Will LSAT Be Optional To Get Into Law School?
Is cramming for the LSAT going to be a thing of the past for undergraduates aspiring to get into law school? While that may seem like an applicant's dream scenario, it just may become a reality.
The American Bar Association is considering a proposal to drop the LSAT requirement for admission into accredited law schools, the ABA Journal reports. As of now, accredited law schools are required to ask applicants for results of a "valid and reliable admission test." If the ABA drops this requirement, Dean Polden from Santa Clara University Law School still believes that most law schools will still require the admissions text because it will be another way to work through applications. So it looks like future law students may still need to study and take the LSAT even if it is not required.
Still, a substantial portion of the ABA committee believes that the LSAT is not an accurate indicator of a successful law student who will be a successful attorney. Law schools want to have more input about what they feel would help with the admissions process: "I think an accrediting body ought to ensure that law schools are producing students who can enter the practice. Is taking a standardized test the only way to determine if someone should be able to go to law school? Schools ought to be able to decide how they want to admit students," said David Yellen, dean of Loyola University Chicago School of Law to the Wall Street Journal.
There are a lot of outspoken critics who claim that dropping the LSAT requirement would just encourage individuals who would not have been accepted to law school to be admitted and go into deep student debt. Elie Mystal from Above the Law writes: "The bad news: the committee is contemplating a change that will only result in making it easier for schools to recruit any and all with the ability to pay (or go into debt), while at the same time gaming the U.S. News law school rankings."
While this LSAT requirement is not gone yet, it certainly gives a lot for future law students to think about.
Related Resources:
- LSAT, Anyone? (FindLaw's Greedy Associates Blog)
- Should the LSAT (and Legal Testing More Generally) Be Revisited and Perhaps Retooled? (FindLaw's Writ)
- ADA Accommodations and 'Flagging' On the LSAT (FindLaw's Greedy Associates Blog)