What happens to your LSAT score after 5 years?
Asked by: Mireya Wiegand | Last update: October 14, 2025Score: 4.7/5 (14 votes)
Results of all reportable tests — up to 12 — including absences and cancellations for standard LSAT takers and cancellations only for LSAT-Flex takers due to challenges related to COVID-19. An LSAT (or LSAT-Flex) result is reportable for up to five testing years after the testing year in which the score is earned.
Does your LSAT score expire?
LSAT scores remain valid for 5 years after your test date. This will give students who need some time off a chance to keep their LSAT score without having to stress over taking it again so soon.
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.
Do law schools care about old LSAT scores?
According to the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), LSAT scores typically have a five-year shelf life, but some schools prefer scores from the last three to four years.
What is the lifetime limit for the LSAT?
How many times may I take the LSAT? Five times within the current reportable score period (i.e., since June 2019). A total of seven times over a lifetime.
How long are LSAT scores good for?
How rare is 172 LSAT?
So, a great score on the LSAT is a 172, but more than 100,000 people take the LSAT every year and only 1% score 172 or higher. For the top 50 law schools, the median LSAT score is between 164 and 174. A good LSAT score for top tier(defined by T14 schools for this article) law schools is between 171 and 174.
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 long are LSAT scores kept on record?
An LSAT (or LSAT-Flex) result is reportable for up to five testing years after the testing year in which the score is earned. For information about how many times a test taker may sit for the LSAT, please see Limits on Repeating the LSAT.
What was the old LSAT scoring system 800?
The test was written by ETS and administered by the Law School Admissions Council (on a 200-800 point scale) until 1981, at which time LSAC took over authorship of the exam (and began scoring it on a 48-point scale). The test adopted its current scoring system (with the 120-180 scaling) in 1991.
What's the lowest LSAT score that is acceptable by law school?
The below table shows the schools that accept the lowest LSAT scores. This shows that the lowest acceptable LSAT score is 139. Typically, a good rule of thumb is that you want to at least break 140 to make taking on the cost of law school economically feasible. You can get into a law school with a 140 LSAT score.
Did Harvard get rid of LSAT?
Harvard Law School accepts either the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) or the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). We do not have a preference for either exam. Similarly, a candidate is not considered more committed by taking both exams or disadvantaged by taking the same exam multiple times.
Which is harder, LSAT or GRE?
For most test-takers, an elite LSAT® score is much harder to achieve than an elite GRE score. However, certain characteristics – stronger verbal skills and weaker quant skills, for example – might make the GRE a tougher test for you personally.
Is a 170 LSAT attainable?
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. Still, it won't guarantee you admission at a top law school. Other parts of your application are still a factor.
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.
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 the LSAT becoming obsolete?
Beginning in the fall of 2025, law school applicants may be able to skip the formidable task of studying for and taking the LSAT. That is when the American Bar Association will no longer obligate applicants to their accredited law schools to take this or any other standardized admissions test.
How rare is a 175 LSAT?
For a top five law school, an LSAT score of 175 and above increases your chances of being admitted and being awarded a full scholarship by the school. Such a score also puts you in the 99th percentile of LSAT takers, making you a rare and highly coveted law school candidate.
Do law schools look at old LSAT scores?
Law schools can see the dates your LSAT scores were obtained, but they do not prefer one date over another. Most schools will consider your highest score when making their admissions decision, but others may consider the average of your scores, so look into how each school handles multiple results.
Is 172 a good LSAT score?
Your percentile on the LSAT shows how many people you outperformed on the test. Scoring 172 typically puts you in the top 1.3%, surpassing 98.7% of other test-takers.
Does your LSAT score ever expire?
That LSAT score from the exam you crushed a few months ago will be kept by LSAC for five years after your test date. So, if your test date was June 8, 2024, your score will be removed from LSAC on June 8, 2029. If you take more than one LSAT, each will be deleted from LSAC at the 5-year mark from each test date.
How many people get a 180 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.
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.
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.
Is a 145 on the LSAT bad?
LSAT scores span from 120 to 180, with higher scores boosting your likelihood of getting into top law schools. A score of 172 or above is excellent, while a score around 145 is considered below average. The average LSAT score is about 150, but competitive law schools typically require scores above 160.
How many questions wrong is a 170 LSAT?
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.