How long are LSAT scores valid?

Asked by: Anita Swaniawski  |  Last update: October 19, 2025
Score: 4.5/5 (40 votes)

The good news is that LSAT scores are valid for 5 years.

Do LSAT scores ever expire?

Your LSAT score will remain valid for 5 testing years from the test date. This means that the LSAC will report your score to law schools only if you have completed the test within 5 years. For example, if you took the test on June 8, 2024, this score will be reported until June 8, 2029.

What happens to your LSAT score after 5 years?

Yes, LSAT results do expire. The LSAC states that your LSAT score remains valid for a period of five years. It is crucial to verify the policy of each law school, as some may only consider scores from the past three or four years.

Does taking the LSAT 3 times look bad?

Additionally, if you take the LSAT more than three times, or if you have a significant difference in scores (typically more than five points), an admissions committee will want to see an addendum explaining why you kept taking the exam, or explaining the reason for the higher score—essentially, to explain why the high ...

How common is a 170 on the LSAT?

170 score: Scoring a 170 on the LSAT is almost always considered a good score — that means you are in the 2-3% of test-takers.

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35 related questions found

How hard is it to get a 178 on the LSAT?

The LSAT is scored on a bell curve, ranging from 120 to 180. On recent tests, the hump of the curve has centered around 153. Percentiles vary slightly between tests, but generally around 25% of test-takers score 160 or higher, 5% score 170 or higher, and 1% score 175 or higher. Only one in 1,000 test-takers scores 180.

Will a 180 LSAT get you in anywhere?

Here is a breakdown of what counts as a good enough score for law schools based on the school's rank: Top-five law schools: 170 to 180. Schools like Harvard and Yale, which are the top two, rarely accept applicants with less than 172 on the LSAT. Law schools ranked between 5 and 10: 165 to 170.

Does LSAT outweigh GPA?

Yes, many schools with holistic admissions prioritize LSAT scores and other qualities over strictly GPA. Check individual schools for their approach.

What is the average score on the LSAT first time?

LSAT scores range from 120 to 180. First-time LSAT test-takers score an average of 151 out of 180. The median LSAT score of first-year JD students is 158.5. Among first-year JD students, 160.9 is considered a high score (75th percentile), and 154.8 is considered a low score (25th percentile)

Do schools know how many times you took the LSAT?

All of your LSAT (or LSAT-Flex) results will be reported to the law schools to which you apply if earned in the current testing year or if earned in the prior five testing years.

Is the LSAT no longer required in 2025?

The ABA's House of Delegates will vote on the Council's proposed change in February 2023. If the House votes to nix Standard 503, the standardized-test requirement won't go away until 2025. So, the LSAT isn't definitely going away, and it's definitely not going away until 2025.

What LSAT score do I need for Harvard?

So let's take a look at what it actually takes to have a chance of being admitted to the most prestigious and preeminent law school in the world. As you can see from these numbers, an LSAT score of 170 or higher and a GPA above 3.75 will give you a chance of gaining admission to Harvard Law School.

Is 172 a good LSAT score?

On the other end of the spectrum we can consider an LSAT score of 172. An LSAT score of 172 means the student scored better than about 99% of applicants.

What LSAT score did Elle Woods get?

When she applied to this school, she had a 4.0 GPA with a 179 on the LSAT, the two most important things when applying to law school. The average LSAT score for students applying to Harvard is 174, meaning she got above the average.

How many questions can you get wrong on the LSAT to get a 170?

How many questions can be answered incorrectly for a score of 170? The most questions you can answer wrong on the LSAT if your objective is to achieve a score of 170 is 11. You should achieve your goal score of 170 by correctly answering 90 out of the 101 questions.

Can I get into law school with a 143 LSAT score?

Appalachian School of Law, Virginia

With an acceptance rate of 63 percent, this school is slightly more competitive than some of the easiest on our list, but your chances of getting in are good if you have at least an LSAT score of 143 and a GPA of 2.80.

How bad is a 155 on the LSAT?

From your raw scores, the test is graded on an LSAT score scale from 120-180. The average LSAT score is about 150. To get into a top 14 law school, you need to score above 166, and to get into a top 50 law school, you need 153 or above.

How rare is a 160 on the LSAT?

A student scoring a 180 is in the 99.9 percentile because the student scored better than 99.9% of test-takers. A student scoring a 160 is in the 74.8 percentile because the student scored better than 74.8% of test-takers. You can hover over the blue outline to see a tooltip for all each LSAT/percentile combinations.

Is a 3.2 GPA bad for law school?

So generally, if you're trying to get into the top schools, a GPA below 3.6 will be considered low. But to answer the question what GPA do you need to get into law school, any law school, then the answer is at least a 2.5. That is realistically the lowest GPA you can have to get into law school.

Is 158 a bad LSAT score?

As mentioned above, the average LSAT score nationally is a 152. Generally speaking, a score of 160 and above is necessary to guarantee admission into top-100 schools like Tulane, UC Hastings, or Case Western Reserve.

What is the lowest GPA to get into Harvard Law School?

A high GPA is 3.99 and the median is 3.92. There's no lowest GPA but you probably won't get into Harvard with a 2.5 GPA. Your GPA still needs to be somewhat competitive with the median GPA. That said, you can get into Harvard Law School even if your GPA is 3.82 or lower.

What was Obama's LSAT score?

The easiest to predict, by far, is Barack Obama's score, mostly because we have some data. Based on admissions records, we can deduce — somewhat reliably — that Barry-O scored between the 94th and 98th percentile on his LSAT. Using today's grading system, that would place him somewhere around a 170.

Is cheating on the LSAT illegal?

The Law School Admission Council has established procedures for dealing with instances of possible candidate misconduct or irregularities on the LSAT or in the law school admission process. Misconduct or irregularity in the admission process is a serious offense with serious consequences.