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LSAT vs GRE for Law School: Which Should You Take?
LSAT vs GRE for Law School: Which Should You Take?
For almost every applicant, the LSAT is the safer choice over the GRE for law school. The LSAT is accepted at every ABA-approved law school and was used by roughly 97 to 98 percent of test-using first-year enrollees in fall 2025, per ABA data, even though over 100 schools now accept the GRE.
By Ali Unar, Georgetown Law, Founder of Lovare Institut. Ali Unar is a Georgetown Law student and the founder of Lovare Institut, an admissions and LSAT-prep practice built on primary-source law school data and more than 5,000 real application materials. Verified August 2026. Every figure on this page comparing the LSAT vs GRE for law school comes from ETS, ABA enrollment data reported in December 2025, and the ABA Journal.
Should you take the LSAT or GRE for law school?
You should take the LSAT for law school in almost every case. The LSAT vs GRE decision comes down to acceptance and universality, and the LSAT wins both: it is accepted at every ABA-approved law school, while the GRE, though accepted at over 100 schools, is not accepted everywhere.
The case for the LSAT over the GRE for law school starts with a simple asymmetry. According to ABA enrollment data reported in December 2025, among fall 2025 first-year enrollees, 41,847 were admitted with LSAT scores versus 531 with the GRE, which puts the LSAT at roughly 97 to 98 percent of test-using enrollees. A test used by that overwhelming a share is the default that keeps every door open.
The GRE has genuinely expanded in law admissions, and that is worth acknowledging. Since 2021 the ABA has permitted any ABA-approved law school to accept the GRE, ETS reported 100 of 199 ABA-accredited schools accepted the GRE as of October 2022, and a 2025 tracker lists over 122, according to ETS and enrollment reporting. But wider acceptance of the GRE is not universal acceptance, and the LSAT remains the only test accepted at every ABA-approved law school, which is why the LSAT vs GRE call still favors the LSAT.
There is also a strategic point behind the LSAT vs GRE choice. Because the LSAT is the test the overwhelming majority of enrollees use, it is the test admissions committees are built to read, and a strong LSAT score is directly comparable against a school's published LSAT medians. For almost every applicant deciding between the LSAT vs GRE for law school, taking the LSAT preserves the widest set of options with the least risk.
Do law schools prefer the LSAT?
In practice, law schools still run on the LSAT. According to ABA data reported in December 2025, 41,847 fall 2025 first-year enrollees were admitted with the LSAT versus 531 with the GRE, so the LSAT accounted for roughly 97 to 98 percent of test-using enrollees. That dominance is the clearest signal of preference.
Whether law schools formally prefer the LSAT is a fair question, and the honest answer is that the numbers speak louder than any stated preference. The ABA data reported in December 2025 show the LSAT outnumbering the GRE among fall 2025 enrollees by 41,847 to 531. Even at schools that accept both, the LSAT is the test the vast majority of admitted students submit, and it is the test whose medians every school reports to the ABA.
It is important to be precise here. This does not mean an individual law school penalizes a GRE applicant, and this guide will not claim schools discriminate against the GRE, because the packet data do not show that. What the data do show is that the LSAT is the established currency of law admissions, used by roughly 97 to 98 percent of test-using enrollees, so betting on the LSAT aligns you with how the system actually operates.
How many law schools accept the GRE?
A large and growing minority of law schools accept the GRE. ETS reported that 100 of 199 ABA-accredited schools accepted the GRE as of October 2022, and a 2025 tracker lists over 122. So more than half of ABA law schools now accept the GRE, but acceptance is not yet universal.
The count of law schools that accept the GRE has climbed steadily since the door opened. Since 2021 the ABA has permitted any ABA-approved law school to accept the GRE, according to reporting from the ABA Journal, and ETS reported 100 of 199 ABA-accredited schools accepting the GRE as of October 2022. A 2025 tracker lists over 122 schools, so GRE acceptance has grown into a clear majority of law schools.
Still, how many law schools accept the GRE is only half the question; the other half is how many students actually use it. Even with over 122 schools accepting the GRE, ABA data reported in December 2025 show only 531 fall 2025 first-year enrollees admitted with the GRE against 41,847 with the LSAT. Wide acceptance of the GRE has not translated into wide use, which is central to the LSAT vs GRE decision.
