GMAT vs. LSAT: A Guide to the New Test Formats

If you’re planning on pursuing another degree, you’ve probably heard by now that standardized tests across the board have been going through some changes. From law school to business school entrance exams—and everything in between—revamped tests started rolling out in 2023 (see the new GRE and digital SAT) and will continue to make their debuts throughout 2024. In this article, we’ll compare two graduate-level tests with newly updated versions: the GMAT and the LSAT.

KEY FACT:

The SAT, GRE, GMAT, and LSAT have all either rolled out new test versions in 2023 or will in 2024.

Our GMAT/LSAT comparison will include similarities and differences between the test formats, question types, and more. So, if you’re deciding between JD and MBA programs, or considering a dual degree, this article is for you!

Here are the topics we’ll cover:

• When and How Can I Take the New Tests?
• How Are the GMAT and LSAT Similar?
• What Are the Differences Between the GMAT and the LSAT?
• GMAT vs. LSAT Test Format
• The LSAT Writing Sample
• GMAT Quantitative Reasoning
• GMAT Data Insights
• GMAT vs. LSAT Verbal
  • GMAT Critical Reasoning vs. LSAT Logical Reasoning
  • GMAT vs. LSAT Reading Comprehension
• GMAT vs. LSAT: Key Takeaways
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
  • Is the LSAT harder than the GMAT?
  • Which exam should I take if I am undecided between a business or law career?
  • How do I prepare for the GMAT vs. the LSAT, and what resources are available?
• What’s Next?

First, let’s discuss when and how you can take the new GMAT, known as the GMAT Focus Edition, and the updated version of the LSAT.

When and How Can I Take the New Tests?

If you’re targeting fast-approaching admissions deadlines, be aware that the revamped LSAT will not be available to test-takers until August 2024. The new GMAT Focus Edition, on the other hand, was released on November 7, 2023. So, if by the end of this article you’ve decided to take the GMAT, you can register for your exam right away.

The Law School Admission Council (LSAC), which administers the LSAT, has not yet announced the exact testing dates for the new version of the exam. However, we do know that the final date you can sit for the version of the LSAT that is being retired is June 8, 2024.

It’s important to note that LSAT test administrations generally take place on designated dates in January, February, April, June, August, September, October, and November, with anywhere from 2-4 testing dates in each of those months. Additionally, there are specific registration deadlines for each testing month.

The GMAT offers far more flexibility in its testing times. Test-takers can sit for the GMAT year-round, pretty much any day of the week depending on availability at test centers in your area. And if you’re taking the GMAT Focus online, testing times are available around the clock.

The LSAT is also available either online or at test centers, but the designated testing times hold regardless of which test format you choose.

Note that both the GMAT and the LSAT offer testing accommodations to students in need.

KEY FACT:

Both the LSAT and GMAT are offered either online or at test centers. However, the LSAT is administered only on certain dates throughout the year.

How Are the GMAT and LSAT Similar?

There are a few major ways that the GMAT and LSAT are similar. For one, they have similar purposes. Taking one of them is generally among the application requirements for either business school (GMAT) or law school (LSAT), and admissions committees evaluate applicants in part based on those test scores. And just as the GMAT scores of admitted students are important for business school rankings, the LSAT scores of admitted students are important for law school rankings.

Secondly, they are both multiple-choice tests. So, with the exception of the LSAT writing sample, you won’t have to write in any answers on either exam. (We’ll discuss the LSAT writing sample in detail later.)

And as we’ll explore in this article, there are some significant similarities between GMAT and LSAT question types. Both include passage-based “Argument” questions that test your critical thinking and logical reasoning skills by asking you to analyze arguments in various ways. Both also include Reading Comprehension questions that test your ability to understand and interpret passages.

Of course, there are also some major differences between GMAT and LSAT content, which may prove to be deciding factors in your decision about which test to take.

What Are the Differences Between the GMAT and the LSAT?

As we’ll see in our comparison of the LSAT vs. GMAT, some of the differences between the two test formats, such as test length and questions per section, are relatively minor.

