LSAT Score Range and Realistic Score Improvement

The 120-180 scale explained

The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) reports LSAT scores on a scale of 120 to 180. The midpoint of 150 represents the 50th percentile: half of all test-takers score below this mark, half above it. The scale is not linear in the sense that the difference between 150 and 160 does not represent the same absolute number of correct answers as the difference between 160 and 170. Instead, LSAC applies a equating process that accounts for minor differences in difficulty across test administrations, ensuring that a score of 165 on one test date carries the same statistical meaning as a 165 on a different date. This equating means that the raw-to-scaled conversion table shifts slightly with each administration, which is why published conversion tables are approximations rather than fixed formulas.

For planning purposes, it helps to internalise a few key reference points on the scale. A score of 170 places a candidate in approximately the 97th percentile — that is, better than 97 out of every 100 test-takers. A 165 sits around the 92nd percentile. A 160 occupies the 80th percentile. At the lower end, a 150 represents the median, and a 145 falls roughly at the 30th percentile. These reference points matter because law schools report median LSAT scores for admitted cohorts, and understanding where those medians sit on the scale allows candidates to reverse-engineer what score target their application strategy requires.

Score improvement: what the evidence says about realistic gains

LSAC has published data indicating that repeated LSAT takers average approximately 2 to 3 points of improvement on a subsequent test, though this figure encompasses all retake scenarios — including candidates who did little additional preparation. For candidates who engage in structured, focused preparation over extended periods, the improvement ceiling is considerably higher. Research into deliberate practice in cognitively demanding domains consistently shows that performance gains follow a diminishing-returns curve: early improvements from a low baseline tend to be larger and faster, while gains near the ceiling of the distribution require proportionally more effort.

A candidate starting from a 145 baseline — roughly at the 25th percentile — can often reach the low-to-mid 160s within three to four months of disciplined study. This represents a 15-to-20-point improvement, translating from a position where most law school options remain out of reach to one where a meaningful range of schools becomes accessible. The mechanisms are straightforward: at lower score levels, the primary gains come from mastering question-type logic, building reading speed and precision, and eliminating systematic errors. These are teachable skills with measurable payoff at the early stages of preparation.

Moving from the mid-160s to the 170 threshold requires a qualitatively different shift. At this level, candidates are not making fundamental errors — they are operating with solid underlying logic but encountering difficulty with the hardest questions in each section. Improvement here demands exposure to the full spectrum of difficulty, more precise timing management, and the development of adaptive test-taking strategies that allow candidates to allocate effort where it yields the most points. This is where test-specific strategy becomes essential, and where working with high-quality materials that replicate the difficulty distribution of recent tests pays dividends.

Score thresholds by law school tier

Law schools group applicants by score ranges in ways that have direct implications for candidate strategy. Understanding these groupings helps candidates set evidence-based targets rather than aspirational ones. The following table presents approximate score thresholds for major law school tiers, based on median scores reported by schools over recent years. Candidates should treat these as general reference points subject to variation by school and application cycle.

Law School Tier	Approximate Median LSAT Range	75th Percentile LSAT Range	Score Target for Competitive Application
Tier 1 — Top 14 (US News)	170–175	172–176	170+ (preferably 172+)
Tier 2 — US News 15–30	163–169	166–172	165+
Tier 3 — US News 31–60	158–163	162–167	160+
Tier 4 — US News 61–100	152–158	156–162	156+
Regional / Non-ranked (accredited)	148–153	152–157	153+

Law School Tier

Approximate Median LSAT Range

75th Percentile LSAT Range

Score Target for Competitive Application

Tier 1 — Top 14 (US News)

170–175

172–176

170+ (preferably 172+)

Tier 2 — US News 15–30

163–169

166–172

165+

Tier 3 — US News 31–60

158–163

162–167

160+

Tier 4 — US News 61–100

152–158

156–162

156+

Regional / Non-ranked (accredited)

148–153

152–157

153+

These thresholds illustrate why a candidate's starting point matters so profoundly for strategy. A candidate targeting a Tier 2 school with a current practice score of 148 faces a 17-point improvement requirement — a goal that demands either an extended preparation timeline or a realistic reassessment of school targeting. A candidate beginning at 158 with the same Tier 2 target faces a more manageable 7-point gap. Neither scenario is hopeless, but they require different planning horizons and different study intensities.

