The admission council said the surge could benefit schools vying for top talents in the legal industry
The latest law school admission cycle has seen a notable 18 percent increase in Law School Admission Test (LSAT) registrations, suggesting a growing interest in legal careers among young people, Reuters reported.
According to the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), the surge in test takers could benefit schools vying for top talent in the legal field.
Each LSAT administration from August to November has posted significant increases in either test takers or registrants compared to 2023. The August LSAT saw a 35 percent rise in examinees, followed by a 7 percent increase in September. The number of registrants for the October exam increased by 12 percent, and November saw a 29 percent rise in sign-ups. Overall, nearly 22,000 more people have registered for the LSAT this year compared to the same period last year.
Susan Krinsky, interim president of LSAC, noted that this boost in LSAT participation is expected to result in more law school applications. However, early data on applicant numbers will not be available until later in the month, as most law schools have only recently opened their application portals.
The reasons behind this surge in LSAT interest are not entirely clear, but Krinsky speculates that factors such as the upcoming US presidential election, recent Supreme Court decisions, and Vice President Kamala Harris’ focus on her career as a prosecutor may be driving more people toward the legal field. "Law school may seem to people to be a way to approach what they are seeing going on in the world," Krinsky said, highlighting how law careers can offer a path to understanding and impacting societal changes.
The rise in LSAT registrations comes at a time when the US legal sector is showing signs of recovery, having added jobs following a four-month decline. Law schools are also coming off a strong application season, with a 6 percent increase in applicants nationwide compared to the previous year.
The August spike in LSAT takers was partly expected, as it was the first exam to exclude the "logic games" section, a challenging portion that had been part of the test since 1982. Despite the removal, Krinsky noted that exam scores remained steady between July and August, indicating no significant increase after the section's elimination.