The major differences between the GMAT and LSAT are primarily in the content that each tests. That fact may seem surprising, given that we just noted significant overlap between the question types on the tests. Setting that overlap aside for a moment, there are 4 major content differences you’ll want to keep in mind as we undertake our GMAT/LSAT comparison:

• The LSAT features an essay portion.
• The GMAT features a Quantitative Reasoning (math) section.
• The GMAT includes a Data Insights (formerly Integrated Reasoning) section.
• The LSAT has far more argument-analysis questions (Logical Reasoning) than the GMAT (Critical Reasoning).

Now that we have an overview of the biggest differences between the tests, let’s dig into how the tests compare. We’ll start with the test formats.

GMAT vs. LSAT Test Format

Both the GMAT Focus Edition and the LSAT are administered by computer. (Paper exams are still available to test-takers receiving accommodations.)

Test timing and breaks differ somewhat between the two exams, with the GMAT Focus being slightly shorter, clocking in at 2 hours and 15 minutes.

The LSAT takes 2 hours and 30 minutes, including a 10-minute break, for the non-essay portion. The essay portion, which can be completed on a different date, adds another 35 minutes to the total test time.

Note that the GMAT Focus does not include a break without accommodations.

The table below provides a top-line comparison of the section structures of the two tests. Note that the structures and content of either test are the same regardless of whether you take your test online or in-person.

GMAT vs. LSAT Section Structure

So, while the GMAT sections are slightly longer than the LSAT sections, you’ll face fewer of them, and fewer questions overall. Note that the LSAT features an unscored section which could be either an additional Logical Reasoning or Reading Comprehension section — you won’t know beforehand which. While the GMAT version being phased out features an unscored section, the new GMAT Focus Edition does not.

Another key difference in the structure of the two tests is that you can choose your section order on the GMAT Focus. In fact, you can complete the 3 GMAT sections in any order you choose. The LSAT decides your section order for you.

The GMAT also allows you to flag and return to as many questions as you like within each section and edit your answers to up to 3 questions per section, time permitting.

Let’s start with the essay portion in our discussion of the content differences between the GMAT and LSAT.

The LSAT Writing Sample

The version of the GMAT that will be retired after January 2024 includes an Analytical Writing Assessment, aka essay section. However, the GMAT Focus Edition does not. So, this represents a major difference from the LSAT, on which the essay is considered pretty important. In fact, your LSAT essay is submitted as a writing sample with your applications to law schools.

Perhaps because the LSAT writing sample is so important, LSAC allows test-takers to schedule it separately. You can complete the essay portion of your exam after or up to 8 days before you sit for your LSAT. So, you can focus solely on writing the best essay possible, without having to worry about the rest of the test.

KEY FACT:

The GMAT does not require an essay, whereas the LSAT does.

Now, let’s talk about a feature of the GMAT that the LSAT doesn’t have: math questions.

GMAT Quantitative Reasoning

One of the biggest differences between the GMAT and LSAT is that the GMAT features a Quantitative Reasoning (math) section that includes 21 Problem Solving questions. The LSAT does not feature math questions.

So, test preparation for the GMAT will be quite different from that for the LSAT, since you will need to devote a significant portion of your study time to mastering GMAT Quant, which covers everything from basic arithmetic and number properties to probability and coordinate geometry. In fact, there are 21 major topics covered in GMAT Quant, and each of those topics includes numerous subtopics.

The good news is that none of those topics rises beyond the level of high school math. So, you won’t need, for instance, a college-level statistics course to ace GMAT math. Calculus and trigonometry also are notably absent from the GMAT. And, while the soon-to-be-defunct test version did include geometry questions, the GMAT Focus does not. (The noted exception is coordinate geometry.)

Now, some basic mathematical concepts could figure into some questions on the LSAT. For instance, numbers or percentages could be part of a Logical Reasoning question. In that case, you would have to take the numerical information into account along with any other information in the question.

However, even if numbers appear in a couple of LSAT questions, you won’t need to solve any equations or memorize any mathematical formulas for your LSAT, as you will for the GMAT.

KEY FACT:

The Quantitative Reasoning section makes up one-third of the GMAT Focus, whereas the LSAT does not feature any math questions.

