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Philosophy Department Homepage | WSU Homepage |
Information for Pre-Law Students
Preparing for the LSAT
What is the LSAT?The Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) is a half-day standardized test required for admission to all
201 law schools that are members of the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC). It provides a
standard measure of acquired reading and verbal reasoning skills that law schools can use as one of
several factors in assessing applicants. The test is administered four times a year at hundreds of
locations around the world.Many law schools require that the LSAT be taken by December for admission the following fall.
However, taking the test earlier (June or October) is often advisable.
How do I find out more about the LSAT?
The Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) has invaluable information concerning the LSAT,
including test dates, fees, how to register, a sample LSAT exam (including an answer sheet to see
how you did), and so forth. Follow the LSAT link from their homepage: www.lsac.org.
When should I start preparing for the LSAT?It is never too early to start preparing for the LSAT. Start taking courses that will improve your
reading, verbal and reasoning skills. Previous LSAT exams and preparatory books can be purchased
or borrowed from the library. Familiarizing yourself early with the format of the exam, the type of
questions asked, and what skills you need to develop will pay off when it comes time to take the test.
There are also a variety of LSAT preparations courses that you can take. The University of Dayton,
for instance, offers an inexpensive LSAT prep course every fall term.
What is a good LSAT score?Your LSAT score and your GPA are the two main factors law schools look at in considering your
application. Given that law schools receive hundreds more applications for admission than they can
accept, they admit (otherwise acceptable) candidates with as high an LSAT score and as a high a
GPA as they can. So, depending on which law schools you apply to, what is considered a good
LSAT score will vary to some degree (and the standard keeps going up).
That being said, there are some general guidelines: A score of 180 is a perfect LSAT score. A score
in the 170-179 range is excellent. Most law schools will accept 75% of their candidates with a
LSAT score in the 160-169 range. Several law schools will accept 75% of their candidates with a
score in the 154-159 range. Some law schools will accept 75% of their candidates with a score in the
150-154 range. A few law schools will accept candidates with an LSAT score as low as 146.
Not all law schools are purely "by the numbers" and will consider candidates with lower LSAT scores
than they advertise for if other factors in the candidate's application compensate for it.
Is there a link between what I major in and how I do on the LSAT?Some majors may be better at preparing you for the LSAT and, more generally, for law school
because they focus more on reading, verbal and reasoning skills than others. If there are few written
assignments in your field of study, you can be sure that you will struggle more on the LSAT than if
you've had plenty of opportunity to hone your reasoning and writing skills.
In a relatively recent survey of average LSAT scores for 29 majors (and this survey was consistent
with the findings of the previous survey)* , the three majors with the highest average LSAT scores
were Physics/Math, Philosophy/Religion and Economics:
'94-'95 Rank Major
Average Score Number of Students 1 Physics/Math 157.6 689 2 Philosophy/Religion 156.0 1884 3 Economics 155.3 2916 4 International Relations 155.1 1546 5 Chemistry 154.5 893 6 Government/Service 154.4 812 7 Anthropology/Geography 154.1 898 8 History 154.0 5819 9 English 153.7 6324 10 Biology 153.6 1858 11 Other Social Science 153.2 2609 12 Engineering 152.7 2656 13 Foreign Languages 152.5 2002 14 Finance 152.2 2009 15 Computer Science 152.2 468 16 Psychology 151.9 3977 17 Accounting 151.8 2340 18 Political Science 151.6 15388 19 Communications/Arts 150.7 3898 20 Marketing/Real Estate 150.0 1826 21 Liberal Arts 149.8 1148 22 Management 149.4 2735 23 Sociology/Soc. Work 149.3 3129 24 Bus. Administration 148.6 2111 25 Health Profession 148.6 984 26 Education 148.2 823 27 No Major Given 147.6 5289 28 Prelaw 147.3 1076 29 Criminology 145.8 3960 *Source: Nieswiadomy, Michael, "LSAT Scores of Economics Majors," Journal of Economic Education (Fall
1998): 377-379.You've probably noticed that Pre-Law is always low in the rankings. Don't panic. The Pre-Law
program at WSU is not a major and the rankings are based on Pre-Law as a major. Why the
comparatively poor LSAT average scores for Pre-Law majors? They are probably due to an over-
concentration in the course requirements in such majors on law courses rather than on courses which
develop the reading, writing and reasoning skills required to do well on the LSAT and excel in law
school. Remember, it is those skills that the LSAT tests for and those skills which law schools are
seeking in their candidates, not how much you know about law.
The key thing, for you, is to be sure to develop the skills you require to do well on the LSAT and
excel in law school, regardless of what you decide to major in.
Philosophy Department Homepage | WSU Homepage
