More law schools are starting to accept student’s GRE scores as a viable alternative to taking the LSAT. Now, students interested in pursuing their postgraduate degree have another option they can go for. Over the next year, many ABA-accredited institutions have announced that they will be accepting GRE scores as an alternative to the LSAT.
Let’s take a look at what this shift means moving forward.
The Graduate Record Examinations is a standardized test that measures a student’s verbal and quantitative reasoning, analytical writing skills, and critical thinking skills. This test is administered by computer software.
Students start the GRE test by completing the analytical writing section and their performance on the initial part of the exam helps determine the difficulty of the other sections. Students have the opportunity to answer questions and then skip ahead to another section and can easily switch between them. Generally, the test lasts about three and a half hours.
The analytical writing section requires students to compose multiple essays. The topic from the first essay is selected from a collection of different choices. Students have about 30 minutes to write an essay on the chosen topic.
The second essay requires students to explore a popular argument and write about how they would improve the strength of the argument using factual research. This test measures a student’s ability to analyze complex ideas and critical thinking to write clearly-defined essays.
The verbal reasoning section is composed of sentences, text, and critical reading questions. Students are asked to analyze data and draw conclusions, explore the differences between literal and figurative intent, summarize text, and explain the similarities among various concepts. This test helps assess a student’s reading comprehension skills and level of vocabulary.
The quantitative reasoning section asks students to answer different problem solving and data analyzing questions using algebra, geometry, and arithmetic. This part of the test measures a student’s ability to interpret data and other quantitative information correctly. There may also be a few experimental questions within the sections. The range of scores on the GRE is 130-170.
The Law School Admission Test is a standardized test administered to students looking to enter law schools. This test measures a student’s reading and comprehension ability, as well as their intellectual proficiency through various sections. The test is held multiple times in a year and is full of multiple-choice questions along with a writing section at the end. The logical reasoning section helps assess a student’s ability to think their way through different arguments. Students are also tasked with composing a rebuttal to the argument and identifying holes in the argument’s logic.
The comprehension section requires students to read different passages based on a law’s relationship with humanity, social science, and physical science and are asked to identify the main idea of the text. The analytical reasoning section has four parts with about 20 questions each and the students are asked to draw conclusions based on the given information. This section is known for its complexity.
The writing section asks students to look at two decisions and attempt to figure out which opinion they resonate with a little more. The writing section is not scored, though admissions do view this section to assess the student’s handwriting. There are also some experimental variable sections in different parts of the test. Students can score anywhere in the range from 120-180.
When comparing the two tests, it is essential to point out some specific differences. The LSAT is more widely accepted as compared to GRE because GRE uses computer software, and most segments of the test are customized. Students can take GRE at a difficulty level that suits them, whereas, the LSAT does not give students the chance to adapt as the test progresses.
The GRE is also known for testing a student’s math and grammatical capabilities in a different way compared to the LSAT and can cause some students to be caught off-guard. However, the LSAT includes analytical questions that are different from the GRE and can cause trouble for students who struggle with hypothetical questions. Landon Schertz tutors students who have difficulties with theoretical questions and gets them prepped up for the examination.
Students can only take the GRE a specified number of times throughout the year. However, students are allowed to choose which sections of the test they want admission to see, while the entire LSAT test is sent to law schools. Generally, the GRE provides students with a flexibility that the LSAT does not. This is why the majority of law schools still favor traditional LSAT. Many analysts believe that students who have a high GPA do not need to take an additional test like the GRE. However, high GRE scores do allow students to highlight their strong quantitative reasoning skills, which are an asset to law schools. Landon Schertz advises students and helps them make the right decision for their futures.
Private tutors like Landon Schertz can significantly help students prepare for GRE or LSAT or both. Landon Schertz offers tutoring services for a variety of subjects including advanced math, writing, physics, economics, chemistry, and more. Landon Schertz enjoys helping students reach their goals and is enthusiastic towards teaching them to the best of his capabilities.