We have some updates on June and July LSAT volume. For obvious reasons these numbers are incredibly important in determining how competitive a cycle will be, so we watch them closely. First time registrants in particular drive application volume.

For June, it appears that just over 15,000 people took the test- which is about a 33% drop compared to June 2018 volume. This June exam was the smallest in recorded LSAT history. Additionally, first time test takers were down at 60% for June 2019 vs. 69% for June 2018. This has created a deficit of 6,500 first time test takers compared to last year.

Of course, some of the decrease in June should be attributed to increased demand for July's administration. Thanks in large part to the unique free retake offer for July, registrants for that exam were last reported at about 26,000 individuals compared to 11,500 takers last year (takers are always lower than registrants). That number has almost certainly decreased (they always do from first reports) but the extent of the decrease remains to be determined. We do know now that the number of first time registrants for July is down a bit compared to last year, at 65% in 2019 vs. 69% in 2018. The topline registrant (and eventual taker) numbers will be the most important ones however.

Overall, some positive news for applicants. Very low June numbers, and a decline in first time takers (biggest driver of cycle volume). We are pending July registrants/taker volume for a clearer picture though and will keep you posted!

Our upcoming cycle prediction can be found here.