According to the Law School Admissions Council, the LSAT is meant to do the following:
"The LSAT helps law schools make sound admission decisions by providing a standard measure of acquired reading and verbal reasoning skills that law schools can use as one of several factors in assessing applicants. Prospective law students come from a wide variety of academic backgrounds, ethnic groups, and cultures. Diversity of experience among applicants—both personal and academic—serves to enrich the law school applicant pool and, ultimately, the legal profession."
I believe that someone can be a successful lawyer without being a successful standardized-test-taker. I also believe that someone who is great at taking the LSAT could make an awful lawyer. However, there is really no way of knowing who will get the most out of law school and make good lawyers. The LSAT is the best thing we have.
As far as I know, it's a good way to compare students who went to schools of different calibers and had different majors. It's simple to compare concrete scores like LSAT scores.
I don't think the LSAT should be the sole determiner of admission, but it should definitely be used because it puts all applicants on a level playing field.
Of course I say that now, because I haven't looked at the test yet...
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I agree with a lot of what you said. I mean, there has to be some type of standardized test such as the LSAT to gauge students of different universities/educational backgrounds. Yet, my only concern is the weight given to the LSAT in admission--nearly 50%. This may be too much in my own personal opinion.
ReplyDeleteI recently took the LSAT and I think my opinion has remained the same on the LSAT. It was a tough test, but I think it has little to do with with what type of lawyer you will become.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the LSAT. I feel that standardized testing is essential to the admissions process. There must be some standard of which to judge applicants, and the LSAT does a good job of measuring skills essential to success in law. I will admit that it is not a perfect indicator. As you stated, there may be an exceptional standard test taker yet a poor lawyer, or conversely, a good lawyer who is a bad standardized test taker. There are other factors that determine success other than verbal and reading skills. As a law school aspirant, I have confidence in the LSAT's ability to distinguish prospective applicants.
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