Many top Law schools in the U.S. such as Harvard, Yale, UPenn, Columbia, and NYU have been accepting the GRE general test scores instead of LSAT scores. By doing so, the law schools are expanding access to law schools for students from diverse backgrounds. Programs like Upenn are even accepting GMAT scores. Students can take the LSAT only a few times per year, but they can take the GRE all year round, making it more convenient for applicants.
In this Article
How to compare GRE and LSAT?
To compare the LSAT scores with the GRE scores, ETS has come up with a GRE to LSAT comparison or a conversion tool. Using the tool, Law schools can now appropriately compare the two distinct exams. This tool only takes into account the GRE Verbal and Quantitative scores. The Essay writing score is not used in the conversion since the LSAT does not have a graded writing section.
GRE to LSAT Comparison Table
We have converted ETS’s comparison tool into a table. You can refer to this table to convert your GRE scores to LSAT scores.
This table shows the GRE verbal scores in the left column and GRE Math scores in the top row. You can match the two GRE section scores and look at your LSAT converted score where the row and column coincide.
View the GRE to LSAT conversion table in Full Screen
Why not use Percentiles to compare the GRE and LSAT?
Unfortunately, LSAT and GRE are two very different tests, and very distinct populations take these tests. Since percentiles only give a relative position of a student concerning other test-takers, the percentiles are not directly comparable. Add to this the fact that both of these exams continuously evolve. Also, the GRE scores provide the verbal and quant scores separately, whereas the LSAT provides a total score. So, equating the two tests using percentiles is not possible.
Hence, a comparison based on statistical pooling and analysis is the best way to maintain credibility. For those reasons, a predictive model is used to compare the GRE and the LSAT exams.
LSAT and GRE have different Scoring Range
The GRE provides separate scores for quant and verbal, on a scale of 130-170 for each. The LSAT gives a single score on a range of 120-180. The GRE to LSAT conversion tool tries to convert the two GRE scores into a single LSAT score. Since it is a predictive model, it is slightly unreliable. It only gives a rough approximation of GRE to LSAT, and ETS itself states that the conversion has approximately +/- 5 points measurement error on the 120-180 LSAT scale. Therefore it is a bit inaccurate.
Another issue is that the GRE to LSAT score conversion above uses linear regression of the test scores of 1,587 students who took both the GRE and the LSAT. These students got admissions to at least one of 21 Law schools. As with any statistical analysis, the outcomes can be a bit inconsistent.
Even if you score 170 on each verbal and quantitative sections of the GRE, the GRE to LSAT conversion tool predicts a 178-180 range on the LSAT. This is because scores of 178 and above are achieved by only 0.1% of all LSAT test-takers, whereas it is more common for GRE test takers to score correctly. The lowest score is 131.
GRE verbal is more important than quant for LSAT conversion
LSAT is 100% verbal. GRE, on the other hand, is 50% verbal and 50% quantitative. To overcome this discrepancy, ETS has weighted the verbal score at approximately 60% and 40% for the quantitative score. So if you are planning to take the GRE for Law school programs, you need to focus more on getting a high verbal score. This is good news for those who do better at verbal than at quant. But it is bad news for those who are Math geniuses but do average on verbal.
How important are GRE or LSAT test scores in the admissions process?
The LSAT/GRE provides an assessment of skills that are important for graduate study. However, the LSAT/GRE does not guarantee an individual’s success in legal study. Nevertheless, these tests help compare the applicants. There are no quantifiable methods for making admission decisions. Law schools base their admission decisions on the holistic assessment of the application, which involves assessing soft skills and intangible traits such as motivation, enthusiasm, and judiciousness. Therefore, most Law schools do not have any GRE/LSAT or GPA “cut-offs.”
Key take-aways
If you are applying to law school that accepts both the LSAT and the GRE, then you can use this comparison table to see which test suits you better.
- Some applicants are good at Math but not so good at Verbal. For them, the GRE is a better exam since quant weighs 40% in the GRE to LSAT conversion.
- If Verbal is your strong suit and you hate Math, then LSAT is the option for you.
- You should also ask law schools about their preferences as well and take those into account.