If you thought the online and at-home LSAT (LSAT Flex) was a game changer, well, then I’m about to blow your goddamned mind.
The Law School Admission Council (LSAC), the group that administers the LSAT, has announced a new program that will allow prospective law students the opportunity to view their LSAT score BEFORE it becomes a part of the permanent file that goes to law schools. And if these pre-law students don’t like the score they notched, well, then no harm, no foul — they can cancel the score. As LSAC describes:
In response to requests and feedback from test takers, we have created a new score preview option for first-time test takers who wish to see their LSAT score before deciding whether or not to keep it as part of their LSAC transcript and report it to law schools. This feature will be available starting with the August 2020 test administration and all subsequent test administrations, and will be available for purchase starting around August 1.
As a tipster wryly noted:
Imagine if a professor told his students that if they paid him $75, they could see their exam grade before it became final, and retake the exam if they wanted. Those who didn’t or couldn’t pay would be stuck with their exam grade. LSAC is selling off this access starting with the August exam.
But there are some catches — the add-on feature is only available for first-time test takers. And as the tipster noted, it does ramp up the cost of the LSAT:
Score Preview will cost $45 for candidates who sign up prior to the first day of testing for a given test administration, or $75 for those who sign up during a specified period after their given test administration. (Please note: First-time test takers who have an approved LSAT fee waiver will receive Score Preview free of charge.)
Jeff Thomas, executive director of legal programs at Kaplan, notes that there is a clear upside for test takers — the pressure is off… or at least reduced:
“The new LSAT Score Preview is one of those win-win situations for both pre-law students and the test maker. For first time test takers, it reduces a bit of pressure since it allows them to cancel their score after seeing it, even allowing them nearly a week to decide if they want it on their permanent transcript or not. Remember that you only get one shot at Score Preview. If you’ve already tested, you’re ineligible. So, our advice to students remains the same: don’t test until you’re ready, and use Score Preview as an ‘insurance policy’ rather than simply a free shot to ‘see how it goes.’ For the test maker, in the short term it’s extra revenue at a time when some pre-law students are reevaluating their career options and law school enrollment timeline, amid the pandemic.”
Listen, the LSAT is under a lot of pressure from the GRE as that test is increasingly encroaching on the law school admissions game. But one of the marketing points of the LSAT has always been that it’s tougher. But putting aside the relative strengths or difficulty of the two exams, this feels like a 180 on that selling point. (Besides, letting students pay for a redo seems, well, like a cash grab.) Whether you agree with it or not, there is a reason why five years worth of LSAT scores get reported to law schools when you apply — not just your highest score. Now that core feature can be done away with, provided you’re willing to pay the money.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).