AN EXAMINATION OF SEX-DIFFERENCES IN LSAT SCORES FROM THE PERSPECTIVEOF SOCIAL-CONSEQUENCES

In this study, I examine women's lower scores on standardized admissio n tests from the perspective of consequential validity. Two score user s are considered: the admission committee and the test takers. Data fr om the Law School. Admission Test and the law school admission process are presented to address questions of whether sex bias or sex-related affirmative action is evidenced in admission decisions and whether lo wer scores influence women's decisions about whether and where to appl y to school. The data fail to provide evidence that female test takers disproportionately remove themselves from the applicant pool and do n ot suggest that a consequence of women's lower scores is application t o less prestigious schools. In fact, women showed greater risk taking in making application decisions. The data also do not find evidence of sex bias in the admission process. Logistic regression models of admi ssion decisions for men fit data from female applicants equally well.