The Law School Admissions Test will undergo changes starting with the June 2007 test, administrators announced Monday morning. Instead of a single passage and ensuing questions on the LSAT's reading comprehension section, the new version, termed comparative reading, will feature two passages attached to a single set of questions. The reading comprehension section currently accounts for one of the four scored portions of the test.
"This is probably one the most significant changes we've seen in 15 years. The LSAT stays remarkably consistent from cycle to cycle," said Steven Marietti, the director of Pre-Law Programs at Kaplan Test Prep. He estimated that six or seven questions will be affected, but stressed that the seemingly low number could easily impact an overall score.
Marietti thinks these changes are an attempt on the part of the Law School Admissions Council, the body that oversees the LSAT, to refine the exam.
"I think that the reading comprehension section of the LSAT is one that the LSAC has been looking to stress over the last couple of years," he said. "They constantly look to find ways to introduce components to even better gauge a student's ability to do well in law school."
Like other standardized tests used for university admissions processes, the LSAT's main goal is to gauge an applicant's aptitude in law school.
"They've found that reading comprehension is central to success in law school," Marietti said.
While Kaplan stresses its confidence in being able to prepare their students "100 percent" for the new exam, it advises students to take the LSAT before June if they were already planning on doing so, due to a "level of unpredictability."
"Students might want to look a little more favorably on the December or Feburary 2007 exam, which are the last two dates where the exam will not have any changes," Marietti said.
Marietti cautioned students, however, not to panic about taking the test after February.
"Don't rush into it. There's going to be material available, it's not something to panic about, but if you're planning on taking it and have the time to prepare now, you might as well and take it now and avoid dealing with the unknown," he said.
Marietti also speculated that the change in the LSAT could make the test more difficult for law school applicants.
"It potentially could be a harder question type, based on what we know. They tend to take a little bit longer -- you kind of have to switch gears," he said.
Some Dartmouth undergraduates already familiar with the LSAT disagreed with Marietti's apprehension regarding the new passage.
"Actually, I would prefer the changed test, because it would allow me to shift gears and do something different so no one process or aspect of test-taking gets fatigued," said Caroline Maxwell '07, who took the test on this past September. "Either way, I just hope the passages are still about Mayan architecture. They're always about Mayan architecture."
Elise Hogan '09 said she still planned to take the LSAT despite the changes.
"If the LSAT is going to remain the rubric against which potential law school applicants are graded, then my methods of preparation will change along with the test," Hogan said.
