In elementary school, when you were sitting there taking a spelling test or some multiplication test, did it feel better when you’d get a 100% on a test when no one else did, or did it make you feel better when everyone would get 100% on a test?

If you’re anything like us, then you’d pick the former. It’s better to do well when no one else does well, because it makes you look better (and it’s fun to watch others fail miserably).

Thus is also the case in test taking, For the LSAT, it’s all about your percentile, not how many questions you miss. At Blueprint LSAT Preparation, we’ve found that once your percentile is right around 90, you can start writing your own ticket for law school.

A 99th percentile score means you got a 172 or above. The scores themselves generally correspond pretty consistently to a certain percentile, although we at Blueprint LSAT Prep have noticed that there can be extremely minute variance from year to year. LSAC curves the test so that the percentiles remain consistent. This means (as we point out to our Blueprint LSAT Prep students), is that a 172 typically equates to the 99th percentile, although a 172 could mean missing 9-14 questions. It’s a complex system and we at Blueprint LSAT Prep would like to apologize if it is making your head hurt.

At Blueprint LSAT Prep, we’ve found that what percentile you end up in is the most significant part about the LSAT (not how many questions you miss), because it is the main determining factor in law school admissions. If you have a high overall LSAT score (which is, essentially, the same thing as your percentile) then you can expect certain doors to be open to you that would be shut to a person with a lower overall LSAT score. There are always many factors considered in law school admissions, but at Blueprint LSAT, our research indicates a high score will always be looked upon favorably in law school admissions.

So, all things being equal, you want to get as high a percentile as possible on the LSAT. At Blueprint LSAT Prep we feel that there are a number of ways to do so, from taking a prep course like those offered by Blueprint LSAT Prep and other companies, to studying on your own. By doing so, we at Blueprint LSAT Prep feel you’ll be giving yourself a competitive advantage as compared to everyone else taking the LSAT, or at the very least, leveling the playing field with all of those gunners who have started studying on their own, or have already enrolled in a prep class.

Article by Jodi Triplett and Trent Teti of Blueprint LSAT Preparation. Based around the governing principles of beer pong Fridays and trivia night Tuesdays, Blueprint LSAT Preparation prides itself on its tremendous instructors. Blueprint LSAT Preparation also offers admissions consulting services for students who need essay assistance, as well as individual tutoring services.