GRE, LSAT: Seniors Hit the Books

Many UNC students are busy preparing for the exams that might determine whether they will have a future in graduate school -- in addition to handling a normal course load.

"I studied for 10 to 12 hours a day for a three-week period during the summer," said senior James Haltom, who plans on taking the Law School Admissions Test on Oct. 5. "I dropped a summer course I was taking, and when the time came (to take an earlier test) I still didn't feel ready."

Haltom said that after dropping the summer course, he now has a full load of courses and has cut back on other activities.

The LSAT and another graduate school test, the Graduate Record Examination, are consuming hours of many students' time this fall.

The LSAT is taken by those students wishing to go to law school. It consists of a multiple choice section of 101 questions and one essay section. Test takers are given a percent ranking comparing them with the last three years of applicants.

The GRE is a multiple choice admissions test for students applying to graduate programs. It consists of verbal, quantitative and analytical abilities sections. Students are charged about $100 for each of the tests.

But the fees don't stop there. Most students opt to take a Kaplan or Princeton Review preparatory course, both of which cost well over $1,000.

"I didn't want to pay for the course, but it is worth it even if it only raises my score a few points," Haltom said. "That's what it takes to get into a better law school."

Mimi Keever, director of the UNC Learning Center, teaches an LSAT prep course on campus that students may enroll in as a regular class. She said she is sympathetic toward students' concerns about the test.

"Students pay for courses to give them the hope that they will perform well on the LSAT," Keever said. "Many do benefit from this expensive preparation; some do not."

Nisha Chandak, a senior health policy and administration major, said the prep course helps.

"The prep course definitely helps me manage the test more efficiently," said Chandak, who is also busy writing her honors thesis and is immersed in upper-level major courses.

But she said the LSAT remains her top priority. "I dream LSAT," she said.

Winston Crisp, associate dean for student services at the UNC School of Law, said he believes the LSAT provides highly relevant information to law school admissions personnel. "The LSAT provides very useful insight into a student's thinking and argument analysis skills," he said.

But Keever said she believes the test is somewhat overrated. "The test is vaguely connected to the stuff you do in law school, but its value to admissions officers rests in its nature as a convenient tool for sifting through applications."

Senior Kathleen Wirth said she had a unique experience with another graduate test, the GRE.

Wirth, a senior economics major, said she found out about the Marshal Scholarship on a Monday and decided she wanted to apply, but the scholarship required scores from the GRE.

Wirth registered for the test that Friday, checked out a prep book from Davis Library, did every question and took the test the following Friday. "I was definitely stressed," she said. "But everything worked out in the end."

Although some might defend the tests as a relevant academic assessment, Keever said the problems outweigh the benefits."The (LSAT) worries (students), frightens them and makes them exceedingly anxious," she said.

"On average, it is a good representation of a student's abilities, but one standardized test cannot accurately assess the individual."

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