Will Law Schools Drop the LSAT Requirement? Forum

[Miracle]

I don't support dropping the LSAT entirely. I think schools should reward those who put the extra effort in studying for the exam. However, I do think this percentile stuff is a bit outrageous. Some schools differentiate by only 3 points between the 25% and the 75%. And they don't accept students who are not right near that 25%. We all know the difference between a point on the LSAT could be one question. So it is a fact that some students could miss out on a school because of one or two missed questions on the LSAT. This seems quite absurd.

I'm not for allowing a 150 scorer to enter into a top-20 program, but I do believe schools should extend their percentiles to allow some slightly lower LSAT scores (from the 25%) into the school. Law school grades are the result of hard work and motivation. Legal work experience prior to law school really increases that inner drive to become an attorney. Actually seeing real attorneys at work, and trying to emulate them shapes one's character and drive to become an attorney.

We need to stop solely rewarding book smarts, and start awarding practical accomplishments, as well. I guess my model would compare more to MBA programs. Though, I'm not aware of "all" of the B-school requirements, so I'm hesitant to make any comparisons.

Yeah, lowering standards will help the situation that the law schools are in right now. That will just add to the problem!

[ArchRoark]

The LSAT is worthless.

Not for splitters who desire to get into a T14.

[DeeCee]

The LSAT is worthless.

Not for splitters who desire to get into a T14.

It's totally worthless for reverse splitters, though.

Kidding.

[ArchRoark]

The LSAT is worthless.

Not for splitters who desire to get into a T14.

It's totally worthless for reverse splitters, though.

Kidding.

We should just combine like Voltron and get into Yale.

[DeeCee]

The LSAT is worthless.

Not for splitters who desire to get into a T14.

It's totally worthless for reverse splitters, though.

Kidding.

We should just combine like Voltron and get into Yale.

+ 1000. I'm an extreme reverse splitter, but judging by your position, you might be an extreme splitter, right?

[ArchRoark]

+ 1000. I'm an extreme reverse splitter, but judging by your position, you might be an extreme splitter, right?

Yes B)

[NoJob]

2. The LSAT has a small correlation with 1L grades. That's it. Just 1L and just a small correlation. It has no correlation to quality of lawyer so getting rid of the LSAT requirement will not likely make any difference in the quality of lawyers out there.

It's not small, it's the largest known correlation.

Also every single school already selects for the LSAT, and it's still fairly high. When most law schools have 80%+ of their class within +/- 3 of their median and the LSAT still has a .4 correlation? That's pretty insane.

An individual LSAT doesn't mean a lot, but when used in large numbers schools pick out good classes from it.

If you mixed Michigan 1L's and Michigan State 1L's the Michigan students would mostly end up in the top half.

There are outliers in both directions. But how else are schools going to pick classes. GPA is worse than LSAT.

In all seriousness, I think the big diff btwn med school and law school is that for law school there isn't a base of knowledge applicants need, like med school. So the LSAT can't test information like the MCAT does.

MCAT is about as predictive as the LSAT is in predicting grades. r ~= .4 for each.

I believe there is a strong correlation between the MCAT and USMLE scores. Those scores determine whether one goes into family medicine or goes into dermatology.

[rundoxierun]

Just an FYI.. no one *learns* the material for the MCAT from class.. they learn it from MCAT study books. Then they forget it again.

[firemed]

Just an FYI.. no one *learns* the material for the MCAT from class.. they learn it from MCAT study books. Then they forget it again.

Um, I disagree with you. A lot of my friends who are med students or pre-med told me that the classes gave them an outstanding base from which to review the study books. Without it they tell me they never could have done as well as they did, because the study guides wouldn't have made as much sense, and would have taken discouragingly long amounts of time.

You are right that they all forget it before med school is over, however.

[TIKITEMBO]

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