American Bar Association Votes to Keep LSAT

Back in December we reported the story that the American Bar Association (ABA) had a preliminary vote to eliminate the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) from the law school application requirements. The proposed policy would have allowed accredited schools to go test-optional. However, earlier this month, the ABA House of Delegates voted to keep the LSAT. 

Opponents of this policy argued that eliminating the test policies from admissions would put more emphasis on more subjective matters such as undergraduate college prestige that would hurt minority applicants. Proponents of the policy, on the other hand, argued that the LSAT in and of itself is a barrier for minority students using data from a 2019 study that showed the average score for a Black test taker held an average of 142 while white and Asian test takers scored an average of 153. 

The Law School Admissions Council, a non-profit whose funding comes in part from the test fees, argued that the tests help potential law students determine their ability to perform well in a law school setting before committing their time and money to a costly, time-consuming degree.  

The ABA’s Council of Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, the council in charge of determining accreditation, has been pushing for the elimination of the LSAT since 2017. The final step in eliminating the test was left up to the House of Delegates. 

Though they have voted to keep the testing policy for now, the fight to end the LSAT requirements is not over. According to ABA rules, the House of Delegates are allowed to vote only twice in regards to changing accreditation standards. This month’s vote was the second vote. Moving forward, the ABA can push for changes without the delegate’s approval.

We will continue to update you as this story progresses. In the meantime, if you need extra help in preparing for the LSAT, reach out to Ivy Link below. We offer tutoring and test prep services that can help you prepare for the exam.