When was the first lsat administered

This test, first offered in , is now one of the world's most widely taken university entrance examinations: the SAT. The idea of a standardized assessment of student aptitude became highly influential in other areas of university admission, including legal training.

There were at least two such examinations for law degree programs that predate the LSAT: a test developed in the mids by psychology professor George D. The Stoddard-Ferson and Yale exams soon fell out of favor, primarily because they were seen to have no distinct advantages over standardized tests of general intelligence. In , Frank H. Bowles , admissions director of Columbia Law School, proposed a set of criteria for the creation of a new law school entrance exam.

Among these criteria were validity the test should accurately predict future law school performance , ease of results interpretation scoring should not be hard to understand , and assessment of specific skills needed for success in legal study to whatever degree that was possible. Test development along these lines began in , with input from a number of other law schools and the College Board. In the s, George Stoddard, a psychologist at the University of Iowa collaborated with Merton Ferson, dean at North Carolina and Cincinnati worked together on a test that was used mostly in the west.

They started using the test in Both tests were a supplement to the law school application and designed to assist in the admissions process. However, admissions decisions were not made solely on the test scores. When reviewing the Stoddard-Ferson test, Henry Witham of the University of Tennessee said it was useful in predicting success or lack thereof in law school, noting that those who scored poorly on the test performed poorly in law school. The LSAT didn't get started until the summer of when Columbia representatives met with testing organization representatives.

Harvard and Yale's representatives were also invited to contribute to the test design. The LSAT is 3 hours and 30 minutes long. The test consists of 99— multiple-choice questions. LSAT is designed so that the average test taker should not be able to comfortably complete all the questions in the time allotted.

The LSAT is scored on a scale of to points. Because most top law schools average multiple LSAT scores, it's best to prepare as thoroughly as possible and only take the test once. Check out our guide to LSAT scores. The original test took a full day to complete and contained 10 sections. The Background Factors Committee was formed by the council to address the underrepresentation of disadvantaged and diverse students.

The council funded workshops, published booklets and brochures, and sponsored recruitment fairs in addition to other efforts to broaden access to legal education. The need to work with historically black colleges was identified during this period. The council has 22 member law schools.

Within the next ten years, that number grows to A campaign is launched to desegregate LSAT test centers.