Discrepant LSAT Subscores. LSAC Research Report Series.

This study investigated the overall prevalence of discrepant Law School Admission Test (LSAT) subscores, their differential incidence for subgroups of examinees, and the psychometric properties of alternative measures of discrepant performance. The sample consisted of 39,350 examinees who took the LSAT in December 1991. Subscore differences, often very substantial, were frequent. Statistically significant differences affected about a third of examinees, and significant and rare differences involved a tenth of test takers. The incidence of these discrepancies did not vary with the examinees sex, ethnicity, familiarity with the LSAT, or the number or selectivity of the law schools to which examinees were applying. The prevalence was greater for examinees who had high total scores on the LSAT or were older, primarily reflecting these test takers deviantly poor performance on the Analytical Reasoning subtest. Reliability was appreciable for two of the three measures or observed differences, but minimal for the more important measures of significant or significant and rare differences. Subscore discrepancies appear to have no viable role to play in interpreting examinees LSAT performance. (Contains 3 figures, 10 tables, and 29 references.) (SLD)