LSATs by Majors, 2007-2008

grosin — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:10:04 +0000

In a working paper on SSRN, LSAT Scores of Economics Majors: The 2008-2009 Class Update, Michael Nieswiadomy (North Texas, Economics) looks at average 2007-2008 LSAT scores by undergraduate major. The table below is from Table 2 of the paper (p. 6), which lists a total of 29 majors with at least 450 LSAT takers in 2007-2008:

Top 10 Majors by 2007-2008 LSAT Average

Rank	Major	Average Score	No. of Students
1	Physics/Math	160.0	577
2	Economics	157.4	3,047
3	Philosophy/Theology	157.4	2,581
4	International Relations	156.5	1,520
5	Engineering	156.2	2,197
6	Government/Service	156.1	578
7	Chemistry	156.1	632
8	History	155.9	4,169
9	Interdisciplinary Studies	155.5	652
10	Foreign Languages	155.3	1,084

Note: Majors with at least 450 takers.

The paper does not tell us whether (or when) the differences in means are statistically significant. In terms of practical significance, is the average engineeering major (156.2) that much stronger than the average Government/Service or Chemistry major (156.1)?

In terms of getting into law school, consider the distribution of the 75th and 25th LSAT percentiles of the Fall 2008 entering law-school classes (as reported in the 2010 Official Guide). An average Physics/Math major, with a 160.0, would have fallen in the top

quarter (75th percentile) at 60% of law schools, and
three quarters (25th percentile) at 85% of law-schools.

Certainly, the average Physics/Math student has a good chance of getting into law school, but not necessarily one of the top 50 law schools.

It also would be interesting to know how widely the scores vary within each major (the standard deviation).

Gary Rosin

Law by the Numbers » LSAT

LSATs by Majors, 2007-2008