Changes in LSAT scores of applicants Forum

[Paul Campos]

Total number of applicants with an LSAT score of 160 or higher

2010: 35,890

2017: 14,065

Total number of applicants with an LSAT score below 150

2010: 12,320

2017: 18,725

[Slippin' Jimmy]

This probably means that smart people are realizing that law school is a bad idea in most circumstances.

[rowdy]

*sigh* do I have to do this?

Retake

[Platopus]

This is good news as far as I'm concerned. Maybe others would disagree, but I don't really think the test has changed since 2010, so learning the test and cracking a 170+ should theoretically be just as "easy" now as in 2010.

[GFox345]

A shift in performance this dramatic may indicate a change in the difficulty of the test. I am skeptical that there has been any significant change in the attitudes of 0L applicants, and even if there was, it surely wouldn't justify such a dramatic shift. The vast, vast majority of both prospective and actual law students remain as they have always been: terrible at math and largely oblivious to the consequences of assuming an enormous amount of debt to go to law school.

[efficient]

A shift in performance this dramatic may indicate a change in the difficulty of the test. I am skeptical that there has been any significant change in the attitudes of 0L applicants, and even if there was, it surely wouldn't justify such a dramatic shift. The vast, vast majority of both prospective and actual law students remain as they have always been: terrible at math and largely oblivious to the consequences of assuming an enormous amount of debt to go to law school.

I believe there is some data to suggest that there has been a change in the attitudes of potential applicants from top colleges during this time frame.

Applicants from top colleges are down 48% since 2010:

http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog ... -2010.html

[Platopus]

A shift in performance this dramatic may indicate a change in the difficulty of the test. I am skeptical that there has been any significant change in the attitudes of 0L applicants, and even if there was, it surely wouldn't justify such a dramatic shift. The vast, vast majority of both prospective and actual law students remain as they have always been: terrible at math and largely oblivious to the consequences of assuming an enormous amount of debt to go to law school.

I believe there is some data to suggest that there has been a change in the attitudes of potential applicants from top colleges during this time frame.

Applicants from top colleges are down 48% since 2010:

http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog ... -2010.html

Top college doesn't necessarily mean top LSAT score though. I'm sure the correlation is high, but I don't think it entirely explains this data.

I am skeptical that the test has actually become more difficult. We're dealing with raw numbers, and law school apps have definitely decreased, so the actual % change in top scorers may not be as pronounced, making it more plausible that a slight fluctuation in top scores may actually be the result of self selection among otherwise high scorers.

[efficient]

Percentages: http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog ... -2010.html

[Platopus]

Percentages: http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog ... -2010.html

Good to know, thanks

[bmathers]

All I know is that my LSAT may not have even gotten me into my target schools in 2010, now it got me a full+stipend. I'm a fan of this drop

[gwillygecko]

This is good news as far as I'm concerned. Maybe others would disagree, but I don't really think the test has changed since 2010, so learning the test and cracking a 170+ should theoretically be just as "easy" now as in 2010.

totally anecdotal, but i took the lsat in both 2009 and 2016, and i feel like it was harder in 2016. i also agree that theres evidence that many potential "top applicants" are not going into law.

[Deserving Porcupine]

This is obviously a structural change to the test. I think the idea that somehow all the smart people just stopped taking the LSAT is a bit ludicrous, and just lol at the idea of a 'top school' being a reliable proxy for the intelligence of an applicant.

[mrtux45]

This is obviously a personal opinion, but when I was prepping for the LSAT I found that my practice scores dropped by a few points when taking the most recent tests. I felt like logic games became less formulaic and the LR had fewer of those questions you can get in like 20 seconds.

[Future Ex-Engineer]

Confirmed: People are dumber in 2017 than 2010

[A. Nony Mouse]

This is obviously a structural change to the test. I think the idea that somehow all the smart people just stopped taking the LSAT is a bit ludicrous, and just lol at the idea of a 'top school' being a reliable proxy for the intelligence of an applicant.

I don't think this is necessarily true. There's been a lot of media attention to the problems with law schools, and as the recession has receded, people with top qualifications have more options. The overall numbers are down; in 2010 you had the recession effect sending more people to grad school than you do today.

[carsondalywashere]

This is obviously a structural change to the test. I think the idea that somehow all the smart people just stopped taking the LSAT is a bit ludicrous, and just lol at the idea of a 'top school' being a reliable proxy for the intelligence of an applicant.

I don't think this is necessarily true. There's been a lot of media attention to the problems with law schools, and as the recession has receded, people with top qualifications have more options. The overall numbers are down; in 2010 you had the recession effect sending more people to grad school than you do today.

As most things in life are, it's probably a mix of both factors.