Most law schools use a rolling admissions system to fill each entering class. This means that a school begins offering admission to applicants well before its application deadline has passed. How is a school able to do this?  Actually, figuring out who to make offers to before a school knows how many applications it will receive is a remarkably straightforward process. Every fall, each law school creates its own admission index, which is a number derived from a mathematical equation that combines the GPA, the LSAT, and a third constant. This admission index is the "magic number" for the law school for that year. If your index score is at or above the point where the law school has pegged its admission index, the school offers you admission. Applicants whose index scores are below a certain cutoff point find letters of rejection waiting in the mail. If your index score is between the automatic offer and automatic rejection points, schools will put you into a "wait-and-see" category. In this wait-listed category, you're in limbo. You may or may not get offered admission, depending on the strength of the remaining applicant pool.

The trick for a law school, of course, is figuring out exactly where to peg its admission index. Set the index too high, and the law school courts disaster. The result may be too few offers, resulting in empty seats in the first-year class. Conversely, if the index is set too low, the school may find itself with too many students. Law schools would rather have too many students than too few. To make sure this happens, a school may set its admission index a bit on the low side at the beginning of an admission cycle. As the admission process continues, the school will tweak its admission index up or down (most likely, up) to fine-tune the number of students it admits. The thing to realize is that because any given school is likely to have a lower admission index early on, there may be some advantage to applying early. Not a big advantage, mind you, but any legitimate advantage you can get is worth taking.

As you can tell from this discussion, most admission decisions are based on GPAs, LSATs, and little else. So when do things like recommendations, essays, gender, race, and work experience get considered?  The answer is that all law schools actively recruit minorities and women, groups that have long been underrepresented in the legal community. Being a member of one of these groups can only help, not hurt, your chances for law school admission. Law schools also do their best to offer reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.

Recommendations, essays, work experiences and the like tend to get used as "tiebreakers."  For example, the top law schools get far more applications than they have available spots. Most of the applicants to these schools have very high GPAs and LSATs, so the schools must rely on the tiebreakers to distinguish one applicant from the next. Other law schools may also look to these tiebreakers as they approach the end of an admission cycle, if they have many more applications than openings to fill.

This does not mean that you should ignore or downplay the significance of these other admissions factors. If any part of your application is incomplete, a law school will not consider your application no matter how strong your GPA or LSAT. A sloppy application will not create the kind of impression you want, especially if the admission decision comes down to a close call between you and another applicant with roughly equal qualifications. It can be argued that law schools are interested in seeing just how well you are able to follow painstaking instructions and pay close attention to details.

In summary, most law schools use an admission index based heavily upon GPA and LSAT score to offer admissions in a rolling admission system. Because law schools would rather have too many first year students than too few, the admission index may be set lower early in an admission cycle. This means that there can be a slight advantage in applying to law schools early. Applicants to the top law schools have very high GPAs and LSAT scores, so other criteria must be used to distinguish one candidate from the next. All law schools are actively seeking to improve diversity in their ranks, so women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

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What is the LSAT all about?  How do I register and when do I take it?

The Law School Admission Test, or LSAT, is a standardized test given four times a year at various locations around the country. All ABA approved law schools require the LSAT for admission. It is given by an organization called the Law School Admission Council (often referred to as Law Services). Law Services claims that there is a positive correlation between LSAT scores and success as a first year law student. In other words, according to Law Services, the better you do on the LSAT, the better you are likely to do in your first year of law school. Whether this is true is debatable. What is not debatable, though, is that law schools rely heavily on the LSAT in making admission decisions.

As is true with most standardized tests, horror stories about the LSAT are abundant. Many students are scared silly over the prospect of having to take it. The LSAT is nothing more than a test. True, it is an important test. But if you understand something about it and you prepare for it, your anxiety level should decrease.

The LSAT is not designed to test your knowledge of the law or any other subject in particular. Instead, it measures your reading comprehension, analytical skills, and reasoning skills. The test consists of 101 questions. It is divided into five 35-minute multiple choice sections, and a 30-minute essay to provide a writing sample. Each section contains between 24 and 28 questions. Of the five multiple choice sections, only four (two logical reasoning sections, one analytical reasoning section, and one reading comprehension section) actually count as part of your score. The fifth section is used for administrative purposes only, but you have no way of telling, when you take the test, which four sections count and which one does not. The essay, which always comes last, is not graded and does not count toward your LSAT score.

