Law School Destabilizers, Pt. 3: The 1L Grading Curve (and how to get to the top of it)
The fact that law school can produce anxiety, OCD or depression is well-known. In this ‘How to survive law school’ series, we’re gonna analyze the top four destabilizers inside law school, especially during your 1L year—i.e., the first year of law school. These destabilizers can be summarized in four categories: (1) cold calling, (2) sudden & huge workload, (3) 1L curve, and (4) outdated lawyer stereotypes from the 19th century. These destabilizers are mainly environmental, which means that they arise from the law school’s environment itself. My goal here is for you to become aware of these “traps” so that you can navigate the LS battlefield with more awareness, confidence, and determination.
Below is a lil’ outline of this chapter in case you wanna jump to a specific section.
The 1L curve—defined
Implications behind the curve: expectation vs. reality
How to get to the top of the curve
The 1L Curve—Defined
Law school grading, especially during your 1L year, is done on a strict bell curve, often called the Gauss Curve. This means that the exact number of As, Bs, Cs, and Ds to be given is already predetermined by the Professor. In most law schools, this curve is mandatory for 1L (first year) classes. It also operates as a filter for big law firms and employers.
Under a Gauss Curve, only a small percentage of the class will generally get an A (generally, we’re talking 5-10%). Another 10% or less will get an A-. The rest of the class—or the majority—will get Bs or less than that. This distribution always depends on the law school and the professor, but the bottom line here is that around 75-80% of the class will not get an A (see the graphic below for more insight).
This is what a Gauss curve looks like:
Source: Practical Advice for New Law Professors: Grading on a Curve available at money-law.blogpost.com
Here’s another example of a bell-shaped curve in law school:
Ok, so I’m going to adapt this last one a little since many law schools don’t give Fs. Normally, we’d be looking at something like this:
2% will be an A
14% an A-
Top 34% B+
Bottom 34% B/B-,
14% will be a C and so on…
Please note that these percentages and distribution is just an example since it will always depend on the professor and the # of letter grades they’re using within the curve, but the overall idea is that only very few people will get access to the “A” and most people will be getting a B or B+, even if you turned in a great exam because the curve forces a cutting point according to the percentages. You can also ask your Professor directly how they plan on using the curve.
2. The real implications behind the curve: expectation vs. reality
As you can imagine, most people start law school wanting—and expecting—to get an A. This is because most law students had high GPAs when they were in college and therefore expect to continue with that pattern. However, the reality is that more than 80% of the class will not get an A.
Because first-year grades operate as a filter for employers, mostly everyone, and I mean everyone, is somewhat competing to be on the 10% top of the curve. However, as you can see, this is mathematically impossible — and the expected and real, statistical outcome is that most people will fall in the middle of the curve (on the high end or on the low end), and that only 5-10% will get that A or an A-. Think of it as if there are 100 people in your class, only 10 students will get an A [again, these percentages are for indicative purposes only; it will always depend on your Professor and my goal here is for you to see the competition before it’s too late]. The curve obviously reduces everyones’ chances of getting a pure A, which is why law school is so famously competitive.
The added problem is that the lower ranked your school is, the higher the competition to get to that top 10% (as mentioned, first-year grades operate as a filter for law firms, who then decide who to interview for summer positions based on those grades).
On one hand, it’s important to understand how this curve works so that you don’t end up self-flagellating if receive a B. Generally speaking, half of the class will be at the bottom half of the curve, and the other half would not be able to escape the high middle. The grade you receive is calculated by comparing your exam’s performance to that of everyone else in your class. However, the difference between exams (and therefore grades) can be extremely narrow. It only takes another person scoring one more point than you. Yes, one point — which can be one word or a slightly better structure. For example, let’s take a law student who got an A- and another one who got a B+. In college, both of those students would have gotten an A. But in law school, the Gauss Curve forces a cutting point between them, even if the difference in the quality of the exam was minuscule. One of those students will get a lower grade, even if the exam was a great one.
Hence the reference to the Hunger Games…
With all this being said, it’s crucial that that we try our very best because grades are incredibly important for the first job prospects. Look… I wasn’t top 10% or got all As, but I made law review and I consistently stayed on the top 30% of my class, getting my As and a fair share of B+ or B as well. What matters is to consistently escape the B zone; and if for whatever reason, you stay in that zone, that is OKAY TOO because these grades do not—and will never—determine your worth or potential as an attorney; they are just part of the system you’re in.
3. How to get to the top of the curve
Master the following:
Time-management & mental health—time is a limited resource in law school. Identify opportunity costs—are you wasting too much time in reading the irrelevant details of a case? Know what to focus on and learn how to read efficiently. Understand, early on, the difference between a document that contains a list of case briefs vs. a real outline. Furthermore, develop self-discipline and self-awareness to identify energy leaks, procrastination and perfectionist tendencies. Stay organized. Learn how to manage stress, anxiety and impostor’s syndrome. Create boundaries in your journey. Exercise. And of course, implement a ‘Ain’t giving up in my vocabulary’ mentality.
Strategic outlining [vs. case briefs]—without this, you cannot apply the law to the facts…let alone excel on your law school exams. Outlining is a deeply analytical process and it is the pillar for your performance and studying in law school. You need to be able to extract rules from cases, learn how to apply them to hypothetical facts, and create roadmaps and techniques that will help you do that in a quick, concise, and practical way. Remember, we’re aiming for As, law review, or getting the job we truly want. We need a ‘scoring the maximum amount of points’ mindset.
Past exams + practice exams—we just don’t show up at a law school exam and ‘surprise, surprise!’ … or at least we know what’s up, you know?
Legal writing—this is the most important skill you’ll learn in law school and what will help you in your essay exams, the bar, and in your lawyer life. It will make you stand out in all of your written exams and most importantly, during your first summer jobs. Most law students neglect LW if it’s pass/fail. Big mistake. Lawyers write.
These categories are incredibly important when it comes to becoming a top law student. But most importantly,
Be ahead of the game before you start playing it.*
Yes. Find a program or a mentor who teaches you all of the above. For example, Warrior in Law—my signature program for law students—was specifically designed to help law students get to the very top and stay sane as they do that. And there are of course other incredible programs and coaches out there. Find what/who resonates with your soul and invest in your success. If it’s not with Warrior in Law, find your support and competitive advantage elsewhere. But find it and do it fast, because you’re indeed entering a competition. Here’s the thing:
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You’ve already made so many sacrifices to get to this point.
You’ve worked your ass off to get to law school.
So now that you get to compete with the very best, grab your tools and know-how.
Grab your equipment.
Get yourself ready for it.
Give it your all in order to win.
Set yourself up for success. Period.
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As always, thank you for being here. I hope this post was useful. If so, please share with it with someone who might benefit from it.
Sending you so much strength for your law school journey,
Espy