Development and Format of the Law School Admission Test

The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) has been developed over multiple decades as a tool for gauging an undergraduate student’s preparedness for law school. The skill-based exam consists of multiple choice questions designed to assess a student’s potential for succeeding in law school and in the field of law.

The LSAT is the only exam supported by all American and Canadian law schools with American Bar Association accreditation. While some institutions may accept Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores in place of LSAT results, most academics and professionals view the LSAT as the single most important component of a law school application, as well as a strong predictor of a student’s academic success in law school.

The exam is divided into three sections of multiple choice questions. Each section tests a different area of skill and knowledge: reading comprehension, logic games, and logical reasoning. The exam also includes two unscored sections: an experimental multiple choice section and a writing sample submission. All four multiple choice sections have a 35 minute time limit and consist of from 22 to 28 questions.

LSAT scores range from 120 to 180. An average student who has completed the LSAT for the first time will receive a score of 151, while second-time test takers up their score to approximately 151.7. Because 150 is an average score, students may find it difficult to gain admission to the most prestigious law schools. That said, a number of law schools throughout the US and Canada have a median LSAT acceptance rate of 150 or lower.

LSAT scores of 160 or higher are considered strong, though they still do not guarantee admission to top-tier law schools. Many quality law schools admit students with scores in this range, though a score of 160 may not be high enough to warrant an academic scholarship. Only about 3 percent of test-takers score a 170 or better, though law school applicants will still need to excel in all areas of their application in order to gain admission at leading law schools such as Yale, Stanford, and the University of Chicago.

When a student applies to a law school, their 12 most recent LSAT scores will be released to the school, assuming those scores came within the preceding five years.

The history of LSAT testing began in 1945, when Columbia Law School admissions director Frank Bowles decided the existing admissions tests were not sufficient. His goal was to develop an exam that would more closely resemble a student’s grades during their first year of law school, as opposed to an exam that had comparable passage rates to the bar exam.

The first series of LSATs were administered in 1948. The test has changed over the course of more than seven decades, with notable alterations to the scoring system in 1981 and 1991. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Law School Admission Council developed the first ever online LSAT, known as the LSAT-Flex. Launched in May 2020, the exam largely mirrors the standard LSAT.

Individuals can sign up for the LSAT by visiting lsac.org. Tests are held multiple times each year and typically require students to register about two months in advance.

from WordPress https://ift.tt/dZYIlRU
via IFTTT

An Introduction to Public Interest Law

The Supreme Court functions as the highest tribunal in the nation, with a focus on disputes stemming from conflicting interpretations of constitutional law. Located at the Supreme Court Building at One First Street, NE, in Washington, D.C., the justices of the Supreme Court also take on cases involving other laws of the United States. The Court stands as the final arbiter in legal matters, meaning a case that fails before the Supreme Court cannot be appealed to a higher court.

The composition of the Supreme Court includes a Chief Justice and a number of Associate Justices, as determined by Congress. The Judiciary Act of 1869 fixed the number of Associate Justices at eight, a standard that remains in place today. The President of the United States is responsible for making nominations to the Supreme Court, though nominations must be vetted and approved by the Senate.

The Chief Justice and Associate Justices are supported by a number of court officers, ranging from the Counselor to the Chief Justice to the Director of Information Technology.

The history of the Supreme Court can be traced back to the Judiciary Act of 1789. The first assembly of the Court occurred the following year at the Royal Exchange in New York City. The assembly featured Chief Justice John Jay and five Associate Justices: James Iredell, James Wilson, John Rutledge, John Blair, and William Cushing.

The Court initially met twice a year in the nation’s capital. Meetings were held on the first Monday of February and August. In the early days of the Court, justices engaged in “circuit riding” activities, which involved an additional two annual meetings at district courts throughout the US. However, these meetings were performed by individual justices, who traveled one or several geographical circuits, as opposed to the entire Court assembling in various states. It was not uncommon for justices to travel thousands of miles by horseback and carriage during riding circuit duties.

The more than 230 years of Supreme Court tradition and history is maintained through the Supreme Court Historical Society. Over the following centuries, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has made a number of landmark decisions.

In 1978, for example, the Court determined that academic institutions can use race as a determining factor for student enrollment, so long as the concept of “fixed quotas” is not in play. This decision came in the case of Regents of the University of California v. Bakke. A few other famous Supreme Court cases include Roe v. Wade, Plessy v. Ferguson, and United States v. Nixon.

The current composition of the Supreme Court is Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts, Jr., and Associate Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2C7GSPO
via IFTTT