What is a law school index score?

It is a single number that blends your GPA and LSAT into one figure so an admissions office can screen applicants quickly. Each school sets its own coefficients, but the common public form weights the LSAT slightly more than GPA because the LSAT is a standardised, school-independent measure.

What formula does this use?

It normalises GPA to a 0-100 scale (GPA / 4.0 × 100) and LSAT to a 0-100 scale ((LSAT − 120) / 60 × 100), then combines them as 0.4 × normalised GPA + 0.6 × normalised LSAT. This mirrors the LSAT-weighted blend many schools publish, though exact coefficients vary.

Why is the LSAT weighted more heavily than GPA?

GPA varies by school and major, while the LSAT is identical for every applicant, so admissions committees treat it as the more comparable signal. Many index formulas therefore give the LSAT a coefficient of 0.6 or higher against 0.4 for GPA.

Is a higher index always better?

Yes for the numerical screen, but the index is only the first filter. Personal statements, recommendations, work experience, and diversity factors all influence the final decision, especially for applicants near a school's median.

Does each school use the same index?

No. Coefficients and even the variables differ between schools, and many do not publish their formula at all. Treat this index as a standardised proxy that lets you compare your own profile across schools on one consistent scale.

Law School GPA/LSAT Index Calculator

Email me this result

Get this tool's output sent to your inbox, plus one useful tool a week. No spam, unsubscribe any time.

Law schools receive far more applications than they can read in depth, so almost every admissions office reduces your two hardest numbers — GPA and LSAT — to a single index score for an initial screen. This calculator builds that index using the common LSAT-weighted blend so you can compare your profile across schools on one consistent scale.

How it works

The two inputs live on different scales, so each is first normalised to 0-100, then combined with weights that favour the LSAT:

normGPA  = (GPA / 4.0) × 100
normLSAT = ((LSAT − 120) / 60) × 100      // LSAT runs 120–180

index = 0.4 × normGPA + 0.6 × normLSAT

Because the LSAT carries a coefficient of 0.6 against GPA’s 0.4, a strong test score can offset a modest GPA more than the reverse. The resulting index sits on a 0-100 scale that is comparable across applicants regardless of undergraduate institution or major.

Example and notes

An applicant with a 3.6 GPA and a 165 LSAT normalises to 90 and 75, giving an index of 0.4 × 90 + 0.6 × 75 = 81. Push the LSAT to 172 and the index climbs to roughly 88, illustrating why test prep often has higher leverage than the last fractions of a GPA point. Remember every school weights these factors differently and considers much more than the numbers, so use the index as a relative compass, not an admissions verdict.