Let’s talk about another big difference between the GMAT and LSAT: Data Insights.

GMAT Data Insights

The Data Insights section (previously called Integrated Reasoning) makes up approximately a third of the GMAT and tests your ability to analyze and interpret data in a variety of forms — graphic, numerical, and text-based. This section requires a mix of quantitative, verbal, and data analysis skills and features 5 main question types:

• Data Sufficiency
• Graphics Interpretation
• Table Analysis
• Two-Part Analysis
• Multi-Source Reasoning

To answer these questions, you will have to do things such as:

• analyze and synthesize information from graphs, tables, and charts
• organize data in meaningful ways
• identify and evaluate relationships between data
• distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information
• synthesize information from multiple sources in various formats
• determine whether you have enough information to reach certain conclusions

and more.

Notice that these types of skills are very relevant to professional business settings. So, it makes sense that the main admissions exam used by business schools would test such skills.

On the other hand, the LSAT will not require you to analyze any graphs or perform the types of data analysis and information synthesis that are the hallmarks of GMAT Data Insights.

So, this is another area where preparation for the two exams diverges sharply.

KEY FACT:

GMAT Data Insights requires analyzing graphs, tables, and charts and synthesizing information from multiple sources in various formats, tasks that the LSAT does not require.

Now, let’s discuss an area where we will see some similarities between the two tests: verbal questions.

GMAT vs. LSAT Verbal

As we saw earlier in our section structure comparison, the LSAT breaks up its 2 main question types, Logical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension, into separate sections. Specifically, you’ll see 2 scored Logical Reasoning sections and 1 scored Reading Comprehension section, plus another unscored section of one of those types. (The Analytical Reasoning, or Logic Games, section is not part of the new LSAT.)

On the other hand, the GMAT incorporates both of its verbal question types, Critical Reasoning (which is comparable to LSAT Logical Reasoning) and Reading Comprehension, into one Verbal Reasoning section.

So, while the verbal question types on the two exams are very similar, you will face significantly more verbal questions on the LSAT. Specifically, you’ll see 48-52 Logical Reasoning questions and 26-28 Reading Comprehension questions on the LSAT (not counting unscored questions), but only roughly 11 Critical Reasoning questions and 12 Reading Comprehension questions on the GMAT Focus.

Essentially, the LSAT is entirely a test of verbal and logical reasoning skills. The GMAT, as we have discussed, tests a greater variety of skills, including quantitative and data analysis skills.

KEY FACT:

The LSAT is entirely made up of questions that test verbal and logical reasoning skills, whereas the GMAT also tests quantitative and data analysis skills.

With all of this in mind, let’s take a closer look at the verbal question types that appear on both exams.

GMAT Critical Reasoning vs. LSAT Logical Reasoning

Both GMAT Critical Reasoning and LSAT Logical Reasoning questions present arguments in brief, 1-paragraph passages and ask you to analyze those arguments in some way.

For example, on both tests, you may need to:

• draw a logical inference based on an argument
• strengthen or weaken an argument
• recognize a flaw in an argument
• identify an assumption upon which an argument depends
• identify an argument’s logical conclusion
• identify the role that part of an argument plays
• resolve an apparent paradox in an argument
• analyze the method of reasoning in an argument

However, LSAT Logical Reasoning also features some question types that GMAT Critical Reasoning does not, including ones that ask you to:

• identify similarities between or points of disagreement in arguments
• understand analogies
• apply principles or rules
• determine how new evidence affects an argument

Likewise, GMAT Critical Reasoning questions may ask you to:

• recognize and interpret cause-and-effect relationships
• logically complete incomplete passages
• identify additional information needed to evaluate an argument’s merits

So, while there is significant overlap between Logical Reasoning and Critical Reasoning question types, there are some differences.

KEY FACT:

Both GMAT Critical Reasoning and LSAT Logical Reasoning questions present brief arguments that you must analyze in various ways.

GMAT vs. LSAT Reading Comprehension

Both GMAT and LSAT Reading Comprehension present rather dense, multi-paragraph passages alongside questions that test your understanding of those passages in various ways, although the GMAT also includes some shorter passages.

