How Long Does LSAC Take to Approve LSAT Accommodations?
Waiting to hear back from LSAC regarding your accommodations request can be stressful and suspenseful. LSAC estimates that decision letters post within two weeks of a request, according to LSAC's remote testing and exceptions page. In Dr. Olin's practice, many clients have waited four weeks. Yet some have received a decision within 24 hours. LSAC describes the two-week figure as an estimate.
What happens after you submit
You submit the request through LSAC's portal, JD Services, and it follows a straightforward process. LSAC sends an email when the online request is submitted. Status updates appear under LSAT Status in your JD Services account, along with a PDF copy of your submission. LSAC posts the decision letter to the same account.
What affects the timing
If you register for a future test, LSAC states that your review may wait while it handles pending deadlines for earlier test dates. In Dr. Olin's experience, Level 3 requests (those requesting more than 50% extended time) tend to take the longest for review.
Note that LSAC may consider documentation that arrives after the deadline when the request itself was made on time. However, it is best to submit every required record and the complete evaluation report together with the request.
How to count back from the registration deadline
The accommodation request deadline is the same as the registration deadline for each test date. LSAC makes no exceptions to this deadline. Submissions must be made by 11:59pm Eastern Time. The online system closes at that point.
This is a planning example, with the numbers adjusted to your own dates:
Day 0: the evaluation takes place (a clinical interview and a testing session, 4 to 8 hours in total).
Day 7: the draft report is ready.
Day 10: you review the report and submit the request with all documentation.
Day 24: a decision arrives, if LSAC meets its two-week estimate.
Day 38: a decision arrives, after the four-week wait that many of Dr. Olin's clients have had.
Thus, it can take 24 to 38 days from the date of an evaluation. It's recommended that you plan for the longer figure. You may also want to add two to three weeks for scheduling and for a possible appeal. An evaluation scheduled eight weeks before the registration deadline leaves room for all of it. Dr. Olin's practice also can offer rush evaluations, though these are subject to availability.
When the decision arrives after the registration deadline
LSAC does not guarantee a decision date, so a timely request can still receive its decision later than LSAC's two-week estimate.
If you withdraw your registration before LSAC decides, the request does not carry forward to another test date.
Important: if LSAC denies the request or the request is late, you remain registered to test under standard conditions.
If LSAC does not approve the full request
LSAC gives you two business days after the decision letter posts to notify it of an appeal. You then have five calendar days to submit supporting documentation. LSAC states that most appeal decisions arrive within one week of submission. Dr. Olin's evaluation fee includes an appeal letter. Confirm these windows on LSAC's accommodations page before you rely on them, because LSAC updates its procedures from time to time.
Common questions
How long does LSAC take to approve accommodations?
LSAC estimates two weeks. In Dr. Olin's practice, many clients have waited four weeks, and some have received a decision within 24 hours.
Can LSAC respond within a day?
Yes. It happens on occasion. Plan for four weeks.
What is the deadline for an accommodation request?
The deadline is the registration deadline for your test date. LSAC makes no exceptions.
Who do I contact if my request is urgent?
LSAC lists Accommodated Testing at 855.384.2253. Its email address for general questions is accom@LSAC.org, with replies in one to two business days.
What if I am denied?
You remain registered under standard conditions. You can appeal within the windows above.
Next step
Dr. Olin's LSAT accommodations evaluations produce a draft report in 7 days. Read the LSAT accommodation deadlines for current dates, and review the LSAT accommodations evaluation page.
Written by Jason Olin, PhD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Neuropsychologist. Dr. Olin conducts neuropsychological evaluations for testing accommodations by telehealth across the country, with in-person testing in Newport Beach, California. He sees clients across 43 PSYPACT states and New York.
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