GRE considered by some to be “valid and reliable admissions test” for ABA approved law admissions

The above tweet references a fascinating article in the Wall Street Journal that includes:

The traditional law school test emphasizes logical reasoning and reading comprehension, while the GRE also tests math and vocabulary. “The GRE is regarded as the easier test,” said Jeff Thomas, executive director of prelaw programs at Kaplan Test Prep.

Mr. Miller said the school’s proof that the GRE is just as good a predictor of first-year law school grades as the LSAT is a study Arizona Law put together in conjunction with Educational Testing Service, the maker of the GRE. With that study in hand, he said, the school believes it can start taking GRE scores without waiting for a formal blessing from the ABA. Incoming students can still apply using an LSAT score.

“We found where the tunnel was that anyone could have driven through if they’d bought enough gas and a big enough truck,” Mr. Miller said.

The ABA has a slightly different opinion on the matter. Barry Currier, the ABA’s managing director of accreditation and legal education, said they aren’t going to take Arizona Law’s report on its face and plan to conduct an independent analysis of the GRE’s worthiness. “We’re determining what our course of action will be,” he said.

Mr. Currier also cautions that the study Arizona Law produced is only applicable to that school, and not an open invitation for schools to begin loosening reliance on the LSAT.

The GRE’s maker, ETS, is already working with two other schools on validation studies, and they say they plan to embark on a nationwide study that, if the ABA agrees with the results, could open the door for widespread adoption.

This is an issue that I discussed a few years ago in the context of the ABA considering whether to continue the use of the LSAT.

The series of posts were as follows:

ABA Considers Making the LSAT Optional – 5 Posts

1. ABA considers making the LSAT optional

2. Should the law schools be required to use the LSAT?

3. Is the LSAT a valid test?

4. Will the law schools use an optional LSAT?

5. The GRE as a substitute for the LSAT

– See more at: http://masteringthelsat.com/blog/best-lsat-blog/#sthash.ioeEZNw1.dpuf