The one test standing between an applicant and law school is the LSAT, or the Law School Admissions Test. It is a stressful and difficult exam, and I suppose it is necessary since it is a standardized way to compare applicants. When I took the exam in 2018, it was only administered in person and on paper. There have since been many changes, including allowing test takers to take the exam on a computer from their home and transforming the in-person essay to a remote-proctored online essay.
The most recent change was announced in October 2023. Beginning with the August 2024 LSAT administration, there will no longer be an analytical reasoning (or logic games) section to the test. This change is not surprising. In 2019, the Law School Admissions Counsel, or LSAC, agreed to no longer include logic games on the exam after blind test takers argued that the section was unfair to those who are visually impaired. This makes sense since test takers typically draw out the “games” to solve them. Instead of a logic games section, an additional logical reasoning section will be included in the exam. So, beginning with the August 2024 exam, the exam will consist of two logical reasoning sections, one reading comprehension section, and an experimental, unscored section that will either test logical reasoning or reading comprehension.
The logic games section was my favorite and best section on the exam, but I understand why LSAC has decided to drop it from the exam. Besides it being unfair to those with visual impairments, I have never used logic games or what I learned from logic games in law school. What I have used the most in law school is reading comprehension, and I think the LSAT should include more reading comprehension sections to better test and prepare test takers for law school.
As a law student, I spend hours reading my textbooks. In class, professors teach based on the cases they assigned, so it is very important to understand what we are reading. Some professors also emphasize reading and interpreting statutes, which can be tricky. Additionally, Research & Writing courses require reading numerous cases and statutes and writing about what was read. Some professors even require students to argue in front of a panel of “judges,” and a student will not be able to argue their side if they do not understand the materials supporting their side. Moreover, reading comprehension is very important in the legal profession. Attorneys regularly read emails, cases, motions, complaints, deposition transcripts, and written evidence, and it is very important that the attorney understand what he or she is reading so they can be a competent and effective lawyer.
There is also a lot of discussion about the cost of preparing for the LSAT. Exam preparation courses can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. For many people, including myself, using an exam preparation course is necessary given how foreign logic games and logical reasoning is for many people. Regarding reading comprehension, however, there are many free resources available (typically not directly related to the LSAT) that can be used to improve one’s reading comprehension. Many people have also been practicing reading comprehension for years because of school. If the LSAT were to focus more on reading comprehension, success on the exam may be more attainable.
I still think that there are many problems with standardized testing, but for now, I appreciate the change that is occurring with regard to the LSAT.
Both reading speed and comprehension are crucial to law school and lawyer success. We are information vacuum cleaners - sucking up knowledge constantly.
ReplyDeleteAn example of the importance of being able to read quickly and understand what you read is the fate of one of my law school colleagues back in the late 70's. He was legally blind. He had some sight but had to read his books using a magnifying machine that made the print on his standard textbooks and casebooks much larger so he could read them. This greatly slowed his reading speed. He eventually dropped out of law school.
In my 1L class, we started with about 365 students. The student with the vision disability and one other student were the only ones who didn't graduate with the rest of our class. The other student took a year off and came back to graduate a year later. About 15 years after that, the student who took the year off became dean of the law school.
Hi Dana,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you regarding the importance of reading and understanding what you read. I have never been a proponent of standardized testing and it has, in my opinion, gotten out of control. When I took the LSAT after being out of school for more than twenty years, I was absolutely astounded at the structure of the exam. LSAC does a terrible job at administering the exam virtually and many students had issues with Proctor U during the exam. It was bad enough that the LSAT is stressful, but why complicate it more. I don't think that the LSAT is a true indicator of a students ability to succeed in Law School. Personally, my LSAT score was not something I will ever be proud of, yet I am able to succeed.
Your point about the cost of LSAT preparation courses is truly valid. I had no idea how to approach the logical reasoning or logic games sections. There has to be a better way, but I am not quite sure what that is. In the meantime, I think that more emphasis should be placed on reading comprehension because that skill is at the heart of what lawyers need to be able to do well (aside from writing).
I believe reading comprehension is the most valuable skill a law student and future lawyer can take from the LSAT. This is because as law students and future lawyers we are constantly having to read and analyze, and the ability to do this efficiently and draw the material facts from the information is crucial. The LSAT has changed so much in the last 5 years. I took the LSAT in the Summer of 2020 during the height of the pandemic, where it was exclusively online and the LSAT itself was shortened from what it was in person. I think thats a great point you make about the cost of preparing for standardized tests, and how a greater focus on reading comprehension would make it resources to prepare cheaper and more accessible for test takers.
ReplyDeleteWhile you never would have heard me say it at the time I took it, I do think the LSAT does provide some preparation for the utter onslaught of reading we get thrown at us 1L. Now I do say SOME, as nothing can truly prepare you for it, but the LSAT at least gave us the skills necessary to comprehend the reading. I also took the LSAT during the summer of 2020, and taking it online was an EXPERIENCE.
ReplyDeleteFocusing on reading comprehension and logical reasoning will definitely make the experience easier for most hopeful law students. Now if only they had made these changes a few years ago, right?
I do think the LSAT preps law students for school, if for no other reason than assessing a student's ability to quickly understand and analyze complex information. Not only are students expected to that in school, but it will be an essential school for practice. On that front, I think LSAC is making the right call in calling logical reasoning and reading comprehension to the focal point of prep.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great thought! I think its crazy to think about how at the time, the LSAT was so intimidating and now, it seems like something so minimal in the wheel of all things related to law school. I say that while in the middle of bar prep. I am a supporter of the changes, especially because I don't think that the LSAT is a great indicator of success in law school. While, I also recognize the value in the test and what it can do to teach a person how to learn in general.
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