The LSAT curve

SeattlesBest

I have a somewhat weird question.
You see the LSAT is graded on a curve which means your score also depends on others’ scores.
Does this mean that you’re more likely to get a higher score for the same amount of correct answers if other test takers do badly?
If that’s the case, does it mean that you’re more likely to get a higher score if you take the test, say in Japan where the average test takers’ English proficiency is way lower than say, in the US?

Cant Get Right

The curves are established based on performance on the sections when they're presented as experimental sections, so wherever you take it, the curve is predetermined.

SeattlesBest

Thanks. I also found this on another website, too.

"The LSAT is not curved - it is equated. That is, the difficulty of the questions is determined by giving them in experimental sections of previous tests (this is why there is an experimental section). That known difficulty is then used to set the scoring key so that any given score correlates to the same level of performance across all tests. (The "margin of error" that LSAC releases with your test results is a description of the statistical certainty of this correlation.)

This is important because it adjusts for any demographic differences that may occur between test administrations due to economic fluctuations or preferences for a certain time of year. If the test was simply curved, one could play the system by determining which administration was likely to have the most lenient curve. Instead, all administrations have identically difficult tests, within LSAC's stated margin of error."

TheMikey

The curve isn't the type of curve you're thinking about. The curve is pre-determined based on the sections from when they were experimental sections (just as Cant Get Right said). Others' performance doesn't impact your own score at all.