Misuse and Abuse of the LSAT: Making the Case for Alternative Evaluative Efforts and a Redefinition of Merit
66 Pages Posted: 27 Oct 2013
Date Written: 2006
Abstract
The authors, who are members of the Society of American Law Teachers (“SALT”), were asked by the Board of Governors of SALT to research and draft a statement on the impact of the LSAT on law school admissions. SALT believes that all law professors can and should participate in a meaningful way in a public discussion of criteria of admission for law school, including the use and possible misuse of the LSAT test. The SALT Statement on the LSAT is appended to this Article. This Article presents a longer and thorough discussion of the many issues raised by the use of the LSAT, GPA, or combination of both as the primary criterion in the admissions process. After exploring the evidence of over reliance and misuse of the LSAT in law school admissions and the institutional constraints that promote these practices, the authors conclude with a list of alternatives, which they believe might ameliorate the worst abuses.
Keywords: LSAT, Law school admissions, standardized test, affirmative action, legal education, minority students
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