LSAT Scores

The LSAT score is a scaled result based on how many multiple-choice questions you answer correctly. The lowest possible score is 120 and the highest is 180. An incorrect answer does not subtract points, so answer every question even if you must make an informed guess. LSAC also reports a percentile rank and score band to help contextualize the result.

Raw score and scaled score

Your raw score is the number of questions answered correctly on the scored sections. All scored questions carry equal weight; a difficult question does not earn extra points for being difficult, and a question's topic does not change its value. Incorrect and blank responses do not receive credit, but wrong answers are not penalized. There is no reason to leave a question blank when time expires.

LSAC converts the raw score to a scaled score from 120 through 180. Scaling makes results from different test administrations more comparable. Test forms can differ slightly in difficulty, and equating adjusts the conversion so the same reported score represents a similar level of performance over time. As a result, a particular scaled score is not tied to one permanent raw-correct count.

For example, suppose a candidate gets 66 scored questions correct on one test form and another gets 67 correct on a different form. It would be wrong to assume the second candidate must receive exactly one scaled point more. The forms may have different raw-to-scale conversions, and each form is calibrated. The practical lesson is to use the reported scaled score for comparison, not a raw percentage from an old chart.

A raw accuracy percentage can still help you analyze a practice session. If you answered 20 of 25 questions correctly, your raw accuracy is 80 percent for that practice set. But the official LSAT score is not simply 80 percent of a 120-to-180 range. The scaled score uses an LSAC conversion for the particular test form. Practice sets that are shorter than a full test cannot be converted reliably by a casual percentage calculation.

What a score report contains

Your LSAT Score Report includes your current score, reportable testing history, percentile rank, and score band. The current testing year runs from July 1 through June 30. Reportable results generally cover the current testing year and the prior five testing years. The report can include up to 12 reportable tests, including absences and cancellations under the standard reporting rules.

The percentile rank compares your result with scores from the previous three testing years. A percentile is not the percent of questions you answered correctly. If a score is at the 80th percentile, it means the score was higher than the scores of about 80 percent of the comparison group during the period used for that percentile. LSAC updates reported percentiles annually, so the percentile associated with a scale score can shift over time.

The score band represents a range around your reported score. It acknowledges that performance can vary slightly across administrations because of ordinary measurement variation. It should not be read as a guarantee that your next score will lie inside the band or as a substitute for your actual reported score. If an admissions conversation turns on a threshold, use the official scaled score and the school's published policy.

There is no universal passing score

The LSAT is an admissions exam, not a licensing test with one score that everyone must pass. Law schools choose how they evaluate scores in context. A score that is competitive at one school may be below the middle of another school's recent class. Applicants should compare their results with the schools and programs they actually plan to apply to, while recognizing that score ranges are only one part of an application.

A school's median or published range is not a guaranteed admission cutoff. Grades, application timing, recommendations, essays, work history, and institutional priorities may also matter. Some schools publish policies about multiple LSAT scores or superscoring; others describe how they use the highest score, average, or full record. Policies can vary by institution and application year.

Consider an applicant with scores of 154, 159, and 157. One school may focus on the highest score, while another may review all attempts or consider a broader application context. The applicant should not assume that every school averages the three results or disregards the lower attempts. The score report may show reportable administrations, and a cancellation may count toward test limits even if the score itself is not reported.

Score release and the writing sample

LSAC publishes a score release date for each administration. Scores are posted in JD Services at 9 a.m. Eastern Time on that date, provided there is an approved LSAT Writing or Argumentative Writing sample on file and no account hold. A first-time test taker needs an approved Argumentative Writing sample before LSAC releases the multiple-choice score.

The writing task is separate and unscored, but it is a condition for score release. It opens eight days before the multiple-choice administration and can be completed remotely. LSAC says processing may take up to three weeks depending on volume or flagged issues. Completing the sample as soon as it opens gives time for approval and reduces the chance that a score is delayed after the listed release date.

