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I know law schools grade on a curve and supposedly only so many A's can be given for a certain class.

But how does that translate into actual #'s?

Let's say you have a class of 50 students? Would like 5 students only be allowed to be given an "A" grade and then after that it's A-, B+, B.....etc.?

If it differs, what's the rough numbers we're talking about? Can more than 10% of a classroom get an A ever?

Depends on your curve

rad lulz wrote:Depends on your curve

Roughly? What's the biggest/smallest %?

It doesn't work like that necessarily...prof can give all B's if they want to...or only give B-, B, B+. Or give half A's and half F's (though that would be insane). Bottom line is, prof has to make the class average to the curve. How they get there is totally up to them. Best thing to do is ask around about your profs and their grading habits.

jtabustos wrote:

rad lulz wrote:Depends on your curve

Roughly? What's the biggest/smallest %?

Just ask your school

sidhesadie wrote:It doesn't work like that necessarily...prof can give all B's if they want to...or only give B-, B, B+. Or give half A's and half F's (though that would be insane). Bottom line is, prof has to make the class average to the curve. How they get there is totally up to them. Best thing to do is ask around about your profs and their grading habits.

Not necessarily. NU, for example, has min/max percentage of the class that can get each grade, and it has to all work out to a certain required median.

http://www.law.northwestern.edu/registr ... ingpolicy/

rinkrat19 wrote:

sidhesadie wrote:It doesn't work like that necessarily...prof can give all B's if they want to...or only give B-, B, B+. Or give half A's and half F's (though that would be insane). Bottom line is, prof has to make the class average to the curve. How they get there is totally up to them. Best thing to do is ask around about your profs and their grading habits.

Not necessarily. NU, for example, has min/max percentage of the class that can get each grade, and it has to all work out to a certain required median.

http://www.law.northwestern.edu/registr ... ingpolicy/

Very informative. Thank you very much.

One follow-up: what's median at your school, btw?

jtabustos wrote:

rinkrat19 wrote:

sidhesadie wrote:It doesn't work like that necessarily...prof can give all B's if they want to...or only give B-, B, B+. Or give half A's and half F's (though that would be insane). Bottom line is, prof has to make the class average to the curve. How they get there is totally up to them. Best thing to do is ask around about your profs and their grading habits.

Not necessarily. NU, for example, has min/max percentage of the class that can get each grade, and it has to all work out to a certain required median.

http://www.law.northwestern.edu/registr ... ingpolicy/

Very informative. Thank you very much.

One follow-up: what's median at your school, btw?

At the end of 1L, something like 3.30-3.40. Up to a 3.5-ish by the end of 3L, thanks to all those lovely uncurved classes.

My law school posts guidelines, but the reality is that it is professor specific. Maybe other schools are different, but for a school like mine, you can't start worrying about it until you know who your professors will be.

So for things like OCI and clerkships do they care about your GPA or your class rank?

john7234797 wrote:So for things like OCI and clerkships do they care about your GPA or your class rank?

Both, in that they're inexplicably linked. They just articulate it in a certain manner.
I've seen firms say top 25%, and firms say 3.50+ (as well as other ranges)

If 3.5 = top 25%, does it matter which term they use? If you don't meet one criteria, you don't meet the other.