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logic games · #1

1) To get a rough idea of your chances of getting in to any particular law school, you can go to http://officialguide.lsac.org/ and click "LSAC Data Search" and put in your LSAT score and GPA.

Keep in mind these are estimates based on past data, and will not be 100% accurate. But this link is a useful starting place.

2) Another good place to go in order to get ideas of your chances of admission is http://www.lawschoolnumbers.com. This is a site where applicants can sign up and post their information such GPA, LSAT scores, etc, along with where they applied to and if they were admitted or not. While this site should also not be taken as 100% accurate because anyone can sign up and skew the information, it is does provide a great set of data that you can use to evaluate your chances of admission and corroborate or contradict the LSAC Calculator’s results.

3) Finally, it is important to look at the GPA and LSAT percentiles for each school you apply to. This information can be found at http://www.ilrg.com/rankings/law/ and also a few other websites. Doing this is helpful because it gives you a sense of just how your numbers break down compared to the overall applicant pool, versus just a percentage of admission from the LSAC Calculator.

For example, Harvard’s 25th and 75th percentiles for GPA are [3.75, 3.95] and for LSAT they are [170, 175]. If your GPA were a 3.9 and your LSAT score a 169, the LSAC Calculator would put your chance of admission at about 30% because you were one point lower than the 25th percentile. However, if your LSAT score were a 171, just two points higher, you would be in between the 25th and 75th percentiles and thus have about a 50% chance of admission.

Remember that being below the 25th percentile for either LSAT or GPA does not automatically disqualify you for admission. It simply means that 25% of the class got in with that either that LSAT score or less than that LSAT score. Which means you still have a chance even if you don’t fall in that range.

I encourage you to be realistic in applying to law schools, but also don’t automatically count yourself out based on the numbers alone.

four26164 · #2

Thanks for all these tips! I always wondered how people said "oh I have a 40% chance of getting into this school."

Law school numbers also sounds like a great resource, thanks for letting me know about it.

alanoh396 · #3

Quote:

Originally Posted by logic games

1) To get a rough idea of your chances of getting in to any particular law school, you can go to http://officialguide.lsac.org/ and click "LSAC Data Search" and put in your LSAT score and GPA.

Keep in mind these are estimates based on past data, and will not be 100% accurate. But this link is a useful starting place.

2) Another good place to go in order to get ideas of your chances of admission is http://www.lawschoolnumbers.com. This is a site where applicants can sign up and post their information such GPA, LSAT scores, etc, along with where they applied to and if they were admitted or not. While this site should also not be taken as 100% accurate because anyone can sign up and skew the information, it is does provide a great set of data that you can use to evaluate your chances of admission and corroborate or contradict the LSAC Calculator’s results.

3) Finally, it is important to look at the GPA and LSAT percentiles for each school you apply to. This information can be found at http://www.ilrg.com/rankings/law/ and also a few other websites. Doing this is helpful because it gives you a sense of just how your numbers break down compared to the overall applicant pool, versus just a percentage of admission from the LSAC Calculator.

For example, Harvard’s 25th and 75th percentiles for GPA are [3.75, 3.95] and for LSAT they are [170, 175]. If your GPA were a 3.9 and your LSAT score a 169, the LSAC Calculator would put your chance of admission at about 30% because you were one point lower than the 25th percentile. However, if your LSAT score were a 171, just two points higher, you would be in between the 25th and 75th percentiles and thus have about a 50% chance of admission.

Remember that being below the 25th percentile for either LSAT or GPA does not automatically disqualify you for admission. It simply means that 25% of the class got in with that either that LSAT score or less than that LSAT score. Which means you still have a chance even if you don’t fall in that range.

I encourage you to be realistic in applying to law schools, but also don’t automatically count yourself out based on the numbers alone.

Logic, thanks for this useful post. I remember in an old thread you had the breakdowns of percentage chances of admission and what ranges were generally considered safety, reach, or average. Can you shed some light on this?

logic games · #4

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanoh396

Logic, thanks for this useful post. I remember in an old thread you had the breakdowns of percentage chances of admission and what ranges were generally considered safety, reach, or average. Can you shed some light on this?

85% or greater chance of admission "safety" schools. These are schools that you are guaranteed to get in based on your numbers alone.
40% - 85% chance of admission: "intermediate" schools. These are schools that you have a good shot at getting into, but your admission is not guaranteed.
20% - 40% chance of admission: "reach" schools. These are schools that may be out of your league because of your numbers, but you do have a slim chance of getting in.
0% - 20% chance of admission: "save your money" schools. These are schools that you should not apply to so that you can save money on application fees.

Hope that helps.

jenn828 · #5

Thanks for sharing this! That calculator is a great help.

amariediv · #6

I can't find what you mentioned in item 1. Does it still exist? Am I missing something?

amariediv · #7

Nevermind. I got it from a different thread. In case anyone's wondering, here's the direct link:
http://officialguide.lsac.org/UGPASearch/Search3.aspx

P.S. SO USEFUL! Thanks!!!!!