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Diminishing returns with each LSAT point above median?

ltg25ltg25 Member
in Law School Admissions 11 karma

Hi, is there any consensus or received wisdom as to how valuable each point on the LSAT is above the median for a given school? I'm referring specifically to top, top schools.
I ask because, with the SAT/ACT, I seem to recall that there was pretty general agreement that top schools didn't really care how close you were to a perfect score so long as you were at or above their median/average. For instance, getting a 1590 on the SAT wasn't much more helpful than getting a 1530 for getting into Harvard (according to the opinions that I'd been exposed to). Is the LSAT similar -- or is there any discussion on the matter?
In other words, if I'm PT'ing at 177 or 178 and my score is 174 or 175, is it worth the agony of retaking it if I want a solid shot at, say, Yale?

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Comments

  • Tajira McCoyTajira McCoy Member Administrator Admissions Consultant
    709 karma

    Hi @ltg25, thank you for your question! Former admissions officer here. Is it worth the agony? It depends. The median isn't the top reportable number that law schools have to report to the ABA and US News––the 75th percentile is. For schools like Yale, being above the 75th percentile is going to be a more competitive position than being at/just above median. Hope this helps! -Tajira

  • kolerv9923-1kolerv9923-1 Member
    50 karma

    @"Tajira McCoy" said:
    Hi @ltg25, thank you for your question! Former admissions officer here. Is it worth the agony? It depends. The median isn't the top reportable number that law schools have to report to the ABA and US News––the 75th percentile is. For schools like Yale, being above the 75th percentile is going to be a more competitive position than being at/just above median. Hope this helps! -Tajira

    Hi, you're an admissions consultant so you definitely know more than me. But I thought only the medians get reported for USNews. (https://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/articles/law-schools-methodology) The 25th/75th is mainly used to get a sense of class profiles.

  • Tajira McCoyTajira McCoy Member Administrator Admissions Consultant
    709 karma

    Hi @kolerv9923-1, reports tend to include more than just ranking indicators.

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