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Related Discussions
Why I am now a fan of the Digital LSAT
shahla.s-1
Alum Member
Let me be honest, hearing the word digital next to the word LSAT is daunting. So I took on the brave journey, drove 4 hours and took the 5 hours Digital test and here is my honest review.
*** I am not receiving benefits from any source or entity.***
I am also not sure what people meant when talking about NDA. I read everything and the only thing that was mentioned was not to share the content of the test, which I haven't in this post. But ADMIN if you see anything that shouldn't be shared, please feel free to fix it
1) Overall experience:
Let me give a bit of a background. I am one of those people who have been postponing the LSAT because taking the actual test is nerve wracking, and it is almost impossible for me to take practice test because I am not discipline enough to sit that long when nobody is watching. That is my biggest struggle, the timing and sitting down for that long. So taking the actual test with LSAC proctors made it so much easier for me. Now that I have done it once I know I can make myself do it again and again (time practice tests) So the experience was definitely worth 100%. I was prepared with my watch, sharper, pencil, easer, and bunch of other stuff you need for taking the paper test, but the Digital experience is so much easier. All you need is an ID and the ticket. That's it, so bye bye to the watch, pencil and all that stuff that you have to worry about. Take all that out of the equation.
2) Pros
Bye Bye to bubbling! YESSSS! The tablet is in landscape mode and at the bottom of each question is 25-28 small circles that get bubbled in automatically as you fill the questions. This definitely saved time since I didn't go back and forth between sheets.
Flagging and Elimination: If you are not sure of the question, you can flag it and go back to it if you have time remaining. On the right side of each answer choice there was an option to eliminate the answer, as well as the option to collapse the answer choice if you don't want to see it again. It will show the first like followed by .... but it takes it out of view.
Timer: There is an automatic timer that is on the right corner, its 35:00 count down. You can collapse it to hide it, but after the 5 minutes warning (which pops up automatically) you don't have an option to collapse. It was really helpful because I knew exactly when to move on without resetting my watch every section.
User Interface: We were given a pen with a stylus at the back, scratch paper and there was a table holder. The stylus response was quick and I didn't have any lagging or issue with using it. I honestly was shocked at how accurate it was, LSAC really put time and effort into designing this because I went in being very skeptical about the whole process.
Other functions: Okay so there was so many functions that you are given option to change and customize before you start the test. So there was an option to invert the colors to black and white, customize the font into small, default and large. You could change the brightness as well as other stuff that I didn't use because it was geared towards accessibility for disabilities. So these functions could be changed ahead of time before you start your test. But you had access to change them anytime during the test as well. There was a highlight function that gave you option of Yellow, Orange, Red and an underline. OHH! And an eraser function, that worked well.
Keyboard: We were given a keyboard for the writing section. Totally loved it. It was smaller than the standard keyboard but I typed and edited that essay like a boss. I know it doesn't count towards your score, but it was still a fun experience. Loved it. Even though I have a decent handwriting, my hands start cramping writing essays. So definitely a plus. And I can see how this section can weigh in more once digitalized because the admission comity will be able to read it since its typed and not hand written.
Setting and seating: I am not sure if it is going to be for all digital tests but the tables and chairs weren't the regular small separate desk things but a long desk attached with movable chairs, which were 100 times more comfortable than the standard desks. I had enough space for arm rests and didn't feel like everything was falling apart. It was so much more simpler, just one tablet that had everything built in. I didn't need gazillion pencil, watch, eraser or sharpener to keep track of.
FONT: hate how in reading section (paper version) the lines are close to each other that underlining and circling starts getting messy. So the font feature in the digital was definitely a plus. There was underling, highlighting and a eraser option. Also it was easier for me to grasp the words and sentence structure because it was clear and large enough to read. Keep in mind that I had my setting to small, and even that size was pretty decent for comprehension.
EQUAL TIME: Everyone's screen froze and started at the same time. Everyone got the exact 35 minutes, and you didn't have to worry about filling the scranton as you got closer to your 5 minutes. That equals to almost 3 minutes additional for each section! I CAN TAKE THAT!
3) Cons
Light reflection: The light from the ceiling was reflecting on the screen. I tried laying the tablet down, raised the brightness but I could still see the white lights shining on the screen. The light fixtures in universities are large and rectangular so it was taking over half my screen. Maybe if I switched my seats or if they turned it off? But I wasn't the only one having the issue, people around me were saying the same thing. It eventually faded away because I guess my eyes adjusted to it? I don't notice it at all once the timer started, I was so focused on taking the test, that it became unnoticeable.
