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Friday, 2/9/2001
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Friday, 2/9/2001
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 Classes help review for law examBy Sarah Szczepanski Bobby Grimm dropped one of his classes this semester in order to prepare for the Law School Admissions Test he is taking this summer. Although Grimm, a junior in the School of Management, is taking the test this summer, he said it was worth his while to take time this semester to study for the test. Because the admissions test, which is also offered this Saturday, is a major factor of acceptance into law school, Grimm is taking a formal course to help him prepare. He said he made the decision after speaking to people who already took the test. "People I’ve talked to say it is definitely worth it to take a class," Grimm said. "As important as it could be for the long term, I want to make sure I am as prepared as I can be." Formal courses, such as the Kaplan or the Princeton Review, are designed to help a prospective test taker prepare for the exam through structured, organized and established methods of study, according to Nina Haberer, an academic counselor who attended the University of Illinois Law School. This can help students who might have problems motivating themselves to study, in addition to the comfort of corroborating with people in the same situation, she said. But one of the downsides of the formal classes is that they are expensive, usually costing around $1,000, said Haberer. William McLauchlan, a professor of political science and a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, agreed the price is a large disadvantage of the classes. "Unless you want to pay money for the psychological security of feeling better to take the exam, don’t take it," said McLauchlan. McLauchlan said it can be misleading when people claim the course helped them receive a better score because these people didn’t have any previous experience to base their judgment on. "You don’t know what your score would be without the class," he said. The best preparation for the admissions test is for test takers to acquaint themselves with the kind of format of the exam, McLauchlan said. Regardless of whether it is through a formal class or individual study, Haberer agreed that keeping track of time while taking practice exams helps to calm a person down when they take the real thing. "I recommend interspersing practice exams under simulated circumstances," she said. The four sections on the exam — reading comprehension, logic, critical thinking and a writing sample — are supposed to predict how well applicants will do in their first year of law school. Although the writing sample is the closest preview to law school, it is the least important on the exam, Haberer said. Unlike the content-based Bar exam taken after law school to gain a license, the admissions test is based on skills. This exam should also not be confused with the Student Appitude Test, otherwise known as the SAT, that many people take before they enter college. According to Haberer, the only thing the SAT and the Law School Admissions Test have in common is they are both standardized tests. "You can’t draw a comparison," she said. The sections of the exam are weighted differently. The lowest score is 120 and the highest score is 180. The admissions committee combines the applicant’s total test score and a converted grade point average from his or her academic transcript to come up with a number that the applicants are rated on. This is one of the reasons doing well on the entrance exam is important; the higher the ranking, the more likelihood an applicant has of being accepted, said Haberer. If a person does not do as well as they hoped on the test the first time, taking the exam again will not necessarily raise a person's chances of acceptance. Haberer said that normally the two scores will be averaged together. "For every point you want to gain, you actually need to gain two points," she said. "The admissions downplay the second score because they expect you to do better." She said one thing that helps an applicant is turning in his or her application early. Most law schools use rolling admissions. They will accept applications between two different dates, and when they start receiving them they will start reviewing and accepting applicants, Haberer said. It is in a person's best interest to get his or her application in as soon as possible because, as the deadline approaches, the selection committee has fewer spots to give out, said Haberer. "You maximize your chances if you apply early," she said.
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Students to participate in engineering contest Classes help review for law exam Purdue professor to appear at book-signing fundraiser Musician releases crossover album Campus House presents lively production Students vie for concerto spot Illustrator to speak at Purdue BCC to host annual valentine event tonight Album lacks depth, entertainment value Jazz band travels to University Inn for Evening of Romance Saturday
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 Purdue Exponent 2001 | ||||||
