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Reviewed: 01/17/23
If you’re interested in getting into law school but don’t know whether to take the GRE or LSAT, read on to find out more!
It’s an exciting time to be an aspiring lawyer! The law school admissions procedure is drastically changing for the better after years of stagnation.
In 2017, soon after the University of Arizona’s College of Law successfully experimented with accepting the GRE instead of the LSAT, more schools began opening up to the idea of accepting GRE scores.
Currently, over 80 law schools offer students the choice between submitting GRE or LSAT scores in an attempt to make law school more accessible and increase the applicant pool.
Since this change is relatively new and unfamiliar, you might be wondering which test you should take to maximize your chances of getting into your dream law school. This guide will highlight the major differences between the GRE vs. LSAT to help you choose the perfect test!
According to US News, there are major differences between the GRE and LSAT to consider when choosing which one to write. To keep it simple, the key differences can be easily summarized as follows:
Now that you have a general idea of the differences between the GRE vs. LSAT, let’s look at them in more detail.
As we stated earlier, the decision to accept the GRE in lieu of the LSAT was made very recently. Accordingly, only some law schools accept the GRE, while others have decided to stick to tradition.
The GRE, Graduate Record Exam, is a general standardized test that has traditionally been used by graduate schools such as business schools. The LSAT, Law School Admission Test, was created specifically for law school and is not used by any other grad school.
So, while every law school will accept the LSAT, not every law school will accept the GRE. But don’t let this discourage you! Over 80 schools already accept the GRE, and this number is only going to climb in the coming years.
Amongst these 80 are some of the most prestigious schools in the nation, such as Harvard, Yale, and Duke. This means you can still get into a top-ranking law school without writing the LSAT, a prospect that would’ve been met with laughs and confusion only a few years ago!
To see if your desired law school accepts the GRE, you can check this comprehensive list of law schools that accept the GRE.
The most important difference between the GRE and LSAT is the content. Depending on your skills and abilities, you’ll likely be better suited for one over the other.
The GRE contains the following sections:
Unlike the GRE, the LSAT consists of only multiple-choice questions for each section of the test except for the written essay. Here’s a breakdown of each section of the LSAT:
Based on these differences in the GRE vs. LSAT for law school, you should assess your own skills and weaknesses to know which test would work better for you.
For instance, if you haven’t seen a math equation since your junior year of high school, you’ll likely find the quantitative reasoning section of the GRE quite difficult.
Similarly, if you’ve tried a few logic games and can’t seem to wrap your head around how to solve them, the GRE might be the better option.
Aside from the content of the questions being different, the way the questions are administered is also different.
For the GRE, students’ accuracy in answering questions at the beginning of the test influences the difficulty of the questions given to them at the end of the test. For instance, if you do well on the first set of math questions, the next set will be more difficult.
This can be a blessing and curse for students. If you’re doing particularly poorly in one set of questions, you can redeem yourself through the next set as the questions will be easier. However, these frequent changes in difficulty also make this test harder to study for, can mess with students’ psyche, and can create more stress.
On the other hand, the LSAT’s questions are pre-determined before test takers even begin the exam and don’t change depending on their performance.
Again, this can be seen as both a blessing and a curse depending on how well you do on the first few sections. If you feel you’re doing well, you’ll feel confident moving forward. But, if you do poorly, you may feel more anxious and unprepared for the next sets.
The GRE offers more flexibility for students than the LSAT. Students are able to take the GRE whenever they want, while the LSAT is only offered a few times a year on specific dates and times.
Students may also take the GRE as many times as they’d like in their lifetime but can only take it up to five times a year. They must also wait at least 21 days between each test.
Alternatively, the LSAT can only be taken three times a year and seven times in a lifetime.
While the majority of students don’t need to take the LSAT all seven times to get their desired score, you may feel more comfortable with a test that offers unlimited tries.
While students can opt to report their best GRE scores to law schools, the only LSAT score they can choose not to reveal is their first one. After this, the results of individuals with multiple scores will be averaged together.
Depending on how high or low your score on your LSAT, this can either help you reach your school’s requirements, or push you further away from them.
While there are mixed opinions on which test is harder, the answer to which is harder ultimately depends on you! Depending on your skills and comfort, you can decide which test is best for you.
Begin by taking sample tests of both and seeing which one you score higher on. While the GRE may seem easier because certain answer types can be memorized, it also involves critical thinking, essay writing, and mathematical analysis that require a high degree of skill and knowledge.
On the other hand, the LSAT doesn’t require any specific knowledge but involves logic games that are notorious for being difficult to solve.
Both tests have their pros and cons, so their difficulty depends entirely on your capabilities!
For any remaining questions you might have, here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about the GRE vs. LSAT.
Considering the GRE test has been proven to be just as reliable as the LSAT in predicting academic performance in law school, law schools that accept the GRE and LSAT do not have a preference over which you write.
No, you shouldn’t take both. Once you take the LSAT your score is automatically put on record.
While schools don’t have a preference over which test you take, if they receive both scores, they will weigh the LSAT more heavily simply because they have more data on LSAT scores determining competitiveness.
It depends on which law school you’d like to apply to. While many schools accept the GRE, not all of them do.
Since the GRE is relatively new in the law sphere, most schools don’t have statistics on required GRE scores yet.
Instead, they recommend you compare GRE scores to LSAT scores based on percentiles. So, if your GRE score is in the 80th percentile, consider it to be roughly equivalent to an LSAT score in the 80th percentile. The creators of the GRE created a conversion tool to make this process easier.
The main reasons schools have begun accepting the GRE are to give applicants more flexibility and broaden the applicant pool. Law schools hope doing so will encourage more diverse students to apply, assuming they were otherwise deterred from law school because of the LSAT.
The best way to decide which test to take is to go over practice questions to see which test you score higher on. Law schools are only concerned with your final score, so you’ll want to choose the test you can score the highest on.
While it’s hard to separate the LSAT from law school, the recent development of law schools accepting GRE scores offers more accessibility and opportunity for you!
Now that you know the key differences between the GRE and LSAT, you should be able to make a more informed decision on which test to take! Remember to choose the test that best reflects your skills so that you can maximize your chances of getting into your dream law school!
Once you’ve chosen which test to take, ensure you acquire the right tools to get the perfect score. Regardless of which test you choose, Juris’ experts can provide the resources, support, and expertise to help you succeed!
