"One sees that grades are not that strong anindex, because, one, there is more variability ingrades than there are in test scores, and two,more compelling, is that the grading scale is atbest, from 1 to 5. This varies from field tofield, so, basically, the [LSAT] can distinguishmore subtle differences than a 5-point scale can."

Officials from the Law School AdmissionsCouncil (LSAC), which is responsible for writingthe LSAT, also say Testing for the Public's studyis somewhat misleading, but concede it does revealsignificant ethnic gaps within the testingpopulation.

LSAC Associate Council Jim Vaseleck said "thefaulty assumption in the study's analysis is thatstudents with the same GPA from the same schoolshould have the same test scores."

The LSAT is a test of skills which may or notbe attained through mastery of college coursework,he said.

The LSAC could not offer any reasons for whyethnic minorities score lower than their whiteclassmates.

"What we do know is that the test performs itsprediction function equally for different ethnicgroups."

Thernstrom also agreed that LSAT scores were agood predictor of law school performance.

"43 percent of black students [who took theLSAT] either failed to complete law school orgraduated but were unable to pass the bar examwithin three years," said Thernstrom, who recentlycontributed a related article to ConstitutionalCommentary.

"All of the law schools are perfectly free todiscard the LSAT if they think it isdiscriminatory. But none of them have," he said.

Students were not generally surprised byTesting for the Public's findings, but felt thedifferences in scores reflect economic, notethnic, gaps.

Mark E. McIntosh '99, a black student who tookthe LSAT on Saturday, did not see the test asculturally biased, but offered possible reasonsfor the discrepancies.

Some students may have to work to pay for theireducation and not have the time or money for testpreparation services, McIntosh said.

"It is a test of preparation. It would help tocontrol this study on the basis of money, and notjust grades," he said.

Shannon K. Manigault '99 echoed thesestatements.

"I have not seen studies of the LSAT, but whenlooking at the SAT, scores have a correlation withincome," she said.

"My guess would be that black students [atthese schools] would have lower family incomesthan white students, which would affect themtaking courses a Princeton Review, Kaplan, etc.