You are here:
Home »
Blog »
CPA Career »
Do CPAs Need to Take the LSAT? A breakdown of the LSAT vs CPA

Do CPAs Need to Take the LSAT? A breakdown of the LSAT vs CPA

If you’re an accountant, do you know if CPAs need to take the LSAT and go to law school? After all, some public accountants consider law school to supplement their careers in tax. But the CPA and LSAT exams are completely different, and both require a significant amount of study time. So if you’re considering the LSAT vs CPA Exam, this post will break down your options.

Why Would CPAs Need to Take the LSAT?

To start, do you know why CPAs might take the LSAT in the first place? Well, law school may be especially appealing for CPAs who hope to work on legal or policy issues. Or the law school path can help CPAs leverage their experience to start lucrative careers in business, corporate finance, compliance, or tax law. Plus, a background in accounting can help set you apart from other law school applicants.

LSAT vs CPA

Before you decide if you need to take both the LSAT and CPA, first consider what types of exams they are and how long you’ll need to study. For instance, the CPA Exam is a knowledge-based exam, but the LSAT is not. In fact, the LSAT primarily tests reasoning and reading comprehension. So in that respect, they are completely different types of tests.

Furthermore, the CPA Exam is pass/fail. However, with the LSAT, you’ll receive a score that is compared against other law school applicants. And if you want, you can take the LSAT over and over again until you get the score you need to get into a top law school.

Is the CPA Exam Harder than the LSAT?

Is the LSAT harder than the CPA Exam? Or is the CPA Exam more difficult than the LSAT?

Well, studying for the CPA Exam is a different process from studying for the LSAT exam. Some candidates claim that it’s easier to study for the LSAT than the CPA Exam and that the LSAT requires fewer study hours to get a good score.

The CPA Exam requires a lot of memorization, and most candidates need to take several practice exams before they can pass. But for the LSAT, candidates learn strategies for answering the questions, such as how to organize information in a question and how to ID language prompts.

However, the answer to “Is the LSAT harder than the CPA Exam?” really depends on the candidate. After all, the CPA Exam tests your knowledge base, but the LSAT tests your reasoning skills. As a result, the total number of hours you’ll need to study for each exam depends on your unique skill set.

Studying for the LSAT vs CPA

It doesn’t matter if you will take the LSAT, the CPA Exam, or both – you need a good study plan and a review course to help you get the best score possible. I’ve checked out the pros and cons of the best LSAT review courses and the best CPA Exam study materials to help you find the study aids that work for your learning style.

Plus, I have some discounts to share, too! One of the biggest discounts is with Becker CPA, our top-rated CPA Exam review course. (It’s the course I used to pass the CPA Exam!) But I have other discounts and CPA and LSAT coupons, too.

Best CPA Exam Review Courses

CPA Review Courses	Becker CPA Review	Gleim CPA Review	Surgent CPA Review
Overall Summary	Biggest name in the industry	Best practice MCQs and simulations	Best adaptive learning technology
Price before discounts (top package for all 4 CPA Exam sections)	Becker CPA Pro: $3,799	Gleim CPA Premium Pro: $3,499	Surgent CPA Ultimate Pass: $1,999
Current discount	Check discount	Check discount	Check discount

Best LSAT Review Courses

LSAT Courses	LSATMax	Manhattan Prep	Princeton Review	Magoosh
Overall Summary	#1-rated LSAT course	Access to all previous LSAT exams	Good guarantees	Affordable option for LSAT study
Price before discounts (top package)	$950	$1,399	$1,099-$2,099	$499
Current discount	Check discount	15%	Save $200-$400	Check discount

FAQs about the LSAT vs CPA

Do accountants do well on the LSAT?

Will accounting help you with the LSAT? Of course, each person’s experience with the LSAT is different. And whether or not you do well depends on how much you study. But think about it this way: accountants can be people who are very analytical and can solve complex reasoning problems. In general, those skills can help you score well on the LSAT.

Can an accountant take the LSAT?

Yes! Most law schools will accept candidates with a variety of undergraduate degrees and backgrounds, including accounting.

Should an accountant go to law school?

Knowledge of accounting is beneficial for practically any area of law practice. Additionally, big accounting firms employ lawyers with accounting backgrounds. So if you’re a CPA who has a special interest in tax law, you should definitely consider going to law school, too!

30% off Becker CPA Pro