Write or not to write: I have not taken any digital tests in the past, so, I was a bit confused on what I should be writing. For logic based LR questions I like to write stuff down but for some reason I felt moving to another platform (paper) was not coming to me as quickly. If I had prior practice than it would be more natural. The good thing was there it was a stylus pen so all you had to do was rotate the thing and start writing. I did have a difficult time with more difficult LR questions as well as Games, games are just so much easier to do on the paper it self. But again, I could train myself if I knew I was going digital.
DISENGAGEMENT: I didn't feel that connection, that test taking quickness, that feel of killing the test because I wasn't as engaged with the materials. It is psychological so I am sure one can over come it with a bit of practice. I hate the bubbling part of the paper test but love the whole writing all over the paper. So definitely a choice to make over here..
4) Quick breakdown of differences in each section on digital vs. paper?
LR section:
Paper: logic notations right next to the answer choice is key for me in the LR. I feel I can do better on paper, but at the same time if I were to practice on a scratch pad, I am sure I can work it through. It's more of me never having done that in the past.
Digital: It was really nice for them to have added an elimination and collapse feature. It was so much easier/ quicker to come down to 2 right choices and just picking one and moving on. It was FAST. Especially the 10 questions under 10 minutes, Now you might be able to easily knock 13 questions under 10 minutes. If you are someone who tends to read eliminated answer choices, than the whole collapse feature will be a magical experience. lol.
Reading section:
Paper: I hate the reading section on paper cause its so small and seems like there is so much to read! Even though writing and circling is more engaging. I prefer the digital version for the reading section.
Digital: In the digital version of the reading section, there was another feature added: You had 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 numbers that you could drop down through out the passage and use them as notation. So you could think of 1 as main point, 2 as opposing etc. In addition to that there was all the highlight and underline feature. So the standard option was a dual thing where the passage was on the side and question on the right side. You could scroll the passage and do the questions one by one. OR you had an option to read the passage as a whole without any questions on the page, do your highlight and number marking stuff and then move to the passage/question thing. IN ADDITION. Instead of looking for the number lines, they highlighted the words in the passage in blue, corresponding to the question. So if I had a question about a specific word in the passage, it was automatically highlighted in blue, it helped me so much. Because I am already super slow in RC and looking for number lines and all that throws me off a bit. Also cause I am being tested on the content, not on freaking find the corresponding line! So yes, I love the RC in digital so much better. ALSO, I am not not sure if it was just easier material but honestly it was so much easier to read it in the digital format, it didn't seem lengthy or intimidating. I was able to color code opposing points, with different colors. It was very easy to change colors and it honestly changed my whole RC experience. I knew exactly when the topic changed cause of the way I highlighted them using three different highlighters plus underlining. I did spend 8 minutes on the first two passages cause I was playing around with color..lol.
Game section:
Paper: Love it, you all know how it is.
Digital: HATED IT, I don't know what I was doing. I was thrown off completely BUT again, if I practiced digital I could have done better. Again, the whole being engaged with the paper thing. If you are a engaged paper kind of person. DO PAPER. I on the other hand am willing to go digital once I get some practice with it.
5) Recommendations to future test takers when making a choice of digital vs. paper?
So it is honestly a preference thing. I am a 90's kid, so I went through middle school doing everything in paper and pencil, it was only later that I got exposed to assignments on computer. If you are from the generation that grew up doing everything on computer, I say this is for you. With a little practice on digital you can Ace this LSAT with no issue at all. Try out the digital version stuff LSAC is offering online to play around with. It it honestly not that bad at but it can throw you off if you have no idea or any experience with such testing methods.
If you are someone who likes to be engaged with paper and it really helps you come up with the answers by jotting down stuff, then go for paper. If you don't mind bubbling and the watch and pencils and erasers, stick to paper. However, I would recommend trying RC and LR digitally to see how you feel about those sections, if those are your weak areas going digital might be something you want to explore more. I think going digital gives you more time, overall.
Wether or not the LSAT goes completely Digital at some point. I am not worried about our adaptive skills as humans. Time over time have we have adapted to all situations (for GOD's sake, we trained ourself to take the LSAT in the first place). So we are very capable of training ourself to perform equally well if not better. We have amazing resources in our hands, the question is if we are willing to accept the change and take the time to tweak our testing methodologies.
There are so many benefits for the digital LSAT. The cost to take the test might reduce, which may end up being more cost effective. It might be offered more often and the results revealed sooner. This opens doors to a lot more people coming from different background --> resulting in diversity within the field of law.
So, to everyone who is freaking out and worried about it, you will be more than fine, I promise.
Comments
@CinnamonTea @dennisgerrard @Sami @JustDoIt @tanes256 @Mellow_Z @"Alex Divine" @"Dillon A. Wright" @TheMikey @goingfor99th @Sprinkles @asaunders2010 @"Bevs ScooterMinion"
Amazingly insightful review. More detailed than any one I was able to find online.
