LSAT change likely to aid potential applicants

Thanks to a change in LSAT policy, aspiring law students may be able to breathe easier on test day.

After a shift in American Bar Association protocol last June, 74 percent of law schools currently or will soon evaluate applicants based on their highest LSAT scores, according to a recently released survey by Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions.

Previously, 87 percent of law schools surveyed used an average of scores in evaluating applicants.

The ABA -- which accredits law schools -- asked schools last June to begin reporting the highest, rather than the average, test scores of first-year students for accreditation purposes.

"ABA changed the reporting because they thought it was more fair . in case somebody had a bad day," said Wendy Margolis, spokeswoman for the Law School Admission Council, which administers the LSAT.

And while the ABA's policy applies only to accreditation, University of Houston Law Center Associate Dean of Admissions Jamie Mammers said that most schools are focusing on the highest scores in admissions to guard against the same kind of bad luck on test day - a move that should benefit aspiring law students.

"In the law-school admissions process now, taking the LSAT more than once may pose significantly less risk for a student than before this change," said Steven Marietti, Kaplan's director of pre-law programs.

Marietti said this may induce more students to take the test multiple times.

College junior Arushi Sharma, who is considering taking the LSAT, said that she would consider retaking the exam as a result of the new policy shift.

"You can only go up from there," she said.

However, officials warned that taking the test multiple times can still have negative consequences. Among schools who evaluate highest scores, 37 percent said taking the LSAT fewer times would benefit applicants in the admissions process.

Even though retaking the exam may not pose as great of an admissions risk as in past years, law schools "are still going to want to see you haven't just tried to game the system by taking it over and over again," Marietti said.

Renee Post, Penn Law's acting associate dean for admissions, said Penn will continue its policy of considering all LSAT scores while putting emphasis on some applicants' highest scores.

Penn Law also asks students to explain any circumstances that may have affected a score, Post added.

The LSAC - the group that administers the LSAT - only allows students to take the test three times in a two-year time period. The council also reports all LSAT scores to law schools, regardless of their evaluation policies.

Marietti said the survey did not show a relationship between score evaluation and the school's competitiveness.

"It may be that they want to keep working with one set of numbers," Margolis said of schools' decisions to change their policies.

Despite the change, Marietti said students should still fully prepare for each test and be aware of individual law schools' policies.

"Yes, it's a change. Be aware of it. You can benefit from it. But, that said, it's not a carte blanche," he said.

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