No LSAT Required? Law School Admissions Tests Could Be Optional Under New Proposal
Categories: US Education News
For decades, budding law students have had to stare down the Law School Admission Test, or LSAT, a rigorous test of abilities in logic, analytical reasoning and reading comprehension.An American Bar Association panel that accredits law schools issued a proposal Friday to make standardized tests optional for admission, a move that would follow a trend seen in undergraduate admissions offices and give schools more flexibility in how they select law students.
The accrediting council voted overwhelmingly to seek public comment on the proposal, which would eliminate the mandatory use of tests such as the LSAT or the GRE, which has been allowed at some schools in recent years.Only one person on the 21-member body voted against advancing the proposal.Any final approval of the policy change would likely be many months away—at the earliest, affecting students who enroll in the fall of 2023.
ABA officials have said little so far about their current deliberations. But in earlier discussions former leaders have suggested that standardized tests might deter institutions from adopting innovative ways to evaluate candidates.The LSAT has traditionally been regarded by schools as a strong predictor of how students will do in their first year of law school. Still, Mr. Rodriguez said that law schools, like other branches of higher education, should be trusted to determine how to use tests and evaluate candidates, particularly so they don’t stand as an obstacle to building diverse law-school classes.
“Without the test scores you reward privilege more than potential,” Ms. Testy said. Other factors, such as which university a candidate attended or who recommends an applicant, are more prone to bias, she said.Several years ago, Ms. Testy’s organization opposed a proposal to eliminate mandatory admissions tests. She said the group’s position remains the same.The ABA council separately adopted a change last year that allowed law schools to accept scores on the GRE, a general graduate-school admissions test, in lieu of the LSAT. That switch came as some schools sought to attract students from a wider variety of backgrounds, particularly with science, engineering and math experience.