Why is the LSAT the safer choice for almost every applicant?
The LSAT is the safer choice because it removes a variable the GRE cannot. Only the LSAT is accepted at every ABA-approved law school, so an LSAT score never limits your list. With the LSAT used by roughly 97 to 98 percent of test-using enrollees, it is the test admissions is built around.
The safest choice in the LSAT vs GRE debate is the one that keeps every option open, and that is the LSAT. If you take the LSAT, you can apply to any ABA-approved law school, including the schools that accept only the LSAT and the many that accept both. If you take only the GRE, you are limited to the schools that accept the GRE, which, while over 122 in a 2025 tracker, still excludes some schools an applicant might want.
The stance of this guide is therefore clear: for almost every applicant, take the LSAT. The one honest qualifier is that the LSAT is a demanding test, and a small number of applicants, especially dual-degree or STEM candidates who already hold a strong GRE score and are applying only to GRE-accepting programs, may reasonably lean on the GRE. But that is the exception. The default that protects your options in the LSAT vs GRE choice is the LSAT.
When might the GRE make sense for a law school applicant?
The GRE can make sense in narrow cases. An applicant who already has a strong GRE score from a graduate or dual-degree path, and who is applying only to the growing list of law schools that accept the GRE, may reasonably use it. For almost everyone else, the LSAT remains the safer bet.
Being honest about the LSAT vs GRE choice means naming the real exceptions. The clearest case for the GRE is the applicant who took it for another graduate program, scored well, and is targeting law schools that accept the GRE. For that person, a strong existing GRE score can save months of LSAT preparation, and since over 122 schools accept the GRE per a 2025 tracker, a GRE-only list can be viable.
Even so, the exception is narrow, and the risk runs one direction. A GRE-only applicant who later adds an LSAT-only school to the list has to sit the LSAT anyway, whereas an LSAT applicant never faces the reverse problem, because the LSAT is accepted at every ABA-approved law school. This asymmetry is why, even when weighing when the GRE makes sense, the LSAT vs GRE default still favors the LSAT for almost every applicant.
Can you get into law school without the LSAT or GRE?
Getting into law school without the LSAT or GRE is becoming possible at a few schools, but it is not the norm. In November 2024 the ABA approved a Standard 503 variance letting a school apply to admit up to 100 percent of a class without an admissions test, according to the ABA Journal.
The test-optional question is newer than the LSAT vs GRE question, and the facts are narrow. According to the ABA Journal, in November 2024 the ABA approved a variance to Standard 503 that lets an individual law school apply to admit up to 100 percent of its class without a standardized admissions test, subject to reporting requirements. This is a school-by-school variance, not a blanket removal of the testing requirement across law schools.
For an applicant deciding between the LSAT vs GRE today, the Standard 503 variance changes little. Because the test requirement was not eliminated outright, and because a variance applies only where a school seeks and receives it, the overwhelming majority of applicants still submit a test, and that test is overwhelmingly the LSAT, at roughly 97 to 98 percent of test-using fall 2025 enrollees per ABA data. Planning to skip testing entirely remains the riskiest path.
Is the GRE easier than the LSAT?
Whether the GRE is easier than the LSAT is not something the data in this guide can settle, so this guide will not claim one test is easier. The LSAT and GRE measure different skills in different formats. The materials here do not include a difficulty or score comparison, and inventing one would be dishonest.
It is tempting to rank the LSAT vs GRE by difficulty, but honesty requires restraint here. The sources behind this guide document acceptance and usage of the LSAT and GRE, not a head-to-head measure of which test is harder, so this guide states plainly that it has no basis to call the GRE easier or harder than the LSAT. Difficulty also depends heavily on an individual applicant's strengths.
What can be said is about role rather than difficulty. The LSAT is the test built specifically for law school admission and the one whose scores map directly onto the LSAT medians every law school reports, which is part of why law schools have relied on the LSAT so heavily. The GRE is a broader graduate admissions test used across many fields. Choosing between the LSAT vs GRE on difficulty alone is the wrong frame; acceptance and universality, where the LSAT leads, matter more.