Most students take the LSAT in June after their junior year of college. The June test is given on a Monday; the other three test dates are Saturdays in late September or early October, December, and February. Appendix B contains information about this year's test dates, costs, and registration procedures. The October test date is used by students who, for whatever reason, don't get around to taking the June test. October is also popular with students who took the test in June but who were not happy with their scores, and want to retake it. The December test  date has a couple of disadvantages. First, it is close to the end of the fall semester and the holiday season when you are busy with other things. Second, by December you should already have applied to law schools, and you must ask them to hold your application until your December test score is available. The February test date is not very popular. For students who hope to go to law school that same fall, it is usually a last-ditch hope to improve earlier poor LSAT scores.

You should register for the LSAT at least four to six weeks in advance of the scheduled test date. There is no harm in registering early; late registrations must be accompanied by a late fee. You should get a copy of Law Services' free, annual LSAT Registration and Information Book (the Information Book), which is published in February or March of each year. The Information Book contains registration forms, as well as lots of information on registration, the LSAT, and applying to law schools. To get your copy, contact Law Services directly, or ask your school's prelaw advisor if you can pick up a copy somewhere on campus. In addition to registering by mail, you can register by phone, or at Law Services' web site. Appendix B lists contact information for Law Services.

Here are some of the things included on the LSAT registration:

• A four-digit personal identification number (PIN). If you don't choose one, Law Services will assign one to you. Keep your PIN in a safe place, because you will need it anytime you communicate with Law Services.
• Your mailing address. The mailing address should be where you'll get your mail around six weeks after the test, since that is when Law Services will send you a report with your test score.
• The test center code. Each testing location has a test center code, and you specify your first and second choices. Pick the location that will be most convenient to you on the test date.
• Authorization to release information. By checking this box, you authorize Law Services to release your score to your school's prelaw advisor. You should do so, because you will want to work closely with your prelaw advisor during the law school application process.
• Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) registration. If you plan to apply to law schools within a year after you take the LSAT, then register for the LSDAS at the same time you register for the LSAT. For more information on the LSDAS, see "What is the Law School Data Assembly Service?", below.
• Payment of fees and fee waivers. Be sure that you pay all fees, including any late registration fee, at the time you register. The Information Book explains fee waivers for students who can't afford to pay. Be aware, though, that if you want to request a fee waiver, you must apply about ten weeks before the test date. Information about current fees is contained in Appendix B.
• Special accommodations. If you live in a remote location, observe a Saturday Sabbath, or have a disability that requires accommodation, Law Services will make special arrangements for you. However, you must apply early to allow Law Services time to document your needs and to make the required arrangements.
•  

You must prepare for the LSAT, and you should do so under conditions that simulate the actual test. Because the LSAT does not test "knowledge" like the tests you are used to taking, "cramming" for it is usually an ineffective technique. Preparing for the LSAT means learning what the LSAT tests and how it is tested. The more time you give yourself to prepare, the less anxious you will be come test day.

Should you prepare on your own, or should you take an LSAT preparation course?  The answer depends on who you ask. In general, a couple of factors should be considered. If you have the self-discipline to set aside the needed time and do quality studying, there is nothing wrong with going it on your own. However, if you have a hard time forcing yourself to turn off the TV, seclude yourself from friends, family, or roommates, and devote your full attention to regular preparation, then the discipline imposed by a preparation course is something you need. In addition to your study habits, cost is another factor. LSAT courses are not cheap. The typical cost ranges from $300 to $1100 dollars. Some of the better-known test preparation companies do offer scholarships for needy students. Your pre-law advisor can give you information about some of the LSAT preparation courses.

If you plan to study on your own, you should start six to eight weeks before the test date. LSAT study books are available in all the popular bookstores, or through Amazon.com and other Web booksellers. Be sure to get a book that includes studying and test-taking tips, but what you're really after is the practice exams. The more practice exams you can get your hands on, the better off you'll be. Most LSAT self-study books contain questions from actual LSATs given in previous years, along with guides to explain the right and wrong answers. Your goal is to understand how the questions and answers are designed, and to get as comfortable as possible with them. You can order copies of previously-given LSATs from Law Services.