Section-level scoring and how it affects the total

The LSAT consists of four scored sections: Logical Reasoning (two sections), Analytical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension, plus an experimental section that does not count toward the reported score. Each section contributes equally to the final scaled score. A common misconception among early-stage candidates is that they should aim to eliminate errors evenly across all sections. In practice, most candidates find that their natural performance profile shows relative strengths and weaknesses. One candidate may consistently perform better on Reading Comprehension but struggle with Analytical Reasoning, while another may find Logical Reasoning more accessible than the RC passages.

Understanding your section profile serves two strategic purposes. First, it allows you to allocate study time according to efficiency — if Analytical Reasoning is your weakest section and Logical Reasoning is already strong, investing additional hours in Logical Reasoning yields smaller marginal returns than improving your Analytical Reasoning performance. Second, it helps with time allocation during the test itself. A candidate who knows they typically score better on Reading Comprehension can make informed on-the-day decisions about where to invest time on borderline questions, rather than treating all questions as equally worthy of effort.

The LSAT's adaptive format means that section-level performance within each scored section influences the difficulty of subsequent questions. This adaptive mechanism is why the scaled score is a more reliable measure than raw correct-answer counts alone — a candidate who answers fewer questions correctly but answers the harder questions correctly may achieve a higher scaled score than one who answers more questions correctly but on easier material. Understanding this mechanism reinforces the importance of quality over quantity in preparation: mastering the hardest question types yields disproportionate score returns.

Setting a score target: the gap-analysis approach

Effective score planning begins with a gap analysis: determining the distance between your current performance level and your target score, then working backward to identify what that distance requires in terms of preparation quality and timeline. This approach is more reliable than simply aiming for the highest score possible, because it anchors expectations to evidence rather than aspiration.

Begin with a baseline assessment. Take a full-length, timed practice test under conditions that replicate the test centre environment as closely as possible. Use an official LSAT practice test — LSAC publishes released tests that represent the most accurate representation of the current exam. Score the test and identify your section-level profile. Then compare your score against the thresholds relevant to your application strategy. If you are targeting schools whose median LSAT is 167, and your baseline is 152, you have a 15-point gap to close.

For that 15-point gap, research suggests that most candidates require somewhere between 150 and 300 hours of structured preparation, depending on starting point, learning efficiency, and the quality of their study programme. Candidates in the 145-150 range often find that the first 50 points of improvement come primarily from learning the question types and developing systematic approaches — this phase is relatively efficient. The next stage of improvement, from the mid-150s to the low-to-mid 160s, typically requires more intensive work on timing, reading efficiency, and the harder Logical Reasoning question families. The final push toward the 170 range demands exposure to the most difficult questions, robust error analysis, and the refinement of test-taking strategy under simulated conditions.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

One of the most persistent errors in LSAT preparation is confusing familiarity with competence. Candidates who complete hundreds of Logical Reasoning questions often score plateaus because they have memorised the structure of common argument forms without developing the underlying analytical reasoning skills that the LSAT is designed to test. When they encounter arguments on test day that do not match familiar patterns, performance drops. The remedy is deliberate practice: after each question, regardless of whether you answered correctly, identify the core logical structure, the nature of the flaw or support, and the specific reason your chosen answer is correct or your wrong answer is incorrect. This process is time-consuming, but it is the mechanism by which pattern recognition evolves into genuine analytical skill.

A second pitfall is neglecting timed practice in favour of untimed accuracy work. Many candidates spend their early preparation sessions doing questions without a time constraint, believing that timing pressure is something to add later. This approach systematically distorts performance, because the LSAT is explicitly a speed-pressure test. A candidate who can answer questions correctly with unlimited time but drops significantly under timed conditions has not developed the skills required for test day. From an early stage, every practice session should include timed work. Speed and accuracy develop together when they are practiced together.

Third, some candidates pursue quantity of practice tests without performing rigorous post-test analysis. Taking a practice test every weekend without a thorough review of every question — correct and incorrect — is a missed learning opportunity. The review process is where the LSAT score range is genuinely bridged: understanding why you chose a wrong answer, identifying the specific reasoning error, and building a checklist of patterns to avoid in future tests is how raw practice translates into improved performance on the scored test.

Retake strategy: does retaking improve your score?

