Prospective Law Students: You Might As Well Take the GRE

By William Vogeler, Esq. on August 01, 2018 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

It's almost a no-brainer to take the GRE instead of the LSAT for many people thinking about law school.

That's because more and more law schools now accept GRE scores in lieu of LSAT scores. It's a silver lining in the cloud of fall-out from lower law school enrollments.

Basically, law schools are accepting the GRE to attract more students. It's a tough test, but it's better than the LSAT for a lot of people for a number of reasons.

More Inclusive

The GRE is required for many fields of graduate study, including business management, science, and engineering. The LSAT is exclusively a prerequisite for law school.

But legal education is changing, due largely to the impact of the last recession. Law schools have struggled as law students fled to other disciplines with better job prospects.

Now Harvard, Georgetown, and Columbia are among nearly two dozen law schools that have opened the door to GRE takers. That gives everybody -- especially students on the career fence -- more choices.

If you haven't quite made up your mind about becoming a lawyer, you can always take your GRE talents to another field. If you are straddling between technology and the law, for example, the GRE may be perfect for you.

Better Value

The GRE is a little less expensive than the LSAT, but is a better value primarily because you get more options in return.

However, the tests are different. GRE tests on analytical writing, math, and verbal proficiencies. The LSAT is more about reasoning than subject matter knowledge.

A footnote: the GRE is administered throughout the year, and the LSAT is given once a quarter. So if you have been planning to take the LSAT, there's plenty of time to reconsider.

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