What does the decline in LSAT test-takers mean for your law school prospects?

By now, you've probably seen the headlines about the decline in LSAT test-takers. After releasing the October scores early last week, the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) also sent out updated data showing that 33,673 people sat for the exam. Compared to the October 2012 test date, there was an 11% drop in tests administered. The decline from 2009, when more than 60,000 people took the October test, is even more dramatic, with the Wall Street Journal estimating a 45% difference.

You're not alone if the numbers are causing you concern, but John A. Byrne has an interesting take on why this decline may be the best case for law school we've seen in some time. In the years immediately following the recession, not only did the number of LSAT test-takers spike, but so did the number of law school applicants. The influx of law school students meant that the legal field was saturated by new JDs searching for work after graduation.

For the last few years, all we've seen in the news is that these graduates are struggling to find employment in the field, so the decline in people pursuing legal careers is of benefit to those of you still competing for entrance into competitive schools. As Byrne points out in his article, the smaller applicant pool means that those competitive schools are slightly less competitive than they once were. And just like applications may yield more positive results, it's likely that career prospects will follow the same trend in the next few years as the market for legal jobs stabilizes.