Grad Exams Extend At-Home, Online Testing Into Fall
As the various players in graduate admissions testing respond to ongoing developments surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, testing platforms and policies have evolved at a dizzying rate.
LSAC recently announced that the August 2020 administration of the test will be offered exclusively as an LSAT-Flex. Test takers who prefer taking the conventional, full-length version of the LSAT at a testing center will have to wait until at least October 3. Currently, that date is still slated as an ordinary Digital LSAT. However, the October test may still go the way of the July and August tests: both were converted to Flex versions about seven weeks before the scheduled date. Given this pattern, it’s reasonable to expect some announcement from LSAC about the October test by mid-August.
In other recent developments, GMAC has announced an extension of the at-home version of the GMAT. The GMAT Online, originally slated to last only until June 15, has been extended through the end of December. While testing centers remain open in many areas, the GMAT Online poses a better option for many test takers. Not only is it far less likely to be cancelled due to public health concerns, but more testing dates are available. As of today, the next available date to take the GMAT anywhere within 100 miles of the Portland metro area is December 1, whereas GMAT Online appointments are available around the clock.
Similarly, the GRE has extended its at-home version, which is now available for scheduling through September 30. GRE is also the grad admissions exam with the widest availability of in-person testing options: it’s currently being offered in most parts of the U.S. in both its at-home and testing-center based forms, so test takers have the option to choose which venue suits them best.
And the LSAC, in a move not obviously related to COVID-19, introduced a new feature beginning with the August test: “a new score preview option for first-time test takers who wish to see their LSAT score before deciding whether or not to keep it as part of their LSAC transcript and report it to law schools.” This option will be available for $45 to those who sign up for it before the test, and for $70 to those who sign up in the days following their test. This move seems to be an accommodation for test takers uneasy about their first attempt at the LSAT being the LSAT-Flex, given the unusual way that different sections are weighted, as well as potential nerves surrounding the remote proctoring system.
The quick pivot to flexible, at-home testing has not come without collateral damage. For instance, dozens who sat for the July LSAT-Flex received unnerving news: the night before scores were to be released, LSAC emailed to explain that their answers had been lost, and that accordingly they would not be receiving scores. As reparations for the loss, LSAC has offered these test takers a full refund, four free law school reports, and the chance to take the test again online as soon as August 3.
