Law schools are still requiring that candidates take a standardized exam as part of the application process (at least for now). While in the past, law school applicants had only one testing option – the LSAT – for more than five years now, they have had a choice of which standardized test to take. – including the ones at Harvard, Columbia, Yale, and Penn – accept the GRE General Test for consideration. (A few, such as 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 which testing opportunity is right for them. But options also require more research. It is imperative that you decide and that you understand each school’s policy on testing. Does every program you are applying to accept the GRE? (Check the list of schools that accept the GRE at the end of this post.) If not, you’ll have to take the LSAT anyway. With respect to institutions that accept the GRE, you need to understand how they review scores, and if you submit scores for both the GRE and the LSAT, what will they do with that information? Will one test take precedence over the other? For example, if you take both the GRE and the LSAT, a school might require you to submit both sets of scores and could weigh the LSAT more heavily.
Regardless of which test you take, 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, so 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 could then require that you explain it in an addendum. It does not show good judgment to just wing it.
Which test is easier, the LSAT or GRE? The answer to this question differs from person to person, so you need to figure out what the answer is for you. Practice on real practice tests for both exams, and see how you do on each. This is truly the only way to determine which test is “easier” for you. Only take an official exam when you are ready.
Law schools that accept the GRE
| Albany Law School |
|---|
| American University Washington College of Law |
| Belmont University 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 |
| Charleston School of Law |
| Chicago-Kent College of Law |
| Columbia Law School |
| Cornell Law School |
| DePaul University College of Law |
| Drake University 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 |
| Fordham University School of Law |
| George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School |
| George Washington University Law School |
| Georgetown University Law Center |
| Golden Gate University School of Law |
| Harvard Law School |
| Hofstra University – Maurice A. Deane School of Law |
| Indiana University Maurer School of Law |
| Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law |
| Kern County College of Law |
| Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law |
| 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 |
| Northern Illinois University College of Law |
| Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law |
| Pace University Elisabeth Haub School of Law |
| Pennsylvania State University Dickinson Law |
| Pepperdine University Rick J. Caruso School of Law |
| San Joaquin College of Law |
| San Luis Obispo College of Law |
| Santa Clara University School 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 |
| Southwestern Law School |
| St. John's University School of Law |
| Stanford Law School |
| Suffolk University Law School |
| Syracuse University College of Law |
| Temple University Beasley School of Law |
| Texas A&M University School of Law |
| 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, Berkeley, School of Law |
| University of California, Davis, School of Law |
| University of California Law, San Francisco (formerly known as University of California, Hastings College of the Law) |
| University of Chicago Law School |
| University of Dayton School of Law |
| University of Florida Levin College of Law |
| University of Georgia 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 Kansas School of Law |
| University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law |
| University of Massachusetts School of Law – Dartmouth |
| University of Miami School of Law |
| University of Montana Alexander Blewett III School of Law |
| University of Notre Dame Law School |
| University of Oklahoma College of Law |
| University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School |
| University of Richmond School of Law |
| University of San Diego 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 |
| West Virginia University College of Law |
| Western State College of Law |
| Widener University Commonwealth Law School |
| Widener University Delaware Law School |
| Willamette University College of Law |
| Wilmington University School of Law |
| Yale Law School |
| Yeshiva University Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law |
| China |
| Peking University School of Transnational Law |
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, posted on their website. For example, see Harvard Law School’s (2022) report here to get a sense of its GRE medians. This report will also often contain information about the number of accepted students who took the GRE and the number who took the LSAT. In addition, ETS, the GRE testing site, provides a conversion tool to help applicants determine comparable GRE and LSAT scores. However, many admissions committee members will look closely at your GRE percentile score and translate it into the percentile equivalent on the LSAT. You should do the same when attempting to evaluate your competitiveness.
Which exam is better for you and your unique situation?
The short answer is it depends. Do you need help answering this questions or any others about your law school candidacy? Do you need help putting together the various 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 for more information on how we can help you GET ACCEPTED.
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