Discrepant LSAT Subscores - Law School Admission Council Research Report 93-01 - June 1993

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The report examines the prevalence of discrepant LSAT subscores, the incidence of such discrepancies across examinee subgroups, and the psychometric properties of alternate discrepancy measures. Using data from 39,350 LSAT test takers in December 1991, it finds that substantial subscore differences were common, statistically significant differences affected about one-third of examinees, and rare significant discrepancies occurred for about one-tenth. Incidence showed limited variation by sex, ethnicity, LSAT familiarity, or law school characteristics, with higher prevalence linked to high total scores or older examinees, driven largely by weak Analytical Reasoning performance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages26

Reading Time1 h 6 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Scope and data source

Prevalence and incidence of discrepancies

Subgroup comparisons

Reliability of discrepancy measures

Implications for interpreting LSAT performance

AUTHOR TITLE INSTITUTION REPORT NO PUB DATE NOTE PUB TYPE EDRS PRICE DESCRIPTORS IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT DOCUMENT RESUME Stricker,Lawrence J. Discrepant LSAT Subscores.LSAC Research Report Series. Law School Admission Council,Newtown,PA. LSAC-R-93-01 1993-06-00 25p. Numerical/Quantitative Data(110)--Reports -Research(143)EDRS Price MF01/PC02 Plus Postage. Admission(School);*College Entrance Examinations;LawSchools;Law Students;*Minority Groups;*Scores*Discrepancy Measure;*Law School Admission Test This study investigated the overall prevalence of discrepantLaw School Admission Test(LSAT)subscores,their differential incidence forsubgroups of examinees,and the psychometric properties of alternativemeasures of discrepant performance.The sample consisted of 39,350 examineeswho took the LSAT in December 1991.Subscore differences,often verysubstantial,were frequent.Statistically significant differences affectedabout a third of examinees,and significant and rare differences involved atenth of test takers.The incidence of these discrepancies did not vary withthe examinees'sex,ethnicity,familiarity with the LSAT,or the number orselectivity of the law schools to which examinees were applying.The prevalence was greater for examinees who had high total scores on the LSAT orwere older,primarily reflecting these test takers’deviantly poor performance on the Analytical Reasoning subtest.Reliability was appreciablefor two of the three measures or observed differences,but minimal for themore important measures of significant or significant and rare differences.Subscore discrepancies appear to have no viable role to play in interpretingexaminee's LSAT performance.(Contains 3 figures,10 tables,and 29references.)(SLD) | Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
from the original document. | | --- | L S A C RE S E A R CH R E P0 R.T S E R IE S ED 468 757 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE ANDDISSEMINATE THIS MATERLALHASBEEN GRANTED BY J.VASELECK TOTHE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC ■ Discrepant LSAT Subscores Lawrence J.Stricker ■ Law School Admission CouncilResearch Report 93-01June 1993 TM034434 u.S.DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOflice of Educational Research and ImprovementEDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER(ERIC) 0 This document has been reproduced asreceived from the person or organizationoriginating it. □ Minor changes have been made toimprove reproduction quality. ·Points of view or opinions stated in thisdocument do not necessarily representofficial OERI position or policy. The Law School Admission Council is a nonprofit association ofUnited States and Canadian law schools.Law School Admission Servicesadministers the Council's programs and provides services to the legaleducation community. LSATO and the Law Services logo are registered by Law School AdmissionServices,Inc.Law School Forum is a service mark of Law School AdmissionServices,Inc.The Official LSAT PrepTest,The Official LSAT PrepKit,andThe Official LSAT TriplePrep are trademarks of Law School AdmissionServices,Inc. Copyright ◎1993 by Law School Admission Services,Inc. All rights reserved.This book may not be reproduced or transmitted,inwhole or in part,by any means,electronic or mechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,or by any information storage and retrievalsystem,without permission of the publisher.For information,write:Publications,Law School Admission Services,Box 40,661 Penn Street,Newtown,PA 18940. This study is published and distributed by the Law School AdmissionCouncil(ISAC)and Law School Admission Services(LSAS).The opinionsand conclusions contained in this report are those of the author and do notnecessarily reflect the position or policy of LSAC/LSAS. Abstract This study investigated the overallprevalence of discrepant LSAT subscores,their differential incidence forsubgroups of examinees,and the psychometric properties of altermnative measures of discrep

FAQs

What does the study analyze regarding LSAT subscores?

It investigates how often LSAT subscores show discrepancies, how these differ across examinee subgroups, and the measurement quality (psychometric properties) of alternative discrepancy measures.

How large was the study sample and which LSAT administration was used?

The sample included 39,350 examinees who took the LSAT in December 1991.

Which subgroup factors did not significantly change discrepancy incidence?

Incidence did not vary meaningfully with examinees’ sex, ethnicity, familiarity with the LSAT, or the number/selectivity of law schools they were applying to.

Sep 2, 2026

Upload by Finn