Can you submit both the LSAT and GRE to law schools?
Whether to submit both the LSAT and GRE is a school-by-school policy question the sources in this guide do not settle, so applicants should confirm each school's rule. As a practical matter, because the LSAT is accepted everywhere and dominates enrollment, leading with a strong LSAT score is the simplest, safest approach.
The question of submitting both the LSAT and GRE comes up often, and the honest answer is that this guide's sources address acceptance and enrollment, not a universal rule on reporting both tests, so the safe move is to check each target school's admissions policy directly. Some schools ask applicants to report all scores; others let you choose. This guide will not state a blanket rule the packet does not support.
That said, the LSAT vs GRE logic still points one way. Because the LSAT is accepted at every ABA-approved law school and accounts for roughly 97 to 98 percent of test-using fall 2025 enrollees per ABA data, an applicant with a strong LSAT score rarely gains by adding a GRE score. Leading with the LSAT keeps the application simple and aligns with how nearly all admitted students present their file.
What does the LSAT vs GRE choice mean for your admissions odds?
For your admissions odds, the LSAT vs GRE choice mainly affects flexibility, not a guaranteed edge. Because the LSAT is accepted at every ABA-approved law school and used by roughly 97 to 98 percent of test-using enrollees per ABA data, a strong LSAT score gives your file the widest reach and the clearest comparison to school medians.
The honest framing of the LSAT vs GRE for admissions odds is that no test choice guarantees an outcome, and this guide will not claim one does. What the LSAT offers is coverage and comparability: because it is the test used by roughly 97 to 98 percent of test-using fall 2025 enrollees per ABA data, admissions committees read LSAT scores against the LSAT medians they publish and report to the ABA every year.
A GRE score, by contrast, is harder for a law school to benchmark, since far fewer enrollees submit one, with only 531 GRE enrollees against 41,847 LSAT enrollees in the ABA data reported in December 2025. That does not make the GRE disqualifying, but it does mean the LSAT vs GRE choice tilts toward the LSAT for an applicant who wants a score the whole system is built to interpret.
How many ABA-approved law schools are there?
The ABA approves 196 law schools to confer the J.D., including two that are provisionally accredited, according to ABA data reported in December 2025. That total frames the LSAT vs GRE math: the LSAT is accepted across all of them, while over 122 of those schools accept the GRE per a 2025 tracker.
Knowing there are 196 ABA-approved law schools, including two provisionally accredited, per ABA data reported in December 2025, puts the GRE's reach in perspective. If over 122 schools accept the GRE according to a 2025 tracker, that is a majority of the 196 ABA-approved schools, but it still leaves a meaningful set of schools that an applicant relying only on the GRE could not reach. The LSAT, by contrast, is accepted across all 196.
This total is also why the LSAT vs GRE decision is really about coverage. An applicant cannot always predict in advance every school that will end up on a final list, and the LSAT covers all 196 ABA-approved law schools without exception. For almost every applicant, the safest way to guarantee full coverage of law schools is to take the LSAT, which is the recommendation this guide stands behind.
What else do people ask about the LSAT vs GRE for law school?
People weighing the LSAT vs GRE for law school ask many pointed questions, from how many schools accept the GRE to whether they can skip testing entirely. The short answers below rely only on the ETS, ABA, and ABA Journal sources used throughout this guide to the LSAT vs GRE for law school.
Should you take the LSAT or GRE for law school?
For almost every applicant, you should take the LSAT for law school. The LSAT is accepted at every ABA-approved law school and was used by roughly 97 to 98 percent of test-using fall 2025 first-year enrollees, per ABA data reported in December 2025. The GRE is accepted at over 122 schools but is not universal, so the LSAT is the safer choice.
Do law schools prefer the LSAT?
In practice, law schools run on the LSAT. ABA data reported in December 2025 show 41,847 fall 2025 first-year enrollees admitted with the LSAT versus 531 with the GRE, roughly 97 to 98 percent using the LSAT. That does not mean a school penalizes the GRE, but it shows the LSAT is the established test of law school admissions.