RC passages on either test cover a range of topics in the humanities, social sciences, and biological and physical sciences. LSAT passages may also cover topics related to the law.

In general, both GMAT and LSAT RC passages resemble those you might find in high-quality newspapers and magazines or academic journals or books.

The GMAT and LSAT have many Reading Comprehension question types in common, including questions that ask you to:

• identify the main idea or primary purpose of a passage
• identify the tone of a passage
• analyze how a passage is organized
• interpret specific details in a passage
• draw inferences based on a passage
• apply information in a passage to a new context
• interpret the meaning or purpose of specific words or phrases in a passage

LSAT RC questions may also ask you to:

• identify principles relevant to a passage
• draw an analogy to an argument or claim in the passage
• analyze the effect of new information on an argument or claim made in a passage
• analyze relationships between the two passages presented side by side (Comparative Reading)

On the other hand, GMAT RC questions may ask you to:

• analyze how a paragraph within a passage is organized
• identify the function of a sentence within a passage
• strengthen, weaken, or identify assumptions in claims made in a passage

So, once again, we see numerous similarities between GMAT and LSAT RC passages and questions, and a few notable differences.

KEY FACT:

Both GMAT and LSAT Reading Comprehension passages resemble those you might find in high-quality newspapers and magazines or academic journals or books.

GMAT vs. LSAT: Key Takeaways

Below are the key similarities and differences between the GMAT and LSAT that we’ve reviewed in this article.

Key Similarities:

• Both the GMAT and LSAT are multiple-choice standardized tests.
• Both tests are available to take either online or in a test center.
• Both tests are administered by computer.
• Both tests offer testing accommodations to students in need.
• The two tests have many verbal question types in common.

Key Differences:

• The GMAT is used for business school admissions, while the LSAT is used for law school admissions.
• The GMAT is offered year-round, while the LSAT has a limited number of testing dates throughout the year.
• The LSAT features an essay portion.
• The LSAT has a much greater number of verbal questions than the GMAT.
• The GMAT features a Quantitative Reasoning (math) section.
• The GMAT features a Data Insights section.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is the LSAT harder than the GMAT?

The answer to this question is different for every test-taker. If you find Logical/Critical Reasoning questions particularly difficult, then the LSAT will present a huge challenge for you. Likewise, if you are unable to showcase polished writing skills, you may have more difficulty with the LSAT than the GMAT.

On the other hand, if your quant skills are shaky or you dread data analysis, you’ll probably find the GMAT more difficult.

The best way to determine which test may be harder for you is to take an official, full-length practice test of each. Compare your results from those two exams and how you felt while taking each.

Which exam should I take if I am undecided between a business or law career?

If you haven’t made up your mind about whether to pursue JD or MBA programs, the GRE might be your best bet. The GRE is accepted by virtually all business schools and more than half of ABA-accredited law schools, in addition to countless other types of graduate programs. So, if you must take your admissions test before deciding which degree to pursue, the GRE will cover all your bases.

Of course, it also may be a good idea to consider waiting to take an admissions test until you’ve decided which type of degree to pursue.

Whatever you decide, just remember: currently, the GMAT is not accepted at law schools, and the LSAT is not accepted at business schools.

How do I prepare for the GMAT vs. the LSAT, and what resources are available?

Since the GMAT covers such a wide range of topics and skills, most students need a comprehensive test preparation resource in order to properly prepare for test day.

There are many different types of GMAT test preparation resources available, from live classes to self-study courses. So, your best bet is to check out verified student reviews and student stories on forums such as GMAT Club and the GMAT subreddit to see what might work best for your needs.

Through its LawHub service, the Law School Admission Council makes a ton of official materials available to students preparing for the LSAT. While paying for the service gets you access to more resources, there are prep materials such as official practice tests available for free as well.

Whichever test you take and whatever resource you choose to prepare, keep in mind that you will probably need to set aside at least a couple of months, if not several, for your preparation.

What’s Next?

Explore whether the GRE is easier than the LSAT and learn what is considered a good GRE score for law school.

Also, learn about the new ​​GMAT Focus scoring scales and what is considered a good GMAT score for MBA programs.

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