Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing? Forum

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AnyRandChangedmylife

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by AnyRandChangedmylife » Wed Jun 29, 2011 5:03 pm

I still believe at my school the case was that most people that were not there just were not in the mood to take the finals and thought they could later or make up a story so they didn't have to get up at 8:00AM.

As for the learning disability, I understand it now thanks to magstar. Thank you for posting.

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by Skyhook » Wed Jun 29, 2011 5:39 pm

magstar wrote:This thread has totally ruined my lurking streak >: (.

I don't know about ADHD, but I have dyslexia and dysgraphia (difficulty with fine motor movements in my fingers). These disabilities do not make me stupid. In fact, I’m very smart…but I have bad hand-writing, embarrassing spelling, and slow typing speed. No matter how much I practice, I can’t improve how well I spell, write, or type (that’s what makes it a disability).
None of my exams in undergrad required typing. For my hand-written exams, my professors were instructed to ignore my spelling (which isn’t too bad, just a bunch of switched letters). I wasn’t at too much of a disadvantage time-wise because everyone had to write out the test by hand. When I had to type a paper it took a lot longer than it would have taken someone else, but that just meant I stayed up later than my classmates did. My ability to make an argument, participate in a debate, or understand complicated reading materials is in no way impacted. I do wonderfully under pressure.
In my professional life my disabilities have not been any kind of issue for me. I’ve used spell check and taken more work home (esp typing work) than other people. I may take a little longer on some tasks, but in the end I still perform at a higher level than most others. In law school I will probably need some extra time to fumble my answers out on the keyboard during exams. I don’t see my disability being impossible to get around once I’m a lawyer.
It seems like many of the people on this thread are of the opinion that I, despite an otherwise high capacity to achieve, should basically crawl under a rock and die or waste my tremendously large helping of brains on flipping burgers because my mind doesn’t communicate with my fingers the same way it does for all of you.
Normally I don’t care when people are uniformed…I guess I’m just disappointed in the opinions of my future classmates and colleagues.
Thanks skyhook for posting your thoughts. At least you aren't hostile. : (
I should have included dyslexia as an example that is not a bar to job-performance in the professional world, hence "accommodations" could be worked in to the testing situation.

I could give my students 6 hours to answer a 1 hour test and it would make no difference to their score.
If they don't understand the theory they will never get to the right answer.
They understand the theory only by putting in the effort before the test.

I think the curve pressure brings out the worst in people :roll:
Some people are too quick to jump on the wrong aspect of the problem - it's not the test-takers but the test-setters.

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shepdawg

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by shepdawg » Wed Jun 29, 2011 5:41 pm

magstar wrote:This thread has totally ruined my lurking streak >: (.

I don't know about ADHD, but I have dyslexia and dysgraphia (difficulty with fine motor movements in my fingers). These disabilities do not make me stupid...
Thanks skyhook for posting your thoughts. At least you aren't hostile. : (
Cool. I have dysgraphia too.

I think people are hostile because extra time is usually an overcompensation by the school just to cover their ass and prevent being sued.

The hostility comes when law students (I notice you're not one yet) hear that people who have had dumb answers in class all year actually scored higher than they did on exams, thus giving them a major advantage in OCI.

It all comes down to the same thing we all cried about as children: fairness. It's really not fair (italicized to add a childish whining tone) when someone who is dumber, doesn't study as much, and didn't spend time refining their application materials gets the high paying SA job because they're top 1% due to extra time on exam, and the people who worked hard and are smarter are left scraping through summer with an unpaid internship.

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by Skyhook » Wed Jun 29, 2011 6:13 pm

shepdawg wrote: I think people are hostile because extra time is usually an overcompensation by the school just to cover their ass and prevent being sued.
Then the problem is with the school.
Fuck me, they are a law school. They can research the law and the pedagogy to set decent policies for both staff test-setters and student test-takers.
Incompetence otherwise.
The hostility comes when law students (I notice you're not one yet) hear that people who have had dumb answers in class all year actually scored higher than they did on exams, thus giving them a major advantage in OCI.
Do 'dumb' answers in class mean a lack of understanding of the material come exam time? Perhaps that's all they needed to clarify matters.
I have students who give great answers and do well, no surprises, but also students who give horribly wrong answers and do well because they go home and work on the problems.
It all comes down to the same thing we all cried about as children: fairness. It's really not fair (italicized to add a childish whining tone) when someone who is dumber, doesn't study as much, and didn't spend time refining their application materials gets the high paying SA job because they're top 1% due to extra time on exam, and the people who worked hard and are smarter are left scraping through summer with an unpaid internship.
Evidence?

