People who do well on the LSAT have better options (no duh!)
But I speak not only in terms of applying to law school; they are also given the opportunity to teach the illusive test to hopeful pre-law students. Countless test-prep companies (you know them) search for these 99th percentile test-takers and pay'em high wages.
The LSAT market is huge~ Each year approximately 120,000 people take this exam. Of them only 1% (1200) get 172 or above. The number of people taking the exam is growing each year. In short, the number of people with 172 and above is steadily increasing. Admissions to law school, in general, will become harder and harder.
The growing number of applicants, in part, is because law school is the default option for many. Why is law the default industry for failed pre-meds, post-college vagabonds, and unemployed liberal arts majors? Well, unlike business school, it doesn't require work experience, and unlike med-school, it doesn't require P-chem. Applying to law school is easy~ All you need is an undergrad degree, a respectable GPA and... you need to take the LSAT.
The LSAT, despite what people say, is the great equalizer. Honestly, it is a difficult test, and though I firmly believe that ANYONE can do well on it, it comes only after great sacrifice and due diligence. The LSAT can be studied; people can learn to think more logically (unfortunately, many people's minds do not think very logically...I know, I've taught this thing).
And despite all the moaning and whining out there, I truly believe that the LSAT is a perfect test (as perfect as it can get). It really does a good job of testing people's reading and thinking skills. In teaching this test to thousands of students, I've seen it crop out the bright from the dense, the quick and keen from the slow and dull.
But even dense, slow and dull, can be made bright, quick and keen, given enough time and patience.
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Update [Dec 26, 2016]: The number of LSAT takers are down. In the 2014-2015 testing year only 101,689 people took the test. Since 2012, it's been a "applicant market" - meaning law schools are falling over each other to haul in the best of the best students. Nevertheless, certain truths in this post remains intact: 1) people with higher LSAT scores have more options; and 2) the LSAT definitely can be studied.
With four years of teaching the test under my belt, I agree whole-heartedly. If only folks preparing for the LSAT would re-allocate the time they spent complaining about the test to practicing....
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