{"id":27835,"date":"2019-09-10T15:40:06","date_gmt":"2019-09-10T20:40:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/?p=27835"},"modified":"2022-04-19T20:11:03","modified_gmt":"2022-04-19T20:11:03","slug":"how-long-is-law-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/lsat\/how-long-is-law-school\/","title":{"rendered":"How Long is Law School?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Law school programs are usually three years long. Some law schools have part-time programs where students take classes in the evenings and on the weekends\u2014getting your JD part-time usually takes a minimum of four years. Many law schools also offer dual-degree programs (e.g., JD-MBA). If you have plans to pursue a dual-degree, you should expect to be in school for a minimum of four years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prerequisites for Law School<\/h3>
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There are 203 schools and programs currently accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). Each of these schools has its own admissions criteria, so you should research specific schools of interest to find out what they require from applicants.<\/p>\n

By and large, all law programs require applicants to have a bachelor\u2019s degree. Your undergraduate major is often not that important, and you definitely do not need to major in a specific discipline as a prerequisite for admission. In fact, if you majored in something seemingly tangential\u2014perhaps you got a BFA in Studio Art, for example\u2014you can use this experience to paint a <\/span>compelling narrative in your law school application<\/span><\/a>. Law schools are always looking for a diverse student body to create an intellectually stimulating environment for their students. What you believe might set you apart from all other applicants may be the very thing that gets you in.<\/span><\/p>\n

The vast majority of law schools will require you to take the <\/span>LSAT<\/span><\/a> (the Law School Admissions Test). Though schools do not have a minimum cut-off score for entry, most publish data on the scores of recently accepted students. You can get a good sense of what score will make you competitive with other applicants and then set a target score depending on which schools you intend to apply to. You\u2019ll want to give yourself enough time to <\/span>prep for the LSAT<\/span><\/a> depending on what <\/span>LSAT test date you are targeting<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some law schools<\/span><\/a> have begun accepting the <\/span>GRE<\/span><\/a> in lieu of the LSAT, including many <\/span>top programs<\/span><\/a>, and more schools are likely to join the trend. According to a Kaplan Test Prep survey, 25 percent of law schools say that they plan to accept the GRE.<\/span>
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What is Law School Like?<\/h3>
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\nThere is no standard curriculum that is mandated by the ABA, but the majority of law schools adhere to a similar structure.
\nLaw students are divided up by their class year: 1L, 2L, or 3L. The foundational curriculum is taught in the first year and there is rarely flexibility in the courses that 1Ls take. You can expect to get an overview of all aspects of practicing law including:<\/span><\/p>\n