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What do people think the breakdown is between the two?

How much GPA does 1 LSAT point = ?

Or do you think it matters more the range, such as a 3.9is worth a lot more than a 3.5 because a 3.9 is a lot harder to maintain then comparing a 3.1 and a 3.5.

A 3.5 is 1/2 A's and 1/2 B's, where as a 3.75 is 2/3 A's 1/3 B's. Is the 3.75 worth substantially more than a 3.5?

Schools vary in the relative weight they assign to GPA and LSAT. Many calculate an admissions index by multiplying GPA and LSATs by weighting constants and adding them together. You can read about it here:
http://www.uiowa.edu/~030116/prelaw/adminstart.htm

And you can play with numbers from LSAC here:
http://officialguide.lsac.org/UGPASearc ... SidString=

voice of reason wrote:Schools vary in the relative weight they assign to GPA and LSAT. Many calculate an admissions index by multiplying GPA and LSATs by weighting constants and adding them together. You can read about it here:
http://www.uiowa.edu/~030116/prelaw/adminstart.htm

And you can play with numbers from LSAC here:
http://officialguide.lsac.org/UGPASearc ... SidString=

Thank you, I am really depressed now, GPA is about 20% weight

the typical tradeoff is .1 GPA = 1 LSAT

I believe it does vary from school to school. The LSAT score is far superior though as far as admissions are concerned. A great LSAT score can offset a poor GPA while it is much harder to compensate for a low LSAT score, even w/ an excellent GPA.

There are many more stellar GPA's than stellar LSAT scores, so naturally law schools put slightly more weight on the LSAT.

Inygma wrote: where as a 3.75 is 2/3 A's 1/3 B's.

Wouldn't a 3.75 be 3/4 A's and 1/4 B's?

eskimo wrote:

Inygma wrote: where as a 3.75 is 2/3 A's 1/3 B's.

Wouldn't a 3.75 be 3/4 A's and 1/4 B's?

Depends if the A's or B's were in math.

englawyer wrote:the typical tradeoff is .1 GPA = 1 LSAT

whoa, i very much doubt it's this extreme. i'd think .05 GPA = 1 LSAT is more on target

just look at the way HLS admissions have gone this year. i would very much rather have a 3.9/175 (auto-admit) than a 3.7/177 (sketchy). and i'd again very much rather have a 3.7/177 than a 3.5/179 (outside looking in)

You can't look at it that way, because that is not how adcoms make their classes. If you GPA is above the median for the school its worth a lot. If its below the median, LSAT points are worth infinity gpa points.

A 2.1/171 got into NW, but a 3.6/169 has absolutely no shot.

You absolutely need to be above at least one of the two median for a shot at most schools

Desert Fox wrote:You can't look at it that way, because that is not how adcoms make their classes. If you GPA is above the median for the school its worth a lot. If its below the median, LSAT points are worth infinity gpa points.

A 2.1/171 got into NW, but a 3.6/169 has absolutely no shot.

You absolutely need to be above at least one of the two median for a shot at most schools

Very true. I talked to Vandy's admissions and asked their opinion on an LSAT retake to further mitigate my GPA. I was already at their 75% after my first LSAT, and was told it wouldn't make a huge difference. I did the retake anyway to try and expand my range into the T14, but it's all about the medians in the end.

GargamelITT wrote:

englawyer wrote:the typical tradeoff is .1 GPA = 1 LSAT

whoa, i very much doubt it's this extreme. i'd think .05 GPA = 1 LSAT is more on target

just look at the way HLS admissions have gone this year. i would very much rather have a 3.9/175 (auto-admit) than a 3.7/177 (sketchy). and i'd again very much rather have a 3.7/177 than a 3.5/179 (outside looking in)

agreed, but that could be a phenomenon tied to the big 3.

at a school like NYU the autoadmit curve looks like 173/3.75, 172/3.85, 171/3.95 at least from last year LSN

Desert Fox wrote:You can't look at it that way, because that is not how adcoms make their classes. If you GPA is above the median for the school its worth a lot. If its below the median, LSAT points are worth infinity gpa points.

A 2.1/171 got into NW, but a 3.6/169 has absolutely no shot.

You absolutely need to be above at least one of the two median for a shot at most schools

This. What additional LSAT or GPA points are worth varies wildly depending on what you're starting from. Being below median in both is pretty much automatic rejection, even if you're only just a little bit below median in both.