The American Bar Association (ABA) is ditching the infamous Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) in a bid to improve the diversity of those who are accepted into American law schools.
The ABA’s accrediting council voted 15-1 in favor of making the LSAT optional for law school applicants, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
The policy will take effect in 2025. Individual law schools will still be able to require the test of applicants.
The move is based on the perception that ethnic minorities and women do not perform as well on the test, which in turn creates a less diverse population of lawyers. By making the test optional, the ABA hopes more minorities and women will be able to successfully pursue legal careers.
According to the WSJ, a Kaplan Inc. survey of law schools found many intended to continue requiring the test while almost half were undecided. Only two law schools said they intended to ditch the requirement.
