LSAC RESEARCH REPORT SERIES

� Computer Use and Preferences AmongLSAT Takers

Ann GallagherAndrea E. ThorntonDeborah A. SutoChristopher W. T. Chiu

� Law School Admission CouncilComputerized Testing Report 05-01March 2005

A Publication of the Law School Admission Council

The Law School Admission Council is a nonprofit corporation that provides services to the legal educationcommunity. Its members are more than 200 law schools in the United States and Canada.

© 2005 by Law School Admission Council, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced or transmitted in any part or by any means,electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrievalsystem, without permission of the publisher. For information, write: Communications, Law SchoolAdmission Council, 662 Penn Street, Box 40, Newtown, PA 18940-0040.

LSAT® and LSAC are registered marks of the Law School Admission Council, Inc.

This study is published and distributed by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). The opinions andconclusions contained in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position orpolicy of the Law School Admission Council.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Comfort Using a Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Access to Computers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Internet Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Features of the Testing Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Summary and Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

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Executive Summary

Since 1996, the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) has collected data on test taker computer usagein an effort to understand how a move to computer-based testing might affect Law School Admission Test(LSAT) takers. The first reporting of results from these data was based on two questions placed on answersheets during the 1995 and 1996 testing years. Results of analyses indicated that 80 percent of respondentsreported being at least somewhat comfortable using a computer and 88 percent reported using a computer atleast once a week. In addition, there were no significant differences in comfort levels across racial/ethnic orgender groups. There were also no significant differences in computer use by groups based on gender.Analyses of groups based on age also showed no significant differences in comfort level or frequency of use.Small significant racial/ethnic differences, however, were found in computer usage, access at home, andhow easily participants felt they could access a computer for test preparation. In all these instances, AfricanAmerican and Hispanic test takers reported lower levels than Caucasian and Asian American groups.

Since this first study, LSAT answer sheets used by test takers have contained questions related tocomputer usage among the voluntary background information that is collected. The goal of this report is touse these data to inform the legal education community regarding (a) students’ comfort level using acomputer, (b) the extent to which potential law school students have access to computers and the Internet,and (c) which aspects of a computerized LSAT candidates would find most desirable.

Results show many response patterns that are in keeping with what would be expected in terms ofhistorical trends. Respondents in all groups increasingly indicate that they feel “very comfortable” using acomputer and that they have access to a computer and the Internet at home. By the 2004–2005 testing year, atleast 70 percent of each group selected these categories. Although the largest difference between populationsubgroups was in home computer access (about 16 percent during the 1997–1998 testing year), the “digitaldivide” between African American and Caucasian LSAT takers is substantially smaller than what is found inthe general population (i.e., US Census data); from its largest point, the difference in LSAT takers shrinks inmore recent years to about 10 percent. As home use and access increases, use and access at school and workdecreases.

In terms of aspects of the testing environment, any variations in responses appear to be primarily bypopulation subgroup rather than by testing year. And, in general, these differences are small and appear tobe stable across the five years of data collection. The three features most frequently selected as desirablewere (in descending order) 1) immediate score reporting, 2) more testing dates, and 3) choice of morning,afternoon, or evening testing session.

These results suggest that the impact of a future decision to administer the LSAT on a computer will beminimal for all subgroups of the LSAT test-taking population that were studied.

Introduction

With the technological advances of the past decade, personal computers and the Internet have become apopular means of enhancing learning, instruction, and educational assessments. In the area of educationalassessment, technology is particularly useful in that assessments can be tailored to an individual test taker’sability and scores can be reported immediately upon completion of the test rather than days or weeks later. Itis, however, important that the use of technology does not interfere with the validity of the assessment. If allusers do not feel equally comfortable or have equal experience with and access to the technology, performanceon the assessment may reflect these disparities rather than differences in the abilities it is intended to assess.

The impact of technological advances goes beyond assessment. Ample examples in legal education havedemonstrated that personal computers and the Internet can benefit student learning, teaching, and the legaleducation system as a whole. For example, Meinhold and Gleiber (2005) established an Internet-basedsurvey to collect information on undergraduate students’ career plans and attitudes toward law school;Gibbons (2002) used a computer program to engage students in active learning in a torts class; and the LawSchool Admission Council (LSAC) provides a variety of online services via the Internet, ranging from testregistration to law school applications. Since technology has become an indispensable part of the legaleducation system, it is important to understand potential law school applicant’s comfort level, access to, andpreferences with regard to computer technology in order to take full advantage of computer technology andthe Internet for the purposes of teaching, learning, and assessment.

