How to Get into Law School with a Low LSAT Score

Contrary to popular belief, there are many law schools who will accept applicants with low Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) scores.

To be clear, the type of low LSAT scores that are discussed here start in the 137 range. If you have scored in the lower ranges, take heart... finding a law school that will accept low LSAT scores is relatively easy.

First of all, if your LSAT score that is lower than 140, you should first aim to re-take the LSAT. You need to understand that most law schools place a high value on LSAT scores because they are believed to be a good indicator of how well an individual will perform in law school.

The belief that the LSAT is a good indicator of how well a student will perform in law school is highly debatable, but it is the tradition - I personally know several people who scored low on the LSAT, yet they received good grades in law school, aced their bar exams, and are now competent, practicing attorneys.

However, the LSAT is tradition and the final word, and if you want to get into law school, you have to take the exam - but don't fret, you can still get into law school with a low LSAT score.

If you do decide to re-take the exam, be sure to pick up an Official LSAC LSAT Prep guide - remember, always go directly to the source of any exam for test prep materials or recommendations.

A couple of exceptions to the rule stated above are the test guides by PowerScore & Kaplan, they both have excellent reviews from exam takers.

Follow these simple steps to identify law schools that accept applicants with low LSAT scores.

First, you should point your browser to the Law School Admission Council website (LSAC) (This is the organization that administers the LSAT). After you have reached the LSAC website, you need to follow the next steps in order:

1) Click on the link in the middle of the LSAC website that reads "Official Guide to ABA Approved Law Schools."

2) Click on the link in the middle of the next page that reads "UGPA/LSAT Search" . This tool will allow you to search for a law school utilizing your own undergraduate GPA & your grade point average.

3) Thoroughly read the statement on the following page, then click the link below that reads "Return to Search Page."

4) Now you will find that you have landed on the page that you need. Simply enter your GPA and your LSAT score, and a list will be returned to you which details the probability for getting into each ABA accredited law school in the country. You can sort this list from highest to lowest probability.

You might be really surprised at the relatively large amount of schools that will accept applicants with low LSAT scores; you can find such schools in nearly every state in the country.

If you have a good command of the Spanish language, you should consider a couple of the law schools in Puerto Rico because they usually accept applicants with low LSAT scores, and they offer excellent, ABA accredited, legal education opportunities.

Puerto Rico is a beautiful, tropical environment, and you will have the opportunity to learn in a relatively foreign culture (yes, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is a U.S. Territory, but the culture is very different from most of the contiguous United States).

At any rate, you should know that your law school hopes are not completely lost if you have low LSAT scores.

Good Luck with whatever you decide to do!