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The writing sample traditionally given at the end of the LSAT, when candidates are usually mentally fatigued and no longer able to legibly scribble their thoughts, could draw new attention from law schools as the entrance exam switches to a digital format.
Candidates taking the Law School Admission Test will still be required to write an essay, and it will still be an unscored portion of the exam. However, they will no longer have to provide the sample immediately after they have finished the five proceeding sections of multiple-choice questions. Also, they will not have to write their composition by hand.
Instead, the test takers will be able to complete the writing portion at a later time of their choosing and using their own computer. The Law School Admission Council, which oversees the development, administration and scoring of the LSAT, touts the change as allowing candidates to write their essays when they are fresher and enabling law schools to get a better idea of how the applicants think and frame their arguments.
“We do think it’s a really nice change that will be candidate-friendly and help schools make better use of this tool,” Kellye Testy, president and CEO of the LSAC, said of the change to the writing sample.
The revamping of the essay section is part of the LSAT’s transition from a paper-and-pencil format to an electronic version. Rather than using a No. 2 pencil to fill in the bubbles on an answer sheet, test-takers will use tablets on which they can tap, highlight and swipe their way through the five sections.
Starting with the exam offered July 15, the LSAT began wading into the digital waters. Half of the 24,000 people who applied to take the test were given a tablet, while the other half stayed with the traditional paper version.
The reason for the slow rollout was to give the LSAC time to assess the impact of the new format.
In particular, the council wanted to be sure the electronic configuration did not inadvertently put any individual or group at a disadvantage. As added insurance against any unforeseen bias, the LSAC is allowing any of the July candidates to cancel their scores and retake the exam at no charge through April 2020.
While noting the launch of the new format incited some nervousness, Testy, speaking July 16, said the introduction was successful. The LSAC is now moving forward with plans to switch completely to digital starting with the September exam date.
“We’re very happy with the first run,” Testy said. “I think it’s a really good step.”
Platform’s potential
Exception for the alteration to the writing sample, the bulk of the LSAT in the new electronic version is the same as the paper format. The sections, the questions, the skills tested and the scoring are all unchanged.
Greg Canada, assistant dean of admissions at Indiana University Maurer School of Law, sees the new format as a “positive step for the LSAT.”
Most significant is that the revamped writing portion has the potential to enable law schools to better evaluate their applicants. Canada explained that producing a position paper is more aligned with what the test-taker would do in law school, and it is a part of the LSAT where candidates can show their ability to construct an argument.
But law schools have been leery about how much to rely on the writing sample.
A common problem was simply being able to read the handwriting. Admissions officials, Canada said, would struggle with whether it was fair to critique one applicant on the basis of the writing sample but not another solely because of the quality of the penmanship. In addition, schools wrestled with how concerned they should be if an applicant’s LSAT essay was chock full of mistakes, but that same individual’s personal statement accompanying the application for admission was impeccable.
Canada speculated the LSAC revamped the writing section because of how important it is in measuring an applicant’s thinking skills. Now the test takers will have the opportunity to compose a thoughtful report that law schools will be able to clearly read and evaluate.
“This is a very good change,” he said.
To go digital, the LSAC had to develop a delivery method for securely pushing the exam’s content to the tablet. The primary focus was to ensure the high-stakes test remained safe, secret and available only to those in the room taking the test. Such was the level of innovation used in crafting the delivery system that the council patented it.
As the LSAT’s electronic version was developed, Testy said she saw the potential of how the digital platform could be expanded into the law school curriculum to improve learning and provide the students with the skills they need to thrive as attorneys.
The technology can be used to streamline learning and assessment so law students can be tested along the way, rather than waiting until the end of the semester for a big final exam, she said. Moreover, recalling her own frustration at not having had more time to spend with her first-year students, Testy sees the potential for using the digital platform to teach basic legal skills such as case reading and statutory analysis. Then, the time in the classroom could be used to learn the complex, sophisticated and problem-solving skills of being a lawyer.
“What I think about is student learning,” Testy said. “When I see (the digital LSAT), I really think this kind of format will give us the opportunity to bridge the gap between learning and assessment.”•
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