You should set aside a certain amount of time each day or week to study. If you can study at home, then study at home. But if there are too many distractions there, then find a quiet place like the library where you can focus and concentrate. The bulk of your study time should be spent reviewing and trying to understand the questions and answers. In addition, you should take at least one full practice exam each week under simulated test conditions. Score each exam after you take it and then spend extra time working on the areas where your scores are the weakest. Track your progress from week to week so you can see your improvement.

LSAT preparation courses offer small group instruction from people who know a great deal about the LSAT and how to take it. The two most widely known preparation courses are Kaplan and The Princeton Review. Both offer regularly scheduled courses that take place over several weeks prior to each LSAT date. You get lots of test-taking information and lots of practice exams. Throughout each course, computerized analyses show your strengths and weaknesses so you can concentrate your efforts in areas that need work. Appendix C provides information about different LSAT preparation courses, and their costs.

About six weeks after you take the LSAT, Law Services will send you a report with your score. The report explains how to interpret your score, but in general, here's how it works. You receive a "raw" score that is converted to a "scaled" score of between 120 and 180, depending on the difficulty of the LSAT you took. Your scaled score is grouped into something called a "score band," which is a statistical grouping of your scaled score plus or minus three points with a 68% level of confidence. This means, for example, that a person with a scaled score of 150 will score between 147 and 153 about 68% of the time. Note that this score band is not an absolute predictor of what your LSAT score will be should you choose to take the test again. It is simply a statistical ranking of your scaled score based upon probabilities compiled by Law Services. Depending on the circumstances, you might do worse than three points lower, or better than three points higher.

The average LSAT scaled score is around 151, and more than 50% score between 145 and 159. A scaled score of 160 to 165 puts you in very good company, and you are in an elite group with a scaled score of 166 or better. Your scaled score will be ranked in a percentile, which is the percentage of test takers that you outscored. For example, a 75th percentile score means that you outscored 75% of the test takers, and that 25% outscored you. On the LSAT, a handful of correct answers can make a huge percentile difference. The difference between the 50th percentile and the 75th percentile is around three questions per section; the difference between the 90th and the 95th percentiles is less than two questions per section.

If you get your LSAT score and you are disappointed with it, try not to get discouraged. Think back on your test preparation and test taking techniques. Perhaps you did not put enough quality effort into preparing. You may have had a bad experience taking the test. If you were sick or you were distracted by personal problems, you may not have been able to give your best effort. Of course, some people just tend to do poorly on standardized tests.

If you find fault with your studying or test taking methods, or you were having a bad day on the day of the test, retake it. If your score is low but not a disaster, and if you are sure you gave it your best effort, then maybe you need to rethink your choices of law schools. Remember, your goal is to get into law school. Sure, you'd like to get into a great law school, but you must to be realistic about where your LSAT score can take you. If you have to settle for what was initially your second, third or fourth choice of law schools, do it. Once you get into an ABA-approved law school, then work hard and do what is expected of you. You'll get a fine legal education.

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What is the Law School Data Assembly Service?

The Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS), operated by Law Services, is just what its name implies: a service that assembles your law school admission information, compiles a report about you, and forwards that report to each of the law schools where you apply. Using the LSDAS is not optional. If you want to attend an ABA-approved law school, you must register with the LSDAS and follow its procedures.

If you plan to apply to law schools within a year after taking the LSAT, then you should register for the LSDAS at the same time you register to take the LSAT. On the LSAT registration form, you simply check the LSDAS box, list every undergraduate, graduate, and professional school you've attended, indicate how many law schools you plan to apply to (you don't have to name the law schools, just estimate the minimum number to which you think you'll apply) and pay the LSDAS registration fee. LSDAS contact and registration information is provided in Appendix B.

If you're not sure when you will apply to law schools, or you just choose not to sign up for the LSDAS when you register for the LSAT, you can register for the LSDAS at any time. A registration form is available in the Law Services' Information Book, or you can register by telephone or via the Law Services' web site.

