what? a photograph? Forum

[espressocream]

This girl at my center was stopped from entering the room during check-in because her picture was black and white. Eventually she was let in, but not without catty comments from the proctor.

[joebloe]

The e-mail they sent prior to the test said "attach a recent, clear photograph of yourself to the designated box on your LSAT admission ticket. (The photograph must have been taken within the last six months and must show only your face and shoulders. Laminated copies and photocopies of your photo are not acceptable.)"

Since a photocopy was not acceptable, it seemed pretty fair to assume they expected a proper photograph on photo paper, since with a decent copier there would be no way to tell the difference between a color copy and a printed photo on copy paper.

The e-mail subject was "Important Information Regarding Your June LSAT Registration" (the second with that subject I had received), and was dated 5/26.

Not true. Even if we consider typical home scanners to fall under the definition of photocopying, there is significant quality degradation involved in such a process. Scanning a photo print doesn't work out so well frequently. The action of taking a picture and directly printing the image file, however, would produce a much cleaner image. Photocopying refers to a very specific process.

And they didn't say photostats weren't good enough.

[Dany]

I agree with MrFox and believe we are on the same page.

It's silly to keep debating the meaning of 'photograph'. You construed the definition I posted (which is current and valid) as referring to really old school motion picture cameras and projectors. The definition is broad and includes much more than that.

A picture printed out on plain paper from a home inkjet type printer does not qualify as a photograph that is valid for official identification and records keeping purposes.

1. I'm pretty sure MrFox is saying the exact opposite of what you're saying.

2. You don't know that (re: the bolded) and obviously LSAC let people in with photographs printed on plain paper, so until they clarify the type of paper (which I'm sure will be soon) your argument is ridiculous.

[Jack Smirks]

I love that future law students had trouble following such simple, straightforward directions.

[FantasticMrFox]

I love that future law students had trouble following such simple, straightforward directions.

who said they were going to be law students?

[Jeffort]

This thread has been fun but I think the topic has hit the point.

[Dany]

I'm wrong and I know it.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

[dubbsda27]

One of the people entering before me had neglected to read the photograph directions and the proctors ended up letting her cut her photograph off of her license to use, wonder if LSAC is going to let that fly....

[FantasticMrFox]

I'm wrong and I know it.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

<3

[Jeffort]

I'm wrong and I know it.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Knock it off. Posting a fake quote is immature.

[Curry]

I'm wrong and I know it.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Knock it off. Posting a fake quote is immature.

Being a complete douchebag is immature. GTFO.

[Dany]

I'm wrong and I know it.

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Knock it off. Posting a fake quote is immature.

“The problem with quotes on the Internet is that you can't always be sure of their authenticity.”
- Abraham Lincoln

[platitude]

One of the people entering before me had neglected to read the photograph directions and the proctors ended up letting her cut her photograph off of her license to use, wonder if LSAC is going to let that fly....

Did you test in BR or did two proctors have this brilliant idea?

Mine was on printer paper and it wasn't in color. The way you print a photo has nothing to do with whether or not it qualifies as a photo, and one that's printed on paper is clear enough for identification purposes, which is all these are for. The black and white didn't make a difference because you could still see all of my distinguishing facial characteristics. You could even tell what color my hair was. If LSAC honestly tried to take me up on that as a violation, I'd tell them to suck it and reread their directions, because there was nothing in there that indicated that the photo had to be in color or on a specific type of paper. I checked. Multiple times.

[Curry]

I figure it would make driving home a little bit of a problem.

[joebloe]

I love that future law students had trouble following such simple, straightforward directions.

Not disagreeing with this point, but there was room to interpret what the instructions said.

Here's what the current OED says about "photograph":

A picture or image obtained by photography; (originally) a picture made using a camera in which an image is focused on to sensitive material and then made visible and permanent by chemical treatment; (later also) a picture made by focusing an image and then storing it digitally.

And about "photocopy":

Originally: a photographic reproduction (now rare). In later use: a copy made by a photocopier.

If LSAC seriously cared, it would have been very simple to insert this parenthetical: "(images printed on home/consumer-grade printers and paper are not acceptable)". I don't think they care about long-term archival either; odds are your pic will be scanned in (hence the prohibition on laminated images) and retained for the duration of your LSAC account/until you stop taking the LSAT.

All that said, I suspect we'll see new instructions in October specifying that examinees must supply a passport-size photo conforming to the same standards required by the Department of State.

