Summary: Steps continue forward to officially allow the GRE to be accepted as an alternative to the LSAT in law school applications.
Perhaps the LSAT is not the only test that will accepted by law schools in the future. The University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law has accepted and enrolled 12 students that used GRE test scores as an alternate to the traditional Law School Admission Test.
The American Bar Association gave permission for alternatives to the LSAT to be allowed across the country. Arizona is the first school to successfully try out the new option. They pushed for the option, claiming that allowing alternatives will increase the amount and quality in law school applicants in an industry that has been suffering for years.
Four law schools have conducted research of their own into how accurate alternative tests like the GRE will be in the success of students in law school. GRE administrator Educational Testing Service has also reached out to 10 to 15 schools to conduct a nationwide study.
The University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law is one of the four schools that conducted their study. Dean Avi Soifer said, “We’re interested in getting more applicants. A lot of people take the GRE not quite sure about what they want to do. Our hope is it would increase our applicant pool.”
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the ETS David Payne suggests that the LSAT will remain the primary test for some time for students that know what they want to do. He continued, “Over time, I think what’s likely to happen is that more and more students will become familiar with the GRE and they might say, ‘I actually prefer this test.’”
The Law School Admission Council is not excited about the change, even threatening to remove Arizona’s membership. They withdrew their intentions when 149 law school deans objected.
Business schools have already undergone the transition in 2009 from only accepting General Management Admission Test scores to also accepting GRE test scores.
Do you think there is any downside to law schools accepting GRE test scores in place of LSAT scores? Tell us in the comments below.
To learn more about Arizona’s big jump forward to accept the GRE, read these articles:
- Law School Admissions Council May Kick Arizona Law Out for Accepting GRE Scores
- Arizona Law Defends GRE Test Acceptance Policy
- Kaplan Test Prep Finds Out What Law Schools Really Think in GRE vs. LSAT Debate
Photo: wikipedia.org