December LSAT Takers Lowest Number Since 1987

And, the Number of Applicants Tends to Track the Number of LSAT Takers.  

So . . . . 

LSAC has now posted data on the number of LSATs administered at the December 2013 sitting.  As a commenter to a Faculty Lounge posting here, known as "Former Law Review Editor," notes:  

"Only 28,363 people took the December 2013 LSAT."


I blogged about the historical data here.  

For another summary of the historical data, by LSATs administered, look here.

The recap:

Date of Administration/Number of Takers

• Dec. 2013/28,363
• Dec. 2012/30,226
• Dec. 2011/35,825
• Dec. 2010/42,096
• Dec. 2009/50,444 (highest since 1987 when LSAC began keeping these records)
• Dec. 2008/43,646

You have to go back to 1997 to see this low level of Dec. LSAT takers (then, 29,879 takers).  It has never been lower since LSAC began keeping (or at least publishing) data on LSAT takers in 1987.  

Jan.13, 2014 Update:  From the same comment thread by commenter, "Jesus Buddha Mohammed":  

"The December LSAT numbers are down, but that is not entirely accurate this year because there were a number of test centers that canceled the test due to weather that weekend. The February LSAT numbers may go up as those people make it up. Or some may not bother. We'll have to see."

Brian Leiter's Comments appear here:

Judging from the last few years, there's a reasonable chance that the number of applicants may stabilize in the next year or two, since this year's declines are much smaller than the prior years. So, for example, LSATs taken jumped 15.6% in December 2009 from the prior year, then fell 16.5% in 2010, dropped another 14.9% in 2011, and another 15.6% in 2012, but only dropped 6.2% this year. The pattern is similar with the other test months.