LSAT Score: What You Need To Get Into A Top Law School

If you want to get into a top 10 law school, you may want to score 170 or higher on the LSAT.

Ilana Kowarski, a reporter at US News, recently spoke to experts who offered insight into what a “good” LSAT score and how admission officers view the LSAT.

EACH LAW SCHOOL DIFFERS

When it comes to the LSAT, each law school will have their own range for admission.

“As far as an LSAT score to aim for in order to be competitive for admission to law school, it really does depend on the particular school and how competitive it is,” Kellye Testy, president and CEO of the Law School Admission Council, tells US News.

At a top law school, such as Stanford Law, the 75th percentile of admitted students scored an average of 174.

That’s typical for a top-tier law school. As Testy says, “in general, scores in the high 160s and 170s are usually considered very competitive.”

LSAT SCORE ISN’T EVERYTHING

While a strong LSAT score can do wonders, experts also say that a top-tier law school looks at more than just the LSAT score.

“Law school admissions is the most numbers-driven admissions process of all graduate programs,” Daniel Lee, a co-founder of Solomon Admissions Consulting, tells US News. “There is an enormous difference in law school acceptance outcomes given two applicants with the same GPA and one who has a 170 LSAT and the other who has a 180 LSAT.”

Additionally, admissions officers will look at how many times the exam was taken.

“An applicant who only takes the LSAT once and scores a 172 is much more impressive than an applicant who scores 163 on the first attempt and 172 on the second attempt, so it still colors the perception of the applicant,” Lee tells US News.

Experts advise applicants against holding their application back merely to improve their score by a few points.

“Law school is a rolling process for many schools, so the sooner you get your application in, the better off you are,” Nikki Geula, founder of Arete Educational Consulting, tells US News. “So, you’re better off with your 168 or 169 applying as soon as applications even open than you are applying right before the deadline with a 170.”

Sources: US News, Stanford Law