GPA LSAT GMAT test score matrix grid College Tips by Donald Burleson

For those of you who are seeking the probability matrix grid for graduate school admission, here are some resources.  Many grad schools publish a matrix of undergraduate GPA (UPGA) and LSAT/GMAT scores, showing the number of applicants and admissions within each quadrant of the matrix.

LSAT and GPA admission matrix grid

Your LSAT scores are more important than your PGA (due to the wide variation in university quality) and the LSAT has been shown to be a great predictor of your success as law student and attorney. 

Here is a rough grid of law school acceptance rates organized by GPA and LSAT score.  The Prelaw handbook also shows average LSAT and GPA scores, but not the percentages of applicants and accepted applications.

You must also get the book "ABA-LSAC Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools" which has the admission matrix grid for all law schools, showing the number of applicants and acceptances for each range of GPA and LSAT scores.

LSAT score improvement

Even though the LSAT measures problem solving skills, you can study "techniques" to improve your scores.  My kids said that the Princeton Law School review book "Cracking the LSAT, 2006" is best for LSAT test preparation because it shows prospective law school candidates how to map-out complex problems.

Since your LSAT score is worth millions of dollars in future earnings, you must carefully plan your timeline for the test (the LSAT is usually offered in February and June).  Some law schools average multiple LSAT scores, and some take only the highest score.  You may want to consider LSAT tutoring by law students or attorneys, such as Get Preped LSAT, where all tutors are law students or attorneys who offer a $899 weekend LSAT prep.

GPA and GMAT

For MBA schools, numerous studies show that the GMAT score is highly correlated with success in graduate school, and a good GMAT can compensate for a bad UPGA.  For the top-30 MBA schools the 2015 average GPA was 3.3 and the average GMAT was 664.   For those with poor scores, there are hundreds of crappy non-AACSB accredited MBA programs that will be happy to take your money.  See Poor Quality, Diploma Mill MBA Schools

Improving GMAT Scores

Getting accepted into a top-tier MBA is as good as winning the lottery and a good GMAT score is the keystone.  My kids recommended Cracking the GMAT as the best GMAT study guide, and make sure to use the study resources at www.mba.com, study tips from the folks who administer the GMAT exam.

The GMAT is a Computer Adaptive Test (CAT), and it will adjust your question difficulty based on your early mistakes.  Hence, it is critical to take-your-time during the first part of the test, taking up to 2 minutes each to ensure correct answers and make the CAT feed-up higher ranking questions.  

Competitive GMAT scores

Having an outstanding GMAT score can mean millions of dollars in future earnings.  Here are the MBA starting salaries from the top AACSB business schools:

Rank	Business School	Applicants Accepted	Median Total Pay Package
1	Northwestern (Kellogg)	13%	$142,000
2	Chicago	15%	$140,000
3	Harvard	10%	$160,000
4	Stanford	8%	$165,500
5	U. of Pennsylvania (Wharton)	13%	$156,000
6	MIT	13%	$149,000
7	Columbia	11%	$142,500
8	Michigan	19%	$131,000
9	Duke (Fuqua)	19%	$128,500
10	Dartmouth (Tuck)	14%	$149,500
11	Cornell (Johnson)	22%	$135,000
12	Virginia (Darden)	18%	$135,000
13	UC Berkeley (Haas)	11%	$135,000
14	Yale	15%	$130,000
15	NYU (Stern)	15%	$140,000