Law schools are still requiring a standardized exam to complete the application process. In the past, applicants only had one testing option: the dreaded LSAT. Today, law school applicants have a choice. Currently, over 80 law schools – including Harvard, Columbia, and Penn – are accepting the GRE General Test for consideration. (A few, like UVA, even accept the GMAT, but we’ll leave that topic for another time.)
What are the implications for applicants?
Options are great. An applicant can choose the best testing opportunity for themselves. Options also require more research. It is imperative that you decide which test will best showcase your abilities. It is also imperative to understand each school’s policy on testing. For those institutions accepting the GRE, you must understand how they review scores, and if you submit both tests, the GRE and the LSAT, what will they do with that information? Will one test take precedence over the other?
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For example, while Boston University School of Law accepts both the LSAT and GRE, the website instructions state that “while the holistic review of your file will include all information submitted, the highest LSAT score will be the standardized test used in review of your candidacy.” In this case, the LSAT will trump the GRE. If you are applying to any schools outside of the 80+ currently accepting the GRE, then you must take the LSAT and the GRE may not help at all. A lot to consider.
Regardless of the test you are taking, be prepared
Study for the test and take it seriously. For better or worse, a higher standardized test score will increase your chances of acceptance. Thus, it is an important aspect of the application and deserves ample attention. Pick a future test date and make it your part-time job to study for the exam. Take practice tests, gauge your test-taking abilities, and prep as necessary. Do not take an official test “just to see how you will do.” That test score will be on your permanent record and may then take some explaining in an addendum. It does not show good judgment to just wing it.
Which test is easier, the LSAT or GRE? Practice on real practice tests and take an official exam when you are ready. This is truly the only way to determine which test is “easier” for you – practice both and see which one is a better fit for you.
Law schools that accept the GRE
| Albany Law School |
| American University Washington College of Law |
| Boston College Law School |
| Boston University School of Law |
| Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School |
| Brooklyn Law School |
| California Western School of Law |
| Case Western Reserve University School of Law |
| Chicago-Kent College of Law |
| Cleveland-Marshall College of Law |
| Columbia Law School |
| Cornell Law School |
| Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law |
| Duke University School of Law |
| Faulkner Law School |
| Florida International University College of Law |
| Florida State University College of Law |
| George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School |
| George Washington University Law School |
| Georgetown University Law Center |
| Harvard Law School |
| Hofstra University – Maurice A. Deane School of Law |
| Indiana University Maurer School of Law |
| Kern County College of Law |
| LMU Loyola Law School, Los Angeles |
| Loyola University New Orleans College of Law |
| Massachusetts School of Law at Andover |
| Mercer University School of Law |
| Monterey College of Law |
| New England Law | Boston |
| New York University School of Law |
| Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law |
| Pace University Elisabeth Haub School of Law |
| Pennsylvania State University Dickinson Law |
| Pennsylvania State University — Penn State Law |
| Pepperdine University Rick J. Caruso School of Law |
| San Luis Obispo College of Law |
| Seattle University School of Law |
| Seton Hall University School of Law |
| South Texas College of Law Houston |
| Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law |
| St. John's University School of Law |
| Stanford Law School |
| Suffolk University Law School |
| Syracuse University College of Law |
| Texas A&M University School of Law |
| Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center |
| University of Akron School of Law |
| University of Alabama School of Law |
| University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law |
| University of Baltimore Law School |
| University at Buffalo School of Law |
| University of California, Davis School of Law |
| University of California, Hastings College of the Law |
| University of California, Irvine School of Law |
| University of California, Los Angeles School of Law |
| University of Chicago Law School |
| University of Dayton School of Law |
| University of Hawai’i at Manoa William S. Richardson School of Law |
| University of Houston Law Center |
| University of Illinois Chicago School of Law |
| University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law |
| University of Massachusetts School of Law – Dartmouth |
| University of Montana Alexander Blewett III School of Law |
| University of New Hampshire School of Law |
| University of Notre Dame Law School |
| University of Oklahoma College of Law |
| University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School |
| University of San Diego School of Law |
| University of Southern California Gould School of Law |
| University of South Carolina School of Law |
| University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law |
| University of Texas at Austin School of Law |
| University of Toledo College of Law |
| University of Virginia School of Law |
| Wake Forest University School of Law |
| Washburn University School of Law |
| Washington and Lee University School of Law |
| Washington University School of Law |
| Western State College of Law |
| Willamette University College of Law |
| Yale Law School |
| Yeshiva University Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law |
| Peking University School of Transnational Law, China |
This information is taken from the ETS website. Disclaimer: Information can change, please check each school’s websites to verify.
Do your research
How do you know what a competitive GRE score is? Some institutions list their GRE test scores on their Standard 509 Information Report which is posted on school’s websites. For example, see Harvard’s report here to get a sense of their GRE medians. Also, ETS, the GRE testing site, provides a conversion tool to help determine comparable GRE and LSAT scores. However many admissions committee readers will look closely at your percentile score and translate it into the percentile equivalent on the LSAT. You should do the same when attempting to evaluate your competitiveness.
A word from the UVA Law Assistant Dean for Admissions
In a recent episode of the Admissions Straight Talk podcast, Natalie Blazer, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Chief Admissions Officer, U. of Virginia School of Law has this to say about the GRE vs LSAT decision:
“I would counsel prospective applicants to look at what our median LSAT is. Look at what percentile that is and aim for roughly those same percentiles on the GRE or the GMAT. It doesn’t need to be completely comparable, but that’s just to have a ballpark in your mind.”
Click here for the rest of our informative interview with Dean Blazer >>
Which exam is best for you and your unique situation?
As stated above, it depends. Do you need help answering this or any other question about your law school candidacy? Do you need help putting together the other elements of your law school application? Wherever you are in the law school admissions process and whatever you need – our advisors are here to help! Explore our Law School Admissions Consulting & Editing Services for more information on how we can help you GET ACCEPTED.
Christine Carr is a Harvard graduate with over 15 years of admissions experience, including nine years as Associate Director of Admissions at Boston University School of Law. She has read over 10,000 personal statements and counseled thousands of prospective applicants through the application process. Want Christine to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!
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