LSAT Argumentative Writing Sample

Preparing for your LSAT? Seeing an LSAT Writing sample can be incredibly helpful, providing a clear model of what's expected from you. By examining the LSAT Writing prompt and answer we've shared below, you can understand the essay's structure, the appropriate length, and the general tone and style.

You can use this example to determine how to effectively manage your time during the exam and ensure your response is clear, well-written, and concise.

Important Note: LSAT Writing has recently been updated to LSAT Argumentative Writing. The new writing task is designed to offer test-takers a "clearer, more authentic writing purpose" compared to the original LSAT Writing prompt, which was "decision-based" and had a narrower focus on "pure logical reasoning". However, you will still find it beneficial to see an LSAT Writing sample to gain invaluable insight into an effective demonstration of persuasive writing.

Model argumentative writing sample

Task

Write an argumentative essay that takes a position on the key question below. You can draw on your own knowledge and experiences to develop your argument. Support your argument with detailed examples and clear, persuasive reasoning. Your essay must address at least one of the four perspectives presented.

As you read the prompt, begin forming your position. Take notes about the position you wish to advocate well as the strengths and weaknesses of the various perspectives.

Practice prompt

Purpose of College

The principal aim of an undergraduate liberal arts education has traditionally been to cultivate a student’s understanding of a broad range of important areas of knowledge, from the fine arts to the sciences, philosophy, language, economics—these things have been seen as crucial to understanding, and participating in, the larger world beyond the classroom. Some, however, believe that this kind of education has failed to provide students with the practical skills necessary to succeed in an increasingly competitive and career-focused society, suggesting we need to reconsider what university programs should look like. Such proposals are often framed as a pragmatic response to trends in the economy and predictions about the skills, knowledge, and training that will best serve students’ career readiness. Given this proposed shift in emphasis toward skills-based education, it’s worth considering what the overall goal of an undergraduate education should be.

Key Question

To what extent do colleges and universities serve their students’ best interests when they emphasize career preparation?

Perspective 1: an excerpt from a career advice blog

“Having recruited talent for a variety of organizations across industries, I’ve witnessed how the demands of today’s job market make the cultivation of practical skills and specialized training more important than ever. If a student’s time at university is an investment that ought to prepare them for the future, then surely career readiness must factor highly into what such institutions aim to provide. Schools that recognize this and adapt will produce graduates who are better equipped to explore a wide array of career paths, and who can adapt to changing job roles within ever-evolving industries. That’s the way for today’s student to make a meaningful contribution to society—by being well equipped to grow and change within an economic reality that is itself always growing and changing.”

Perspective 2: an excerpt from a university’s promotional brochure

“In college, I began making my way through this world and crafting a life for myself that reflects my values. But what are my values, and how did I come to hold these values rather than others? Once I realized I didn’t have to unquestioningly accept the norms and values that had been given to me, I was free to decide for myself which values I wanted to hold on to, which to leave behind, and even which new values I felt drawn to. College provided the context in which I could reflect on my values, the reasons and evidence for them, and whether they are the right values for me. Would my classmates and I have been able to test out our ideas and ideals so effectively if my university were only focused on practical career skills? I don’t believe so—such work requires a dedicated exploration of ideas and knowledge for their own sake.”

Perspective 3: an excerpt from a textbook on the sociology of education

“Across cultures, higher education has served primarily to aid the process of socialization by instilling cultural values, norms, and behaviors, thereby integrating people into the fabric of their respective societies. A university degree provides more than just those so-called ‘soft skills’ necessary for making white-collar work function smoothly, like interpersonal communication and teamwork. This emblem of accomplishment, the college degree, also provides a social signal that one is befitted to the upper middle class, if not higher. By serving as class membership badges, undergraduate degrees perpetuate social stratification and hierarchies, with the result that access to opportunity is determined largely not by merit, but more so by one’s ability to conform to a particular set of values—in short, to ‘fit in.’ In this manner, college places subtle constraints on students that go far beyond the more well-known problem of financial barriers to access.”

Perspective 4: an excerpt from a journal on higher education

“The traditional structure of higher education needs a transformative overhaul. The modern university has its origins in medieval schools, which stressed rote memorization and obedience to the centralized authority of teachers, reflecting the broader civic and political context of those schools. But in today’s world, we don’t accept such a rigid, top-down system in our civic and political life. We expect citizens to be agents in the evolution of their communities.

“Likewise, there’s no reason to accept it in our educational lives. Instead, we ought to honor the agency of students in orchestrating their own educational experience. Some colleges have begun to change in the right direction, emphasizing dialogue over monologue and problem-solving over sheer information retention. This new form of relationship between student and university is critical, where teachers collaborate with students to discover new truths together, where student learning is based on their own guided learning experiences, and where curricula are created around topics that engage students’ intrinsic motivation to learn. This moves us closer to creating the flourishing, diverse society we need.”

How to structure your essay

Begin with a clear thesis statement.

Next, explain your reasoning. Support your position with specific examples.

Evaluate at least one of the given perspectives, and explain how it connects to your argument. Address potential counterarguments. Show why your recommendation prevails.

Conclude by restating your position.

Model writing sample 1

Adopting a career-focused curriculum would be counterproductive for many institutions of higher education. A broad education fosters personal and intellectual development, preparing students to pursue meaningful opportunities in any field of their choosing. With a few important exceptions, the pragmatic approach is not one that focuses narrowly on vocational training.

One career advice blog suggests that “specialized training” gives graduates entering today’s job market an edge. The author argues that this approach best equips students to explore and adapt in evolving industries. But while an emphasis on practical skills may be an asset in certain fields, it can also be a barrier to career versatility.

