The LSAT Monopoly: Go Into Debt, Do Not Pass Bar
For prospective students going through the law school application process, the fees can surely add up. One of those fees involves the LSAT. In addition to the fees for taking the test, there are fees for having your scores sent to the schools you are applying to, and that's not to mention the costs of prep courses and materials.
Particularly for those who are not sure about what to do after undergrad, sitting for the LSAT is not like the GRE, which can be used for a variety of different graduate school applications. The LSAT has one purpose, law school admissions, and for decades, has been the only game in town. However, a new trend is breaking the LSAT monopoly, as research has shown the GRE could be a viable option for law school admissions.
Wait... What's the GRE?
If you think that prospective law students are getting off easy by not having to sit for the LSAT, think again. The GRE is a special kind of standardized torture that the LSAT could only wish to measure up to. That's because the GRE is a CAT. No, it doesn't meow, or bounce around all nimbly-bimbly. It gets revenge.
CAT stands for computer adaptive test, and basically means the better you do, the harder the test gets. Given the fact that lawyers practice in an adversarial system, a CAT might be the ideal way to evaluate potential students.
Free the GRE
The GRE exam allows prospective graduate and professional students quite a few more options. A GRE score can be used for admissions to a wide variety post-graduate programs, though only a handful of law schools are currently accepting it. But, as noted, credible schools, including Harvard Law, have made the move to accept the GRE. And as such, it is expected that more schools to rapidly follow suit.
If the GRE folks are on top of this push away from the LSAT, and have learned anything from the market share dominance controlled by LSAC's LSAT, it might be high time to expand the GRE 2, a.k.a. the GRE subject test, specifically for law schools.
Related Resources:
- ABA Considers New Law School Admissions Standards (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- Harvard Law School Will Accept GRE (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- 2 Law Schools to Adopt ABA's LSAT Elimination Provision (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)