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by rayiner » Wed Jun 29, 2011 6:20 pm

$1.99 wrote:im not complaining about them "taking my spot". i am saying they won't get these "tools" in the workplace so why do they get them in the class. it gives an unfair picture to employers. it is not like they have a mark next to their grades that state they have a disability.
Because the workplace is nothing like the classroom.

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rayiner

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by rayiner » Wed Jun 29, 2011 6:22 pm

ChiCity22 wrote:IMO If you have a serious learning disability, either overcome it or find another profession that isn't as intellectually intensive.

Its like a kid with a physical disability on a basketball team getting 5 free throws.
Lawyers aren't basketball players and doc review isn't intellectually intensive.

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by BoriquaEsquire » Wed Jun 29, 2011 6:36 pm

It all comes down to the same thing we all cried about as children: fairness. It's really not fair (italicized to add a childish whining tone) when someone who is dumber, doesn't study as much, and didn't spend time refining their application materials gets the high paying SA job because they're top 1% due to extra time on exam, and the people who worked hard and are smarter are left scraping through summer with an unpaid internship.
Ok, I have to speak up here.

I have a pretty decent IQ but also a severe neuro-psychiatric disability. I get extra time on exams, have note takers take notes for me in class, and I use a service dog to help me walk. The extra time is simply because if my stress levels get too high, I blackout, so I need the extra time to keep my stress levels down. The notes are because I have trouble concentrating on a single task despite taking adderall.

I'm not dumber, but I don't study as much as a regular law student because I have doctor appointments literally every day. Two days a week, I have to go to the hospital. This takes a large chunk of time out of my life.

I'm NOT in the top 1% of my class. Not even close. Despite having more materials and studying my ass off, I usually fall among the lower grades in the class.

Now, what does this mean for me as a lawyer? It means that I'll have to accommodate for my disability by choosing a less prestigious workplace that also has the time to allow me to continue my treatment and the understanding to allow me to use my service dog. No, I'm not going to get a job at a top-level firm. I wouldn't even if I had all A's. It's because I'm LIMITED in what I can do in life. That's what having a disability is all about. It makes me sick when people look down on those who are facing serious physical or mental limitations when all they are trying to do is keep up with the pack. We are not a threat to you! You are all olympic track runners and we have broken legs.

First off, just because I'm not going to be working at a top-firm doesn't mean that I'm not entitled to a law degree if I can do the work, and I can do the work so long as I have my accommodations. Second, if one's workplace is carefully chosen, a disabled individual can excel far beyond many "fit" individuals. There ARE workplaces out there that can and will accommodate for a disabled person provided that they do quality work.

You might ask if I do quality work despite having trouble walking and having to see 3 doctors a week. I think that my undergraduate record speaks for me. Despite my severe disability, I graduated from Princeton University with a major and a minor. I wrote two A-level graduate-level theses and I graduated with a fairly high GPA. I think that this shows that under the right conditions, I can perform better than 99% of employees in the world and I truly believe that there are employers out there willing to provide disability accommodations in order to extract this quality work.

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by Zazelmaf » Wed Jun 29, 2011 7:55 pm

I was too busy taking the exams to worry about who was there and who wasn't. But yes, now that you mention it, the girl with the long long hair was missing... hmmm....

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by bceagles182 » Wed Jun 29, 2011 8:32 pm

magstar wrote:This thread has totally ruined my lurking streak >: (.

