What’s in an LSAT Score?

An LSAT score is one of the most important factors in your law school admissions application. It is not to be taken lightly.

Law schools use this score as an evaluation of how well you read dense material, problem-solve and analyze arguments. The test is considered an indicator of how well you will perform in the first year of law school.

Understanding how this score affects your application is essential. Here’s how it works.

Score Range
The LSAT has a score range of 120 to 180. The test consists of about 101 questions. For each question that you answered correctly, you will earn one raw score point. You are not penalized for wrong answers so don’t leave any questions blank. Your raw score points are added up and then converted into the score range of 120 to 180. On average, test takers score about 150. If you’re looking to get into the top 20 law schools, plan to score above 160.

What's In A Report?
Your LSAT report will have one overall score ranging from 120 to 180. The report will not show separate scores for each section of the exam. Like the SATs, your score report will have a score band as well as a percentile score which shows what percentile your scores rank relative to other test takers.

Canceling Your Score
Yes, it is possible to cancel your score. After taking the exam, you will have five business days to cancel your score. That's right, you will have to cancel your score even before you get the report showing your test results. If you had circumstances that hindered your test taking ability that day, then canceling might be an option for you. Maybe you were sick, had to leave unexpectedly or realized that you are not prepared for the exam at all.

Taking The LSAT More Than Once
Taking the LSAT more than once is not recommended. If you had to cancel your score, you will not be penalized, however law schools will know that you have taken the test and cancelled.

Now what if you took the test, received a score and then took the test again to try to get a higher score? Law schools will receive a report that shows both scores. This is the tricky part. Every law school is different. Some law schools will take the average of your two test scores as your final LSAT score. Other schools will take only your highest score as your final LSAT score. Be sure to check with your desired law schools to see how they handle multiple test scores.

Why Is The LSAT Score so Important?
Law schools see the LSAT as a standardized way to compare applicants. Other factors that affect admissions to law schools are GPA, letters of recommendation and a personal essay. A 4.0 GPA from one school can be much different than a 4.0 from another school. Students entering law school come from different undergraduate majors. Some programs are more difficult than others so it can be hard for law schools to compare students from different backgrounds. This is why the LSAT has so much weight.

How much weight does the LSAT actually have? Quite a lot. Most law schools weigh your LSAT score more heavily than your GPA. This means that your score on a three and half hour test is more important than four years of undergraduate study. Many schools use what’s called an admission index to evaluate your LSAT score and GPA. Research your desired schools formula for their admission index to see how you compare to their students.

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