[Jeffort]

All that said, I suspect we'll see new instructions in October specifying that examinees must supply a passport-size photo conforming to the same standards required by the Department of State.

That's my prediction too. Now that they are starting to sort through the test materials and seeing the things people stuck to the admission ticket they might think 'Uh oh, WTF did we do? Update and clarify policy ASAP.'

[postn0bills]

One of the people entering before me had neglected to read the photograph directions and the proctors ended up letting her cut her photograph off of her license to use, wonder if LSAC is going to let that fly....

What testing center? I saw that happen as well. I was really surprised.

[dubbsda27]

It was in SW Missouri. It was pretty surprising because the proctors also allowed her to use that as her one form of ID as well. Guess the proctors there were pretty easy in comparison to some of the other horror stories I've heard, just wonder if LSAC will accept the photograph.

[joebloe]

It was in SW Missouri. It was pretty surprising because the proctors also allowed her to use that as her one form of ID as well. Guess the proctors there were pretty easy in comparison to some of the other horror stories I've heard, just wonder if LSAC will accept the photograph.

If the ID was issued in the last six months, the image actually looked like her, and the image was neither greater than 2x2 nor smaller than 1x1, I think they'd have trouble rejecting it.

[Audio Technica Guy]

From what I saw, like 10-20 pictures, people cannot follow directions. The pictures they used were enormous, and they were obviously stuff they had on Facebook.

There are many reasons why the percentile rank for the median achievable score (150) is currently hovering around 44% and bold ^ is one of them.

This fact is wrong.

edit: I guess it's not so much that the fact is wrong, but the reasoning is backwards. the fact that the median is now around 151 actually means that people have gotten smarter, in relation to the LSAT, not dumber.

[Jeffort]

From what I saw, like 10-20 pictures, people cannot follow directions. The pictures they used were enormous, and they were obviously stuff they had on Facebook.

There are many reasons why the percentile rank for the median achievable score (150) is currently hovering around 44% and bold ^ is one of them.

This fact is wrong.

edit: I guess it's not so much that the fact is wrong, but the reasoning is backwards. the fact that the median is now around 151 actually means that people have gotten smarter, in relation to the LSAT, not dumber.

The median achievable scaled score is 150. 120-180 scale of possible scores, 150 is the middle number.

The percentile rank associated with each achieved scaled score is a different statistic and is currently about the 44th percentile for 150.

[Jack Smirks]

This entire conversation needs to be archived as the most retarded thread on TLS.

[Nulli Secundus]

From what I saw, like 10-20 pictures, people cannot follow directions. The pictures they used were enormous, and they were obviously stuff they had on Facebook.

There are many reasons why the percentile rank for the median achievable score (150) is currently hovering around 44% and bold ^ is one of them.

This fact is wrong.

edit: I guess it's not so much that the fact is wrong, but the reasoning is backwards. the fact that the median is now around 151 actually means that people have gotten smarter, in relation to the LSAT, not dumber.

The median achievable scaled score is 150. 120-180 scale of possible scores, 150 is the middle number.

The percentile rank associated with each achieved scaled score is a different statistic and is currently about the 44th percentile for 150.

Jeffort, you should have this thread buried deep inside Earth's crust, for you chain fail in here.

150 = mathematical average, 44 percentile being @ 150 means, 56 percent of all test takers scored above the mathematical average. That number being greater than 50 percent does not show people are dumb, quite the opposite. (I mean they are not geniuses either but most do better than average.)

[Audio Technica Guy]

The median achievable scaled score is 150. 120-180 scale of possible scores, 150 is the middle number.

The percentile rank associated with each achieved scaled score is a different statistic and is currently about the 44th percentile for 150.

I understand that. I also understand how the LSAT scaling works. The median score was originally set such that median achievable score and the median actual score received were the same, 150. Over time test takers have gotten a little bit better at taking the LSAT, which has raised the median received score. Which is why over 50% get above the median achievable score. Which is completely the opposite of whatever point you seemed to be trying to make.

[Jeffort]

This thread does need to end.

The median scaled score is 150. It's simple statistics. The are 30 possible scores higher than 150 and 30 possible scores below 150 so it is the middle number on the 120 to 180 scale, hence it is the median achievable score.

The percentile rank is the percentage of test takers from the last 3 years that scored below each scaled score overall. My math is accurate.