Forget Paper: LSAT Goes All Digital
June 3rd marks the changing of the guard.
Law.com reports that the LSAT will no longer be administered by paper. It will be the final graduate-level entrance exam to make the move towards digitalized testing.
“The digital test will mean no answer sheets, no bubbling in little ovals and no risk of misgrading and will help relieve some of the anxiety in taking the test – anxiety about errors due to having put all answers on the answer sheet,” Troy Lowry, senior vice president of technology products and chief information officer at LSAC, tells the Daily Bruin.
Move To Digital
The digital LSAT, according to LSAC, will be the exact same multiple-choice exam as the paper LSAT. However, the test will be administered on tablets instead of booklets.
In terms of structure and content, nothing will change. However, LSAC notes that test days will be shorter due to the LSAT writing component being administered online, separately from multiple-choice test sections.
Benefits of Digital
Aside from saving paper, the move towards a digital LSAT could mean a number of benefits.
For one, the digital exam reduces opportunity for cheating. Additionally, since test takers no longer have to bubble in answers, there’s less chance for misgrading.
Axel Sarkissian, president of the Pre-Law Society at UCLA, says the digital LSAT could also mean increased accessibility to the exam. LSAC also removed the cap on number of times students can take the exam after 2017.
“The more times you take it your score goes up because this is an exam that can be learned, but the downside is that there will be more higher scores out there when you apply to law school and make it more competitive,” he tells the Daily Bruin.
The digital LSAT will also give administrators more access to student performance data.
“A lot of people who have taken the exam know how you take the exam is a big part of the exam itself and can play a pretty big role, so it will take some getting used to and when you prepare for the exam you will probably want to take a few practice ones on a tablet or something that mimics that experience,” Sarkissian tells the Daily Bruin.
Sources: Law.com, LSAC, Daily Bruin