I don't know about ADHD, but I have dyslexia and dysgraphia (difficulty with fine motor movements in my fingers). These disabilities do not make me stupid. In fact, I’m very smart…but I have bad hand-writing, embarrassing spelling, and slow typing speed. No matter how much I practice, I can’t improve how well I spell, write, or type (that’s what makes it a disability).
None of my exams in undergrad required typing. For my hand-written exams, my professors were instructed to ignore my spelling (which isn’t too bad, just a bunch of switched letters). I wasn’t at too much of a disadvantage time-wise because everyone had to write out the test by hand. When I had to type a paper it took a lot longer than it would have taken someone else, but that just meant I stayed up later than my classmates did. My ability to make an argument, participate in a debate, or understand complicated reading materials is in no way impacted. I do wonderfully under pressure.
In my professional life my disabilities have not been any kind of issue for me. I’ve used spell check and taken more work home (esp typing work) than other people. I may take a little longer on some tasks, but in the end I still perform at a higher level than most others. In law school I will probably need some extra time to fumble my answers out on the keyboard during exams. I don’t see my disability being impossible to get around once I’m a lawyer.
It seems like many of the people on this thread are of the opinion that I, despite an otherwise high capacity to achieve, should basically crawl under a rock and die or waste my tremendously large helping of brains on flipping burgers because my mind doesn’t communicate with my fingers the same way it does for all of you.
Normally I don’t care when people are uniformed…I guess I’m just disappointed in the opinions of my future classmates and colleagues.
Thanks skyhook for posting your thoughts. At least you aren't hostile. : (

I'm not saying that you aren't intelligent. I just think that if your problem hinders your ability to take law school exams, then I think it hinders your ability to be as good a lawyer (without accommodations) as someone with equal intelligence without dyslexia. Therefore, I think law schools should not give you accommodations that make you seem like you'll be a better lawyer than you actually will be.

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by bk1 » Wed Jun 29, 2011 8:35 pm

bceagles182 wrote:I'm not saying that you aren't intelligent. I just think that if your problem hinders your ability to take law school exams, then I think it hinders your ability to be as good a lawyer (without accommodations) as someone with equal intelligence without dyslexia. Therefore, I think law schools should not give you accommodations that make you seem like you'll be a better lawyer than you actually will be.
Taking a law school exam = practicing law? I'll just quote rayiner:
rayiner wrote:
$1.99 wrote:im not complaining about them "taking my spot". i am saying they won't get these "tools" in the workplace so why do they get them in the class. it gives an unfair picture to employers. it is not like they have a mark next to their grades that state they have a disability.
Because the workplace is nothing like the classroom.

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by magstar » Wed Jun 29, 2011 10:14 pm

bceagles182 wrote:I'm not saying that you aren't intelligent. I just think that if your problem hinders your ability to take law school exams, then I think it hinders your ability to be as good a lawyer (without accommodations) as someone with equal intelligence without dyslexia. Therefore, I think law schools should not give you accommodations that make you seem like you'll be a better lawyer than you actually will be.
I have an impaired ability to use a piece of technology (the keyboard). Requiring me to use a keyboard when I take exams will actually make many less qualified students seem as good or better than me. Decades ago, this wouldn't have been an issue at all. I have worked in the professional world and I have a track record that sets me among the best of the field that I participated in--despite my disability. So I disagree that this will have a meaningful impact on my law career.
If it makes you feel better though, I'll make sure to tell my prospective employers that I'm not any good at high speed typing. We'll see how much of a difference that makes compared to everything else I can do.

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by bartleby » Thu Jun 30, 2011 12:55 am

how long did it take you to type that out, though? i'm just not familiar with the disabilities, not hating or anything, and i respect what you've accomplished so far - a lot more than i have.

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by nymario » Thu Jun 30, 2011 6:53 am

magstar wrote:
bceagles182 wrote:I'm not saying that you aren't intelligent. I just think that if your problem hinders your ability to take law school exams, then I think it hinders your ability to be as good a lawyer (without accommodations) as someone with equal intelligence without dyslexia. Therefore, I think law schools should not give you accommodations that make you seem like you'll be a better lawyer than you actually will be.
I have an impaired ability to use a piece of technology (the keyboard). Requiring me to use a keyboard when I take exams will actually make many less qualified students seem as good or better than me. Decades ago, this wouldn't have been an issue at all. I have worked in the professional world and I have a track record that sets me among the best of the field that I participated in--despite my disability. So I disagree that this will have a meaningful impact on my law career.
If it makes you feel better though, I'll make sure to tell my prospective employers that I'm not any good at high speed typing. We'll see how much of a difference that makes compared to everything else I can do.
I accept that your impairment is a disability. I reject your conclusion that someone that does a slightly inferior answer in 3 hours than you do in 5 is "unqualified." I reject out of hand that your self-proclaimed stellar track record puts you in such rarefied air that the system must be changed to facilitate the success of such diamonds in the rough at the expense of hard working students who can work faster. Life sucks. Get a helmet.

