Why Philosophy Students Outperform On Standardized Tests
June 5, 2024 | Author: Ethan Yao
Studying Philosophy is useful. Its ethical concepts regarding what actions are seen as morally good can be directly applied to how you live your life. Philosophy’s practicality, however, extends far beyond this application of abstract ideas or values. Studying philosophy has shown to be particularly effective when considering performance on notable academic evaluations. Specifically, philosophy students are top performers on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) and the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE).
The Law Schools Admissions Test (LSAT)
If you wish to apply for law school in North America, it is likely that you must take the LSAT. The test plays an integral role in the law school application process, and one’s score weighs heavily on their chances of getting into the school of their choice. The average LSAT score of philosophy majors was the highest of any major in the 2014-2015 examination year (Daily Nous 2024). This can be seen here:
Prior data also shows that philosophy majors ranked first in LSAT score among majors with a large number of tested students in the years 1991-1992, 1994-1905, and 2003-2004 (American Philosophical Association 2019).
The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE)
Success in the Graduate Record Examination plays a key part in one’s entrance to graduate school in North America. In the exam, there are three parts: Verbal Reasoning, Analytic Writing, and Quantitative Reasoning. Out of all the examinees, students who intended to major in philosophy scored on average the highest out of every other major in Verbal Reasoning and Analytic Writing. In Verbal Reasoning, intended philosophy majors scored around 6.3% higher than the section average. The next highest major scored less than 5% higher than the section average. In Analytic Writing, intended philosophy majors scored around 24% higher than the section average. The next highest major scored around 16% higher than the section average (American Philosophical Association 2014).
Why Philosophy?
From the discussed data, it is clear that studying philosophy is linked to success in the LSAT and the GRE. But why is this the case? What did the subject of philosophy in particular have to offer for these accomplished test-takers? The answer is clear. Studying philosophy improves a skill that is vital for success in both the LSAT and the GRE. This skill is critical thinking. In all three sections of the LSAT (logical reasoning, analytical reasoning, and reading comprehension), critical thinking plays an integral role. Strong critical thinking leads to success in the test, while poor critical thinking leads to struggle. The same can be said for the Verbal Reasoning and Analytic Writing sections in the GRE. On average, the critical thinking skill of philosophy students is simply more sharpened than that of others, which is reflected in the results discussed above.
Philosophy and Critical Thinking
The critical thinking skill of philosophy students is enhanced and improved upon in many different ways. For example, philosophy students are taught to logically deconstruct and criticize complex arguments. In doing so, students learn to identify the author’s premises and the author’s conclusion. They then think of ways to either reject one of the author’s premises, or argue that the conclusion does not follow from the accepted premises. This meticulous process undoubtedly strengthens the skill of critical thinking.
References
American Philosophical Association. “Philosophy Student Performance on the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE).” American Philosophical Association, 2014, cdn.ymaws.com/www.apaonline.org/resource/resmgr/Data_on_Profession/2014_Philosophy_Performance_.pdf.
American Philosophical Association. “Philosophy Student Performance on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT).” American Philosophical Association, 2019, cdn.ymaws.com/www.apaonline.org/resource/resmgr/Data_on_Profession/Philosophy_performance_on_LS.pdf.
Whitehouse, Glenn, and Kathleen Wallace. “Value of Philosophy – Charts and Graphs - Daily Nous.” Daily Nous - News for & about the Philosophy Profession, 7 Oct. 2023, dailynous.com/value-of-philosophy/charts-and-graphs/.
