The LSAT has been the law school entrance exam of choice for nearly 70 years. It’s a rite of passage for lawyers, the first step they took in their legal career. But that is changing. Seven law schools — Harvard Law, Columbia, Northwestern, Georgetown, Arizona Law School, Hawaii, and Washington University in St. Louis School of Law — now accept the GRE in lieu of the LSAT as a component of admissions, and even more say they are looking to accept the alternative test.
Widespread acceptance of the GRE seems like an inevitability. Law schools believe they may be able to entice more students with STEM backgrounds, and well, more students in general if they provide this option. The versatility of a good GRE score, and the convenience of the frequently given exam make it appealing for potential law students, especially as more and more schools accept it.
So what is LSAC, the organization that administers the LSAT, to do?
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Well, yesterday they announced the deadline for late registration for the December 2017 LSAT administration has been extended from October 25th to November 7th.
Late registration deadline for December 2017 #LSAT extended through Tues., Nov. 7, 11:59 PM (ET). https://t.co/eMlQBbR5yh
— Law School Admission Council (@LSAC_Official) November 1, 2017
Good news if you still haven’t made up your mind to take the LSAT.
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The LSAC provided no information on the reason for the extension. But this change comes after LSAC made some moves to be more competitive with the GRE — eliminating the limitation on the number of times students can take the exam in a two-year period, and planning on offering more administrations of the exam in a year. Those moves didn’t stop, or even slow down, the GRE’s march toward acceptance.
It doesn’t look like anything can stop the GRE.
Kathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).