Minimum LSAT score in your opinion Forum

santoki · Post by **santoki** » Thu Mar 13, 2014 12:41 am

Hey all,

I know this is a horrible way to think about my June LSAT, but...

What do you think would be the minimum LSAT score for me to have in combination with my miserable 3.2 GPA to have a reasonable shot at t14?

I've taken it once and got a 165 but I believe I underachieved. 180 is the goal but out of curiosity...thoughts? Thanks!

MistakenGenius · Post by **MistakenGenius** » Thu Mar 13, 2014 1:08 am

Post removed.

yossarian · Post by **yossarian** » Thu Mar 13, 2014 1:16 am

MistakenGenius wrote:
santoki wrote:Hey all,

I know this is a horrible way to think about my June LSAT, but...

What do you think would be the minimum LSAT score for me to have in combination with my miserable 3.2 GPA to have a reasonable shot at t14?

I've taken it once and got a 165 but I believe I underachieved. 180 is the goal but out of curiosity...thoughts? Thanks!
You could always just play around with mylsn.info and see what it says. My guess is that with a 168 you'd have a small shot at grabbing one of the lower T14. With a 170, the chances are very strong that you could grab one of them. With a 172, Michigan and Penn become possible. Of course, get that 175+, and it appears to me that NYU will open their doors to you. Really, with a 175+, the only schools closed to you are HYSCCN, and Berkeley. Duke is a longshot too. So yeah, destroy that LSAT and come back so we can reevaluate your chances. Good luck.

All this is good. I would say a smidge conservative for strictly admission chances. So long as you have reasonable softs/WE/a better GPA in a grad program/anything that makes the school believe your 3.2 days are behind you, then a 170 puts you in contention at all non HYSCCN(Berk). Again, that's just contention. Meaning sticker price if admitted. A 173+ gives you an outside shot at small scholarships at Penn, UVA, NU, Mich, Cornell with virtually guaranteed admission at least one of those. This assumes there isn't a major increase in applicants* and again that your application is somewhat interesting/compelling.

*Feb LSAT was first increase in test takers in 7 tests, so this is possible

MistakenGenius · Post by **MistakenGenius** » Thu Mar 13, 2014 1:44 am

Post removed.

yossarian · Post by **yossarian** » Thu Mar 13, 2014 7:19 am

MistakenGenius wrote: Now, for the real reason I wrote another response, santoki's asterisk up there. ^ The February LSAT did have the first increase in test takers for an administration since 2010 (not sure where 7 cycles came from). While that might mean something positive (or negative depending on POV) for admissions, it most likely won't make a very big difference in the coming cycle. The increase was only something like 1.1%, that's only like 200 students, a small amount. While we won't know for sure until September, I doubt the tiny increase we might be experiencing will make a large difference. Even if total test takers improve by that amount, we're still talking about half the number from 2010.

Sorry I misspoke. 7 tests is what I meant to say. And yeah. Small increase doesn't mean much. Will have to see if June shows an increase for there to be any meaning to it at all.

phillywc · Post by **phillywc** » Thu Mar 13, 2014 8:43 am

I'd be aiming for a 172, personally. 3.2/172 would give you a pretty good shot at Penn ED, for example.

santoki · Post by **santoki** » Thu Mar 13, 2014 8:47 am

Thanks for your feedback and encouragement. I have played around with LSN but it seems to me that there are often various factors that affect outlier acceptances like URM status or having been in the Army. Nonetheless it's a great resource.

By the time I apply I'll be three years removed from undergrad with three years of being a paralegal under my belt. While I understand that being a paralegal isn't groundbreaking, I think it couldn't hurt if anything and I will be able to have my employer write a stellar recommendation.

What was so disappointing about my October 2013 administration of the LSAT was that I was scoring 170s consistently before the exam, albeit without bubble sheets and without a fifth section. This time around I'll focus again on improving my score while trying to keep testing conditions similar to what they will be in June.

I'm admittedly a "beginner" when it comes to the ins and outs of TLS and what people here swear by. I had once thought that I could go to a school like BU and be alright but what is becoming apparent is that it's not enough. Biglaw is the endgoal, and t14 seems to be worth fighting for.

phillywc · Post by **phillywc** » Thu Mar 13, 2014 8:49 am

santoki wrote:Thanks for your feedback and encouragement. I have played around with LSN but it seems to me that there are often various factors that affect outlier acceptances like URM status or having been in the Army. Nonetheless it's a great resource.

By the time I apply I'll be three years removed from undergrad with three years of being a paralegal under my belt. While I understand that being a paralegal isn't groundbreaking, I think it couldn't hurt if anything and I will be able to have my employer write a stellar recommendation.

What was so disappointing about my October 2013 administration of the LSAT was that I was scoring 170s consistently before the exam, albeit without bubble sheets and without a fifth section. This time around I'll focus again on improving my score while trying to keep testing conditions similar to what they will be in June.

I'm admittedly a "beginner" when it comes to the ins and outs of TLS and what people here swear by. I had once thought that I could go to a school like BU and be alright but what is becoming apparent is that it's not enough. Biglaw is the endgoal, and t14 seems to be worth fighting for.

I admire yoru attitude. Keep working, you will get T14, and you can put yourself in a great position to get big law from there.