Is is possible to get into law school with a 140 lsat score?

Question

I received 140 (stressed out test I think), have a GPA of 3.6, have worked in a law office for 17 years. I am a 43 year old with a miitary backround and a woman whose daughter is a senior in college. I have a masters in elementary education. Does life experience count?

Answer 1

I'd retake the test. Especially if you think nerves had to do with it.

Let's be honest. 140 is really bad. No reason to blow smoke up your butt and get you to waste money. That's likely too low for even 4th tier schools. You're looking at the unaccredited schools at best. You really need to think about whether you want to go through the trouble of getting a school at an unaccredited college. Will you get a better salary as a lawyer from an unaccredited school than you do now?

If your current job will bump you up if you have a law degree, great. If not, then be real cautious. Legal secretaries at bigger firms make more money than many lawyers. Same goes for paralegals.

Yes, life experience does count. However, there's still a cut off. A 140 is REALLY far down there. It's sorta like scoring a 600 on the SAT (out of 1600).

Also, the older your GPA is, the less it counts. LSAT tends to be newer, so it may benefit you the most by taking it again and doing much better. You're aiming for at least a 150.

I have no idea what the person above me is talking about in terms of costs. The higher the rep of the school doesn't mean the cost goes up proportionally as well. The low ranked schools are all private, so they cost more than the state schools. Harvard doesn't cost X amount more than a 4th tier school. Except at maybe the top 5-10 schools in the country, there's no guarantee you'll get a great salary when you graduate.

Answer 2

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RE:
Is is possible to get into law school with a 140 lsat score?
I received 140 (stressed out test I think), have a GPA of 3.6, have worked in a law office for 17 years. I am a 43 year old with a miitary backround and a woman whose daughter is a senior in college. I have a masters in elementary education. Does life experience count?

Answer 3

Life experience will count a lot, as long as you can put into your application essays in a relevant manner to what the law program is at the university you are applying to, and how that experience will come into play with your goals of having a law degree.
140 is the LSAT will let you get into some law schools, obviously none of prestigious stature. But again, cost is a huge issue in these schools, and the higher your LSAT is, the higher the reputation of schools you will be accepted by, and the higher the cost of getting your degree will be.
That being said, you can always retake the LSAT if you dont think the level of schools that will take you with a 140 isnt good enough for you. Do a quick search on law schools you want to apply to find out their LSAT requirements, they usually have those listed in the admissions page.
One important thing to consider: contact the career services at the universities you are considering attending and get the average starting salaries by their law grads. Put this into perspective with the cost of the degree itself, and see if it is worth your while. I recently got into an MBA program, and an example is that while the Harvard MBA is over $50K a year, the average starting salary was over $110K a year, so it would definately pay off, in less than two years.

Answer 4

So basically, it sounds like you've got time and you're financially okay. Take the LSAT again, but this time, study harder. You'll probably get a higher score. You can write an addendum for your application and explain the low score. If you get 155-165 you can probably get into a decent law school. I realize that you're not anxious about getting a good job and are thus unconcerned about the ranking of your schools, but I think you'd be happier at a higher quality school.