Your application, LSAC, and LSDAS.

LSAC- The Law School Admission Council is the central clearinghouse for all your law school application needs. LSAC serves two functions. First, it organizes and administers the LSAT. Second, once you apply to law schools you will work through LSAC’s LSDAS (Law School Data Assembly Service). You send your undergraduate (and graduate) transcripts to LSAC. Normally your letters of recommendation will also go to LSAC. LSAC compiles all your transcripts, LSAT scores, and letters of recommendation. Once you inform them of the law schools to which you are applying. LSAC sends your information to the schools, and this information is added to the application that you send separately to each school, normally through LSAC. You can reach them at www.LSAC.org or 215-968-1001

The importance of the items in your application:

• The elements of your application from most to least important are: LSAT score, GPA, personal statement, letters of recommendation, LSAT writing sample.
• Most law schools give equal weight to your LSAT score and GPA. These two numbers are the critical factors in determining your chance of admissions. There are many web sites that you can use to find out more about admission matrixes and where your numbers fit in any given school. Given the vital importance of your LSAT score, preparation is unquestionably important.
• If your LSAT score and GPA place you high enough in a law school’s admission matrix for you to be a candidate the law school will then spend greater time considering the personal statement, letters of recommendation, and your LSAT writing sample. Get Prepped offers an Admissions Counseling program to help you improve your overall application, as well as help you target the right schools for your needs. So once you have taken care to get the best LSAT score you can, contact us to find out more about admissions counseling.

LSAT FAQs

Should I take the LSAT once, just for practice? It depends.  Some schools (the most selective schools) may average all your LSAT scores. So it is better to take the test once and do your best on it, the first time.  But most schools will use your highest score.  Statistics published by LSAC indicate that retakers don’t score significantly higher, as a group.

How is the LSAT scored? The LSAT has 101 scored questions. The total number of correct answers are then scaled on a scale from 120 to 180. The average test taker gets approximately 56 answers correct, for a scaled score of 150.

What score do I need to pass the LSAT? There is no ‘passing’ LSAT score. The score you need depends on where you want to go to law school, and what your GPA is. Generally, a score below 150 will drastically limit your choice of potential law schools. At most law schools, most applicants are in the 150-160 range. More selective schools expect candidates to score in the 160-170 range. The most selective schools expect candidates to score in the high 160s up to 180, and have an excellent GPA.

Do I need to answer every question correctly to do well? Definitely not. You can miss 10 questions and still score a 170, which is in the 98th percentile, a respectable score at even the most selective schools. You can miss up to 20 questions and still get a 162, which is a good score for reasonably selective state universities.