This attitude of absolute entitlement is a new creature to this generation. Baby Boomers didn't feel like the deserved a booster seat at the table for jobs. I respectfully submit that Title VII/ADA's over-expansive reach is turning us into a Harrison Bergeron society. We all suffer for it.

Disclosure: I have not been harmed by such students. I have not taken an examination (yet) where someone took an alternate accommodation and got a better grade. I will be annoyed if it happens, though at this stage it won't be as relevant to me. I am speaking for all the students who are better than you who stand to be shafted.

[edit: slightly toned down]
Last edited by nymario on Thu Jun 30, 2011 8:08 am, edited 2 times in total.

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reepS

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by reepS » Thu Jun 30, 2011 7:13 am

This turned into a pissing contest where one guy uses the handicapped stall

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by Skyhook » Thu Jun 30, 2011 8:52 am

nymario wrote:
magstar wrote:
bceagles182 wrote:I'm not saying that you aren't intelligent. I just think that if your problem hinders your ability to take law school exams, then I think it hinders your ability to be as good a lawyer (without accommodations) as someone with equal intelligence without dyslexia. Therefore, I think law schools should not give you accommodations that make you seem like you'll be a better lawyer than you actually will be.
I have an impaired ability to use a piece of technology (the keyboard). Requiring me to use a keyboard when I take exams will actually make many less qualified students seem as good or better than me. Decades ago, this wouldn't have been an issue at all. I have worked in the professional world and I have a track record that sets me among the best of the field that I participated in--despite my disability. So I disagree that this will have a meaningful impact on my law career.
If it makes you feel better though, I'll make sure to tell my prospective employers that I'm not any good at high speed typing. We'll see how much of a difference that makes compared to everything else I can do.
I accept that your impairment is a disability. I reject your conclusion that someone that does a slightly inferior answer in 3 hours than you do in 5 is "unqualified." I reject out of hand that your self-proclaimed stellar track record puts you in such rarefied air that the system must be changed to facilitate the success of such diamonds in the rough at the expense of hard working students who can work faster. Life sucks. Get a helmet.

This attitude of absolute entitlement is a new creature to this generation. Baby Boomers didn't feel like the deserved a booster seat at the table for jobs. I respectfully submit that Title VII/ADA's over-expansive reach is turning us into a Harrison Bergeron society. We all suffer for it.

Disclosure: I have not been harmed by such students. I have not taken an examination (yet) where someone took an alternate accommodation and got a better grade. I will be annoyed if it happens, though at this stage it won't be as relevant to me. I am speaking for all the students who are better than you who stand to be shafted.
Should strawmen get extra time because of their disabilities?
[edit: slightly toned down]
But no less wrong.

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BriaTharen

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by BriaTharen » Thu Jun 30, 2011 9:00 am

There are plenty of people that have legitimate disabilities that truly need the extra time. I think most people would agree that those individuals aren't the issue. The people that are the issue are the ones that game the system. They know students that have a disability get time and a half, and getting a false positive for ADD/ADHD is ridiculously easy. There was one girl in particular in my year that everyone talked shit about last semester because she finished the fall semester in the Top 25%, and next semester she signed up for accommodated testing.

I don't think as many people would have a problem with accommodated testing if the accommodation is noted on your transcript like it is for the LSAT.

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by nymario » Thu Jun 30, 2011 9:38 am

No, people *do* have a problem with it. Law School is a zero sum game. Giving some students a boost is necessarily at the expense of the people that they displace. Who is to say that time and a half is the "right" amount of time for person X? It's arbitrary. I have a problem *only* because there is no way to fairly implement the system. Schools are (rightfully) afraid to undercompensate - so they error on the side of overcompensation.

