- Kaplan, which sells test-prep materials, predicts most law schools will continue to require the LSAT
- The ABA is poised to do away with its longstanding testing mandate
(Reuters) - A new survey suggests that a significant number of law schools will continue to use the Law School Admission Test even if the American Bar Association, which accredits them, no longer requires it.
Half of the 82 law school admissions offices surveyed by test prep company Kaplan Inc this fall said they are either “very likely” or “somewhat” likely to continue requiring a standardized admissions test even if the ABA drops its testing mandate, according to the survey released Tuesday. Kaplan provides LSAT prep courses and has a financial interest in schools continuing to require the test.
The ABA’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar is slated to vote on eliminating the admission test requirement Friday.
Four schools told Kaplan they are “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to stop requiring applicants to take an admissions test if the mandate is dropped, while 37 said they did not know what they would do.
The respondent pool included 12 of the top 25 law schools as ranked by U.S. News & World Report, according to Kaplan, which did not identify respondents' answers by school name.
“Irrespective of how this vote goes on Friday, it doesn’t necessarily mean that anything in admissions is actually going to change,” said Jeff Thomas, Kaplan’s executive director of legal programs.
Medical schools aren't required by their accreditor to use the Medical College Admission Test, Thomas noted, yet nearly all do.
The Law School Admission Council, which makes the LSAT, has long argued that its test plays a consumer protection function by signaling to prospective lawyers whether they are likely to be able to handle the rigors of law school.
Proponents of eliminating the admission test requirement say law schools should have more flexibility in how they admit students.
Race has also emerged as a focus in the debate, with some calling the LSAT a barrier to entry that favors whites, and others arguing that the standardized test helps level the playing field for minority applicants.
Read more:
ABA moves closer to ending LSAT requirement for law schools
Proposal to axe LSAT requirement spurs debate over test’s effects on diversity
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Karen SloanThomson Reuters
Karen Sloan reports on law firms, law schools, and the business of law. Reach her at karen.sloan@thomsonreuters.com
