GPA weight vs. LSAT weight? Forum

[CardozoLaw09]

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[Adjudicator]

I don't have the specific answers for you, but some certain schools do tend to weight high LSATs more than others. Look for schools that are known to be "splitter friendly," and don't expect a miracle from schools that are known to be "splitter unfriendly."

[2ofspades]

Cardozo didn't seem to value one number particularly highly over the other last year - below a 3.3 tended to get you WLed - but in most years a 165+ gets most applicants in. How low is your GPA?

[justadude55]

i've heard a point on the LSAT is like a point on the GPA. overall, i think an LSAT score in the 75th percentile often compensates for a GPA in the 25th, but it isn't a sure thing. Then again is anything?

but my advise is don't think about a specific score goal. the more you think about just learning how to think the right away, and the experience of beating the test, the less likely you are to fold under stress.

[whymeohgodno]

i've heard a point on the LSAT is like a point on the GPA. overall, i think an LSAT score in the 75th percentile often compensates for a GPA in the 25th, but it isn't a sure thing. Then again is anything?

but my advise is don't think about a specific score goal. the more you think about just learning how to think the right away, and the experience of beating the test, the less likely you are to fold under stress.

Yeh I agree. LSAT counts much more than gpa...you hear of 175+ splitters getting into t14...you rarely if ever hear 4.0 with a low LSAT score get in (excluding URM's or crazy-softs).

[2014]

I think they are weighted pretty equally, but in the sense that the LSAT showcases a 3 hour test and your GPA showcases 4 years of work...the LSAT is obviously weighted higher. If you get what I am saying.

[Hannibal]

I think they are weighted pretty equally, but in the sense that the LSAT showcases a 3 hour test and your GPA showcases 4 years of work...the LSAT is obviously weighted higher. If you get what I am saying.

Wut

[justadude55]

I think they are weighted pretty equally, but in the sense that the LSAT showcases a 3 hour test and your GPA showcases 4 years of work...the LSAT is obviously weighted higher. If you get what I am saying.

this is wrong. it's not like when you apply to college or a kid applying to med school. how do you assess who the better student is when people have such different majors? the LSAT is DEFINITELY more important than the GPA. How many 4.0 and 150s do you hear getting into t-14? You hear about a lot of 180s and 3.0's.

[beachbum]

Well, the LSAT median counts for 12.5% of a school's ranking, while the GPA median counts for only 10%. Moreover, there are far fewer high scores out there than high GPAs. A high LSAT score, then, is a relatively scarce (and valuable) commodity, so you'll find that most schools value the LSAT more than they value GPA.

Of course, different schools value these things to different degrees. And few schools will completely sacrifice one number just to gain the other. So get the best LSAT score you can and then we can assess your options.

[Holly Golightly]

God bless the LSAT.

[justadude55]

Well, the LSAT median counts for 12.5% of a school's ranking, while the GPA median counts for only 10%. Moreover, there are far fewer high scores out there than high GPAs. A high LSAT score, then, is a relatively scarce (and valuable) commodity, so you'll find that most schools value the LSAT more than they value GPA.

Of course, different schools value these things to different degrees. And few schools will completely sacrifice one number just to gain the other. So get the best LSAT score you can and then we can assess your options.

true. my 3.55 is award worthy at my UG. in juxtaposition with law schools, it's above average. when looking at the schools my lsat correlates to (16-30), it's sub-par. lawyers are not reflective of the average UG student, which is why the LSAT makes the GRE look like a joke.

[firemed]

God bless the LSAT.

Amen.

[xyzzzzzzzz]

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... t+over+gpa

hth.

[DreamShake]

A high LSAT score, then, is a relatively scarce (and valuable) commodity, so you'll find that most schools value the LSAT more than they value GPA.

TITCR. I had a T-20 adcomm tell me the same thing, almost verbatim.

[bk1]

For splitting, the LSAT is definitely "weighed" heavier. By this I mean, schools will more often take people with a number far below their 25th GPA percentile than they will take somebody below their 25th LSAT percentile. Think of it like this, most of us would rather be 175/2.5 than 150/4.0 when applying.

[St.Remy]

If you want some numbers that I magically pulled out of the air I would say that most schools weigh the LSAT at 55-60% and GPA at 40-45%, with some specific institutions being especially attracted to GPA. This makes sense based on supply and demand.

[fragged]

I think the main reason the LSAT is given more weight is not that it is considered "better" than GPA as an indicator of law school success, but rather it is the standardization of the exam that puts everyone on an even playing field. Here are a couple examples I have heard:

1. Let's use California as an example. A 3.5 from Berkeley is much different than a 3.5 from San Francisco State. But let's take that even further... Let's say the student at Berkeley majored in Psychology and the student at SF State majored in Chemical Engineering. How do you compare the two applicants? The LSAT will put them both in front of the same test under the same conditions.

2. Let's look at a non-traditional student, such as myself. I graduated over 10 years ago. Is an 11 year-old GPA a good indicator? Perhaps I was a better student 11 years ago than I would be today... The LSAT gives a school a recent assessment of my abilities versus those of other applicants.

3. Let's say someone got a high GPA at UCLA. Perhaps they were on a sports team and got "athletes notes" which are basically notes taken by a professional note-taker and given to athletes. And let's not forget the non-existent copies of exams that float around the athletic circles... Or maybe you just found a way of cheating your way through a lot of your classes..

My point is, there are so many factors to consider when evaluating a GPA, whereas the LSAT is controlled so that no one gets an advantage over anyone else. That is why I believe the LSAT always gets more consideration than the GPA.

[The Real Jack McCoy]

Most people seem to be underestimating the weight given to the LSAT as compared to GPA at most schools. It is hard to underestimate how important the LSAT is for the "numbers" part of your application:

http://www.uiowa.edu/~030116/prelaw/lawschools09.htm

[Bumi]

Figure out what your GPA will be and what your LSAT will be, then come back. There are too many variables now to point you to specific schools that would fit you.

However, you can assume that west coast schools like relatively higher GPAs more whereas midwest schools like LSAT more. The east coast is a mix. There's some evidence that the big schools in the T14 (UVa, Michigan, UGLC) are more tolerant of splitters. Northwestern loves splitters for sure, but you need WE.