LSAT Percentile needed for a realistic chance of admissions

Comments

• 1 Like

  cstrobel Alum Member

  March 2018 228 karma

  The rule of thumb I've seen is that you take the percentile your GPA is in +/- 50 and that'll give you a ballpark of the LSAT percentile for the school you'd need to average their 50th.
  However, as a splitter, it can be a shot in the dark with some schools, particularly this year as the number of top scorers has increased. So try to shoot for a score that'd put you averaging above the 50th with the split.

  For example were the 75th percentile for GPA, aiming for their 25th percentile or better for the lsat is the general approximation I've seen.

  Best of luck!
• 1 Like

  Seeking Perfection Alum Member

  March 2018 4428 karma

  It will depend on the school. At some schools your 3.84 will be above median and at a handful it will be below the median. ( The median is where there are 50 percent of applicants above and 50 percent below. The law schools ranking is based on medians so they care mostly about this rather than the average.)

  LSAT is more important than GPA in law school admissions. So in order to have a good chance I would say if your GPA is above median you want at least a median LSAT. If your GPA is below median you want an above median LSAT.

  However rather than rely on a rule of thumb, you should look at actual data. You can use mylsn to see how many people with similar statistics to you got in to various law schools. You can just try different LSAT scores. This is the link to the one for a 3.84 and a 170, but try other LSAT scores.
  http://mylsn.info/n3jgkb/

  However, your goal won't just be to get into whatever school you attend, but to get scholarships. For those higher LSATs can be helpful. So its best to max out your LSAT score by doing as well as you can for admissions as well as scholarships.
• westcoastbestcoast Alum Member

  March 2018 3788 karma

  Even if it seems unlikely, you should aim for a 180. Aim to maximize your LSAT as much as reasonably possible and run the numbers on mylsn once you have a stable PT average.
• 10000019 Alum Member

  March 2018 3279 karma

  I don't think there is a meaningful way to answer your question. "[G]ood chance of acceptance" is vague. You didn't mention the specific school you were interested in.
• tylerdschreur10 Alum Member

  March 2018 1465 karma

  3.84 is a solid gpa. If it's above median for a school you desire, an above median LSAT should give you a great shot!
• wnivabyfdlj Alum Member

  March 2018 52 karma

  @"Seeking Perfection" said:
  However rather than rely on a rule of thumb, you should look at actual data. You can use mylsn to see how many people with similar statistics to you got in to various law schools. You can just try different LSAT scores. This is the link to the one for a 3.84 and a 170, but try other LSAT scores.
  http://mylsn.info/n3jgkb/

  How do you get it to list more than 51 schools? Good to know for sure that Yale won't take me.
• 1 Like

  Seeking Perfection Alum Member

  March 2018 4428 karma

  @wnivabyfdlj said:

  @"Seeking Perfection" said:
  However rather than rely on a rule of thumb, you should look at actual data. You can use mylsn to see how many people with similar statistics to you got in to various law schools. You can just try different LSAT scores. This is the link to the one for a 3.84 and a 170, but try other LSAT scores.
  http://mylsn.info/n3jgkb/

  How do you get it to list more than 51 schools? Good to know for sure that Yale won't take me.

  I've never quite been able to figure that out. If you are looking below the Top 50 you might just have to use law school numbers to get an idea. MyLSN draws its data from there anyway. The graph page for each school is very informative as long as you go back to a completed cycle. The applicants spreadsheet can be useful too if sorted by LSAT or GPA.

  http://schools.lawschoolnumbers.com
• 1 Like

  goingfor99th Free Trial Member

  March 2018 3072 karma

  @wnivabyfdlj said:

  @"Seeking Perfection" said:
  However rather than rely on a rule of thumb, you should look at actual data. You can use mylsn to see how many people with similar statistics to you got in to various law schools. You can just try different LSAT scores. This is the link to the one for a 3.84 and a 170, but try other LSAT scores.
  http://mylsn.info/n3jgkb/

  Good to know for sure that Yale won't take me.

  You never know!