your requested accommodations fall. Please review the documentation requirements that correspond to each of the 3 categories.  

Category 1 Requests: Non-extended time requests that are not captured in Categories 2 or 3.

If you are requesting a Category 1 accommodation on the LSAT, the following documentation is required: 

1. Completed Candidate Form with your statement of need 

   Candidate Form (PDF) with completed candidate statement of need providing a rationale for the requested accommodations (If you are completing your request through your LSAC JD Account, you do not need to download this form. You will complete the Candidate Form during Step 2 of the request process.)

   AND

2. At least ONE (or more) of the following:

   1. Proof of identical or equivalent testing accommodations in a prior academic setting through:
      • A record of similar testing accommodations provided through a previous IEP, Section 504 Plan, Summary of Performance, Private School Formal Written Plan, or other similar document
      • A record of identical or equivalent postsecondary formal testing accommodations
      • A record of attendance at a specialized school that provided such testing accommodations to all students

   2. Documentation of a disability from a Qualified Professional through any of the following:

      • 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 will upload the completed form during Step 3 of the request process.)
      • A signed letter on official letterhead from your Qualified Professional verifying your disability diagnosis.
      • A medical, neurological, psychological, or other type of assessment/evaluation completed by a Qualified Professional that indicates your disability diagnosis

       

   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 and/or the following non-time requests: human reader and/or amanuensis (scribe).

   If you are requesting a Category 2 accommodation on the LSAT, the following documentation is required:

   1. Completed Candidate Form with your statement of need

      • Candidate Form (PDF) with completed candidate statement of need providing a rationale for the requested accommodations (If you are completing your request through your LSAC online account, you do not need to download this form. You will complete the Candidate Form during Step 2 of the request process.)

      AND

   2. At least ONE (or more) of the following:
      1. Proof of identical or equivalent testing accommodations in a prior academic setting through:
         • A record of similar testing accommodations provided through a previous IEP, Section 504 Plan, Summary of Performance, Private School Formal Written Plan, or other similar document
         • A record of identical or equivalent postsecondary formal testing accommodations
         • A record of attendance at a specialized school that provided such testing accommodations to all students
      2. Documentation of a disability from a Qualified Professional and a reasonable explanation from the Qualified Professional for why you need the specific accommodations requested for the LSAT, which may be provided through any of the following:
         • Qualified Professional Form (PDF) (The form should be downloaded and completed by your Qualified Professional. If you are submitting your request through your online account, you will upload the completed form during Step 3 of the request process.)
         • A signed letter on official letterhead from your Qualified Professional
         • A medical, neurological, psychological, or other type of assessment/evaluation completed by a Qualified Professional

   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 and/or the following non-time requests: paper-and-pencil format, stop/start breaks over 60 minutes, testing over multiple days, and/or modality exception requests.  

   If you are requesting a Category 3 accommodation on the LSAT, the following documentation is required:

   1. Completed Candidate Form with your statement of need

      • Candidate Form (PDF) with completed candidate statement of need providing a rationale for the requested accommodations (If you are completing your request through your LSAC online account, you do not need to download this form. You will complete the Candidate Form during Step 2 of the request process.)

      AND

   2. At least ONE (or more) of the following:
      1. Proof of identical or equivalent testing accommodations in a prior academic setting (applicable to requests up to 100% additional testing time*) through:
         • A record of similar testing accommodations provided through a previous IEP, Section 504 Plan, Summary of Performance, Private School Formal Written Plan, or other similar document
         • A record of identical or equivalent postsecondary formal testing accommodations
         • A record of attendance at a specialized school that provided such testing accommodations to all students
      2. Documentation of a disability from a Qualified Professional and an objective rationale from the Qualified Professional based on history and objective evidence** to explain why the exceptional need accommodation(s) are required to access the LSAT and/or LSAT Argumentative Writing, which may be provided through any of the following:
         • Qualified Professional Form (PDF) (The form should be downloaded and completed by your Qualified Professional. If you are submitting your request through your online account, you will upload the completed form during Step 3 of the request process.)
         • A signed letter on official letterhead from your Qualified Professional detailing the nature of your condition, functional limitations with regards to test taking, and statement explaining the necessity of the exceptional need accommodation(s).
         • A medical, neurological, psychological, or other type of assessment/evaluation completed by a Qualified Professional with objective data that would support the need for the exceptional need accommodation(s)

   *Requests for over 100% additional testing time additionally require documentation outlined in section 2b. above.

   **Examples of a qualified professional rationale based on history and objective evidence may include, but are not limited to:

   • Verification that the candidate was consistently provided with the exceptional need accommodation in a prior academic testing setting, and the accommodation was approved by an appropriate professional.
   • A detailed explanation that supports the exceptional need accommodation(s). The discussion should include the severity of the disorder(s), including relevant information such as comorbidity with other disorders, and cite assessment data if available.
   • A postsecondary disability service provider provides a signed statement indicating that the candidate was approved to receive the exceptional need on college examinations.
   • The candidate has concurrent diagnoses and functional limitations that warrant the exceptional need accommodation(s). Discussion should include how the concurrent diagnoses substantially limit the candidate’s access to the LSAT and/or LSAT Argumentative Writing based on objective information.

   NOTE: If the amount of time you request on the LSAT is greater than the amount of time you received in any prior academic setting or is greater than the amount of time supported by your Qualified Professional, your documentation may be deemed insufficient and could result in a partial or full denial of your request. 

   Additionally, submitting a Category 2 or 3 request that is not supported by your documentation could result in a partial or full denial of your request.