But anyway… tomorrow morning I get my LSAT (Law School Aptitude Test for the those of you outside North America) scores emailed to me.
I’m hoping for something like a 170 based on the sample tests I took…
Anyway, this is both a poll and a question…
Those of you who’ve taken the LSAT, how did you do (if you don’t mind my asking)?
Anyone who’s entered law school in the last few years, or better still, anyone who has sat on an admission board, how much will a decent LSAT score offset a less-than-stellar GPA?
(For the record, less-than-stellar means about a 2.8 at a lower-tier university- www.ucf.edu)
For now, I’m off to bed with a glass of wine because its the only way I’m getting any sleep…
When I took it, years ago, in one piece of literature (either with my scores, or with the registration ticket, or with the original registration booklet, or with the confirmation that they’d finally gotten my grades) they sent a list of the formulas that every school used, and the average score (or cut-off score, or something) for the school. (XGPA+YLSAT and you need Z to get in.)
So I knew exactly what I was aiming for on my LSATs (I knew which school I was applying to).
Do they not do that anymore? You might want to go through everything the LSAT people have ever sent you. And check to see if that’s there.
From personal experience, a good LSAT score can help greatly in offsetting a lower GPA. My GPA was fairly low for the schools I was applying to, but based on my LSAT score, I got in to some schools that I really shouldn’t have. I got a 172 on the LSAT, and I think that really helped. I ended up getting a scholarship plus living expenses. GOOD LUCK! (I remember the feeling!)
-Steve
I got a 173. My friend said that I should apply for Harvard just for laughs… a pretty expensive laugh for $200.
Check out www.lsac.org (it’s pretty bogged down right now; go figure) for admission facts. I think I remember seeing them there. I believe I’ve seen x and y range from 70/30 to 30/70 as per amarinth’s equation. I think the one school that I applied to was 50/50, but it’s kind of a moot point because the cutoffs were pretty low.
I got a 174 on the very first self-proctored practice test that I took. I found that studying only helped as far as becoming familiar with the test format and pace. As it turns out, I decided that going to school for 3 years to become a lawyer was really not what I wanted to do, so I’m in grad school in computer science. The one other person from the math department who took the LSAT got a 171… mathies laugh in the face of analytical logic problems.
Hope you did well. You probably got what you think you got, +/- 3 points.
I got a 179. I have not, as of yet, applied to any law schools so I can’t help with the rest of your question. I’m sort of in the same situation, though, as my gpa is not all that high (around 3.1). Those in the know assure me that I’ll get in if I apply next year, though.
Interestingly, I only scored around 170 on my practice LSATs, so I was pretty much floored by my 179. I’m the only person I know who did significantly better than they expected.
but no formulas, even on any of the law school websites I checked. The table is nice, but it doesn’t have anything close to the fields for my GPA and projected score, so its essentially useless to me…
Incidentally, it is now past noon on the 30th and they still haven’t emailed me… I’m going quickly nuts.
