Law School Grading Curve & Pain

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The law school grading curve is problematic because it artificially increases scores, which keeps students from feeling the pain of a low grade. Learn how the grading curve is used and how to interpret a grade so that you can work to improve your grades.
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The grading curve is used at most law schools. The curve, unfortunately, is keeping some of you from getting higher grades.
Learn Law Better is helping law students get better grades and prepare for the bar exam.

Опубликовано:

30 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 43

@Learnlawbetter 6 лет назад

If you have grading questions, share them here.

@jerrygriffin1474 6 лет назад

Do Online Law School Grade on the Curve?

@Learnlawbetter 6 лет назад

It will depend on the law school. I am familiar with Concord Law School, which does not grade on a curve. That means everyone could earn an “A.”

@Learnlawbetter 5 лет назад

All grading is subjective, to a certain degree. Today, all or almost all law professors use some kind of grading rubric. Most most of them are pretty subjective. For example, a professor’s rubric might state that issue 1 is worth 10 points, but there is no written criteria stating how to divide those points-the professor reads an answer and then assigns the point. That is a lot better than what it used to be like, where a professor would read a paper and then assign it a letter grade based on his experience.

@alexanderpiano1506 4 года назад

If I understood your explanation of the forced curve correctly, then wouldn't it follow that, barring tier 1 schools, you would want to choose a law school where your LSAT and gpa put you ahead of the admission curve for that school? In so doing you better the odds you will be in the 75th percentile of the class?

@Learnlawbetter 4 года назад

Interestingly, there is little correlation between undergraduate GPA & LSAT with law school GPA. This is why law schools routinely offer full scholarships to some students dependent on them maintaining a certain law school GPA. These law schools know that many of these students won't do it. And there is no way of predicting who will or won't be at the top of their law school class based on LSAT & undergraduate GPA.

@epkrass 6 лет назад

I wish that when I'm in college, I will have some professors that are exactly like you. You seem like you would be an excellent mentor and teacher for me.

@Learnlawbetter 6 лет назад

Thank you!

@razorbackpiperguy2898 6 лет назад

My school grades on a point scale. You don't get As or Bs persay. Instead you get a 3.0 or 3.1 or something like that. Our grading policy states that grades in a particular class (with some leeway for small classes) must average to between a 2.9 and 3.1, with the goal being 3.0. I don't know that they limit the number of As, but having to have the mean near a 3.0 necessarily does limit them. By using this method, for every really high grade, you almost have to give a really low grade to balance out and get the mean where you need it to be. Is it fair? Sometimes. We have a professor who is notorious for giving low grades in RWA (Research, Writing and Analysis). One semester his mean was 2.4 while the other instructor for RWA's mean was a 3.4. That is obviously unfair. The odds that one got all of the smarter students while the other got all of the less intelligent, are nearly 0. So in that instance it made it more fair.

@Learnlawbetter 6 лет назад

A former colleague got burned with this type of grading system. The professor of her section didn’t want to give any low grades, so almost everyone got a B. This included the best students. But in the other section, taught by another professor, he gave several A’s and C’s. This gave the top students in that section at a competitive advantage for law review and graduation honors.

@mrcrazyforever1900 4 года назад

Ended up revisiting this video as I have a question regarding admissions to LL.M. programs in the US that you might be able to answer: I currently study law in Norway, at what is (last time I checked) the highest ranked Law Faculty in the Nordic countries. I have a goal (/dream) of applying for an LL.M. program at an elite American university, preferably an Ivy League University (hence the "dream" aspect). At the same time, I'm uncertain whether my grades are good enough to achieve this. Currently, I'm in the top 10-15 percentile: As we apply an A-E grading system, a fail being the equivalent of an F, the average grade at our Faculty is somewhere between a C and a D. Consequently, my average grade is the equivalent of a "B and a half", if that makes sense. Firstly: I'm hoping to improve my grades to get into the top 10% the coming two, and last, years of my five to six years integrated masters of laws degree (the standard course through which to achieve a law degree in NO). Assuming I don't reach the 10% top percentile, and remain around 10-15%, or even, possibly, at 15%, would I have any real chance of being admitted to an LL.M. degree at a top University in the US? Secondly: Could the grading system we use lead to difficulties in applying to American universities, considering it seems that at a lot of law schools in the US, as you state in the video, the average grade may well be a B-, rendering the first impression given by my own average, in contrast, quite unimpressive? Lastly: Would it, do you think, be advantageous in any way to attend, for instance, specific universities' Summer School programs, etc., or is this just a method of financing as higher education in the US seems mostly to be privately funded? If you get the time to answer - thanks a lot. Keep up the great work - these videos have helped me a lot improving my studying technique!

@Learnlawbetter 4 года назад

LLM admissions at elite law schools will fill every seat they want with the best students that apply. So suppose that Georgetown is admitting 100 students this year, this means they will accept the top 100 applicants. You will also need to score very well on the TOEFL, as many foreign students don't do well in the US. This is not because of intelligence, but rather weak English skills. Our final exams are essay based, requiring students to write well under timed conditions. Wish you well, and thanks for watching my videos.

@mrcrazyforever1900 4 года назад

@@Learnlawbetter Thank you very much!

@robertolopez1537 6 лет назад

I've heard that some Law School's can only give a limited amount of A's per class. Is there any truth to this?

@Learnlawbetter 6 лет назад

Yes, that is true. At one law school I taught at I could only give 10% of my students an A or A- So in a class of 60 students, that usually meant two A’s and four A-‘s.

@epkrass 6 лет назад

That sounds like a rather unfair policy made by the school. Grades should be based on the effort, accuracy, and completions made by the students, especially if they are paying tons of money for their education. The goal should be to see how many A's you can give, to see if your students actually took the initiative to apply what you have taught them. I understand that it was the school's policy and not yours, but I will just say that it the most ludicrous policy I have ever heard. Whatever law school that was, I will NEVER even think about going there.

@Learnlawbetter 6 лет назад

Every law school in the United States that I know of limits the number of A’s. This is because law schools do not use competency based grading. Instead, law schools base grades on the students in each section. I agree that this is not the best approach. Ideally, grades would be determined by creating an objective standard, and everyone who met certain standards would get A’s.

@epkrass 6 лет назад

If that is the case, then I will prove myself to be a capable student. I will always show up on time, turn in assignments on time, be prepared when class starts, ask plenty of questions when stuck or curious, and using all of the resources that are provided to me. However, I know nothing on how Capital University Law School grades, but either way, I will prove myself.

@bencheveryday 5 лет назад

Proving yourself in law school does not determine your grade. If you are saying putting in that effort should help you learn the material then they can translate to you keeping up with the class and studying to put yourself in a good position to do well on the exam. But the grade is determined by where your score lands in within the entire class after the professor awards points for pointing out and explaining issues where the law applies, and then assigns the cut off ranges for B+, B, B-, C+, C

@jimruiz6627 3 года назад

Good afternoon. What is the average grade in law school?

@Learnlawbetter 3 года назад

It depends on the law school. Most law schools have mandatory grading curves, which sets the curve. Also, average grades may vary depending on whether the course is required or an elective.