In terms of organizations embracing Microsoft hardware, it is usually the Surface Pro that entices enterprise. However, the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) has announced a plan to use the recently launched Surface Go.
Surface Go is Microsoft’s tablet, which lacks many of the enterprise-grade power of the Surface Pro. However, LSAT clearly needs something more basic and says it chose the Surface Go over hundreds of other tablets.
Presumably one of the those was Apple’s iPad, which is what the Go is competing against. So, in other words, this is a big partnership for Microsoft and its new slate. LSAT says the iPad was too expensive and iOS could not be modified. On the other side, Google Chromebooks were not high quality.
“You just can’t have a test that is this important and end up with something that isn’t really reliable. If somebody takes the test, and the device fails on them, that’s additional stress coupled with the stress of test day,” says Troy Lowry, LSAC’s senior vice president of technology products and chief information officer. “I get made fun of for it, but I love the kickstand that lets you put it in all different positions.”
Re-Training
Training lawyers will be moving away from pen and paper for test-taking, so LSAT says it will re-train admins to give exams via the Surface Go. Whether this will change the $190 application fee for the LSAT test will be changes was left unconfirmed:
“We evaluate the fees annually, because we’re working to help candidates be able to apply and not be pushed out due to raised fees,” says Kellye Testy, the president and CEO of LSAC. “The cost is still in flux because we’re reevaluating the number of students applying to law school every year.”
Last Updated on April 9, 2020 11:02 am CEST by Markus Kasanmascheff