The skills that many career programs emphasize are increasingly being automated at scale. For example, artificial intelligence can produce code, perform complex financial analyses, and interpret large quantities of data almost instantaneously. In contrast, critical thinking, complex problem-solving, and innovation—hallmarks of a liberal arts education—are more important than ever for adding value in rapidly changing organizations.

For many students, a traditional liberal arts education opens up a diversity of career paths. My own decision to major in philosophy—often maligned as a field with limited job prospects—has served me well. I did not need a degree in business administration to excel in my first job as a consultant, nor would a pre-law label on my diploma have opened more doors in the legal field. A specialized degree would not have provided a competitive advantage in these settings.

To be sure, exploring a breadth of knowledge should not come at the expense of depth. Some fields, such as STEM, demand a particular focus on technical training. Thus, as one journal on higher education advocates, students should have agency in shaping their own education. Through collaboration with faculty, experiential learning opportunities, and customized curricula, students can acquire both technical and soft skills tailored to their goals. This approach puts the individual at the center and upholds the core values of traditional education.

In sum, a shift to a narrowly career-focused curriculum as the default in higher education is not the best way to serve the majority of today’s students. Instead, universities should provide a setting in which the student can both explore and specialize according to their own aspirations.

Model writing sample 2

Schools serve their students’ best interests by teaching them to think critically, rather than focusing exclusively on career preparation. Our education system has withstood the test of time and should not be entirely discarded in favor of a career-skills model. Instead, we first need to teach students to think critically, so that we can provide them a foundation for their future. Then, we need to provide some access to career skills so they can put that thinking to good use.

As perspective four points out, the model of education has not changed significantly since the Middle Ages, when a quest for knowledge was seen as the goal of higher education. As perspective two notes, this goal enables self-discovery and exploration. Discovering our own morals, values, and identity allows us to find our place in the world, contribute to society, and lead meaningful lives.

While perspectives one and four both assert that education must adapt, this begs the question: hasn’t society already adapted significantly over the last several millennia? As new technologies have changed the world, from simple navigational tools that led to worldwide exploration to the internet, the explanation in perspective two shows us why we have been successful: we have placed great value on the pursuit of ideas and knowledge.

This progress would be hindered by the pure focus on career skills that perspective one advocates. Instead, perspective two provides for adaptable thinkers and problem-solvers, the exact goal that perspective four seeks to accomplish by shifting to “career skills.” Students, as perspective three points out, benefit from learning life skills. Rather than preparing students to be a cog in the rat race, perspective three advances that traditional education prepares students for upward mobility in society. In contrast, “career skills” may lock a person into a particular job or career for life.

Perspective three also describes some downsides to the educational expectations of society. By “placing subtle constraints on students,” education creates stratification: those who have higher education degrees have different access and options than those who do not. But those education-provided options also serve as constraints. So while perspective two promotes finding oneself through the thought exercises of undergrad, perspective four also offers some valid points: there might be a middle ground between purely career-oriented education and the “firehose of information” that is borne of an outdated model.

To that end, we need to teach students to think first. They need to develop the skills necessary to find their values and morality, as highlighted in perspective two, before we also help them develop career-related skills, as perspective four encourages. As they say, “everything in moderation.” The time of Greek philosophers sitting on the steps of the Parthenon, espousing novel concepts of our place in the universe, has faded. Instead, our students today are viewing information at a Herculean pace due to the access of the information age as they study the smallest sub-parts of molecules to develop nano-computing or, on the opposite end, send a deep-space probe to the ends of our solar system to study the cosmos. Creativity, thinking outside the box, and a foundational understanding brought on by the exploration of information in the traditional model are required for these students to successfully look at these gargantuan questions of the universe. Perspective two gets it right: without this opportunity to find ourselves in the first place, it would be difficult to then look outward.

I disagree with perspective four’s conclusion that a total overhaul is needed. Rather, a balance would help students succeed in a population approaching double-digit billions. Without some practical skills, as highlighted in perspective one, it might be difficult in today’s day and age to put that foundational thinking, creativity, and identity into practice.

In conclusion, the alleged archaic model of education has withstood the test of time for a reason, allowing us to make wildly successful leaps forward in the world. We can now circumnavigate the world in a day. And information can make the trip in mere seconds. Our previous education models paved the way for this possibility, and we should not throw out the baby with the bathwater. But in a growing population and expansive world, we need to provide students with career skills, too, as shown in perspectives one and four, so they can be successful once they have found themselves. So, schools would be well-reasoned to seek some changes, to pave the way for students to thrive in a modern economy. But such changes must be premised on the ability to think in the first place, lest we all become robots without imagination.

More On Argumentative LSAT Writing

What is the LSAT Argumentative Writing?

An LSAT Writing sample, now updated to LSAT Argumentative Writing, allows you to demonstrate your persuasive writing ability. While it won't be scored, law schools will consider your Writing sample on file when they're reviewing your application.

How long should my LSAT Argumentative Writing task be?

There is no required length for the LSAT Argumentative Writing and you should focus more on having a complete argument rather than a specific word length. However, you want to ensure you can deliver a complete Writing sample, and that means keeping word count in mind for the sake of time management.

How do I prepare for LSAT Argumentative Writing?

The best way to prepare for LSAT Argumentative Writing is to first view an LSAT Argumentative Writing sample prompt, then practice your Argumentative Writing in conditions that mimic your LSAT examination environment. Remember that your Writing sample is only a portion of the LSAT, and you'll have around 50 minutes for both pre-writing analysis and writing the essay.

Can you redo LSAT Argumentative Writing?

Yes, you can retake your LSAT, including redoing the LSAT Argumentative Writing section, if you were unhappy with your original sample. However, keep in mind that you can only take the LSAT five times in five years and seven times in your lifetime.

Find out more about LSAT Argumentative Writing.