Good LSAT Score to Make Millions of Dollars

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LSAT and GPA for Law School

I already covered extensively the issue of GPA importance for law school admissions in another article on this blog. You can read it there.

 

Generally, in discussing the LSAT and GPA for Law School it is important to note, that

LSAT is more important for law school admissions and carries greater weight for a number of reasons. First of all, even if a candidate has low GPA for whatever reason, good LSAT score may indicate that low GPA was due to external problems, but the student is still capable of comprehending complicated law school subjects.

 

Therefore, if law school applicant has low GPA – he or she cannot change it back unless he or she wants to go through another undergraduate program and spend four more years plus additional student loans just to try to increase GPA. Sounds ridiculous? You’d be surprised to what extent some applicants are going just to get into better law school.

 

However, there is a better and cheaper way. To have a good ratio of LSAT and GPA for Law School one must prepare well for the LSAT exam and obtain good LSAT score. How to prepare for the LSAT exam or how to obtain a good score on LSAT is beyond the scope of this article. There are many ways and I will write about those in another article. 

 

The conclusion concerning the impact of LSAT and GPA for Law School is that LSAT can cure GPA issues. And, unlike GPA, the student can try many times and improve it. In another article about GPA, I wrote about an applicant who took LSAT 5-6 times and dramatically increased his score in the process and went to a top law school. It was worth it.

How important is LSAT for law school? What Are Required Law School LSAT and GPA?

The highest possible LSAT score is 180 – which is nearly impossible to obtain by 99.99% of human beings. LSAT is viewed by admissions officers as an indicator of how well a student will do in law school.

 

LSAT exam tests logic, reading comprehension, ability to analyze and synthase information. LSAT also measures student’s ability to perform well on future law school exams under pressure. It serves many purposes. Students can also test his or her ability to take difficult exams. If you do well – you can do well in law school too.

 

LSAT is different from law school exams – please keep that in mind. LSAT tests your skills and ability to think, not your memory and ability to type fast, like some law school exams. See my other articles.

 

The LSAT score is very helpful for law schools because undergraduate programs vary significantly in their rigor and difficulty. Intellectual requirements are, frankly, different for engineers and for some liberal arts (not trying to insult anyone – I am not an engineer and I highly respect engineers and scientists). 

 

LSAT gives law schools that one and the same test which tests all students equally, to test intellectual skills more fairly and accurately and identically for all applicants regardless of their undergraduate experience.

Choosing Law School by LSAT and GPA

Let’s review the average top law school by LSAT and GPA. OK, so, I just want to start with Brooklyn law school LSAT requirements. Brooklyn law school LSAT requirements are more or less easy. The median LSAT score among those accepted to Brooklyn law school is 157 with as low as 155 among accepted applicants. That’s not too high and is quite achievable. Hence, Brooklyn law school is number 77 in the rankings.  https://www.brooklaw.edu/en/Admissions/Admission-Stats

What about Georgetown LSAT requirements? Easy-peasy, but not so easy:

  • The median LSAT score for Georgetown Law is about 167 with the median GPA is a 3.78. exactly 10 points higher than that of a Brooklyn Law School. But these 10 points indifference is huge in terms of the work required to obtain LSAT 167 score. One needs to put in a really solid effort to get there or to naturally have a very good mind. 

The low range accepted at Georgetown Law for LSAT is 163-164. Lower than that – forgetaboutit. By the way, Georgetown Law School accepts GRE and GRE may be easier for some than LSAT. https://www.law.georgetown.edu/admissions-aid/jd-admissions/first-year-applicants/frequently-asked-questions-2/

Columbia Law School LSAT requirements are also strict. Surprisingly, Columbia may take a much lower score. Well, on their website it says as follows: “There is no minimum undergraduate GPA or LSAT score in the consideration process for admission to Columbia Law School.” https://www.law.columbia.edu/admissions/jd/apply/faq/review

They do say on their web-site they consider other factors, like biographical background, achievements, etc. Yeah, right, good luck with that. Unless you are a famous activist or well-connected or otherwise famous person, or kid of such, you need a solid LSAT score. 

And they at Columbia Law School consider ALL LSATs took, not just the latest or the best score. That means, that if an applicant can seriously improve the score that may indicate to admission a good trait of character.

Anyway,

As you can see, those couple of extra LSAT points may open doors at the highest-ranking law schools in the US.

