In a surprise move, the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates rejected a proposed accreditation change on Feb. 6 to no longer require an entrance exam requirement.
The Law School Admissions Test has been the primary standardized test for more than 60 years, but many felt the ABA would ditch a test requirement, instead leaving it up to each school whether students needed to take an exam or not.
This past November, the ABA’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admission to the Bar voted to drop the requirement, hoping that the elimination would help law schools meet diversity goals.
But it was up to the ABA’s House of Delegates to make the final decision that would affect students seeking admission for 2026 and beyond. They voted against it, with many believing removing it would harm diversity.
“The Council is disappointed in the House of Delegates’ vote on Resolution 300,” said Bill Adams, managing director of ABA Accreditation and Legal Education, in a statement. “It will consider the next steps at the Council meeting on Feb. 17, consistent with ABA rules and procedures.”
Proposed revisions to the accreditation standards and rules are sent to the House for concurrence up to two times, meaning that the proposal may return to the House, but with changes.
Even if the ABA had approved the revision, it is unclear how many law schools would have dropped the LSAT.
Kaplan, which runs LSAT prep and other prep courses, surveyed law school admissions officers and found that fewer than 10% plan to drop it.
“If the rules change had been adopted, we think many, if not most, applicants would have continued to submit a LSAT or GRE score, even if they were not required to by a particular law school,” said Amit Schlesinger, Kaplan’s executive director of legal program, in a statement. “A strong score sets you apart from the competition. It remains and would remain the great differentiator.”
“The reality is that regardless of what the ABA may ultimately decide in the future, major changes to admissions policies do not happen overnight,” he said. “It’s an issue we’ll continue to track. And as always, we’ll provide students with accurate information to help them make smart decisions about their educational and career paths.”
