LSAT Cutoff

Comments

• Trust But Verify Alum Member

  February 2018 432 karma

  25/50/75 scores are on a bell curve. In other words, there COULD be applicants that have above the 75 percent number and/or below the 25 percent number. Im not sure a school is "allowed" to have a cut off. But remember these schools, as much as they say it's a holistic process, they care about the numbers.
• Alex Alum Member ⭐

  February 2018 edited February 2018 23929 karma

  There's really are no realistic cutoffs/floors. Theoretically, they don't have to draw the line anywhere! Once you're below a school's 25%tile, there's an argument to be made that it doesn't matter how much lower due to the way the numbers work.

  More importantly, context matters a lot where that cut off is going to be. My buddy just got into Yale with a low-160s LSAT score... Yale's 25%tile is a 170. He was just a completely amazing candidate in every other way. That mattered, a lot!

  So, the cut offs are going to be different for different people. If you have a 3.9 GPA, they're going to be more willing to dip lower than if you have a 3.2 GPA.

  Realistically though, for most applicants, I think if you're below the 25th%tile your chances are going to be pretty poor unless you are an underrepresented minority or have have something else on your app that makes you an extremely desirable candidate.
• stepharizona Alum Member

  February 2018 3197 karma

  I've seen LSN to be a pretty great predictor of non URM cut offs. You need to take into account GPAs but you can see the patterns. For instance today my friend was denied to UTexas (which we both were supposed by) and if you look at LSN 165 seems to be the rejection LSAT for nonUrm and 166 has varying degrees of success but a 167 seems to be the WL or admit LSAT.

  Are there exceptions? Absolutely... but that's usually 1-3 a cycle.
• studyingandrestudying Core Member

  February 2018 5254 karma

  Also, as you probably know already, be skeptical of schools with very low average LSATs. Stay away from them. If necessary, hold out for score improvements in the future. Improvement is possible following hard work.
• TheMikey Alum Member

  February 2018 4196 karma

  I don't think there's really any hard cutoffs. Depends on the applicant's GPA, if they have a URM status, maybe their background too. It just really depends..