Let’s have fun with Harvard and Yale, shall we? Everyone wants to know the Harvard Law School LSAT score for some reason.

Harvard and Yale are top in the top – they are not just numbers 2 and 1, but they are separate beast even from other top law schools. Even with proper GPA and LSAT score an applicant most likely will be rejected or waitlisted unless he or she can show really something interesting. That could be background, connections, activities – on a grand scale.

Feeding hungry puppies will not count, unless you organize worldwide 10,000 who are feeding 10,000,000 hungry puppies and also 1000,000 hungry people every year. I am not kidding you. Harvard is extremely competitive. But, unlike Columbia Law School, Harvard looks only at your highest LSAT score.

Yale Law School is also an extremely completive place to get into.

  • Yale is No. 1 ranked school in the country. 
  • The Median Yale Law School LSAT score accepted is 173. Low is about 170. 
  • The median GPA required is about 3.9+. 

Obviously, employment prospects after Yale Law School are wonderful – from a consultant at the top agency to the President of the United States of America. https://law.yale.edu/admissions/profiles-statistics/employment-statistics

But good luck getting in – I don’t even know what one needs to do to get there. Probably, make a personal deal with God or something. But if your LSAT is 175 or higher – you may try to get in even without being a son or daughter of the billionaire or former President.

LSAT Medians – Law School LSAT Medians

So, what is a law school LSAT median? LSAT median essentially is the middle LSAT score among all students admitted to a particular law school, or across a number or all law schools. Compare your LSAT score with target law school’s medians and then decide if you need to retake LSAT or apply to a different law school.

Essentially, if your LSAT score is above the school median – feel free to apply, if you also have a solid GPA corresponding to target law school’s accepted numbers. If your score is below the median, then you may either study harder and retake LSAT or revise down your target law school’s list, unless you have some amazing background that may be interested in law school.

Law schools also call LSAT applicant levels a 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile. Essentially, the 50th percentile is a medium average score among accepted students.

  • 75th percentile is the top 25%. 25th percentile is bottom 25%. 
  • If not, among those in 25 percentiles only about 1 of four will be accepted. 
  • And among those in the 75 percentile LSAT score, about 3 out of 4 will be accepted. 
  • Again, the higher is the rank of law school, the less even good LSAT and GPA numbers mean, and the applicant needs better compelling biography – personal statement. 

By the way, law schools nowadays like STEM undergraduate majors. If your LSAT and GPA are within the range for law school, and you are a STEM graduate – you may get additional points for your admissions.

Law school LSAT medians vary significantly. We already established that top law schools – T14 law schools – have the highest median LSAT among admitted students – 168-173. But, the majority of law students go to law schools other than top ones, and many graduates make a decent living after graduation.

Average LSAT score

Overall, the LSAT score ranges between 120 and 180, where 120 is minimum and 180 is maximum a test taken can get on the LSAT exam. The overall median score across all test takers is 156 (2018 number). What does it mean?

 

It means that about 50% of test-takers received less than 156, and another 50% receives a score higher than 156. Since LSAT has about 100 questions, one needs to get at least 60% right to obtain a higher than average score.

 

One may think that obtaining anything over 156 is good but it is not necessarily so. Because law schools still enjoy the solid volume of applicants, decent law schools require LSAT scores noticeably higher than 156 or even 160. I will talk below about what is a good LSAT score.

 

A note: only about 2% of test-takers obtain an LSAT score of 170 or higher. Only about 18% obtain 160 or higher. 

If you want to check official numbers for any specific law school you can use ABA 509 disclosure tool here http://www.abarequireddisclosures.org/Disclosure509.aspx.

 

Please note, that since about 2004-2007, when law school LSAT median was about 152, LSAT median grew to 156, reflecting a larger pool of capable applicants, better preparation and tutoring services. Therefore, competition is stiffer and you must prepare better if you want to obtain a good score.

 

At the same time, some data suggests that law schools increased their class size along with their median LSAT numbers. This means that with a good number it is more likely to get accepted in better law school outside of T14, of course. Those are still very competitive. T14 accept fewer applicants percentage-wise because more and more people apply to T14 each year in hopes of actually ensuring a good job offer after graduation.;

 

The lowest LSAT score median is at Appalachian School of Law – 143. This is just in case scenario.

LSAT Good Score

What is LSAT’s good score for admissions? I don’t know. Just kidding. Again, it depends on admission requirements for each law school. But, the better the score – the more options one will have.

