Even now, the statistics of the drop is a little bit misleading as LSAT claims the drop is only by 16.4%. That is what it would be, if measured against the number of LSAT applicants in the 1987-88 year.
It is curious that while the economy, the number of law students, the number of law schools and the legal industry in general has undergone a sea-change in the last quarter of a century, statisticians still count the increase or drop in the number of LSAT applicants against what it was 24 years back.
If compared against recent realities, like the number of applicants in 2009-10, October, which was 60,746, the number of applicants in 2012-13, October, which is 37,780, does not seem to be the meager drop of 16.4 percent projected by statisticians.
The fact is, vis-à-vis 2009-10, October, the number of applicants taking LSAT in 2012-13, October has dropped by a huge 38 percent. Thanks to greater transparency in law schools admissions data and rapid growth of information channels.
While it might not be good news for those in the business of enticing students to invest their money and time in pursuing legal education, it is good news for current and future students, that the economy is correcting itself. Lower numbers of law students would give all components of the market the opportunity to heal themselves, and that means lawyers, law students, and ethical law schools benefiting in the long run.