Every undergraduate, graduate, and professional school you have attended must send directly to the LSDAS an official copy of your transcript. You are responsible for requesting each transcript, and you can do so using index-sized postcards that are included with the LSDAS registration materials in the Information Book. Unofficial copies of your transcript will not be accepted. You should request your transcripts during the summer after your junior year of college. If your GPA improves after the fall semester of your senior year, have your university registrar send an updated transcript to the LSDAS. An new report will be prepared by the LSDAS and sent to the law schools where you've applied.

Once you have registered for the LSDAS, had your official transcripts sent, and taken the LSAT, the LSDAS compiles your Law School Master Report. Your Master Report includes this information:  

• Your name and address;
• All of your undergraduate, graduate, and professional school grades compiled in tabular format by school and year;
• Photocopies of your official transcripts;
• Your most recent LSAT score, as well as up to 12 earlier LSAT scores;
• A photocopy of your most recent LSAT writing sample, and photocopies of up to two writing samples from earlier LSATs;
• A list of all law schools where you have previously been enrolled;
• Photocopies of special documents, like records and letters confirming your disability status, if applicable; and
• Your admission index number for the law schools where you've applied, if the law schools provide that information to the LSDAS and ask the LSDAS to make the calculation.

A copy of your Master Report will be sent to you. Check it carefully to make sure it is complete and accurate. Each of the law schools you apply to will contact the LSDAS and ask for a copy of your Master Report. You are not required to send a copy of it along with your application.

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When and where should I apply to law school?

During your junior year of college, you should begin investigating law schools. The easiest place to start is on the Web. Law school websites usually contain information about faculty, curriculum, clinical programs, law journals, facilities, and applications and admissions. Appendix D includes a listing of law schools' websites. Some law schools allow you to download their application materials from their websites. Others will send an application package to you on request. You can buy law school application software packages on CD-ROM, or download them from the Web. See Appendices B and E. These programs simplify the process of filling out numerous law school applications.

To compare different law schools, consult law school ranking and information guides. You can find several in any bookstore, and there are also websites that contain such comparative information. Appendix D lists some of these websites. Appendix E is a bibliography of useful printed books and guides.

Don't overlook your college pre-law advisor. This person usually has information from Law Services like the Information Book and other publications, and can answer questions about local law schools, their admission criteria, and their admission procedures. You should also speak to friends, business associates, and others who have attended law school to get their input. Choosing where to go to law school is an important decision that should be based upon more than your GPA and LSAT score.

You apply to law schools during the fall semester of your senior year. Ideally, by that time you have registered with the LSDAS, arranged for your official transcripts to be sent, and taken (and made a good score on) the LSAT. The only thing left to do, aside from completing the applications, is to arrange for letters of recommendation.

Most law schools require at least two letters of recommendation, and many put a cap on the number of letters they will accept on behalf of each applicant. You should make arrangements for these letters early during the fall semester of your senior year, and anticipate that it will take four weeks for the letters to be written and sent. Law schools vary in their recommendation letter formats. Some provide preprinted forms to be filled out, while others have no required format at all. Nearly all law schools want the letters of recommendation to be sent by the letter writers, or they take other steps to ensure that the letters are not tampered with by applicants. Give careful thought to the people you ask to write letters of recommendation. The rule of thumb is that a lukewarm or bad letter will hurt your chances more than a good letter will help.

Law schools want you to visit their campuses so you can see firsthand what they have to offer. However, few law schools require a visit or an interview as part of the application process. The number of applications each law school receives would make this too time consuming and cumbersome. Generally, only the top law schools interview applicants, and even then, just a few are interviewed as a sort of "tie breaking" procedure. If you have truly special circumstances that you want a law school to consider when reviewing your application, or if you have a disability and would like to find out about a law school's ability to accommodate you, you can certainly request an interview. Policies are different from school to school, but most are willing to at least talk with you and learn about your situation.

Try to have your applications done and sent (via certified mail, return receipt requested) by early to mid-November. That way, you avoid being distracted by late semester school activities. In addition, getting your applications in early may give you the advantage of lower admission indexes. Once your application at a law school is complete, the school will notify you, usually by letter or postcard. If you think you have done everything you need to do, but a few weeks pass and you have not received that notification, contact the admissions office to confirm that your application materials have all been received. Better to be safe than sorry.