Since LSAT 170 score opens doors to a few top law schools, then I would think that LSAT score is really good, or even very good.

LSAT 175 score is excellent and very hard to obtain. Anything over 175 indicates semi-genius and is achievable probably by some alien species. 

But, for students who are not picky, an acceptable LSAT score result starts with 140-143 – Appalachian School of Law. I mean, there are 185+ ABA-accredited law schools in the country, and a number of graduates from even low-tiered schools eventually make it as lawyers. Albeit, not in top law firms.

LSAT score of 150+ plus ok GPA may even put one in the top 100 law school, if lucky. In my personal subjective opinion, the good score starts with 160 and up. This score opens doors at some decent law schools, although not the top 14. 

But some top 50 law schools are possible. My estimate would that one should strive for a minimum of 155 LSAT scores. If your score is below it – study longer, harder and retake the exam in at least 6 months. You should see the difference.

Should you retake LSAT to Improve your Score?

Yes. I did not do it and I regret it. Because after law school experience I know that it is not only about what is tested on the exam, but the very test-taking knowledge and skill are important and can add 1-5 extra points to the original score. 

Because once you have been through the test, you know many important nuances, and that knowledge can help you be more efficient and effective on your second exam. 

Unlike undergraduate exams, or law school exams, the LSAT exam gives an opportunity to retake and improve score – go for it! Many schools look at the highest score anyway. 

If you are retaking LSAT and your next score increases leaps and bounds – may be, it is a good idea to study and try again. Say, your first score is 150 – you should study more. If your next score is 155-157 – you may try to study even more and try to reach at least 160.

But, if your first score is 150, and after 3-6 months of solid hard studying your score is still 152-153 absent major life or health issues – then maybe this is all you can squeeze out of yourself. Do not underestimate yourself – humans have a significant capacity for self-improvement.  

  • Here is another number for you: only 1% of test-takers achieve 172-173 or more.
  • Only 2.5% achieve 170
  • About 10% achieve 164-165.

In fact, a score of 163-165 already can put a person in any law school of choice, even in some top 14 like Northwestern or the University of Pennsylvania. With that score, an applicant may even get a full merit scholarship at some low-ranking law schools.

But, be careful with scholarships – I have seen people lose them. I would opt for a full-sticker at noticeably better ranking school in the top 25 vs. scholarship in 3rd or 4th tier law school.

Generally, scores in the range of 163-165 and up are quite difficult to obtain. If you have time, make sure you prepare very well to obtain the highest maximum LSAT score to open doors for you. I mean, this is very important due to job market conditions for lawyers, which are not good.

What you need is the first step of the stair to be as high as possible. Then, your way up will be higher and easier from the beginning. Pedigree means huge in the legal business.

I mention this in almost all the articles in this blog. Good scores and good GPA lead to acceptance by the good law school. Which, in its turn, gives more options as an attorney, because law firms use school pedigree to attract better-paying clients.

Who do you think billionaire wants to as his or her lawyer – shmuck from tier 4 law school or Harvard graduate – polished, nice, smiley, well-dressed, etc, etc? You have guessed it – a Harvard grad. Or Yale.

At the top 100 law firm. With $160,00 starting annual salary plus perks. Wow. Sounds appealing. Please note, some of the top law firm associates are worked to death for this money and they are not happy. They spend 3-7 years at the top law firm and then move on. Still, the law student is often paid up to 50% by then.

Also, top law schools give options to work in nice government positions with a solid benefits package and policy decision-making option. This is the reality folks. Kids of rich people will go to better law schools just because their parents will give them lots of bucks to spend on various tutors and trainers. If you can afford them – do not hesitate to pay for preparation. There are many good ones.

Still, I have seen graduates from lower-tier law schools who were shrewd enough to open own business and get own clients and make as much as they would make as associates in large law firms. They had good business and schmoozing skills. And marketing too. One was a savvy online marketer and a lawyer – lots of clients.

This official tool helps law students to use their own LSAT and GPA numbers to match law schools where they can apply – a tool from LSAC –Law School Admission Council – https://officialguide.lsac.org/Release/UGPALSAT/UGPALSAT.aspx

High LSAT low GPA – what to do?

Law school GPA and LSAT work in tandem – setting the admission profile for the applicant. Therefore, they balance each other. High LSAT is necessary to compensate for a low GPA.

