Beginning Sept. 21, the LSAT has gone completely digital and is the last of the graduate level exams to make this switch.
The Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), a crucial part of applications for law school, has had its biggest change in around two decades. The test will now be offered on Microsoft Go Surface Tablets accompanied by a stylus with a rubber end and a pen end.
A part of this change is that the LSAT is now being offered nine different dates throughout the course of a year.
The Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) tested the new software in July and received results from 118 students that took the digital version of the exam. The organization reported that they received a pleasant amount of positive feedback that the software was easy to master.
The change was prompted by other graduate level tests switching to digital, but the LSAC took time to get the software and products that worked for its needs.
“That’s why we patented a new system for delivering the LSAT digitally, through the use of tablets,” Troy Lowry, senior vice president of technology products and chief information officer and chief information security officer at LSAC, said. “The recent scandal involving college admissions is a good reminder that our continued vigilance in this area is warranted.”
The LSAC has purchased tablets and styluses and sent them to the testing centers without any cost to universities or a sudden increase in price to students.
The digital version of the test offers a way for students to get their results back more quickly and offers functionalities to interact and manipulate the text to assist test taking. Students also have the option to flag questions that take longer.
The software has a function that tracks time on each tablet instead of relying on a proctor to keep the time.
“Many test takers appreciated having the time remaining in the upper right-hand corner and getting the five-minute warning directly on their screen,” Lowry said.
Kaplan and the LSAC have teamed up to offer students advice on how to prepare and succeed for the digital LSAT.
Kaplan will be releasing practice tests within their online and in-person courses to help students adjust to the change. Their free e-book is also available to anyone through their website. Kaplan’s programs are dedicated to showing students what they should and should not be using over the duration of the test.
“The transition to digital a digital format is something we are accustomed to,” Jeff Thomas, Kaplan test prep executive director of admissions program, said.
Kaplan is continuing to offer students paper and pencil practices, because students utilizing traditional methods is recognized by the service. The cost for changes in test preparation has not changed for Kaplan, and Thomas said the LSAT has not had large increases in cost other than the annual cost increase.
“We took most of our veteran faculty and we independently recorded them taking the practice test. We were able to see which functionality was utilized most,” Thomas said.
Kaplan is due to release more ways to prepare for the software changes but wants students to know that the content is staying the same.
At Ole Miss, students are already giving feedback to the law school. Feedback from students comment on the overall issues with functionality on the tablets and the test environment.
“I was really concerned after hearing the stories from July, I think it was traumatic for the test takers,” Assistant Dean for Admissions and Scholarships Bette Bradley said.
Bradley commented on students telling stories about the tablet’s battery running out, the stylus not working, students not being provided scratch paper and the test proctors being unfamiliar with the software.
“Every tablet is charged prior to the start of the exam, and the battery life should be far more than enough for the test. And every test center has extra tablets on hand, so a test taker can get a new machine if needed…The supervisor is able to swap out the malfunctioning tablet almost immediately,” Lowry stated.
She stated that the solution to some of these problems has been anecdotal. The LSAC has offered to cancel test scores for students that are unhappy with their digital test scores.
“This option will only be available to you within six calendar days after the test,” Lowry said, “The deadline to cancel your score online will be 11:59 p.m.”
Students have mixed opinions about the switch to digital, and Thomas mentioned that the paper version can still be requested from students if absolutely needed. He confirmed that students with accommodations will have the same accessibility to seek arrangements for the test if needed.
“Personally, I don’t think I would have performed as well on the digital LSAT, but that’s not to say that others will not,” first year law student Reese Neely said. “The LSAT requires the test taker to filter through hundreds of problems, all of which are long and extensive, with answers that are just as long. So for me, taking the LSAT on paper was ideal.”
The LSAC will continue to test students through their new digital software, and will continue to take feedback and make changes to improve the overall digital experience.