Deciding where you apply to law school can be one of the most difficult decisions you have to make. Your undergraduate GPA and LSAT score may limit your choices, perhaps significantly. Even so, there are more than 200 law schools in the United States, most of them ABA-approved, which means you have plenty from which to choose. In addition to your GPA and LSAT score, here are a number of factors you may want to consider in deciding where to apply:
 

• Whether you can move to attend law school someplace other than where you now live;
• The overall cost of living and quality of life in the cities where you might apply;
• The availability of financial aid and work study programs;
• The quality of life at the different law schools themselves;
• The degree of competitiveness among students;
• The number of law journals, legal clinics, and other extracurricular activities available to supplement classroom experience;
• The quality of the faculty, including student-faculty ratios, and minority and female representation on the faculty;
• The diversity of the student population;
• The quality of the physical facilities, including the library, and access to facilities like courts; and
• Information about graduates, such as bar exam pass rates, and placement and starting salary information.

This listing is not exhaustive; there may be other issues that you want to check out. The point is simply that your law school investigation process should be designed to answer the questions that are most important to you. All of the above information is available somewhere. You just have to dig until you find it.

A few words about financial aid. The good news is that there’s money out there to finance your legal education. The bad news is, it’s often not free money. That is, there are some scholarships and grants available, but the operative word is "some."  If you need money to attend law school, you will probably have to borrow it. Somewhere between 70% and 80% of all law school graduates have borrowed money to finance their education.

If you think financial aid is in your law school future, the best places to find out what’s available are the financial aid offices of the law schools where you’ve applied. You should start the financial aid-seeking process there, in November or December of your senior year of college. Do not wait until a law school has accepted you to begin doing the voluminous application paperwork. There is only a limited amount of financial aid to go around; if your application gets in as the money supply is dwindling (or after it has dried up), you will have to look elsewhere. The law schools will give you their deadlines for submitting financial aid applications.

Your college financial aid office will give you a copy of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This is one of the first applications you will want to complete. It requires you to provide information directly from your tax returns, so get your previous year's tax returns done as soon as possible after January 1 of your senior year of college. The FAFSA cannot be filed until after January 1. Each law school where you have applied for admission will determine your eligibility for financial aid at that school. Most student loans available through the government carry low interest rates, defer interest accrual until you graduate, and offer some flexibility in repayment options.

Some law schools offer a Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP). In exchange for agreeing to work after graduation in a public interest law field where your income does not exceed a certain level, the LRAP will make your loan payments for a certain period of time. The place to find out about LRAP participation is the financial aid office of each law school where you have applied.

Student loans are also available from private lenders, but these loans are usually not as attractive as government loans. In addition to less favorable terms, your ability to qualify for private loans depends on the strength of your credit. The difference in cost between a low-interest, federally-subsidized loan that defers interest accrual and a loan you obtain in the open market at prevailing (or higher) interest rates can be significant. As always, the bottom line is the bottom line: actively seek out the government-subsidized loans that offer the best deals.

There are lots of online resources that will explain the kinds of financial aid available, and help you find it. One of the most comprehensive is students.gov, a Web site with a ton of information about colleges and financial aid. The United States Department of Education Student Financial Assistance Web page is a great source of information, as is the FAFSA site. Ditto the DOE online publication "Funding Your Education". You can order a free copy of the booklet, but be aware that it is updated each year. An online booklet called "The Student Guide" is published each year, and gives information about federal financial aid. Information about federal student aid is available from other federal agencies in addition to DOE. Your state department of education can tell you about state-funded scholarships, grants, and other financial assistance like state-guaranteed student loans.

Lots of privately maintained Web sites purport to offer information about financial aid. Go to any search engine and do a search request for "college", "financial aid", or "scholarships" and you'll get more hits than you know what to do with. But beware of Web sites that want you to pay for a subscription or pay for a financial aid search. Virtually all the information you find there can be found for free elsewhere. If you are thinking about paying for a scholarship search service, read this first.

