The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) defines the LSAT as a standard indicator of acquired reading and verbal-reasoning skills that law schools can use as one of several tools for assessing applicants.

The LSAT may do a good job of determining whether future attorneys possess excellent analytical skills. However, what if the way the test is administered affects a student’s score? It may not come as a surprise that environment can influence the performance of LSAT test takers.

A recent survey of LSAT testing centers conducted by Kaplan revealed that the quality of LSAT testing centers is not always the same. In fact, it varies to such an extent that its potential impact on test takers’ performance cannot be ignored.

Kaplan surveyed 10,939 test takers, asking for their opinions of 349 testing locations in the U.S. The quality of the centers was judged on the basis of noise level and comfort, desk size, proctors, and the overall LSAT testing experience.

The results were startling. Almost every “Big 10” school was rated poorly by students.  Schools with fewer enrolled students reportedly provided better
facilities to test takers. All of the highest-ranked schools had fewer than 6,000 enrolled students. And all but one of the lowest-ranked schools were large schools with 11,000 to 18,000 students.

Many of the test takers were extremely disgruntled with their testing experiences.

“Absolutely frigid,” said one student.

“A nightmare,” said another.

A third student grumbled about uncomfortable desks and loose chairs. A fourth described the proctor as an extremely nasty woman.

One more student, describing her testing experience, revealed that the testing center was so noisy that she and other students were advised to wear earplugs. Later, when working on the written portion of the LSAT, test takers had to move to the lobby, which was frequented by several high school students.

Opinions on the importance of one’s test-taking environment vary.

“The test itself makes for a very psychologically intimidating and uncomfortable situation,” said Dane Uhelski, a Cleveland, TN, senior. He does not think the atmosphere of a testing center matters much.

“What makes the LSAT suck is the difficulty of the test and accompanying stress levels, not weird things the proctors do or the test environment,” said Eric Fox of Clinton, TN, who graduated last year.  “Of course, if you go unprepared, it may be a different story.”

Was Kaplan’s survey useful? It may help students select testing sites and feel more confident because they know what to expect, commented Steven Marietti, director of pre-law programs for Kaplan. Being aware of possible distractions at their chosen sites will help students, he added.

However, officials from the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), which administers the test, have disputed the survey’s findings. The LSAC tries to find the best possible accommodations for test sites and hires its own administrators, Wendy Margolis, the LSAC’s director of communications, asserted.