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Thousands of law school hopefuls faced significant challenges while attempting to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) remotely due to technical problems with the proctoring service. The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) employed this service for the first time this year, causing frustration among the student community.
Around 8,000 students had opted to take the August administration of the LSAT online. However, the exact number of affected students remained unclear at the time. Mark Murray, the public affairs liaison for the LSAC, expressed regret and apologized for the disruptions encountered by test takers over the weekend. He stressed the council’s responsibility to provide an environment conducive to optimal performance for every student.
Furious test-takers expressed their dismay as they faced extended waiting periods for online proctors to become available or endured prolonged hold times while seeking assistance from the LSAC and Prometric, the proctoring company responsible for the administration.
See also: LSAT Test-Takers Favor Remote Format, Reflecting Shifting Preferences
The current administration marked Prometric’s debut in administering the LSAT after the LSAC’s decision to reintroduce in-person testing alongside the remote option, which had been the exclusive choice since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The shift from the previous proctoring company, ProctorU (now Meazure Learning), to Prometric was intended to enable oversight for both in-person and online testing.
Despite months of collaboration with Prometric, including conducting comprehensive tests to ensure system readiness, unexpected staffing and systems issues emerged during the August LSAT administration, according to Murray. The problems emerged early on Friday, escalated as more students began their tests throughout the day, and persisted into Saturday.
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Test takers took to social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit’s r/LSAT thread and communicated via emails to express their frustration with long wait times, technical glitches, and an overall lack of support. Some described scenarios where they were connected to video calls with themselves instead of proctors.
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LSAC and Prometric worked to rectify the issues, but communication delays resulted from their focus on problem-solving. LSAC is implementing measures to address the situation for all August test takers. Students who feel their performance was hindered can file complaints through their personal accounts. Those whose test sessions were impacted will have options including retaking the test on newly added administrations on August 19 or 20, either remotely or in-person, shifting to another test slot in the 2023-24 testing year, or keeping their current score.
The LSAC acknowledges the gravity of the situation and is dedicated to preventing such incidents in the future. Murray assured students that the council is committed to rectifying the situation and emphasized the significance of the LSAT for students’ educational and career aspirations. The continuity of Prometric as the proctoring solution for the LSAC remains uncertain.
In the aftermath of this disruption, affected students are awaiting remedies that address the impact of the technical issues on their test-taking experience. The incident serves as a reminder of the challenges posed by the reliance on technology in educational assessments, highlighting the need for robust systems to ensure fair and reliable evaluations. The LSAC’s response will likely influence the decisions of future test-takers regarding the choice between remote and in-person administrations, as well as the selection of proctoring services.
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