How Admissions Officers View The Online LSAT

A majority of law school admissions officers view the online LSAT as favorable as the traditional LSAT.

A recent Kaplan Test Prep survey found that 92% of admissions officers surveyed say they will evaluate applicants equally whether they’ve taken the traditional LSAT or the LSAT-Flex, the shorter, version, Law.com reports. Kaplan surveyed nearly 100 law schools across the US to see admissions officers’ views on the LSAT-Flex.

“The most asked question we’ve received from pre-law students this year has been, ‘Should I take the LSAT-Flex or wait until I can take the regular LSAT again?’” Jeff Thomas, executive director of Kaplan’s legal programs, says. “Now we have an answer. Almost every law school reports that a strong score is a strong score no matter which version of the test you take.”

ONLINE LSAT PRODUCES FAIR, RELIABLE SCORE

The survey found that 60% of admissions officers surveyed agree that an at-home version of the LSAT “would produce a fair, reliable score for test-takers that I would have confidence in as an admissions officer evaluating applicants.” 13% of those surveyed disagreed, with 27% not offering a definitive opinion.

The survey comes after some initial unease around the 2020-21 academic year and admissions cycle amidst a pandemic.

It looks like, however, that applicants can put their fears around the LSAT-Flex at ease.

“At Kaplan, we strongly encourage aspiring law school students to take advantage of the at-home version of the LSAT instead of waiting for testing centers to reopen,” Thomas says. “Not only is the exam significantly shorter than the regular LSAT, but there’s also no telling when the regular LSAT in testing centers will be offered again, as LSAT-Flex is the only version being administered through the end of 2020. The bottom line is that not only is LSAT-Flex your best option, but it’s your only option until at least early 2021.”

Sources: Law.com, Kaplan Test Prep