The answer, once again, is: it depends. Most students end up applying to between four and seven law schools. The breakdown is usually something like this. Apply to one of your “dream schools.” This is a school where perhaps your numbers alone (GPA and LSAT score) make you a long-shot candidate, and you’re hoping that some of your other credentials will be used as a “tiebreaker” to get you in. You should apply to two or more schools where your GPA and LSAT make you a solid candidate for admission. Finally, include one or two “insurance schools.” These are schools where nothing short of total destruction of the law school would keep you out.

In addition to the time involved in completing each law school’s application, cost can also be a limiting factor. The typical application fee per law school is $50 or more. When you add that to the costs for the LSDAS, the LSAT, test preparation materials, and miscellaneous expenses, the total cost just to get into law school can easily top $1,000.

Keep in mind that law schools require their applications to be typed. There are software packages you can buy and services you can subscribe to that will help with this tedious work. By all means, pay attention to the details. Make sure that you provide all required information, in the format called for by the application. As part of each application you must provide a personal essay. Sometimes the topic is given; other times you can write about whatever you choose. This essay is not the time for you to give a campaign speech for a directorship with the ACLU or the NRA. Write something nice and non-controversial, and make sure you write it well. Do not come in under any word or page minimums, or over any maximums. A sloppy or incomplete application will be seen as indicating a sloppy or weak intellect. Give yourself the best chance possible and take the time to do it right.

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What are the keys to success in law school?

If you have developed good studying and learning habits in college, these skills will carry over to law school. But there are some other things you can do in college to increase your chances of law school success, and knowing what to expect in law school will help, too.

The standard first year law school curriculum includes a full year of property, contracts, torts, civil procedure, and legal research and writing. Some schools may vary this slightly, for example, by deferring civil procedure to the second year, and substituting courses like criminal law or constitutional law. Other standard law school courses are legal ethics, conflicts of law, estates, trusts and probate law, taxation, remedies, and evidence. No matter where you attend law school, you can expect to find most of these courses as requirements. Electives are usually available in things like advanced tax law, environmental law, family law, commercial law and transactions, trial advocacy, appellate advocacy, and intellectual property law, to name just a few.

The primary method used to teach in law school is called the Socratic method. Cases are used to illustrate fundamental legal principles, and professors use the factual information from those cases to question students in class. The goal of this technique is to force students to use and develop their analytical skills. Material is not spoon-fed to students in law school as it tends to be in college. Depending on the professor, and the level of preparation (or lack thereof) by the students, the Socratic method can be brutal. Students may find themselves being grilled to the point of embarrassment over fact hypotheticals and issues of law they are ill-prepared to discuss. Your only comfort comes from knowing that if you get nailed one day, someone else will get it tomorrow.

Student assessment is also different in law school. In college, your grade depends on many things like assignments, quizzes, tests, and class attendance. In law school, your entire grade for each class is often based on nothing more than a semester-end essay final exam. The professor gives you two or three sets of hypothetical facts. You must analyze those facts using rules of law you learned that semester, then state the legal conclusions you’ve reached, all in a well-presented, coherent essay. Since you know so much is riding on each final, the pressure is really on. If you’re having a bad day on the morning of the final, you can be in big trouble.

Finally, the attitude toward students is different between law school and college. Colleges compete vigorously with one another for students. They often take extreme steps to keep students enrolled and to keep them performing at a passing level. Not so at most law schools. Law school tends to be a “sink or swim” environment. If you can do the work and survive, fine. If not, that’s OK, too: you drop out, and the law school has plenty of people who want to take your place. All in all, law school is a far more serious and stressful place than college. If you doubt it, ask any first year law student.

There are things you can do in college to help yourself prepare for the law school experience. For example, take as many law-related courses as you can. Many colleges now offer undergraduate programs that teach the same subjects found in first year law school curricula. Courses in real estate or property, contracts or business law, probate law, criminal law, and civil litigation and procedure are widely available. Take any courses you can find in legal research, legal analysis, and legal writing. For more information about undergraduate studies, go to the Undergraduate Legal Education Page.

While it may not be pleasant, search out professors who employ the Socratic method, and who emphasize analytical and reasoning skills. Do not shy away from professors who require you to write essays in examinations. The legal principles you learn in these courses, together with the analytical and reasoning skills you develop, will give you a head start in law school. And if you know how to do legal research and writing before you get to law school, you will have a huge advantage over your law school peers who lack that training.

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