Law School Applications With Terrible LSAT Scores Are Soaring

Didn't get a great score on the LSAT? Law school (debt) may still be in your future.

Book dunceThe LSAT may be dealing with some competition to be the law school admissions test of choice, but it is still the most widely taken. As such, looking at the range of scores of law school applicants tells us a lot about the class of future lawyers.

On Pepperdine Law School Dean Paul Caron’s popular legal blog, TaxProf Blog, he takes a look at the trend of LSAT scores from 2010 – 2017… and it doesn’t look great. Applicants with less than a 150 LSAT score are up 146 percent over that period. And applications from students that score a 160 or better have dropped 35 percent over that same period of time.

You can look at the trend in this stunning graphic:

Via Tax Prof Blog

Via Tax Prof Blog

How well these students actually do in law school, and as members of the legal profession, remains to be seen. What we do know is that bar passage rates around the country have been taking a beating, calling into question what to do about declining admissions standards. While many undoubtedly are excited to get into a law school, it is decidedly less exciting three years later when you are unable to get a job and have a whopping student loan bill to show for it.


headshotKathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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