Thank you so much for this!
@"Alex Divine" Thank you, I was thinking about all of you while doing the test. I was making mental notes to share with all of you! Will edit it and add a bit more of a structure in the morning, still exhausted from the whole travel thing.
It is much appreciated! You're literally the best for this
This is amazing insight into the Digital LSAT. Thank you so much for sharing!
@"shahla.s-1" wow, so much detail! Thank you! I was asking my self questions as I was reading and you answered every one. This is the first post I've read regarding the test but I think you've hit on everything I wanted to know. Good stuff!
@"shahla.s-1" thanks so much for posting! I agree with most of what you said, especially bubbling! I really hope it's more cost effective too. LSAC is gladly taking too much money from people right now.
Great Review!!! Very detailed and thoughtful.
I love the fact that you can highlight the word on a question and it finds where that occurs in the passage. That basically takes care of the notations if I am understanding this correctly. : D
Unfortunately, no (at least in my experience...it may be that we had slightly different interfaces?) If a question referenced a specific word in a reading (i.e. In the above passage, the use of the word "clowns" means....) that word was highlighted in blue in the passage. For me, it made it marginally easier to find than a numbered line. You don't have the option to select a word and have it highlighted everywhere it appears (like a computer search function.)
Thanks for clarifying. Yeah, I don't think I am going to like doing RC on digital. Were you able to see the passage and the questions at the same time? Or did you have to scroll or press go back?
@"shahla.s-1" How big was the tablet?
Anyone know when LSAC will get back to us with results? (I know it doesn't count, just wondering)
Update: the website says 6 weeks
Wow. Thank you SO much for this detailed review and thinking of us. That's so sweet of you. I'm glad your overall experience was good and it helped you begin taking timed PTs
everything happens for a reason! Thank again for taking the time to inform us of your experience!!!
It was a side by side display - the left half of the screen was the passage and the right half was the answer choices.
Thanks!! Could you elaborate a little bit on the bubble thing? You fill on the screen?
Thanks for the detailed review, this is very helpful!
@"Dillon A. Wright"
Below is a list of questions that Dillon sent me before going into the exam.. I'll provide answers to these questions in bold, and provide my feedback at the bottom of the post.
General questions:
1. How big is the screen size? Would you like it to be bigger?
I think the tablet was a Galaxy S3. The height of the screen was roughly the width (8.5") of a standard piece of paper. It seemed sufficiently large to perform reasonably without any hindrances.
2. Is there any eye irritation after looking at the screen for the full duration of the test?
I didn't experience this. One guy in my room complained that the overhead lights were giving him a nasty glare on his screen because he was sat directly under a lighting unit. I could pick out the glares if I really tried hard, but it didn't seem the bother me at all.
3. How responsive is the tablet?
It was incredibly smooth and fluid. I didn't have any software related issues besides at one point my screen got black lines through it for maybe half a second (it returned to normal on its own). The software responded incredibly well. The text selection tool (their ghetto notation ability) sucked. It was hard to select specific lines to highlight, and if you ran two underlines into each other then they would merge as one and you couldn't erase either half, it just erased all of it.
4. Any noticeable lag or delay when moving pages or maneuvering around the test?
See above, but no delay. It flipped pages quickly, scrolled smoothly, answer choices bubbled accurately.
5. Was anything done during the test that was not normally done while writing on paper copies? (Eg. Longer break, questioning, etc)
I haven't sat for the real thing, but the only difference (if I had to guess) was that they built in a tutorial section. It was maybe 15 minutes before the multiple choice sections began, and another 5-10 minute tutorial before the writing section. It walked you through the interface, let you play around on some dummy questions (full access of selecting answers, changing questions, highlighting, etc). The writing part let you test out the keyboard. Besides that the test was strictly timed. 5-10 seconds between multiple choice, 15 minutes between s3 and s4. It was nice that the timer was displayed at all times on the screen as well as gave you a visual 5 minute warning.
Stylus-related questions (if you choose to use it):
1. How big was the stylus?
A fat pen was provided for writing in the scrap booklet, with a stylus on the back end. I'll upload a picture when I get home, but it was slightly larger than I would have preferred.
2. Were there multiple stylus options?
No.
3. Was the stylus comfortable and easy to use?
Slightly large (wide) to hold and write with comfortably for me, but that's because I'm used to Pilot G2's and wooden pencils. It was also somewhat clunky in the sense that you were constantly switching the pens from the writing side to the stylus side, and I caught myself actively thinking about whether I was using the correct side or not. I don't think there's a better option to this though (such as a separate stylus.. because then you swap between writing utensils which takes time). I will say, that you COULD use your finger if you wanted to. Although it had considerably worse accurate when highlighting/underlining etc, but seemed adequate for bubbling answer choices.