The LSAT's score reporting policy means that all scores appear in a candidate's LSAT record, and law schools see all scores. This has implications for retake strategy. Candidates should not retake the LSAT without evidence-based reasons to believe a subsequent score will be meaningfully higher. A one-point improvement, or even a two-point improvement, may not justify the signal that a retake sends to admissions committees, particularly at schools where median LSAT is a heavily weighted admissions metric.

Evidence-based retake readiness should be assessed through practice test performance. If a candidate's practice test scores are consistently in the low 170s but their actual LSAT score was 167, the evidence suggests that a retake is justified — the practice scores indicate capability that did not materialise on test day, potentially due to test-day conditions, timing mishaps, or question selection that was unrepresentative. However, if practice scores average 164 and the actual score was 163, the evidence does not support a meaningful improvement expectation, and the retake should be reconsidered.

The LSAC Score Preview policy, which allows candidates to view their score before deciding whether to cancel, gives candidates additional control over the retake decision. For candidates whose target score is close to but not quite within reach on a given administration, the preview option removes the risk of permanently locking in an underperformance. Using this option strategically requires having a clear threshold in mind before test day — if my score is X or above, I keep it; if below, I retake. This pre-commitment prevents the post-score uncertainty that often leads to poor retake decisions.

Conclusion

The LSAT score range from 120 to 180 compresses a wide spectrum of analytical performance into a compact metric that law schools use as a primary admissions filter. Understanding how that scale works — how score improvements translate into real-world admissions outcomes, what the realistic improvement trajectory looks like from different starting points, and how section-level performance contributes to the final score — transforms the test from an abstract challenge into a concrete planning problem with identifiable solutions. The candidates who make the most consistent progress are those who set evidence-based targets, allocate study time according to efficiency rather than preference, and maintain the disciplined practice habits that close the gap between current performance and goal score. The LSAT rewards systematic preparation more reliably than it rewards raw intelligence, and understanding the score range is the first step toward using that fact strategically.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good starting LSAT score before structured preparation?

There is no universally applicable 'good' starting score, as baseline performance varies significantly by candidate. However, scoring below 150 on a first practice test is common for candidates without prior exposure to logical reasoning and analytical games formats. Scoring in the 150-155 range indicates baseline competency. Scoring above 160 on a first untimed or minimally timed attempt suggests strong underlying analytical ability. What matters more than the absolute starting score is the candidate's ability to identify weaknesses and implement targeted improvement strategies over a structured preparation timeline.

How many points can the average candidate improve on the LSAT with three months of preparation?

The answer depends heavily on baseline performance, study quality, and time investment. Candidates starting in the 140-150 range often achieve 10-15 points of improvement within three months of focused preparation. Candidates starting in the 155-160 range may gain 5-8 points with intensive study. Candidates above 165 seeking to reach 170+ often require 4-6 months of dedicated preparation and may need to refine strategy as much as skill. These figures are averages; individual results vary based on learning efficiency, available study hours, and the quality of materials used.

Is it better to apply with a lower LSAT score or to retake the LSAT?

This decision should be driven by the specific score gap between your current performance and the median LSAT of your target schools. If your score is within 2-3 points of the school median and other parts of your application are strong, a lower score may be worth accepting rather than risking a retake that does not improve meaningfully. However, if your score is significantly below the median of your target schools — particularly at Tier 1 and Tier 2 institutions — a retake that improves your score by 5 or more points will likely have a greater impact on admissions outcomes than any other application factor within your control.

Does the LSAT experimental section affect my score?

No. The experimental section is embedded within the test and is indistinguishable from scored sections — candidates will complete five sections total, four of which are scored and one of which is experimental. LSAC does not identify which section is experimental, and no candidate knows which section does not count. The experimental section is used for future test development and has no impact on the reported score. Candidates should treat every section as if it counts, because any section could be the scored one.

How does the LSAT score range compare to other graduate admissions tests?

The LSAT's 120-180 scale is notably compact and is calibrated specifically for law school admissions. The narrow range does not indicate lesser discrimination — the test is specifically designed to differentiate among high-achieving candidates at the upper end of the scale, where small score differences carry significant percentile implications. A two-point improvement from 168 to 170 moves a candidate from approximately the 93rd to the 97th percentile, a shift that carries substantial admissions weight at highly selective law schools.

LSAT Score Range: Realistic Improvement at Every Starting Point