Almost all law schools require applicants to send transcripts and letters to the Law School Data Assembly Service.
Typically, law school admission requires criteria such as a standardized test score and grade point average in a person's application. This is to compare an applicant to others who are applying to the same law schools. For example, an applicant with a score of 160, according to the Princeton Review, may be considered in an elite group of applicants. The GPA is important because it indicates how well the person did in his undergraduate courses.
Standardized Test Requirement
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, all law schools approved by the American Bar Association require law school applicants to take the Law School Admission Test or LSAT. The LSAT consists of five sections of multiple choice questions and a writing sample. However, there are three types of multiple choice questions an aspiring law student must answer. For instance, the analytical reasoning questions measure a person's ability to understand and draw logical conclusions. The other types of multiple choice questions include reading comprehension and logical reasoning. Each of the five sections takes approximately 35 minutes to complete. Only the multiple choice sections are graded.
LSAT Scores
An LSAT score is based on a raw score of how many questions an aspiring law student answered correctly. In other words, the LSAT doesn't penalize anyone by deducting points for wrong answers. However, the lowest score an aspiring law student can earn is 120. The highest score is 180. LSAT score requirement varies by law school and a high score doesn't necessary mean an automatic acceptance. According to the Law School Admission Council, some law schools place greater weight than others on the LSAT; most schools evaluate the entire application.
Grade Point Average Requirement
Another law school admission requirement is a grade point average or GPA earned during an aspiring law student's undergraduate years. Although each law school has different GPA requirements, typically, law schools require a GPA that range above a 3.0. Beside a GPA, law schools also consider the aspiring law student's major. For instance, law school committees may favor a double major in biology and philosophy with a GPA of 3.5 than one who majored in political science with the same GPA, according to College Answer. A low GPA doesn't mean that an aspiring law student won't be accepted into law school.
Considerations
According to BLS, law school acceptance depends on an applicant's ability to show a talent and aptitude for the law. Therefore, law schools take into consideration other admission requirements which include a personal statement, an interview with the law school admission committee and any prior law-related experience.
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