standardized test blues

On Saturday I'm scheduled to sit for the LSAT so that I can complete my application to the American Legal History program at Penn, as well as the ad hoc dual degree program I'm trying to convince Tulane to allow me to pursue.

I've not studied. The test purports to measure my reading comprehension, logical reasoning, and analytical writing skills. Quite honestly I think that I'm in possession of these skills in abundance, and that I'm certainly not lacking in these skills any moreso than the average test taker. It is, after all, a standardized test, meant to rank me in line with the rest of the test takers; to assign my worth a numerical value by which I can be measured against others.

I abhor the standardized test. The ACT, SAT, GRE, the LSAT, and all the others seem to me little more than extortion. Because of the existence of such tests and the importance placed upon them by universities, one cannot get into the academy without spending hundreds of dollars between the test fee itself and the cost of the score reports. Hundreds of dollars, by the way, are not generally easily accessible to aspiring graduate students. (My tactic - while perhaps not wise, it was the most feasible option - was to max out my credit cards on the various test fees, application fees, and score report fees.)

And I'm offended at being whittled down to a percentile. If I score in the ninetieth percentile on the verbal section of the GRE, what does that really prove if my writing sample - also a required component of any grad school application - is not coherent and convincing? It only proves that I either had the time and/or money to take a course or buy a book that famliairzed me with the questions and that I have the ability to manipulate the system to my advantage.

That's not the case, however. I'm in another boat altogether. My test score, I fear, will be mediocre, but I remain hopeful that the other components of my application - writing sample, letters of recommendation, GPA, etc. - will prove my worth and allow me acceptance into one of my chosen schools.

As it is, I was prepared to review the official LSAT Preparation Booklet this evening and at least familiarize myself with the format and the types of questions that will appear on the exam. Unfortunately, it is my neighbor's daughter's first birthday, and I cannot concentrate on the exam prep materials for the merry-making-noise that continues to filter through the thin duplex walls. Alas, I fear my LSAT effort is doomed to mediocrity.