A valid previous LSAT Writing sample from the reportable score period, beginning July 2021, remains usable for score release. If you are retaking the test, check whether an approved sample is already on file before assuming you need to complete another. The registration fee includes the current writing task, but LSAC does not offer it as a standalone purchase.

Canceling a score and Score Preview

A candidate can cancel a score within six calendar days of the test date. Canceled scores count toward LSAT attempt limits, though the cancellation itself is not a score that a school can evaluate in the usual way. Candidates should understand the policy before testing rather than rely on cancellation as a routine way to erase a result.

LSAT Score Preview is an optional paid service for first-time and repeat test takers. It lets you see your score before deciding whether to keep it in your LSAC file and report it to schools. For the August 2026 through June 2027 testing year, it costs $46 if purchased before the first day of testing or $87 if purchased after the administration concludes. After score release, a purchaser has six calendar days to keep or cancel the result. If no action is taken, the score is added to the file and released to schools at the end of that period.

Score Preview does not change your score, the score-release date, or the schools' admissions rules. It can provide time to make an informed decision, but it cannot guarantee that canceling will improve an application. Compare the fee with your actual concern, the school's score policies, and the fact that a cancellation still counts toward your LSAT limit.

Planning from practice scores

A diagnostic score is a starting point. Take an official practice test under timed conditions and record both the scaled score and section details. Then review missed and guessed questions. A single result can be affected by fatigue, timing, unfamiliarity with the digital interface, or test-day conditions. Several recent tests give a more stable view of where you are and what remains to improve.

Imagine your target programs' recent score medians cluster around 160, while your last three official practice results are 154, 156, and 155. That pattern suggests a gap of about five points relative to the midpoint, but it does not forecast the result of your next administration. Review whether the main issue is LR argument structure, RC passage mapping, timing, or a combination. Set a study period based on that diagnosis, then use new full tests to see whether the pattern changes.

Now suppose your results are 154, 154, 162, and 155. The 162 is encouraging, but the variation suggests you should inspect the conditions and section breakdown before treating it as your stable level. Did you pause the clock? Was the test familiar? Did one test have a better result in a section that is usually strong? Continue practicing with unfamiliar official forms and compare several results instead of anchoring on one peak.

Practice platforms sometimes estimate scaled scores from raw responses. Treat those estimates as approximate unless they use the exact official conversion for the form. A third-party set may not match official difficulty or question distribution. Use trends in accuracy, timing, and errors to guide study, but rely on LSAC's score scale for official reporting.

Retake limits and score validity

LSAC allows up to five LSAT attempts during the current reportable score period and seven attempts over a lifetime. The current reportable period began in July 2021. A perfect 180 within the reportable period prevents another attempt. Canceled scores count toward the numerical limits, while absences and withdrawals do not. LSAC describes limited exceptions and an appeal process for special circumstances.

The reportability period is not exactly the same as an informal statement that an LSAT score is 'good for five years.' LSAC reports scores from the current testing year and the previous five testing years, and testing years run July through June. A July 2021 score, for example, can be used for applications through June 2027 under that schedule. Scores earned before July 2021 are not reported to law schools.

An applicant applying in the 2026-2027 cycle should line up test dates with both the score release calendar and application deadlines. If the score is due in January, a late administration could leave limited time for the writing sample approval or a possible retake. Choose an administration with enough room for the release date, decision timeline, and any remaining application documents.

What an admissions reader can infer

A score offers one standardized measure of performance on this exam. It does not establish that a candidate will succeed in every law-school subject, and it cannot capture an applicant's entire academic or professional record. Law schools use scores as one part of an admissions process and may review the writing sample, transcripts, statements, recommendations, and other application materials.

The best way to use a score is to connect it to a decision. Compare it to target-school data, study the school's multiple-score policy, and decide whether another attempt is likely to be worth the time and cost. If you retake, have a concrete plan for the skill or timing issue that kept performance below your target. Repeating the same study routine without diagnosing the cause may produce the same range of results.

Score-reading checklist

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