Studies of access and use of computers and the Internet have revealed what is frequently referred to as“the digital divide” between groups based on race/ethnicity and/or income and education. Data gatheredby the US Census Bureau indicate that Caucasian, non-Hispanic children are more likely than AfricanAmerican and Hispanic children to have access to a computer and the Internet in their homes and that moreaffluent households and more highly educated adults are also more likely to have access at home(Newburger, 2001). These same data also indicate that Caucasian, non-Hispanic respondents reported the

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highest levels of computer access (whether at home or work) and Asian/Pacific Islanders reported the nexthighest levels, followed by African American respondents, and then Hispanic respondents. On the otherhand, research conducted as part of the Pew Internet and American Life Project the following year (Spooner& Rainie, 2001) indicates that among the Hispanic population as a whole, Internet use is increasingdramatically among the youngest segments of the population (those under 34 years of age).

Surveys of more select populations indicate that patterns of computer and Internet access are somewhatdifferent at higher education or income levels. A recent report on Internet use among college students(Korgen, Odell, & Schumacher, 2001) showed a significant difference by race/ethnicity in time spent on theInternet, with African American students spending the least amount of time and Asian American studentsspending the most. Caucasian and Hispanic students fell between these two groups. A national survey ofincoming freshmen (Cooperative Institutional Research Program, 2005) corroborates these differences basedon race/ethnicity but indicates that differences among the most affluent students are quite small whiledifferences among the least affluent students are greater. Nonetheless, it should be noted here that thedifferences among groups of college students were small in comparison to differences found in the largercensus data. This suggests that differences by race/ethnicity may decrease among more select populations.

With regard to groups based on age and gender, the 2000 census data indicated that the oldest adults(age 55 and up) had the lowest rates of Internet use at home, but that among those younger than 55 therewere no differences. They also reported a small difference by gender, with women reporting less use, but thiswas attributed to the fact that the female population contained a larger proportion of adults over 55. Datafrom several other studies indicate that an earlier gender difference in Internet use found in US populationshas virtually disappeared (van Dijk & Hacker, 2003; NTIA, 2000).

Since 1996, LSAC has collected data on test taker computer usage in an effort to understand how a moveto computer-based testing might affect LSAT takers. The first reporting of results from these data was basedon two questions placed on LSAT answer sheets during the 1995 and 1996 testing years. Results of analysesindicated that 80 percent of respondents reported being at least somewhat comfortable using a computer and88 percent reported using a computer at least once a week. In addition, there were no significant differencesin comfort levels across racial/ethnic or gender groups. There were also no significant differences incomputer use by groups based on gender. Analyses of groups based on age also showed no significantdifferences in comfort level or frequency of use. Small significant racial/ethnic differences, however, werefound in computer usage, access at home, and how easily participants felt they could access a computer fortest preparation. In all these instances, African American and Hispanic test takers reported lower levels thanCaucasian and Asian American groups.

Since this study, LSAT answer sheets used by test takers have contained questions related to computerusage among the voluntary background information that is collected. The goal of this report is to use thesedata to inform the legal education community regarding (a) students’ comfort level using a computer, (b) theextent to which potential law school students have access to computers and the Internet, and (c) whichaspects of a computerized LSAT candidates would find most desirable.

Method

Each LSAT testing year begins with the June administration and ends with the February administration.For example, the 2000–2001 testing year includes the June 2000, October 2000, December 2000, and February2001 administrations. With the exception of the June administrations, each of the administrations consists ofa Saturday testing day and an alternate testing day for Saturday Sabbath observers. June administrations areheld only on Mondays.

Test takers are asked to respond voluntarily on their LSAT answer sheets to various questions abouttheir experiences and preferences with regard to computer and Internet use. The instructions clearly statethat responses are voluntary and will be used for statistical research purposes only.

In addition to questions regarding computer use, test takers were also asked to provide information ontheir racial/ethnic background, gender, and age. Racial/ethnic groups were categorized as follows:

1. American Indian/Alaskan Native2. Asian American/Pacific Islander3. Black/African American4. Canadian Aboriginal5. Caucasian/White6. Chicano/Mexican American7. Hispanic/Latino8. Puerto Rican9. Other

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Analyses focused on five of the above groups (Asian American/Pacific Islander, Black/AfricanAmerican, Caucasian/White, Chicano/Mexican American, and Hispanic/Latino). The categoriesChicano/Mexican American and Hispanic/Latino were combined to increase the sample size. Puerto Ricantest takers were excluded from this group because we were unable to distinguish between those who live onthe island of Puerto Rico and those who live on the mainland. American Indian/Alaskan Native andCanadian Aboriginal test takers were also excluded because the size of these samples is quite small. Thosewho chose not to respond to the optional demographic questions were not included in the analyses.

