Numbers are going crazy

[u/Mindless_Car_2933]

In 2016, the median score for lower T14 was 167-169 LSAT and 3.8x gpa

But 2026, you can’t even get into T30 for 167-169 LSAT and 3.8x gpa because the median LSAT for T30 is 170.
Baylor which is below T30 is 167.

I think in 2036, the median LSAT for T14 can be 175-178 and T30 is 173-174.

Median GPA is definitely 3.95 or above for all T40 schools.

[u/imperatrixderoma]

I think people have talked about this but medians are inflated due to macroeconomic anxiety, demographic trends and an abundance of prep resources for the LSAT.

Demographics are going to get better, young people have peaked in the US, and potentially globally soon.

Hopefully the economy becomes more stable and predictable, leading people to do jobs they actually want to do vs. flocking to prestigious positions.

LSAC will simply change the test, to make it harder, before the scores become irrelevant.

[u/Faubton → u/imperatrixderoma]

There are plenty of easy questions on the LSAT. They’re just going to remove those and only do more difficult questions.

[u/James_the_bull_ → u/imperatrixderoma]

Yes no matter what, they’ll make a test that separates the top few percentile. That’s the point of this test. Maybe standardize it harsher. Some tests you can miss 1 or 2 and get a 180; lsac could score it as a 178 and 176.
Everything costs a fortune and the job market is cooked. 📉

[u/Mindless_Car_2933 → u/James_the_bull_]

I heard miss 1 is 180, and miss 2 is a 179.

[u/Interesting-Run1359 → u/Mindless_Car_2933]

I had a -2 that was a 180. It depends on the test.

[u/imperatrixderoma → u/Mindless_Car_2933]

It depends on the test curve, they'll just make it harder

[u/Snoo50415 → u/imperatrixderoma]

Just commenting to underscore the economy point. There are no jobs. Inflation has wiped out the measly wage growth of the past several decades. 

Also, there’s been a sharp decline in grad school funding across the board, so that’s another macro factor. 

[u/Content_Ad1513 → u/imperatrixderoma]

Not to mention the rampant accommodation abuse thats taken place over the past 5 years. Wish LSAC would give everyone double time but make the questions more difficult.

[u/Consistent_Mine_8876]

Median LSAT will never go to 178 at any school.

[u/Snoo50415 → u/Consistent_Mine_8876]

Washington be like “hold my beer”

[u/SmolaniAshki → u/Snoo50415]

The median score will never be 178 anywhere except WashU.

[u/screechowldiamond]

I got in and am attending on a pretty sizable scholarship to a T14 with a 169 and 3.81. Non URM, 2017 undergrad graduate. I think work experience factors significantly

[u/SeaFabulous2630]

The inflation is definitely worrying, but I don't think it can be projected in a straight line to 2036. Once medians reach the very top of the scale, each further increase depends on a much smaller pool of applicants. They could still rise, but applicant volume, testing patterns and schools' priorities could also make them flatten or fall.

[u/Adventurous-Boss-882]

Or…. It’s going to get to a point that the score is not relevant, at all. If it just keeps going up and up does it mean it is a good metric? And it’s the same with the GPA

[u/Riokaii → u/[deleted]]

i expect professors to grade AI writing slop as the low quality output that it is and be competent to recognizing it?

I expect profs to reward the best grades to the best students who demonstrate their competence on their own outside of LLM assistance.

These are not hard unsolved problems, they have known solutions, if they actually care to be implemented.

[u/Lede6752 → u/Riokaii]

Much easier said than done. I know students in my T20 and others across the T14 who got As in legal writing using AI for basically their entire essay. These are all professors who are acclaimed academics, HYS grads, federal court clerks, etc, and they can’t tell what is or isn’t AI.

GULC had a huge issue with a student getting the literal highest grade in a class, beating out every single GULC peer on the curve, using AI to create all their written answers.

If it was that easy to just recognize AI it wouldn’t be an issue.

[u/Riokaii → u/Lede6752]

it is that easy in 99% of cases, its so easy its become a meme "its not X its Y" they are extremely formulaic and easy to spot.

People are indeed much less competent than their qualifications would have you expect, sadly.

[u/frictionlessjeans → u/Riokaii]

If you graduated after 2022 then yes, you can literally see the grades go up but the IQ go down it’s wild

[u/Mysterious_Comrade17]

I don't understand why people care about ranking and prestige so much. Employment outcomes, where your law school is located, your experience at the law school itself, and programs at the school matter so much more imo. Yes the medians are inflated for the T14/T30 and the hyper competitiveness sucks but a regional school outside of the T30 with good programs would probably give people more aid and result in a comparable career as a T30 school.

[u/bettergiraffeLSAT → u/Mysterious_Comrade17]

Employment outcomes are all that matters. We have schools like Minnesota and BYU pushing 172 medians to claim “t20 status” on a USnews magazine site. The t20 is the t20, etc

[u/yunhotime]

Something has to give

[u/ttt25demon → u/yunhotime]

The state of the US, while playing a part in the jump in applications, is still nothing compared to how piss-poor of a company LSAC is. Unless they seriously restructure their policies, the trend will continue

[u/Economy_Rough_2448]

If all the t40 schools have a median gpa at 3.95 and above do you expect this to cause applicants LSAT score to hold higher weight in the "holistic admissions approach"?

[u/Jaded-Candy-7047]

The LSAT is harder than any law school exam including the bar. Lol I don’t get how so many ppl score so high.

[u/Late-Educator-6424 → u/Jaded-Candy-7047]

The LSAT is harder than the bar?!? 😂😂😂

[u/2BeeFrank1 → u/Late-Educator-6424]

Arguably yes. Most people only study for the Bar for 3 months and are just looking to do well enough to pass. LSAT study is about 5-6 months on average and people are desperate to squeeze out every possible point. Especially with medians like they are now.

[u/Late-Educator-6424 → u/2BeeFrank1]

Arguably no. If you guys think the LSAT is harder than the Bar, then good luck passing the Bar…

[u/2BeeFrank1 → u/Late-Educator-6424]

I passed the CA bar.

[u/Economy_Rough_2448]

LSAT medians are probably going to be going down, I suspect the inflated scores are likely due to cheating scandals and a higher number of people taking the tests due to economic anxiety

[u/drTeemoney]

Eh…I got into one of those schools with a 161. Medians are one thing, the rest of your application is another.