Predictive Validity of the LSAT: A National Summary of the 2013 and 2014 LSAT Correlation Studies (TR 16-01)

Since the inception of the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) has sought to evaluate and ensure its validity for use in the law school admission process. As predictive validity is an important component in the overall evaluation of test validity, LSAC has carried out annual predictive validity studies, also called LSAT Correlation Studies, since the test was first administered. The LSAT Correlation Studies evaluate the effectiveness of LSAT scores, undergraduate grade point average (UGPA), and the combination of LSAT scores and UGPA for predicting a student’s first-year average (FYA) in law school. The purpose of this report is to summarize the results of the 2013 and 2014 LSAT Correlation Studies. The results presented serve to document and support the predictive validity of LSAT scores for use in the law school admission process. This study also provides national longitudinal data for law schools to examine against their school-specific correlation study results in order to gain additional insight into the admission process at their individual law school. Results indicate that, in comparison to UGPAs, LSAT scores are a better predictor of law school performance, and that the combination of LSAT scores and UGPA continues to be the best predictor of FYA.