The End of the LSAT?

The American Bar Association (ABA) has proposed to get rid of the long-standing testing requirement standard they’ve imposed for years. The Law School Admissions Test, most commonly known as the LSAT, is a standardized entrance exam for law schools that have been comparable in determining a student’s ability to endure the rigors of law school.

The LSAT has been viewed as a “valid and reliable test” in law school admissions. 60 law school deans criticized the ABA proposal for hurting the comprehensive diversity efforts in law school admissions [1]. With the absence of the LSAT, admission officers would place more emphasis on written recommendation letters, undergraduate transcripts, as well as the prestige of their undergraduate school [2]. These impressionistic factors are more likely to hurt diverse candidates applying to law school that may not have had the same privileges as other law school applicants.

On the other hand, the LSAT has been condemned by legal professionals as a test that has long empowered the elite, hindering ABA’s current diversity efforts. Wealthy individuals are more willing to spend thousands of dollars on prep courses and private tutors for the LSAT. Whereas, disadvantaged students are strained with obtaining prep books and previous exams. One study found that black test takers scored 11 points lower than white test-takers. In direct correlation, black applicants are between 60% and 70% more likely to be refused acceptance to law school based on their LSAT scores alone [3].

This is not the first time the ABA initiated this drastic change in the law school admission process. In 2018, the ABA Council pushed to eliminate the testing rule but the measure was withdrawn last minute right before it was to be considered for final approval by the House of Delegates. On November 18, 2022, if the ABA Council votes to approve the testing requirement standards, it will later move on to the House of Delegates in February to be considered for final approval [2].