Four different answer sheet forms have been used since 1996. Each answer sheet contains either one ortwo questions about test preparation or computer use. The four forms are spiraled for each administration.At certain points, some questions have been modified or substituted for other questions. Examples ofquestions that have been used since 1999 can be found in the appendix. Table 1 displays all questions usedfor specific test administrations. As shown in the table, two questions have remained essentially the sameover most of the data collection. Analyses of these two questions can show historic trends in computer usageand in attitudes toward computers.

TABLE 1Answer sheet questions and administration dates

Year

2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996

Month

Question 12 10 6 2 12 10 6 2 12 10 6 2 12 10 6 2 12 10 6 2 12 10 6 2 12 10 6 2 12 10 6 2 12 10

Overall, how comfortable, oruncomfortable, are you using apersonal computer? (Select onlyone response.)

Overall, how comfortable, oruncomfortable, are you using apersonal computer?

Do you currently have regularaccess (at least once a week) toa computer? (Select all thatapply.)

In terms of accessibility, how doyou find the current LSAT testdate schedule of four adminis-trations per year? (Select onlyone response.)

Do you currently have access tothe World Wide Web? (Select allthat apply.)

If the LSAT were computerized,how important to you would itbe to be able to go back andreview and revise answerswithin a set of questions?

How comfortable, or uncomfort-able, would you be writing theLSAT writing sample using acomputer keyboard?

If the LSAT were computerized,how important would it be toyou to be able to highlightwords in the passages associ-ated with LSAT questions?(Select only one response.)

If the LSAT were computerized,which of the following aspectswould you find most desirable?(Mark up to FOUR choices.)

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Results

Comfort Using a Computer

During the 1997–1998 through 2004–2005 testing years, test takers were presented with the followingoptional question on their comfort with computer use:

Overall, how comfortable, or uncomfortable, are you using a personal computer? (Select onlyone response.)

1) Very comfortable2) Somewhat comfortable3) Somewhat uncomfortable4) Very uncomfortable

Figures 1 through 3 display the percentages of each group based on gender, race/ethnicity, and agegroup indicating that they feel “very comfortable” using a computer. In every instance, a larger percentageof test takers selected this response each subsequent testing year. By the 2004–2005 testing year, more than 70percent of each group selected this response.

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FIGURE 1. Percent of test takers “very comfortable” with using a computer, by gender

FIGURE 2. Percent of test takers “very comfortable” with using a computer, by race/ethnicity

Only a small percentage of each group responded to this question with options other than “very comfortable.”All differences within the population subgroups that were examined were less than 10 percentage

points. As was found in the earlier study, gender differences in response to this question were essentiallynonexistent. African American and Caucasian test takers were generally more likely to report feeling “verycomfortable” with computers while Hispanic followed by Asian American test takers were slightly lesslikely to select this response.

Age groups used in the current study are somewhat different than the groupings used in the previousreport. That is, the 22–24 age group was revised down to an age group of 22–23 in order to reflect only recentcollege graduates and the 25–40 age group was split into two groups to separate those who had been out ofcollege for one to five years (24–29 age group) from those who had been out of college longer (30 and over).As Figure 3 shows, in every instance, those in the 24–29 age group were most comfortable with computers,closely followed by all three of the other groups. In no instance was there a difference between groups largerthan five percentage points.

Access to Computers

During the 1997–1998 through 2004–2005 testing years, test takers were presented with the followingoptional question on their computer access:

Do you currently have regular access (at least once a week) to a computer? (Select all that apply.)

1) Yes, I have regular access at home.2) Yes, I have regular access at work or through school.3) Yes, I have regular access at a location not listed above.4) No, I do not have regular access to a computer.

Figures 4 through 6 display percentages of groups indicating they have access to a computer at home.These figures clearly show that home computer access has been steadily rising for all groups; in fact, by the2004–2005 testing year, 70 percent or more respondents in each group reported having computer accessat home.

