*There will likely be more test dates for 2024. However, as of the publishing date of this article, the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) website only shows official LSAT dates up to June 2024.
When can you take the GRE?
You can schedule to take the GRE in person at various times throughout the year, depending on the dates offered at your local test center. You also have the option to take the GRE at home, whenever is convenient, seven days a week.
How many times can you take the LSAT or GRE?
You can take the LSAT up to seven times over your lifetime—up to three times in a single testing year and five times during a five-year period.
You can take the GRE once every 21 days—up to five times within any one-year period.
When should you take the LSAT or GRE for law school applications?
You should take either the LSAT or GRE at least six months before your law school application deadlines. That way, you have plenty of time to prepare and ensure you’re happy with your score before submitting your applications.
If you’re a college student hoping to go to law school immediately after graduating, you’ll generally want to take either of these exams during the spring of your junior year, the summer after your junior year, or the fall of your senior year. Step Three: Apply to and complete law school
The next step is applying to, gaining admission, and completing law school. Law schools typically require applicants to submit the following application materials:
Transcripts from all post-secondary education
LSAT (or sometimes GRE) scores
2 letters of recommendation
A law school personal statement
Complete application
For an in-depth guide to the law school application requirements, check out this article.
When are law school applications due?
Law school application deadlines vary depending on the specific law schools and the admissions cycle you are applying for.
Many law schools in the United States have rolling admissions, meaning they review applications as they are received and may have multiple deadlines throughout the year. In rolling admissions, applying as early as possible is generally advantageous, as seats and scholarship funds may become limited as the cycle progresses.
However, there are two other common application cycles and deadlines you should be aware of:
Early Decision/Early Action: Some law schools offer an early decision or early action option, with deadlines usually falling between September and November. Early deadlines may offer advantages such as priority consideration or expedited decision timelines, but early decision applications are binding commitments.
Regular Decision: The regular decision deadline for many law schools is usually between December and February. This is the main application deadline for most law school applicants. Unlike early decision applications, you can apply regular decision to multiple law schools.
How long does it take to complete law school?
Most full-time law school students earn the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree in three years. Part-time students may take up to five years to complete law school.
What do you learn in law school?
Law school education provides students with a comprehensive understanding of legal principles, analytical skills, and the ability to think critically. The curriculum typically covers a broad range of subjects related to law and legal practice.
Here are some of the key areas of study in law school:
Legal foundations: Law students start by learning the fundamentals of legal systems, including constitutional law, contracts, property law, civil procedure, and criminal law.
Legal research and writing: Students learn to research legal sources, such as statutes and case law, and develop strong writing skills to draft legal documents, memos, and briefs.
Legal analysis and reasoning: Law school teaches students to analyze complex legal issues, identify relevant legal principles, and apply them to specific factual scenarios.
Specialized legal areas: Students have the opportunity to explore various specialized areas, such as corporate law, criminal law, family law, environmental law, intellectual property law, international law, and more.
Professional skills: Law schools often offer courses and programs to develop practical skills necessary for legal practice, such as negotiation, trial advocacy, legal clinics, and legal ethics.
Electives: Law school elective courses cover various legal topics and can be taken in areas such as health law, human rights, entertainment law, tax law, or any other specialized area.
Examples of official law school curriculums
If you’d like to see greater detail, check out the curricula below from some highly respected law schools:
Columbia Law School Curriculum
University of Washington School of Law Curriculum
University of Virginia School of Law Curriculum
Step Four: Pass the Bar Examination
Once you've graduated from law school, the next step is to pass the bar exam.
What is the bar exam?
The bar exam is a multi-day test determining eligibility to practice law in a particular state. The exam consists of multiple-choice questions, essays, and performance tests that measure your knowledge and understanding of the law.
You can choose to take the bar exam for the particular state where you plan to practice law. However, many jurisdictions also allow you to take the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE), designed to assess the same level of competence regardless of which state you're taking it in.
How to study for the bar exam
Studying for the bar exam can be an intensive process, so it's essential to create a plan and stick to it. You should start studying at least six months before the test date. During this time, you'll want to review course material from law school, familiarize yourself with recent updates in state and federal laws, and practice taking bar exam questions.
You may also want to consider taking a prep course or joining a study group with other people taking the bar exam. Additionally, you may want to use study aids such as flashcards, practice tests, and mock exams.
How many times can you take the bar exam?
Most states don’t have a limit on how many times you can take the bar exam. For the states that do set limits, the maximum number of times you can take the bar exam range from 2-6 times. You can check the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) website to determine the specific requirements and limits for re-taking the exam in your jurisdiction.
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