Should you take the GRE instead of the LSAT?

David Busis

Hi 7Sagers,

I just published a new blog post about whether you should study for the GRE. Spoiler alert: probably not!

Check it out: https://7sage.com/should-you-take-the-gre-instead-of-the-lsat/

Darrin.lovard.allen

I took both coming from a stem background.
159Q. 155V.

I prefer the lsat. I like all the reading and argument analysis. I do like preparing for the GRE writing assignment. It is really difficult.

I actually think recognizing the learnable patterns on the lsat makes it more difficult than the GRE .

I am stuck in the low 160s on the lsat. I feel the lsat will better prepare me for law school. Even games.

Leah M B

I think the biggest argument for the GRE is for dual degrees (like JD/MBA). I think it makes sense that law schools would accept it in that scenario, allowing applicants to only take a single exam. But otherwise, it makes more sense to take the LSAT.

David Busis

@"Leah M B" great point!

Nunuboy1994

@"Darrin.lovard.allen" said:
I took both coming from a stem background.
159Q. 155V.

I prefer the lsat. I like all the reading and argument analysis. I do like preparing for the GRE writing assignment. It is really difficult.

I actually think recognizing the learnable patterns on the lsat makes it more difficult than the GRE .

I am stuck in the low 160s on the lsat. I feel the lsat will better prepare me for law school. Even games.

Yeah that seems to be a fair correlation with your scores based on the ETS conversion tool- you should be in the low to mid 160’s if you’re scored is around 315.

Nunuboy1994

@"Leah M B" said:
I think the biggest argument for the GRE is for dual degrees (like JD/MBA). I think it makes sense that law schools would accept it in that scenario, allowing applicants to only take a single exam. But otherwise, it makes more sense to take the LSAT.

I agree because in the context of a JD/MBA applicant, having one test is easier. You have to remember though, not all people who score high on the LSAT will necessarily do well on the GRE because the math is actually pretty hard. I’ve seen people hit 165+ who couldn’t crack GRE math and I’ve seen people who nailed the GRE well enough to have a score that converts to a solid LSAT. If you can do the math and want to do a dual degree in a quantitative field then take the GRE. If not, just take the LSAT.

Peaceofmind

GRE would definitely reach the international student market though since compare to the LSAT, the language barrier for GRE is not as significant (at least from what I heard).

Nunuboy1994

@KarateMaster said:
GRE would definitely reach the international student market though since compare to the LSAT, the language barrier for GRE is not as significant (at least from what I heard).

Eh based on my experience I would say thbthat language barrier is about the same; I have a few friends at GW Law, for example, who have strong accents and write awkwardly but have scored in the mid 160’s.

akistotle

@Nunuboy1994 said:

@KarateMaster said:
GRE would definitely reach the international student market though since compare to the LSAT, the language barrier for GRE is not as significant (at least from what I heard).

Eh based on my experience I would say thbthat language barrier is about the same; I have a few friends at GW Law, for example, who have strong accents and write awkwardly but have scored in the mid 160’s.

GRE is as difficult as LSAT so I don't know about the language barrier, but as mentioned in the blog post, GRE is much more accessible as it is offered in many times in many countries.

Chipster Study

I am going to go with the GRE because I have an engineering background, so I took all the math. Although, I looked at taking the LSAT and I did notice the large number of questions having to do with medicine and healthcare topics. If you were a physician, you might have an advantage.

Nunuboy1994

@akistotle said:

@Nunuboy1994 said:

@KarateMaster said:
GRE would definitely reach the international student market though since compare to the LSAT, the language barrier for GRE is not as significant (at least from what I heard).

Eh based on my experience I would say thbthat language barrier is about the same; I have a few friends at GW Law, for example, who have strong accents and write awkwardly but have scored in the mid 160’s.

GRE is as difficult as LSAT so I don't know about the language barrier, but as mentioned in the blog post, GRE is much more accessible as it is offered in many times in many countries.

@akistotle said:

@Nunuboy1994 said:

@KarateMaster said:
GRE would definitely reach the international student market though since compare to the LSAT, the language barrier for GRE is not as significant (at least from what I heard).

Eh based on my experience I would say thbthat language barrier is about the same; I have a few friends at GW Law, for example, who have strong accents and write awkwardly but have scored in the mid 160’s.

GRE is as difficult as LSAT so I don't know about the language barrier, but as mentioned in the blog post, GRE is much more accessible as it is offered in many times in many countries.

Oh no yeah I agree with that since I’ve taken both. Really a lot of people assume the GRE is easier but I mean there’s no math on the LSAT to begin with so that’s not really true it just depends. They are relatively just as difficult I guess would be the best way to put it- a 165 sage may not be able to even crack 310 if they have subpar math skills.