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LSAT vs. Future Salary: The Importance of Test Preparation

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LSAT vs. Future Salary: The Importance of Test Preparation

The decision to take a preparation course for the LSAT is often a difficult one for potential test takers. After all, $350 to $1,195 is a considerable amount of money to spend, especially for the mere possibility of gaining ten to twelve points on a single test.

There is, however, an underlying investment in your test preparation efforts. The following chart lists various LSAT scores from 145 to 170 and the corresponding schools that (in the graduating class of 2000) admitted approximately fifty percent (50%) of applicants with those scores. When graduates from these represented schools are analyzed post-graduation in terms of starting salary and likelihood of securing gainful employment, the LSAT score paints an incredibly accurate picture of what graduates entering the private sector can expect to earn, as well as the unemployment rate those students will find themselves facing at graduation.

Law School		Average Starting Salary Range ($) **				% Unemployed  Upon Graduation ***
Average LSAT: 145 *
Golden Gate University		45,000		67,000		2.7
St. Thomas University		40,000		60,000		9.2
Washburn		34,200		48,000		5.3
New England		40,000		70,000		4.7
Thomas M. Cooley		32,500		55,000		6.0
CUNY- Queens		40,000		46,000		9.0
Touro College		40,000		60,000		17.4
Ohio Northern University		32,000		50,000		14.9
Oklahoma City University		35,000		50,000		14.0
University of Tulsa		35,000		54,000		14.9
Roger Williams University		35,000		65,000		4.7
University of South Dakota		30,000		40,000		5.7
Averages for LSAT 145 Section		$36,558		$55,417		9.0%
Average LSAT: 150
Samford University		40,000		57,500		5.4
California Western		45,000		65,000		8.5
Whittier		50,000		70,000		7.5
Quinnipiac		40,000		70,000		1.9
Widener		38,500		75,600		7.6
Florida Coastal		36,250		52,500		27.9
Mercer		38,500		77,500		1.5
University of Idaho		36,000		52,500		1.2
John Marshall		45,312		86,750		11.4
Drake University		36,250		49,500		6.9
Louisiana State University		44,000		72,800		3.6
University of Maine		36,000		57,500		16.5
University of Baltimore		42,000		72,000		7.4
Western New England		35,000		70,000		6.8
Michigan State University		35,000		63,000		3.1
Hamline University		38,250		50,000		3.8
Creighton University		32,000		50,000		2.9
Albany		40,000		60,000		1.3
Campbell University		30,000		42,500		0.0
University of Dayton		35,000		70,000		5.4
University of Memphis		38,500		57,000		1.6
Gonzaga		35,000		51,500		3.5
University of Wyoming		30,000		42,500		3.4
Averages for LSAT 150 Section		$38,111		$61,550		6.0%
Average LSAT: 155
Arizona State University		43,000		80,000		10.1
University of the Pacific		49,500		70,000		28.6
Florida State University		42,000		60,000		3.2
University of Florida		45,000		71,000		5.8
University of Hawaii		50,000		61,000		5.9
Northern Illinois University		36,000		44,800		2.2
Indiana U- Indianapolis		42,500		75,000		2.1
University of Kansas		42,000		79,000		3.0
University of Louisville		35,000		65,000		0.8
University of Mississippi		40,500		63,750		1.1
University of Montana		34,000		45,000		4.1
University of Nebraska		35,000		55,000		0.8
University of New Mexico		37,720		50,000		3.2
University of Oklahoma	35,000	60,000		6.8
Willamette University	36,000	55,000		12.1
University of South Carolina	39,250	66,000		4.7
University of Tennessee	40,000	80,000	4.5
University of Houston	55,000	110,000	1.0
Averages for LSAT 155 Section	$40,971	$66,142	5.6%
Average LSAT: 160
University of Alabama	50,000	70,000	1.1
University of Arizona	64,000	95,000	4.2
Loyola- Los Angeles	70,000	125,000	16.8
University of Connecticut	58,000	100,000	1.7
George Washington	47,000	125,000	2.7
University of Georgia	57,000	100,000	1.4
Notre Dame	75,000	125,000	0.6
Tulane	65,000	125,000	3.2
Boston College	82,000	125,000	1.6
Washington University- St. Louis	70,000	90,000	0.5
Cardozo-Yeshiva	74,000	125,000	2.5
Vanderbilt	70,000	125,000	0.0
George Mason	50,000	112,500	0.4
Averages for LSAT 160 Section	$64,000	$110,962	2.8%
Average LSAT: 165
U Cal- Berkeley	115,000	125,000	1.4
U Cal- Los Angeles	80,000	125,000	0.9
Southern California	115,000	125,000	1.1
Georgetown	99,000	145,000	0.9
Northwestern	125,000	125,000	0.0
Boston University	80,000	125,000	0.0
Cornell University	125,000	125,000	0.6
Duke University	100,000	125,000	0.0
University of Pennsylvania	75,000	125,000	0.0
University of Texas	84,000	115,000	0.4
University of Virginia	90,000	115,000	0.0
Averages for LSAT 165 Section	$98,909	$125,000	0.5%
Average LSAT: 170
Stanford University	125,000	130,000	0.6
Yale	100,000	125,000	0.0
University of Chicago	125,000	125,000	0.0
Harvard	115,000	125,000	0.4
Columbia University	125,000	125,000	0.3
New York University	125,000	125,000	0.2
Averages for LSAT 170 Section	$119,167	$125,833	0.3%

