ABA Committee Proposes to Drop LSAT Law School Requirement

The American Bar Association (ABA) is considering dropping its standardized testing requirement for law school admissions.

In April, the Strategic Review Committee for the American Bar Association offered recommendations that would allow schools to decide whether or not to require the test for prospective students. Currently, all ABA-accredited schools require that applying students take either the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) or Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) for admittance.

The LSAT, which is designed to assess reading comprehension as well as logical and verbal reasoning proficiency, is by far the most widely used assessment for law school admissions. In November 2021, ABA added the Graduate Record Examinations as an alternative.

According to a 2019 study by nonprofit education advocacy organization Law School Transparency, the LSAT is the best predictor before law school as to whether a student will pass or fail the bar exam.

“The LSAT is at least some measure saying, ‘Is this applicant likely to pass the bar?’” said Brian Tamanaha, a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis and the author of Failing Law Schools. “If we’re going to take a student’s money, we have to believe that student can successfully achieve their goals. That will justify the economic investment they’re making.”

If approved, the proposal would take effect for law school classes beginning in fall 2023.