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FIGURE 3. Percent of test takers “very comfortable” with using a computer, by age group

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FIGURE 4. Computer access at home, by gender

FIGURE 6. Computer access at home, by age group

FIGURE 5. Computer access at home, by race/ethnicity

Again, there is negligible, if any, difference for groups sorted by gender, but differences for racial/ethnicgroups are more pronounced. In the 1997–1998 testing year, there was a 16 percent difference (51 percentversus 67 percent) between the proportion of African American and Caucasian respondents who indicatedthat they had computer access at home. However, in later testing years (i.e., 2002–2003 to 2004–2005), thisdifference had decreased somewhat to 10 percent or less. Hispanic and Asian American respondents hadconsistently responded at levels between those of African Americans and Caucasians. Other responsecategories were selected by fewer than 30 percent of respondents in any group.

In terms of age groups, the youngest respondents (21 and under) were consistently the most likely toselect this response option. The second largest group selecting this option alternated across years betweenrecent college graduates (22–23 age group) or those 30 and over. The age group least likely to have computeraccess at home was the group of respondents between 24 and 29. Nonetheless, by the 2004–2005 testing year,over 75 percent of all age groups reported having computer access at home.

As percentages of test takers reporting computer access at home increases, the percentages of test takersreporting computer access (more than once a week) at work or school decreases. Figures 7 through 9 displaythe percentage of test takers selecting this option for each group.

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FIGURE 8. Computer access at work or school, by race/ethnicity

FIGURE 7. Computer access at work or school, by gender

For groups based on gender, it appears that female respondents are somewhat more likely to reportaccessing computers at work or school than are males. In terms of racial/ethnic groups, Hispanic test takersare the least likely to report computer access at work or through school and African American respondentsare most likely. As was true of computer access at home, the youngest age cohort is most likely in all testingyears to report access to a computer at work or through school. However, by the 2004–2005 testing year, allgroups reported access at work and school at a rate of about 30 percent or less. Again, responses to otheroptions associated with this question were at a rate of less than 30 percent.

Internet Access

During the 1998–1999 through 2004–2005 testing years, test takers were presented with the followingoptional question regarding Internet access:

Do you currently have access to the World Wide Web? (Select all that apply.)

1) Yes, I have access at home.2) Yes, I have access at work or through school.3) Yes, I have access at a location not listed above.4) No, I do not have access to the World Wide Web.

In general, Internet access appears to follow a similar pattern to that of computer access; access at homeincreases steadily over the years while access at work or through school decreases. Figures 10 through 12display percentages of respondents with Internet access at home.

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FIGURE 9. Computer access at work or school, by age group

FIGURE 10. Internet access at home, by gender

For groups based on gender, there was about a 4 percent difference in percentages reporting access athome during the 1998–1999 testing year, with males more frequently reporting access; however, by the2004–2005 testing year, levels by gender were essentially the same. On the other hand, female respondentswere more likely to report computer access at work or school than males in all testing years, despite the factthat overall, there was a gradual decline in access through these locations.

For groups based on race/ethnicity, the largest differences were evident in the first year of datacollection. Approximately 16 percent more Caucasian test takers reported having Internet access at homethan African American respondents during the 1998–1999 testing year. Again, Hispanic and Asian Americantest takers fell between these two groups in all testing years. And again, there was a decrease in recent yearsin the size of the gap between African American and Caucasian groups (in the last three testing years, thegap was about 10 percent). Figures 13 through 15 display the percent in each group reporting Internet accessat work or through school.

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FIGURE 12. Internet access at home, by age group

FIGURE 11. Internet access at home, by race/ethnicity

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FIGURE 13. Internet access at work or through school, by gender

FIGURE 15. Internet access at work or through school, by age group

FIGURE 14. Internet access at work or through school, by race/ethnicity

These patterns mimic the patterns for computer access at work or through school. Overall, percentagesof respondents selecting this option decrease over the years; females are somewhat more likely to reportaccess at work or through school than males, and African American and Caucasian test takers are somewhatmore likely than Asian American and Hispanic test takers to access the Internet at work or through school,as are the youngest group of respondents.

Features of the Testing Environment

During the 1998–1999 testing year only, test takers were asked to rate the current LSAT test dateschedule (see example question below). Figure 16 displays responses for the total group.

In terms of accessibility, how do you find the current LSAT test date schedule of four administrations peryear? (Select only one response.)

1) Quite sufficient2) Somewhat sufficient3) Somewhat restrictive4) Quite restrictive

As the figure displays, most respondents rated the schedule as either somewhat or quite sufficient andabout 22 percent of respondents felt that the scheduling was restrictive in some way. Responses forsubgroups of the test taking population showed very similar patterns.

