Does LSAT score predict law school success?

Asked by: Ike Grimes V  |  Last update: August 4, 2022
Score: 4.9/5 (1 votes)

For more than 70 years, U.S. law schools have required the LSAT for admission. The reason is clear: Research consistently confirms that the LSAT is the single best predictor of law school success.

How important is LSAT score for law school?

LSAT scores are often considered the most important factor in law school admissions. Typically, in law school admissions, LSAT scores and undergraduate GPA are used to create an “index formula” — your objective strength. The LSAT score is weighted more, accounting for greater than half of the admissions decision.

Do law schools look at LSAT score or percentile?

Your score's percentile rank is the percent of people who score lower than you. Because a 152 is the median LSAT score, it would give you a percentile ranking of approximately 50. It's common to talk in terms of LSAT score, but law schools also look at your score percentile. Small LSAT score gains can net big results.

Does your LSAT score really matter?

Just how important the LSAT relative to other elements of your overall application package varies a little from school to school. However, generally, your LSAT score alone is thought to be anywhere from twice as important as your GPA to four to five times as important!

What is the most accurate law school predictor?

The 3 Best Law School Predictors
  • HourUMD Law School Probability Calculator. How it works: HourUMD takes your numbers and measures them against data from LawSchoolNumbers.com (LSN). ...
  • The Law School Predictor. ...
  • The LSAC Calculator.

Does the LSAT Predict Law School Performance

15 related questions found

How hard is it to get a 160 on the LSAT?

The LSAT has between 99 and 102 questions, and is scored from 120-180. In order to get an LSAT score of 160, you would need to get about 70-75 out of the 102 questions correct. In other words, you should be aiming to get around 70-75% of questions correct per section.

Is 165 a good LSAT score?

25 law schools all reported an LSAT median score of at least 163‡. This means that to be a competitive candidate at a top 25 law school, you will most likely need a score above 165.

Why is LSAT more important than GPA?

Common Ground. With the LSAT, they know that everyone was given the same level of difficulty and very similar questions. This makes it the single most important number on your application. It can even be more important than your undergraduate GPA.

Do law schools look at your highest LSAT score?

You will find that most law schools look at the higher or highest LSAT test score for applicants with multiple scores. However, applicants should keep in mind that Admissions Committee members will see all scores and may be negatively influenced by a large number of tests or a downward trend in scores.

Do law schools care if you take the LSAT twice?

Unless there are glaring disparities between LSAT scores, most law schools will not balk at multiple LSAT scores, especially when the score increases. Applicants with multiple LSAT scores with huge score disparities can be harder to review.

What did Elle Woods get on her LSAT?

In the film, Elle scored a 179 on her LSAT. That is one point away from a perfect score of 180. This means she scored in the 90th overall percentile. The average student's LSAT score is a 150.

Is a 157 a good LSAT score?

Among the 192 law schools ranked by U.S. News & World Report in 2019, the average median LSAT score was 156. If we were to speak about a good LSAT score in very broad terms, 157 or above would be a reasonable place to start. Anything above 160 is not a bad LSAT score.

Is a 162 on the LSAT good?

From your raw scores, the test is graded on an LSAT score scale from 120-180. The average LSAT score is about 150. To get into a top 14 law school, you need to score above 162, and to get into a top 50 law school, you need 154 or above.

Is a 3.8 A good GPA for law school?

However, among the highest-ranked law schools, the norm is to admit people with near-perfect college grades. All of the top-10 law schools had median GPAs of 3.7 or higher. Seven of these 10 schools had a median GPA that was at least a 3.8, and among those three had a median GPA that was a 3.9 or above.

Is 148 a good LSAT score?

Typical LSAT score ranges include: 120-147 Low. 148-156 Mid.

What if I do worse on my second LSAT?

If you believe you can score higher than your first two scores and have regularly done so on practice tests, then it may be a good idea to retake the test again to demonstrate your true abilities. Review your real LSAT first, noting weak sections where you should focus your studies to gain the most improvement.

What happens if you retake the LSAT and get a lower score?

It means that if you retake the LSAT and improve your score, schools will disregard your lower score(s) in favor of your best performance. The averaging “penalty,” so to speak, of multiple attempts has been entirely removed.

Is 164 a good LSAT score?

As mentioned above, the average LSAT score nationally is a 152. Generally speaking, a score of 160 and above is necessary to guarantee admission into top-100 schools like Tulane, UC Hastings, or Case Western Reserve.

Can a 3.0 GPA get into law school?

So generally, if you're trying to get into the top schools, a GPA below 3.6 will be considered low. But to answer the question what GPA do you need to get into law school, any law school, then the answer is at least a 2.5. That is realistically the lowest GPA you can have to get into law school.

Can a good LSAT score make up for low GPA?

A strong LSAT score can compensate for a low GPA, so it is well worth the time and effort it takes to do well. Many competitive law schools screen applicants using a weighted index of their grades and LSAT scores, so extra points on the LSAT may effectively boost your GPA.

What's the lowest GPA for law school?

What is the lowest GPA for law school? The lowest GPA for law school would be below 3.0. While you might get acceptance on the basis of other factors, any GPA below 3.0 is considered very low.

What was Obama's LSAT score?

Unraveling the secret behind Obama's LSAT Score

Only two of them scored over the 63% mark; and in fact scored between 94-98%, which would be equivalent to a score of 166 – 171 in today's grading system.

Can I get into Harvard Law with a 165 LSAT?

Schools like Harvard and Yale, which are the top two, rarely accept applicants with less than 172 on the LSAT. Law schools ranked between 5 and 10: 165 to 170.