cotiger wrote:ScottRiqui wrote:cotiger wrote:Ultimately, I don't know what purpose is being served by this accommodation stuff.
If someone has trouble processing LG, isn't that what the test is testing for? Does it really matter if the cause has been officially diagnosed in the DSM? Both people have difficulty organizing information logically. Why should one get extra time to think it through?
I know I know ADA whatever, but does anyone agree with this on a policy level?
I'm still undecided, and that's why I appreciate papercut's and Graeme's posts. Part of the reason I'm not ready to ditch accommodations altogether is that I think the "time crunch" aspect of the LSAT is an artificiality that's not really necessary for testing what the LSAT purports to test.
If a person reads/processes a little slower and is given a little extra time as a result, I don't necessarily think that makes the LSAT worthless for measuring their reading comprehension, reasoning, or logical abilities. Now of course, if LSAT starts handing out "double time" waivers like they're candy, that's going to screw things up. But I'm not ready to jump straight to "fuck 'em all - no accommodations for anyone".
My point is that there are plenty of people who read or process slowly. Why should those who can identify a cause of their slowness in the DSM (and have the money/knowledge to get it officially diagnosed) be afforded extra time, while other slow processors not get extra time?
People who make comments to the effect of, “It doesn’t matter why you read slowly if you read slowly,” totally miss the point of the LSAT and law school: to identify and train people with the potential to be successful lawyers.
If you have problems reading because you lack the verbal intelligence and reasoning skills to absorb and process the information you need from the reading, no amount of accommodation or extra time is going to make you read well. If, however, you have the skills to get everything out of the reading that you need to get out of it, giving you extra time can allow you to perform at a high level. Billable hour requirements aside, law firms want the lawyer who’s going to read the contract right and find all the loopholes even if it takes him an extra hour. The lawyer who reads it an hour faster and misses everything is totally useless. Lawyers are OBSESSED with getting every detail right, not with speed.