Data as given under ** and *** below is based upon graduates responding to surveys by both the Law School Admission Council and by the individual law schools, and, therefore, likely does not represent 100% of graduates from a particular institution.

* The average LSATs used are those that fall well within the 25% - 75% range for past years' acceptance for that particular school.
** Salaries listed are the midrange of full-time private sector (representing employment in either a law firm or in business/industry) salaries for graduates in the year 2000. Private sector employment is typically understood to represent the highest salaries graduates receive when compared to graduates employed in academia, government, judicial clerkships, etc.
*** "Unemployment" represents graduates seeking employment yet still unemployed six (6) months after graduation (please note that these numbers are not a complete percentage of all unemployed graduates, as some pursue further degrees and some do not seek immediate employment).

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It should be immediately clear that even a five-point increase in your LSAT score can ultimately produce a huge difference in your starting salary upon graduation. Most notably, the five-point differential between an LSAT score of 155 and 160 results in an average salary increase of $33,924.50 (155: $53,556.50; 160: $87,481.00) for the first year of employment. When considering an LSAT preparation course such as those offered by PowerScore, you should be aware that increases greater than five points are commonplace. In fact, students have seen their scores improve by ten, fifteen, even twenty points or more, resulting in a tremendous increase in their potential salary based on the law of averages represented in the chart above. To hear what some students had to say about their PowerScore experience, read these Student Comments.

The importance of LSAT preparation is further increased by that fact that, for the vast majority of law school applicants, their GPA is already established. The LSAT, then, is one of the few real determining factors that the student can affect.

A second trend of increasing LSAT scores is, on average, an increasing level of employment. The statistics given here represent graduates from particular colleges who actively seek employment and are unable to find it for at least six months. Actual unemployment figures for the universities listed above are slightly higher, as some students pursue further degrees and others do not seek immediate employment upon graduation, but the important percentage to consider is that of graduates unable to find employment they deem appropriate.

When evaluating salaries, you should remember that these are typically considered high-end salaries, that is, starting salaries from the private sector are, on average, higher than those of the public sector (the public sector includes government employment, judicial clerkships, academic employment, etc.). While the majority of students are employed in private sector areas upon graduation, average salaries for all graduates are going to be slightly lower for each school listed. Also, the salaries here are only for the first year of employment. In other words, the nearly $34,000 separating the starting salaries for a 155 and 160 very likely applies to the years that follow the first year of employment. So, assuming constant pay rates, after three years that five point LSAT difference is worth over $100,000!

It should be clear from the information above that even a seemingly small improvement in your LSAT score can open doors to a future you may have never considered possible. While there is no guarantee that a particular score, or even enrollment in one of the schools listed, will result in a salary that falls in the given range, a vast number of test takers (and, eventually, law school graduates) will find themselves with the opportunity to earn an amount that corresponds with their initial LSAT results. That said, do not gamble with your financial future when an opportunity to help secure it is well within reach. Click here to enroll in a PowerScore LSAT Course.

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