People with high LSAT and low GPA or high GPA and low LSAT are usually called “splitters.”  

Now, if you have a high GPA and low LSAT score the solution is easy – to study and retake the exam. But a low GPA/high LSAT scenario – things are more complicated.

In such a case a candidate needs to tell admissions a compelling story of why he or she got low GPA – health issues, accidents, major family problems, war, flood, fires, tornadoes, earthquakes – well, you have an idea. I have a section with examples about this issue in my previous article about GPA on this blog.

For example, here is Reddit thread where someone mentions that a student with 3.1 GPA got into UPenn but the LSAT score was 178 – WOW. I mean, this is shows very clear that student is very very capable, but whatever reason was that he or she obtained law GPA. Maybe it was a difficult program, or he or she had health or other issues.

The majority of law schools are not splitter-friendly. Splitter friendly are schools, I think, University of Denver, Loyola Chicago, Case Western and just a few more. Many law schools are neutral. Top law schools are usually unfriendly to such applicants. But, again:

  • Make sure you have a really high LSAT score to compensate for a low GPA
  • Retake LSAT, if necessary. Do you see how many times I repeated this? Maybe because this is important.))
  • Write a compelling explanation in your personal statement about reasons for low GPA.
  • Hopefully, it is very compelling and it works.
  • Taking another undergraduate degree to increase GPA is probably not such a good idea. 

And remember – lots of data supports that LSAT has a greater weight than GPA. 60/40 or in some cases 70/30, respectively. Therefore, quite high LSAT can outweigh a low GPA at least in a number of decent law schools. For a list of law schools look here. https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/which-law-schools-are-splitter-friendly/

However, the cut off GPA is about 2.5. Lower than 2.5, without very compelling reason and LSAT of at least 150-155 will not get one into any law school, not just top law school. 

If everything fails no matter how hard you work – maybe law school is just not your thing. On the other hand, you will not get into significant debt, will not go to low-tiered school without much job prospects after graduation, will not become one of those miserable attorneys among many others, competing for a few clients who can actually afford legal services.

There are other good professions. I always say – good electrician or plumber can make good money, nice work-balance, have a happy life, house, family, business, and live without high student debt better than many miserable attorneys out there.

How much does it cost to take LSAT?

The cost of the LSAT test is an important factor in the light of suggestions to go ahead and retake it to try to get a better score. Before we move any further, I will tell you a few things in perspective. If you go to law school you are likely to incur an additional debt of $60,000-$120,000 dollars.

 

Plus, undergraduate debt, this could go well into $200,000 or more. That is a house and monthly payment is like a mortgage. Then, law school rank will define your job opportunities, your salary, your career, your future salary over the next 30 years, even if you switch from law to something else.

 

The difference in total lifetime earnings between top 14 law schools, and tier 3 and 4 law schools may go into millions of dollars over your lifetime – annualize it and you will see. Do you get the bird’s view picture?

 

Now, is it worth to spend extra $100, $500, or even $1000-$5000-$10000 dollars for much better preparation for law school, to get into better law school, or get better grades in law school and succeed better? ABSOLUTELY. Do most of you have this money? Absolutely not. Most do not have money for expensive tutoring companies charging thousands of dollars.

 

But do you have extra money for another 2-3 LSATs over the next 1-2 years? YES. YOU DO. Do not tell me that you don’t. Do you have an extra $300-$400 for new sets of books and test practice books? Yes, you do. Because it is SO HUGELY worth it.

 

Do not make my mistake. If I did retake LSAT, I probably would have gotten into way higher ranked school and my career would be even more exciting.

 

Extra $500-$1000 can earn you extra $1,000,000 over lifetime in annualized salary.

 

So, how much does LSAT cost? The LSAT is costly. The cost to take LSAT is currently $200.00. https://www.lsac.org/lsat/lsat-dates-deadlines-score-release-dates/lsat-cas-fees-and-refunds

 

With additional service, the cost of LSAT may truly add up to more than $1000.00 dollars. This is not recommended ( I do not recommend anything in this blog – everything is simply my personal opinion), but I think it is worth seeing the LSAT results first, and then send it to law schools, if the result is satisfactory. 

 

If not, get more books, do more practice tests, take LSAT course and excel. If you increase your score by 5-7 points – this is a great and worthy investment.

 

Anyway, this is a topic for another article. This concludes my epic opinionated opus on LSAT importance. Good luck.