Lest anyone accuse this of being a straw man argument, let me make it clear. I am NOT opposed to reasonable accommodations. However, I consider the exam taking accommodations an undue burden and prejudicial to others. Corporations aren't required to undermine seniority systems to accommodate employees' desires to have days off for religious observances. So too should law schools not undermine their test taking systems to accommodate a different sort of protected class.

Better solutions? All take home exams? Separate curve/rank and notation? I'm all for giving equal opportunity. However, it cannot be done at the explicit expense of someone else's rights/privileges etc... otherwise it's just affirmative action in disguise.
Last edited by nymario on Thu Jun 30, 2011 9:41 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by magstar » Thu Jun 30, 2011 9:40 am

Here’s the thing. There’s nothing wrong with me really. I happen to be a little unlucky in the fact that my mind and the way it works doesn’t match up exactly with the way certain things are done in society. I’m guessing it’s the same for people with ADHA. I know dyslexia and dysgraphia are considered “disabilities” but in actuality they are brands of cognitive diversity that just happen to conflict with current procedure. The system is setup without initially taking people like me in mind. Extra time isn’t the best accommodation for me, but precedent and the ease of implementation make that the likeliest accommodation. I don’t need accommodations in the real world. I just have to work harder on certain tasks.
I actually see a tremendous sense of entitlement in what you are saying, nymario. It seems like just because the way you think and process is in the majority that you deserve to win. The fact is people are different. Luckily for me I live in a time where this truth is acknowledged and I’m not punished for it. I suggest that you get the helmet.

And marking accommodated testing is on a transcript is a great idea. It would perhaps make for a better basis of comparison. I wouldn't have any issue letting an employer know exactly where I stand.

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by nymario » Thu Jun 30, 2011 9:47 am

That was a thoughtful reply, and I appreciate it. My last edit was a typo correction, by the way.

How do you feel about take home exams? I think they're a strong alternative because it better approximates the sort of work being done in practice.

The problem with time pressured exams is that they are designed with time pressure in mind. Removing it for some distorts the results. If you have to work until midnight at a firm and I can roll out at 10pm, I don't think the partner is going to care if we're producing the same product. He'll care if we're both there until midnight every night and I'm getting 20% more work done.

BigLaw is a little abnormal in this regard. We're not talking about a 9-5 where you can work until 6. We're talking about an environment that consumes a very large portion of your being. I am speculating that these firms assume that there's not much more to take sometimes -- so you can't make it up.

Outside of BigLaw, this falls completely apart. You are free to make the choices in work/life balance that you need to make to be a competitive employee.

In sum, understand that this argument I make is exclusively and inextricably entwined with the peculiar situation of BigLaw.

Respect.

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by stuckinparadise » Thu Jun 30, 2011 10:33 am

I have no problem with disabled students receiving extra time to level the playing field. I do have a problem with students who take advantage of the system. That is, these students do not have ADHD, but will go to a quack who will diagnose them with the disability. The cherry on top is that the students then sell the pills for $5 bucks a pop. $$$$+xtra time on lawl school exams= incentive for students to claim they have ADHD. That pisses me off.

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by Skyhook » Thu Jun 30, 2011 10:46 am

nymario wrote:No, people *do* have a problem with it. Law School is a zero sum game. Giving some students a boost is necessarily at the expense of the people that they displace. Who is to say that time and a half is the "right" amount of time for person X? It's arbitrary. I have a problem *only* because there is no way to fairly implement the system. Schools are (rightfully) afraid to undercompensate - so they error on the side of overcompensation.
So your problem is with the schools' and instructors' inability to come up with a suitable testing procedure.
So far no-one has countered my claim that these people do not have any real background in educational and testing theory. "Because this is the way I learned it so it must be the right way..." - I call bullshit.
Lest anyone accuse this of being a straw man argument, let me make it clear. I am NOT opposed to reasonable accommodations. However, I consider the exam taking accommodations an undue burden and prejudicial to others. Corporations aren't required to undermine seniority systems to accommodate employees' desires to have days off for religious observances. So too should law schools not undermine their test taking systems to accommodate a different sort of protected class.
There is no "lest" here. I am saying you are making a strawman argument - see my post before where I bolded parts of your statement. They are strawmen.
This suggestion of religion is another strawman.
Religion may inhibit a lot of things, but it does not inhibit your ability to produce an answer to a test.

