How important is the Law School Admission Test (LSAT)?
The Admission Committee looks at a number of factors when making admissions decisions. Certainly, academic potential as measured by the LSAT and GPA play an important role in the admissions process. We use more than numbers to evaluate our candidates. We also consider extracurricular and community activities, life experience, work background, and recommendations. We subscribe to Cornell’s long-standing tradition of affirmative action and members of traditionally underrepresented racial and ethnic groups are encouraged to discuss their status where they think it relevant.
Designed to measure some of the acquired skills that are important to successful law study, the LSAT, within broad limits, provides a reasonable assessment of these skills. Standing alone, however, the LSAT provides only a partial measure of an individual’s promise for law study. In the context of the broader range of information contained in a complete application for admission, the LSAT is helpful in assessing individual promise and in making meaningful comparisons among those who apply for admission.