How many law schools accept the GRE?
ETS reported that 100 of 199 ABA-accredited schools accepted the GRE as of October 2022, and a 2025 tracker lists over 122 law schools accepting the GRE. That is a majority of the 196 ABA-approved law schools reported in December 2025, but the GRE is still not accepted everywhere, unlike the LSAT.
Is the GRE easier than the LSAT?
This guide will not claim the GRE is easier than the LSAT, because its sources cover acceptance and usage, not a difficulty comparison, and inventing one would be dishonest. The LSAT and GRE measure different skills in different formats, and which feels easier depends on the individual applicant. For law school coverage, the LSAT remains the safer choice regardless of difficulty.
Can you submit both the LSAT and GRE?
Whether you can or should submit both the LSAT and GRE is a school-by-school policy, and the sources in this guide do not set a universal rule, so confirm each school's requirement. Because the LSAT is accepted everywhere and dominates enrollment at roughly 97 to 98 percent of test-using enrollees, leading with a strong LSAT score is the safest approach.
What percentage of law students were admitted with the LSAT?
Among fall 2025 first-year enrollees, the LSAT accounted for roughly 97 to 98 percent of test-using enrollees, according to ABA data reported in December 2025, which show 41,847 admitted with the LSAT versus 531 with the GRE. That share is the core reason the LSAT remains the safer choice over the GRE for law school.
Is the LSAT accepted at every law school?
Yes. The LSAT is accepted at every ABA-approved law school, which is the central advantage in the LSAT vs GRE decision. The ABA approves 196 law schools to confer the J.D., including two provisionally accredited, per December 2025 data, and the LSAT works at all of them, while the GRE is accepted at over 122.
Can you get into law school without the LSAT or GRE?
Getting into law school without the LSAT or GRE is becoming possible at some schools, but it is not the norm. In November 2024 the ABA approved a Standard 503 variance letting a school apply to admit up to 100 percent of a class without an admissions test, subject to reporting, according to the ABA Journal. The ABA did not eliminate the test requirement outright.
How many ABA-approved law schools are there?
The ABA approves 196 law schools to confer the J.D., including two that are provisionally accredited, according to ABA data reported in December 2025. The LSAT is accepted at all 196, while over 122 accept the GRE per a 2025 tracker, which is why the LSAT gives the widest coverage of law schools.
When did law schools start accepting the GRE?
Law schools began accepting the GRE more broadly after 2021, when the ABA permitted any ABA-approved law school to accept the GRE, according to the ABA Journal. ETS then reported 100 of 199 ABA-accredited schools accepting the GRE as of October 2022, a number that grew to over 122 in a 2025 tracker.
Is the LSAT still worth taking for law school?
Yes. The LSAT is still worth taking, and for almost every applicant it is the safer choice over the GRE for law school. It is accepted at every ABA-approved law school and was used by roughly 97 to 98 percent of test-using fall 2025 enrollees per ABA data, so a strong LSAT score keeps every option open.
Will taking the GRE hurt my law school application?
This guide will not claim the GRE hurts a law school application, because the packet data do not show schools penalizing the GRE. What the data do show is that the LSAT is used by roughly 97 to 98 percent of test-using enrollees and accepted everywhere, so leading with the LSAT is the lower-risk path for almost every applicant.
Sources
Every figure in this guide to the LSAT vs GRE for law school is drawn from the primary sources named here, so readers can verify each point about the LSAT vs GRE for law school directly.
ETS on ABA-accredited law schools accepting the GRE, including 100 of 199 as of October 2022: https://www.ets.org/news/press-releases/aba-accredited-law-schools-in-us-use-gre-law-school-admissions.html
ABA 2025 law school enrollment and admissions data reported December 2025, including 41,847 LSAT and 531 GRE enrollees and 196 ABA-approved law schools: https://nydailyrecord.com/2025/12/18/aba-releases-2025-law-school-enrollment-and-admissions-data/
ABA Journal on the November 2024 Standard 503 variance permitting admission without an admissions test: https://www.abajournal.com/web/article/aspiring-law-students-could-skip-a-standardized-testing-under-new-aba-variance