The object of the exam is demonstrate understanding and ability to apply the material.
There are many aids to production of work - from dictation software to spelling and grammar checkers. Do you ever use a spellchecker?


Law school =/= biglaw by any stretch of the imagination.
Is the practice of law that urgent? Do lawyers really have to find X number of issues in 3 hrs?
In some tests, eg LSAT, a time constraint is imposed for practical reasons, and that given enough time test-takers will get more answers correct. That is the nature of the test.
But most TLSers agree LSAT is not a good predictor of law school performance.
Time constraints are arbitrary - the design of the law school exam is the problem.
Better solutions? All take home exams? Separate curve/rank and notation? I'm all for giving equal opportunity. However, it cannot be done at the explicit expense of someone else's rights/privileges etc... otherwise it's just affirmative action in disguise.
Heard this type of statement before and I don't believe it.
Why don't you actually think about this carefully and see where the problems really are.

***
It seems like a lot of posters have this axe to grind.
Where is the evidence for even half of what is claimed?
Grrrrh, how dare they take my position on the law school curve!
They tuk er jerbs!

And think about this - testing and grading policies can be changed. Why not try to get fairer tests where so called special accommodations become moot?
Show some fucking solidarity.
Adversarial =/= asshole

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by Mickey Quicknumbers » Thu Jun 30, 2011 10:47 am

shepdawg wrote:One of the dumbest people I've ever met had a D- average after 1st semester, because he took the exams with the rest of the class. He was afraid of getting kicked out, so he went to a doctor and complained he had ADHD. He was able to get 3 extra hours on every exam, and get extra time on his appellate brief for 2nd semester. He ended up doing well enough to bring his average up to C+.

One of the smartest people I've met "got" ADHD during undergrad. He got extra time all exams and ended up #1 in the class.
Maybe it's just me, and maybe it isn't for that school, but the difference between a D- and a C+ seems negligible except for the fact that he's no longer failing out.

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by bk1 » Thu Jun 30, 2011 10:48 am

nymario wrote:No, people *do* have a problem with it. Law School is a zero sum game. Giving some students a boost is necessarily at the expense of the people that they displace.
You act like the number of people who get accommodations is actually significant enough to have a non-marginal effect on your job hunt (hint: it's not).

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by Skyhook » Thu Jun 30, 2011 10:54 am

bk187 wrote:
nymario wrote:No, people *do* have a problem with it. Law School is a zero sum game. Giving some students a boost is necessarily at the expense of the people that they displace.
You act like the number of people who get accommodations is actually significant enough to have a non-marginal effect on your job hunt (hint: it's not).
+1

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Re: Exams - Anyone else notice classmates missing?

Post by Rule11 » Thu Jun 30, 2011 11:30 am

Personally, I don't really care about test accommodations too much. Few people get them, from what I can tell.

I just find myself puzzled, however, at the portrayal of big law practice by several posters in this thread. Those who said that law school exams are nothing like big law--are you currently working in big law? Have you ever (summering emphatically does not count)?

Working under intense pressure, both in terms of time and otherwise, is a big part of the big law lifestyle. Your ability to perform under those conditions is a major component of your success in the workplace. Biglaw these days is generally not a slow grind at all. Many firms are understaffed, particularly at the junior levels. I don't know anybody at a large firm who spends his or her days doing doc review, or any other task that I would consider mindless, or that would otherwise not be affected by the attorney's attention level, ability to read quickly, or ability to think creatively and incisively under time constraints. That's just not really how it works anymore, for the most part. Clients don't want to pay $350 an hour for a doc reviewer from a big firm, when they can get the same service and pay a fraction of that cost for contract attorneys (who are, incidentally, often more experienced anyway).

It may be that accommodations are worth it, because some "disabled" students who would nonetheless flourish in legal practice would be left behind without such accommodations (the guy with typing problems is perhaps the most likely such candidate in this thread). But it is silly to pretend that, once you get to a firm, the skills tested by law school exams are no longer relevant. The abilities to quickly analyze novel problems, to retain and to synthesize large amounts of relevant information, and finally to articulate your thoughts quickly are ALL critical components of success in any area of legal practice.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

Now there's a charge.
Just kidding ... it's still FREE!


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