Several questions were asked about potential aspects of the computerized testing environment. Duringthe 1998–1999 testing year, test takers were given two questions. One question asked them to rate theimportance of being able to go back to review and revise questions (see example question below). Themajority of respondents rated this as “very important.” Figure 17 displays the percentage of the totalpopulation selecting this option. Population subgroups showed relatively small differences. Only a smallproportion of respondents selected other response options.

If the LSAT were computerized, how important to you would it be to be able to go back and review andrevise answers within a set of questions?

1) Very important2) Moderately important3) Mildly important4) Not at all important

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FIGURE 16. 1998–1999 test schedule ratings

FIGURE 17. Ability to review and revise answers within a set

Female respondents were somewhat more likely than male respondents to rate this feature as “veryimportant” (72 percent versus 66 percent), while African American and Hispanic respondents were morelikely than Asian American or Caucasian respondents to select “very important” (73 percent and 71 percentversus 69 percent for both Caucasians and Asian Americans), and there was a gradual progression acrossage cohorts, with the youngest respondents being most likely to, and the oldest respondents being leastlikely to, select “very important.”

The other question used only during 1998–1999 asked how comfortable test takers would be using acomputer keyboard to write an essay.

How comfortable/uncomfortable would you be writing the LSAT writing sample using acomputer keyboard?

1) Very comfortable2) Somewhat comfortable3) Somewhat uncomfortable4) Very uncomfortable

Figure 18 displays responses for the total group of test takers. Seventy-five percent of respondentsindicated they would feel very or somewhat comfortable.

Population subgroups showed small differences. Females were slightly more likely than males (47percent versus 43 percent) to report feeling “very comfortable” using the computer keyboard. Amongracial/ethnic groups, Caucasian respondents were the most likely to feel “very comfortable,” whileHispanic/Chicano and African American respondents were the least likely (47 percent versus 40 percent);again, there was a gradual progression across age cohorts, with the youngest respondents being least likelyand the oldest respondents being most likely to report feeling “very comfortable.” Other response optionswere selected by a very small percentage of each group.

From 1999 to the present, test takers were asked about the importance of being able to highlight text.

If the LSAT were computerized, how important would it be to you to be able to highlight words in thepassages associated with LSAT questions? (Select only one response.)

1) Very important2) Somewhat important3) Somewhat unimportant4) Very unimportant

Across the board, the most popular response category was “very important”; at least one half of everygroup selected this category. There appears to be little variation across testing years, but there is somevariation within population subgroups. Figures 19 through 21 display percentages of each group selecting“very important” in response to this question. In general, even though the majority of each group selected“very important,” males and Caucasian test takers were less likely to do so. Other response options wereselected by only a small percentage of each group of respondents.

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FIGURE 18. Comfort using a computer keyboard to write an essay

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FIGURE 19. Highlighting text “very important,” by gender

FIGURE 21. Highlighting text “very important,” by age group

FIGURE 20. Highlighting text “very important,” by race/ethnicity

Another question used during this six-year period asked test takers to select up to four aspects of acomputerized LSAT that they considered most desirable.

If the LSAT were computerized, which of the following aspects would you find most desirable? (Markup to FOUR choices.)

1) more frequent test dates2) choice among morning, afternoon, or evening test sessions3) fewer people at the test site4) immediate test score reporting5) computerized testing format6) marking answers directly alongside test questions7) question difficulty tailored to test taker’s aptitude8) individual testing cubicles

Of these eight options, three (fewer people at the test site, computerized testing format, and questiondifficulty tailored to test taker’s aptitude) were selected by fewer than 20 percent of respondents across allgroups. Response rates to the other five options are displayed in Figures 22 through 36. In general, therewas little change in response patterns over the testing years.