4. Did you use the tablet to write out your boards / write things down or the scratch paper? If you used the tablet, was it easy to do? Would you prefer scrap paper to this method?
You can't write with the stylus. It only allowed bound-to text, similar to selecting things in MS Word. I wrote everything in the scratch pad. I would prefer you able to freely be able to draw on the screen similar to using an iPad with a pdf editor or whatever. If LSAC implemented this feature I think I would be sold on the digital version of the test and have no real complaints.
End questions:
1. After having this experience, do you prefer taking the LSAT on paper or on tablet?
I Touched on it above, but as it stands now, paper is better/easier/more convenient. If they include the ability to freely draw on the passages and answer choices then I would be in full support of migrating to a digital version. You save a ton of time by not having to bubble with an answer sheet, it's super convenient to see which questions you "flagged for review" or skipped. It just really sucks to have to copy all of the games and diagramming of LR over to paper."
2. Would you take the LSAT on a tablet again?
For $100, sure. Good practice.
Awesome review! Thanks for sharing! I wonder if we'll have digital vs paper options soon...
If they let you use pencils for LG, I could deal with the LSAT going digital. They need to refine the RC section, though. I want to be able to notate my passage any way I see fit. The highlighting feature is okay, but I want to be able to write in the margins. I notate a lot, on both LR and RC, and it's a genuine problem for me when I'm unable to do so just as I do when I prepare. I think this could disadvantage certain test takers in a real way, but maybe I'm an exception to the rule. The best way to compensate for this disadvantage would be to make a test-taking simulation available to LSAT hopefuls. This raises issues of accessibility, though, which I mentioned in the other thread.
I really do like the built-in timer, the ability to flag questions, and the elimination of bubbling, though.
So when you read the passage, words/lines referred to in the questions ie clowns was already highlighted? It came like that automatically? Or you had to highlight yourself? If it automatically comes highlighted that’s awesome
Do they provide scratch paper for LR?
This is a great review that I want to bump.
AboveTheLaw is reporting that the LSAC is going to implement the digital LSAT.
https://abovethelaw.com/2018/12/the-digital-lsat-is-finally-here/
Thank you for this! When I heard that the LSAT was going digital, I was terrified. I'm a 90's kid, so I am used to taking tests on paper. The LSAT is scary enough as is, now I have to worry about the unknown factor of a digital version and what that might entail.
Can anyone give me advise on taking a practice timed test since the testing format changed? Currently, I print off the PTs and the answer sheet, then take the test like that, writing on the paper as I go. Would it be more beneficial to only use the digital version on 7Sage?
I am just beginning my LSAT/7Sage journey so this might be a dumb question- I know the writing portion/sample isn’t graded, but is it even included on the digital test? If so how does that work? Is it typed, written with the stylus pen, or write with paper and pencil? Thanks for any help
This is the information LSAC has provided about the writing sample so far: "Starting with the June 2019 LSAT administration, the writing section will be separate from the LSAT and administered on a secure online platform. This change will result in greater convenience and flexibility for test takers as the testing date will be shorter, the essay will be typed rather than handwritten, and it can be completed at a time and place of the test takers’ choosing. By registering for the June or July LSAT, candidates will be automatically eligible to complete the writing section as of the date of the LSAT and up to one year thereafter. Candidates are only required to have one essay on file to complete their Law School Reports. Essays completed during previous LSAT administrations will still be valid for use in Law School Reports."
https://www.lsac.org/lsat/taking-lsat/about-digital-lsat
@jennw065 I took my diagnostic by reading from the digital PDF and I plan to continue that method (unless a better suggestion arises) when I finish my CC and begin other PTs. I've been doing the same thing as I've been foolproofing LG.
Thank you for this, great post!
"EQUAL TIME: Everyone's screen froze and started at the same time. Everyone got the exact 35 minutes, and you didn't have to worry about filling the scranton as you got closer to your 5 minutes. That equals to almost 3 minutes additional for each section! "
By this do you mean that there's an automatic fill option if you're unable to complete a section? The digital LSAT makes me nervous because I hate looking at a timer during the last 5 minutes in LR and I usually end up having to fill in the last 5 as the proctor calls time so I'm afraid I'll miss that opportunity.
So do they not let you use scrap paper for the LG section? How am I supposed to diagram? Id prefer the computer test soley because of the time and highlighter function
You will have scrap paper that you can use for the entire test.
This was an amazing review, I really want to take a PT in digital format and see how it feels! thank you for the review!