Earlier today, LSAC published this statement regarding cheating on the LSAT and the temporary suspension of the LSAT in mainland China.
Both of us spoke to LSAC before the announcement when we were made aware of cheating allegations, and have now after today’s announcement. Certainly we both pressed LSAC to address this specific issue beyond their regular cheating investigation processes, which they now have. An LSAC spokesperson noted that, while this is more prevalent in China, they are “absolutely aware” this is going on elsewhere. Some form of this cheating has likely been going on for several years, but the scope is completely unknown, and it could very well be small. That said, it has built up enough over time to the point that LSAC decided they needed to announce publicly and retain counsel. Clearly they are now vigorously investigating, and while we do not know the scope and scale and hope it is small, LSAC rarely makes public statements about specific LSAT cheating incidents. More than anything, we hope LSAC can ensure the integrity of the test going forward and determine scale and ideally identify the cheaters.
Mike notes, based on having been an admissions officer and running a firm of former admissions officers, if I were presently leading a law school admissions office that was about to enter a cycle and render thousands of admissions decisions, I would likely be asking myself two questions: First, as issues of cheating have apparently been compounding over time, has that compromised the validity of the LSAT? Second, more importantly, what is the integrity of this critical data point I am looking at in making admissions decisions moving forward? How do I know there is integrity in this score? Admissions offices will undoubtedly be asking LSAC this.
Dave notes that while the decision to suspend the LSAT in China could not have been an easy decision to make due to the significant impacts on the many LSAT-takers in China who have engaged in no misconduct, it is our belief that this was a move that LSAC had to make. The situation with these cheating services has escalated to the point that the exam was compromised. To not have taken action would have severely undermined the integrity of the LSAT.
The challenge for LSAC going forward is to closely monitor the October LSAT, to quickly form a secure in-person testing system for Chinese test-takers, and to improve their cheating detection systems going forward. Given some of the sophistication we’ve seen firsthand from the cheating services, that will be a daunting task. Mainland China testing will likely be only in-person when it returns.