Scores Suggest Longer LSAT Was No Problem For August Test Takers

Reuters, Scores Suggest Longer LSAT Was No Problem for August Test Takers:

The Law School Admission Test just got longer, but aspiring attorneys still managed to do pretty well.

The average score earned by the 24,907 people who took the LSAT this August was 154.19, just 1.4 points lower than the 155.6 average score among August 2020 LSAT takers. Both exams used an at-home, online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the most recent test was four sections long—one section longer than the August 2020 iteration.

Officials with the Law School Admission Council, which designs and administers the LSAT, say the score difference between the latest tests is negligible and the data throws cold water on the theory that LSAT scores have soared over the past year because a shorter exam is inherently easier. (The number of people who applied to law school with LSAT scores of 160 and above last admissions cycle was up 25% or more in each five-point score band, and the number of applicants with the highest scores of 175-180 more than doubled.)

“We are entirely confident that these tests are comparable and interchangeable,” said Council executive president for operations Susan Krinsky in an interview Friday. “The four-section test is basically equivalent to the [three-section] LSAT Flex.”