LSAT Technical Reports

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.

Additional reports in this collection

LSAT Performance With Regional, Gender, and Racial and Ethnic Breakdowns: 2011–2012 Through 2017–2018 Testing Years (TR 22-01)

The purpose of this report is to provide summary information about Law School Admission Test (LSAT) performance, including performance classified by country, region of the United States, gender only, race and ethnicity only, and both gender and race and ethnicity. Information regarding LSAT performance is summarized for the 2011–2012 through 2017–2018 testing years and compiled into a single report, enabling trends with regard to the performance and representation of various subgroups to be examined.

Summary of 2017, 2018, and 2019 LSAT Correlation Study...

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 predictive validity studies, also called LSAT Correlation Studies, since the test was first administered.