So, after several hours of deliberation, you have decided that you want a comfortable upper-middle class lifestyle...er, I mean you really, really want to be a lawyer and this is the profession to which you have been called. Now you can get started on your application.
Listen--any guidance counselor/Princeton Review book/KAPLAN guide can tell you all about filling out your application. How to apply in a timely manner, how to write a personal statement that wows your audience, how to mask a bad semester as an undergraduate as a sign of your commitment to improvement...yadda, yadda. Although these details seem like the secrets that could push you into your dream school, I can safely tell you they mean absolutely nothing. There is only one thing that matters: the LSAT.
Now, undoubtedly you're saying, "Well, duh." But I don't think you quite understand how literal I mean this. Despite all the outright lies by law schools concerning admissions ("LSAT scores and undergraduate grades are important, but we consider everything when reviewing a candidates application" and similar horseshit), those wonderful (or horrible) three digits will determine your law school career.
Personally, I did not know this before applying to law school. I thought, "I have great grades! Look at all my community service and leadership activities! That LSAT? Minor setback! I'm a shoo in!" Alas, this is not true, and I want to underscore its importance for you.
You will read about "the Complete Candidate" who has great grades, great scores, great experience, and a great personal statement. You will probably try to be this Complete Candidate. You will also read about something about a LSAT/GPA index, where a school weighs your LSAT and GPA, gets a number from combining the two, and voila, that is how applicants will be ranked. Both of these are complete fictions. It's possible that schools actually do this, but the LSAT is still the threshold that all applicants must pass before even being considered for admission.
So, you get a 163 on your LSAT. The school you want to go to has a 25%-75% range of 166-170. I'm sorry, but you will not get accepted. You *might* get wait-listed, and eventually fall in, but there is no way you will be accepted outright, regardless of your GPA or resume. Even if your "index" places you in the running for your dream school, it does not matter. The LSAT is the first thing they look at, and if you do not fall into their range, you are out.
Of course, other things (GPA, resume, etc.) could count. Let's say you are applying to a school, and it's between you and candidate X. If you and X both have the same scores, the school will look at your GPAs. This is especially important for incredibly selective schools like Harvard/Yale/Stanford, where all applicants have great scores. But, if your LSAT by itself is not in the running at the school where you apply, you will not get in.
Why is this important? If you do not do well on your LSAT, you have substantially limited the possible number of schools you can go to. This is even more important when considering your post-law school career. The difference between a 172 and a 170 is staggering (it's the difference between Harvard and Michigan); 170 and 165 is alarming (the difference between Michigan and Notre Dame); 165 and 162 is frightening (Notre Dame and the bottom of the Top 100); and 162 and 159 is unbearable (Top 100 and the rest of the schools).
Of course, if you took my advice and you are only applying to law school because you really, really want to be a lawyer, then your LSAT score only matters in terms of getting you into a law school (if you're worried about money, and you score low on the LSAT, try again or go to B-School). Nevertheless, all your grades, community service activities, and gold stars mean nothing without a good LSAT score. You need a good LSAT (or at least one that is adequate for your school) to even get into the ballpark of getting into a certain school. Once you get that score, you can worry about grades.
NOTE: Is this fair? I don't know. I will grant that the LSAT measures (in some way) your raw intelligence. I do not doubt that people who score higher are generally quick, bright people. However, there is no correlation between an LSAT score and law school success. Even if you may have to spend more time to understand a subject, if you are determined, you can do just as well as anyone who scores higher than you. Unfortunately, the problem is that the legal profession revolves around prestige. If you get into a great school, no matter how you perform, you will automatically be considered for a job over someone who may actually be a better lawyer but went to a lower-ranked school. Sadly this is true.
