As I've previously reported, Harvard Law recently announced they'll begin considering applicants' GRE scores as an alternative to the LSAT.
Some questions we might ask to determine a law school admission test is valid:
Does it adequately predict:
The American Bar Association's Standard 503 states (emphasis added):
LSAC publishes detailed statistical reports on the LSAT's predictive validity (example) demonstrating that the LSAT and undergraduate GPA are both good predictors of 1L GPA, with LSAT being a better predictor than undergraduate GPA.
According to the study linked above (for 2014):
Where is Harvard's rigorous statistical report proving similar for the GRE?
All we have from them is the vague claim that they conducted a:
But, as you may know from studying for the LSAT, many studies are flawed.
I wrote an article examining some potential flaws in Harvard's study and suggesting that it is, in fact, deeply flawed.
If Harvard's study is, in fact, valid, why haven't they released the full study for public review? Why not link to a PDF of it it along with the initial announcement?
All they've given us is their summary of the study's conclusion. We don't have the study itself.
I've sent Harvard several emails over the past week requesting it - to both their admissions office and the public information office.
All of my emails have gone unanswered. I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions.
UPDATE:
On the afternoon of Tuesday, April 18, I received the following response:
Some questions we might ask to determine a law school admission test is valid:
Does it adequately predict:
- 1L GPA?
- Overall law school GPA?
- Bar exam passage rates?
- Success in future career?
The American Bar Association's Standard 503 states (emphasis added):
A law school shall require each applicant for admission as a first-year J.D. degree student to take a valid and reliable admission test to assist the school and the applicant in assessing the applicant’s capability of satisfactorily completing the school’s program of legal education. In making admissions decisions, a law school shall use the test results in a manner that is consistent with the current guidelines regarding proper use of the test results provided by the agency that developed the test.
Interpretation 503-1
A law school that uses an admission test other than the Law School Admission Test sponsored by the Law School Admission Council shall demonstrate that such other test is a valid and reliable test to assist the school in assessing an applicant’s capability to satisfactorily complete the school’s program of legal education.
LSAC publishes detailed statistical reports on the LSAT's predictive validity (example) demonstrating that the LSAT and undergraduate GPA are both good predictors of 1L GPA, with LSAT being a better predictor than undergraduate GPA.
According to the study linked above (for 2014):
- the LSAT alone has a correlation of .39 with 1L GPA
- undergraduate GPA alone has a correlation of .26 with 1L GPA
- together, they have a correlation of .48 with 1L GPA
Where is Harvard's rigorous statistical report proving similar for the GRE?
All we have from them is the vague claim that they conducted a:
statistical study show[ing] that the GRE is an equally valid predictor of first-year grades.
But, as you may know from studying for the LSAT, many studies are flawed.
I wrote an article examining some potential flaws in Harvard's study and suggesting that it is, in fact, deeply flawed.
If Harvard's study is, in fact, valid, why haven't they released the full study for public review? Why not link to a PDF of it it along with the initial announcement?
All they've given us is their summary of the study's conclusion. We don't have the study itself.
I've sent Harvard several emails over the past week requesting it - to both their admissions office and the public information office.
All of my emails have gone unanswered. I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions.
UPDATE:
On the afternoon of Tuesday, April 18, I received the following response:
Dear Steve,
The study was conducted for the purpose of compliance with ABA Standard 503, and we look forward to working with the ABA on the review process. The study will not be released publicly while that process is still pending (and the timeline for that has not yet been determined by the ABA).
Thank you for your inquiry.
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