'Quite a surprise' in increased number of LSAT test takers
The number of people who took the Law School Admission Test in February has jumped 4.4 percent.
The LSAT Blog: Ace the LSAT calls the increase “quite a surprise.”
The number of would-be law students taking the test was 20,358 in February, up from 19,499 in February 2014. The number is still well below the recent high water mark for the same month–28,092–in 2009.
Fewer people take the test in February, and the increase translates to 859 additional test takers, the National Law Journal points out.
The LSAT Blog author Steve Schwartz speculates that the uptick may be due to a belief that it’s easier to get into a higher-ranked law school, given the recent decline in applicants. He told the National Law Journal he doesn’t think the February increase indicates a turnaround, at least not yet.
“I think it represents that we’ve kind of reached the bottom or that we’re somewhere in that neighborhood,” he said.
University of North Carolina law professor Alfred Brophy doesn’t think the number heralds an increase in law school applicants. He told the National Law Journal that law school applicants are 4.6 percent lower at this point in the applications process, and the declines could continue for another year. “I think fall 2016 may be the low point,” he said.
Story was updated on March 19 to include information from the National Law Journal.
