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95 N.Y.U. L. Rev. 1860 (2020)
Beyond "Valid and Reliable": The LSAT, ABA Standard 503, and the Future of Law School Admissions

handle is hein.journals/nylr95 and id is 1859 raw text is: NOTES BEYOND VALID AND RELIABLE: THE LSAT, ABA STANDARD 503, AND THE FUTURE OF LAW SCHOOL ADMISSIONS EREMIPAGAMO M. AMABEBE* For nearly a century, the American Bar Association (ABA) has overseen the stan- dards governing accredited law schools, which in turn constitute the primary pathway to the practice of law in the United States. ABA Standard 503 requires that all such schools use a valid and reliable examination to assess candidates for admission. Currently, the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is the only exami- nation that the ABA has officially recognized as satisfying the standard. However, the LSAT now approaching its eightieth year has strayed far from the purposes it was originally designed to serve. Once a simple tool to aid in the assessment of diverse applicants, it has in recent decades become a significant barrier to entry with disparate negative impacts on women, racial minorities, individuals of low socio- economic status, and, perhaps most egregiously, those with disabilities. This Note argues that Standard 503 should be rescinded. Such a step is necessary both to stimulate innovation in law school admissions and to fulfill the ABA's mandate of promoting diversity in the legal profession and serving the larger public good. INTRODUCTION ................................................. 1861 I. THE LSAT IN ITS HISTORICAL CONTEXT ............... .1864 A. The Pre-LSAT World ............................... 1864 B. The Creation of the LSAT .......................... 1867 C. The Post-LSAT World .............................. 1869 D. The LSAT and ABA Standard 503 ................. 1875 II. LITIGATION CHALLENGES TO THE LSAT UNDER THE ADA ................................................... 1876 A. The LSAT, Speededness, and the Practice of Flagging .......................................... 1877 * Copyright © 2020 by Eremipagamo M. Amabebe. J.D., 2020, New York University School of Law; B.A., 2006, Columbia University. I would like to thank Professor Kwame Anthony Appiah for his support and guidance throughout the writing process and for his seminar, The Life of Honor, which provided the original inspiration for this Note. I would also like to thank my husband, Jan, my mother, Anna, my sisters and brother, family, and friends for their encouragement and support during the past three years and beyond. My heartfelt gratitude also goes to my colleagues on the New York University Law Review, from whom I have learned so much. In particular, I'd like to thank Jessica Li, Anna Applebaum, Samantha Morris, and the many other editors who helped this piece to publi- cation. Finally, I thank my father for his unflinching belief in me, for his magic, and for providing me with a model of how to live wellt. 1860 Imaged with Permission of N.Y.U. Law Review

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