Tag Archives: LSAT

The ABA requires a “valid and objective admissions test”. What is the reason for this requirement?

The above tweet references an article which appeared in the Wall Street Journal on March 31, 2016.

The overall theme of the article is that because grades are no longer a reliable indicator of student abilities, then standardized tests are the only thing that schools really have.

An excerpt from the article includes:

It might seem unfair that admissions officers place almost as much weight on a one-morning test as they do on grades from four years of high school, as a 2011 survey from the National Association for College Admissions Counseling showed. But there’s a simple reason for this emphasis on testing: Policy makers and educators have effectively eliminated all the other ways of quantifying student performance.

Classroom grades have become meaningless. Last year a public-school district in northern California decided to score on an “equal interval scale”—meaning every letter grade is assigned a 20-point range. Students who score above 80% get an A. Only those below 20% will be given an F. This is only part of a larger trend.


A comment to the article included:

I have never recruited for an academic institution, but I have done a great deal for businesses. When recruiting for entry level technical or management career path positions, SAT, ACT, GRE, LSAT and other competitive standardized tests are great indicators of a candidate’s general mental “horsepower” and ability to learn relative to other candidates. Grades by subject matter areas give an idea of where a candidate’s interests and proclivities are. The presence of difficult subject matter courses, even with mediocre grades, gives a sense for work ethic. Extracurricular activities give an idea of a candidate’s psychological balance and social engagement. Absent a work history, these indicators, supplemented with personal interview results, work pretty well to predict success when matched up with job requirements. Businesses look at SATs and the rest because the information they convey is very predictive of performance.

This debate has been going on since the beginning of the standardized testing industry.

What exactly should be the requirements to become a licensed lawyer? #LSAT? #LawSchool?

The article referenced in the above tweet continues the discussion of what exactly should be the licensing standard to become a lawyer? This discussion has been prompted largely be the decline in law school applicants in the United States. During the last few years the following questions have been raised:

1. Should the LSAT be required for law school admissions?

2. How long should law school be?

3. What is the role of the bar exam?
Continue reading →

Toronto Mastering The LSAT Preparation Courses

John Richardson – Mastering The LSAT  – Toronto, Canada – 416 410 7737

Put 30 Years of LSAT Teaching Experience and Law School Admissions Consulting To Work For You!

The only complete LSAT and Law School Application Course!

New Law School Preview Program – Everything you need to know about law school and how to succeed!


Who: John Richardson – Author: Law School Bound and Mastering The LSAT (of the bar of Ontario)

Where: University of Toronto – St. Michael’s College

When: Multiple start dates – Courses starting on any of:  November 16, 23, 30

Continue reading →

Sharp drop in #LSAT test takers suggests time to consider #lawschool

The above tweet references an interesting article from the Wall Street Journal law blog. The article is dated October 31, 2013. It includes:

The figures are the latest sign that the law-school bubble hasn’t stopped deflating. Law Blog reported in August that law-school applicants are down 12.3% and applications are down 17.9% compared to a year ago.

The number of test takers peaked four years ago and has been on the decline ever since. The total for June and October is down 38% from four years ago. And the October total alone is 45% below the 2009 peak.

Okay, but what I find most interesting is the fact that (at this moment) the article has attracted only 25 comments. A small number of comments does not suggest interest in this issue. Furthermore, a most of the comments seem to be for the purpose of venting about “evil lawyers”. Few comments attempt to address the reason for the decline. One comment that might as well be a “composite” for those that do address the question is:

The public is FINALLY beginning to understand that law school is a complete and utter rip-off for the vast majority of graduates. Many (if not most) grads make $40-60,000 salaries when they find jobs, which can take up to a year or more, and have debt levels ranging from $100-250,000. For the top 10% that get BigLaw jobs, the math works out but for the 90% not in the top 10%, they’re financially destroyed. Just by searching Google you can find hundreds, perhaps thousands, of stories about law school graduates who owe $200,000 in non-dischargeable debt, have very low paying jobs, and live at home with their parents.

Law degrees are not in demand. You’re a fool and a gambler if you’re going to law school and finance your legal education with debt.

Okay, that’s a legitimate consideration. The following tweet references one of my post popular posts – How much do lawyers earn?

 

My thoughts:

Education is an investment in your future. The most important rule in investing is:

Buy low and sell how.

The demand for a legal education is currently lower than it has been.

And by the way, the practise of law can be a very interesting career!

 

 

 

Canadian law school rankings and your choice of law school

I have just finished my personal “March Madness” in which I have presented law school admission and free LSAT preparation and law school admission seminars on Ontario university campuses.  I always students to take the LSAT in June or in October at the latest. These are the best LSAT test dates to take advantage of  our Toronto LSAT preparation courses. I am amazed at how much pre-law students   think about the rankings of various law schools.  This (IMHO) is a great mistake.

Rankings are  the last thing you should consider when choosing Canadian law schools. Since, this is an opinion and not a statement of fact, let me explain.

 

Canadian law school rankings – the new kid on the block

Canadian law school rankings are a relatively new phenomenon. For many years:

–        The  Canadian Lawyer law school rankings were the only game in town – they have been replaced with a survey of Canadian law schools;

–        MacLeans started its annual law school rankings a  few years ago

Both rankings attempt to differentiate the 16 common law schools from the civil law schools in Quebec.

Assuming the validity of the rankings (and there is no reason to do so), why would the ranking of a law school, matter potentially to a pre-law student?

Let me suggest two possible answers: Continue reading →

The GRE as a possible substitute for the LSAT

4. If either the ABA or the law schools continue to require a “valid and reliable  admission test” what test or tests should  be required? Should  the LSAT be the only game in town?

The general requirement of a “valid and reliable admission test” is not a specific requirement  to  use  the LSAT.  (It is true that the ABA rules require a law school to demonstrate that another test is valid and reliable.) I predict  that there will be  competitors to the LSAT– and it is high time. Continue reading →