LSAT vs GRE for Law School: Which Test Should You Take?

For most law school applicants, the LSAT is still the safer choice, because every ABA-accredited law school accepts it and it remains the test admissions officers know best. The GRE is now accepted at a large and growing share of law schools and can make sense if you are applying to programs that take it, are also considering non-law graduate programs, or your skills fit its format better. If you are applying widely or aiming at the most competitive schools, take the LSAT. If your list is confined to GRE-accepting schools and the GRE plays to your strengths, it is a legitimate option.

Here is how the two tests compare and how to decide.

LSAT vs GRE at a glance

What the LSAT actually tests

The current LSAT is built entirely from logical reasoning and reading comprehension. There are two scored logical reasoning sections of about 24 to 26 questions each and one reading comprehension section of about 26 to 28 questions, for roughly 75 to 80 scored questions. Each section is timed at 35 minutes. There is no math. The old Analytical Reasoning section, known as Logic Games, was retired in August 2024, so the test now rewards argument analysis and dense reading above all. Scores run from 120 to 180, with the median around 151 to 152.

Because the LSAT is purpose-built for legal reasoning, admissions committees have decades of data on how LSAT scores predict first-year performance. That history is a big part of why it still carries the most weight, and why a strong LSAT can anchor an application at nearly any school.

What the GRE tests, and why law schools accept it

The GRE measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning and analytical writing. It was designed for graduate admissions broadly, not law specifically, which cuts both ways. The upside is flexibility: one test can support applications to law programs and to other master's or doctoral programs, so applicants who are still deciding between paths often prefer it. The downside is that the GRE includes a full math section that has nothing to do with legal study, and not every law school accepts it.

Law schools began accepting the GRE to widen their applicant pools, especially among candidates from STEM and other quantitative backgrounds. If your target schools all accept it and you already have a competitive GRE score, retaking your reasoning skills on the LSAT may be unnecessary. But you have to verify acceptance school by school, because policies change and a few holdouts remain.

Who should take the LSAT

Take the LSAT if any of these fit you:

• You are applying broadly. The LSAT is accepted everywhere, so it keeps every door open.
• You are targeting the most competitive schools. At the top of the market, a strong LSAT is the safest, most-understood signal.
• You are committed to law. If law is the only path you are pursuing, there is little reason to take a broader test.
• You are stronger in verbal reasoning than math. With no quantitative section, the LSAT rewards the exact reading and argument skills law school demands.

Who might take the GRE instead

The GRE can be the better call if:

• Your school list is all GRE-accepting. Confirm each program, then decide.
• You are also applying to non-law graduate programs. One test can serve several applications.
• You already have a strong GRE score. If you tested well recently, you may not need a second exam.
• Your quantitative skills are a strength. A high GRE math score can round out an application, especially from a technical background.

How to decide

Start with your school list. Pull the admissions requirements for every program you are seriously considering and note which tests each accepts. If even one target school you care about requires the LSAT, and many still do, the LSAT is the simpler choice because it covers your whole list. If your entire list accepts the GRE and you have reasons to prefer it, take a timed practice section of each and compare how you score and how the format feels.

Whichever you choose, the preparation strategy is the same: study from your own materials and drill with practice questions rather than rereading. The most reliable way to raise a score is answering questions, reviewing why each wrong option was wrong, and returning to your weak areas with fresh items. You can turn your prep book chapters and notes into a full LSAT practice test and generate new questions every session, so you are testing reasoning rather than memorizing an answer key.

Does the LSAT or GRE affect scholarships and rankings?

At many schools, yes, indirectly. Median test scores factor into how schools are evaluated and how they award merit aid, and historically the LSAT has been the dominant number in those calculations. A high score on the test your target school weights most can strengthen a scholarship case. Because the LSAT is the more established metric at most law schools, a strong LSAT is often the more reliable lever for merit money, though this varies by school and changes over time, so confirm with each program.

The bottom line

The LSAT is the default for a reason: universal acceptance, a legal-reasoning focus, and the longest track record with admissions committees. The GRE is a real alternative for applicants whose school lists accept it and whose strengths or broader plans favor it. Decide from your actual school list, then commit fully to one test and prepare with heavy, targeted practice. Once you have decided, and later when you are deep in coursework running case law research for your first memos, the reasoning habits you build now will keep paying off. To start, build an LSAT practice test from your own prep notes and drill your weak question types until the misses stop.