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FIGURE 23. More frequent test dates, by race/ethnicity

FIGURE 22. More frequent test dates, by gender

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FIGURE 24. More frequent test dates, by age group

FIGURE 26. Choice among morning, afternoon, or evening test sessions, by race/ethnicity

FIGURE 25. Choice among morning, afternoon, or evening test sessions, by gender

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FIGURE 27. Choice among morning, afternoon, or evening test sessions, by age group

FIGURE 29. Immediate test score reporting, by race/ethnicity

FIGURE 28. Immediate test score reporting, by gender

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FIGURE 30. Immediate test score reporting, by age group

FIGURE 32. Answers directly alongside test questions, by race/ethnicity

FIGURE 31. Answers directly alongside test questions, by gender

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FIGURE 33. Answers directly alongside test questions, by age group

FIGURE 35. Individual testing cubicles, by race/ethnicity

FIGURE 34. Individual testing cubicles, by gender

“Immediate score reporting” was the feature that was most likely to be selected by test takers in any group(over 60 percent in every group), followed by “more frequent test dates” (50 percent or greater in everygroup). Females and younger test takers were more likely to select “more frequent test dates” at a slightlygreater rate than were males and older test takers. Younger test takers also selected “choice among morning,afternoon, or evening test session” at a somewhat greater rate than did older test takers, as did Asian Americanrespondents in comparison with other groups. Immediate score reporting appears to be somewhat moreimportant to female test takers, younger test takers, and Caucasian test takers. Females were also somewhatmore likely to select “marking answers directly alongside questions” and “individual testing cubicles.”

Summary and Conclusion

The data presented above show many response patterns that are in keeping with what would beexpected in terms of historical trends. Respondents in all groups increasingly indicate that they feel “verycomfortable” using a computer and that they have access to a computer and the Internet at home. By the2004–2005 testing year, at least 70 percent of each group selected these categories. Although the largestdifference between population subgroups was in home computer access (about 16 percent during the1997–1998 testing year, shrinking to about 10 percent in more recent years), the “digital divide” betweenAfrican American and Caucasian LSAT takers is substantially smaller than what is found in the generalpopulation (not a surprising finding, since the population of LSAT takers is very select).

As home use and access increase, use and access at school and work decrease. This suggests that mosttest takers are interpreting this question to mean “Where do you usually access a computer or the Internet?”as opposed to “Do you have access (at all)?” It seems probable that most test takers are using a computerand/or the Internet in one primary location. The fact that most respondents report using computers at homeis not surprising since owning a computer has become a requirement for study at most colleges today.

In terms of aspects of the testing environment, any variations in responses appear to be primarily bypopulation subgroup rather than by testing year. And, in general, these differences are small and appear tobe stable across the five years of data collection. The three features most frequently selected as desirablewere (in descending order) (1) immediate score reporting, (2) more testing dates, and (3) choice of morning,afternoon, or evening testing session.

If the historical trends evident in these data continue in the same direction, it is likely that within thenext five years, virtually all test takers will have computer and Internet access at home. In terms of acomputer-based testing environment, the aspects that respondents felt were important were generallyfeatures for which capability already exists, such as immediate score reporting and the ability to highlighttext. In conclusion then, it seems that if, in the near future, LSAC chooses to administer the LSAT via acomputer, the majority of the testing population would not be adversely affected and additional features thatwould make testing more convenient and comfortable for test takers could be added. As for general testingfeatures such as more testing dates and choice in time of day, these could be provided regardless of whetherthe test is computer based.

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FIGURE 36. Individual testing cubicles, by age group

References

Cooperative Institutional Research Program (2005). The American freshman: National norms for fall 2004. LosAngeles: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA.

Gibbons, H. (2002). Electronic technology provides a new methodology for teaching and testing. Journal ofLegal Education, 52(1), 145–150.

Korgen, K., Odell, P., & Schumacher, P. (2001). Internet use among college students: Are there differences by race/ethnicity? Electronic Journal of Sociology, 5(3). Retrieved from http:// www.sociology.org/content/vol005.003/korgen.html

Meinhold, S. S., & Gleiber, D. W. (2005). Using the Internet to survey college students about their law school plans(LSAC Research Report 01-04). Newtown, PA: Law School Admission Council.

National Telecommunications and Information Administration (2000, October). Falling through the net: Towarddigital inclusion. Retrieved from http://search.ntia.doc.gov/pdf/fttn00.pdf

Newburger, E. C. (2001). Home computers and Internet use in the United States: August 2000 (US Census Bureau,Current Population Reports, Series P23-207). Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.

Spooner, T., & Rainie, L. (2001). Hispanics and the Internet. Washington, DC: Pew Internet and AmericanLife Project.

van Dijk, J., & Hacker, K. (2003). The digital divide as a complex and dynamic phenomenon. InformationSociety, 19(4), 315–327.

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Appendix

Examples of Questions Currently Used on Answer Sheets

Answer Sheet Form B

Answer Sheet Form C

Answer Sheet Form D

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