GRE vs LSAT: The Complete Guide for Pre-Law Students

Published by ETS | Updated March 2026 | 10-minute read

If you’re planning to apply to law school, you’ve almost certainly asked: Should I take the GRE or the LSAT? For most of the past century, the LSAT was the only option. Today, prospective law students have a real choice — and a growing number are choosing the GRE General Test.

As of 2026, the majority of ABA-accredited law schools accept the GRE for admission, following the American Bar Association’s formal approval of the test as a valid alternative to the LSAT. That’s a significant shift — and it opens the door for pre-law students to take a test that matches their strengths, fits their schedule, and gives them options beyond the JD.

This guide covers everything you need to know: how the two tests compare on content and format, how scores translate between them, which schools accept the GRE, and what the research says about each test’s ability to predict law school success.

The GRE General Test, developed and administered by ETS, is the world’s most widely taken graduate admissions exam. It measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing skills that graduate programs — including law schools — have identified as important for academic success.

The GRE is accepted by thousands of programs across more than 160 countries, opening the door to MBA programs, PhD programs, and dual-degree pathways. For many pre-law students, that flexibility is a meaningful advantage.

GRE Test Sections

• Verbal Reasoning (130–170): Reading comprehension, text completion, and sentence equivalence — skills directly relevant to legal reading and analysis.
• Quantitative Reasoning (130–170): Mathematical reasoning and data interpretation. Particularly valuable for students pursuing finance-focused law or dual degrees.
• Analytical Writing (0–6): One written response analyzing an issue — a skill set at the core of legal practice.

The LSAT (Law School Admission Test), administered by LSAC, has been the standard admissions test for U.S. law schools since 1948. It is designed specifically to assess the critical thinking skills required for law school, with a particular emphasis on logical and analytical reasoning.

LSAT Test Sections

• Logical Reasoning: Analyzes, evaluates, and completes arguments.
• Reading Comprehension: Tests the ability to understand complex passages, including comparative reading.

Note: As of August 2024, LSAC replaced the Analytical Reasoning (Logic Games) section with a second Logical Reasoning section. The LSAT produces a single composite score on a 120–180 scale with no quantitative reasoning component.

The most significant difference is what each test measures. The LSAT focuses on the logical, analytical, and reading skills most associated with legal reasoning. The GRE assesses a broader academic skill set — verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, and analytical writing — reflecting challenges across graduate disciplines.

Neither test is objectively harder — they’re simply different. The GRE’s broad academic design makes it accessible to pre-law students from any undergraduate background: political science, history, philosophy, economics, public policy, and STEM alike. The LSAT’s structure demands a specific type of formal logic reasoning requiring focused preparation regardless of major. The right choice depends on which format aligns better with your natural strengths and your approach to test prep.

The GRE is available year-round at hundreds of test centers and as an at-home option. Students can retake the GRE up to five times per year.

The LSAT is offered on fixed test dates throughout the year. Notably, LSAC has announced that starting with the August 2026 administration, at-home LSAT testing will be discontinued — all administrations will require in-person attendance at an authorized test center. The GRE continues to offer both at-home and test-center options with no planned changes.

A GRE score can be submitted to law school, business school, public policy programs, and PhD programs — simultaneously. For students considering JD/MBA, JD/MPP, or JD/PhD paths, the GRE is the only test that serves multiple admissions goals at once. The LSAT is accepted only by law schools.

The GRE’s ScoreSelect® option lets test-takers choose which scores to send — from a single test date or across multiple sittings. LSAC’s policy sends all LSAT scores automatically, giving applicants less control over their score history.

Registration fees are only the starting point. For most law school applicants, the true cost of using the LSAT is substantially higher — because most ABA-accredited law schools require applicants to submit materials through the LSAC Credential Assembly Service (CAS), which carries its own mandatory fees.

Because the GRE and LSAT use different score scales, a common question is how they compare. There is no single official conversion table, but ETS and law school researchers have used percentile matching to establish approximate equivalencies.

Source: Percentile-based equivalencies derived from the ETS GRE General Test Snapshot (July 2024–June 2025) and LSAC Percentile Tables (2021–2024 testing years). Approximate ranges only — not an official ETS conversion table. Individual school evaluation frameworks may vary.

Yes — and in significant numbers. The shift began in 2016, and in 2021 the American Bar Association formally amended its standards to permit ABA-accredited law schools to accept tests other than the LSAT for admissions purposes.

As of 2026, the majority of ABA-accredited law schools — including many of the nation’s top-ranked programs — accept the GRE. This includes schools across all tiers, from large research universities to regional law schools and dual-degree programs.

Applicants should always verify acceptance policies directly with each school, as policies can change and some schools may have specific requirements for certain programs. For a current list of law schools accepting the GRE, visit the ETS GRE law school program list.

Many pre-law students choose the GRE because it offers flexibility, fit, and long-term options:

• Keeps multiple paths open. The GRE can be used for law school as well as MBA, public policy, and PhD programs — a practical choice for dual-degree students (JD/MBA, JD/MPP, JD/PhD) or those still exploring options. One test, one score report, many doors.
• Reflects graduate-level thinking across disciplines. The GRE measures verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and analytical writing — skills developed across virtually every undergraduate major, from political science and history to economics and public policy.
• Fits real schedules. Year-round testing, up to five retakes per year, and continued at-home testing make the GRE easier to fit into busy academic and work schedules. Most LSAT administrations move to in-person only starting August 2026, while the GRE’s at-home option remains fully available.
• Gives applicants control. With ScoreSelect®, you choose which scores to send — schools only see what you share. That reduces pressure on any single test date and lets you build your score over time.
• Widely accepted with no admissions disadvantage. Most ABA-accredited law schools accept the GRE and evaluate GRE applicants through the same holistic process as LSAT applicants.

There’s no universal right answer — the best test is the one that gives you the strongest score for the programs you’re targeting.

• Take the GRE if: You’re applying to dual-degree programs or keeping other graduate options open; you want scheduling flexibility, at-home testing, or the ability to choose which scores to send; or your target schools accept the GRE.