Getting into law school depends a lot on your LSAT score. It’s a big deal because it can help you get into top schools and even secure financial aid.
But there’s a difference between your LSAT score and your LSAT score percentile.
In this article, we’ll break down LSAT score percentiles in an easy-to-understand way. You’ll learn what they mean and how to figure them out, which will be super helpful when you’re applying to law schools.
Let’s dive in and make sense of the LSAT score percentiles.
Quick Summary
- Contextualizing Your LSAT Score: LSAT score percentiles provide context to your LSAT score, helping admissions committees assess your performance relative to others.
- Understanding LSAT Score Components: Your LSAT score includes raw and scaled scores, with 180 as the highest possible score.
- Translating Your LSAT Score Percentile: Translating LSAT score percentiles is straightforward; the higher the percentile, the better you’ve performed compared to peers.
- Aiming for Admission Success: While a good score percentile varies by school, aiming for the 75th percentile or higher can enhance your chances of admission.
How Does LSAT Ranking Work?
Before diving into the world of LSAT score percentiles, let’s briefly explain how the LSAT is scored.
The LSAT, or Law School Admission Test, is a standardized test used in the United States and Canada for admissions to law schools. It consists of four sections of multiple-choice questions and a writing sample.
Your LSAT score is a numerical representation of your performance on the test, and it typically ranges from 120 to 180. However, there are three different types of scores you should know.
- Raw Score
- Scaled LSAT Score
- Percentile Score
The raw score represents your correctly answered questions on the exam. For example, a raw score of 57 means that you answered 57 questions correctly.
But for getting admission to a law school, you need a scaled or percentile score.
The raw score is converted to the LSAT scaled score, which is popularly known as your LSAT score. 180 is the highest LSAT score you can get, while 120 is the lowest. The median or average LSAT score, however, is 152.
Now, let’s get to the heart of the matter: LSAT score percentiles.
What Are LSAT Score Percentiles?
LSAT score percentiles are a way to compare your LSAT score to the scores of other LSAT takers. In simple words, your LSAT percentile indicates the percentage of test-takers who scored lower than you.
For example, if your LSAT score percentile is 75th, it means you scored higher than 75% of test-takers. Similarly, if you scored 99th percentile, it means you did better than 99% of test takers.
Why does this LSAT scoring type exist?
Well, the raw and scaled scores measure your performance in the test, which can be easy or difficult depending upon when you took it.
Your percentile provides context to your score, helping admissions committees understand how well you performed relative to others.
LSAC Percentiles Vs. School-Specific Percentiles
It’s important to note that there is a certain shift in percentile definition once LSAT results are out.
Why?
Because some applicants would apply to their desired schools while others won’t, they will attempt to improve their scores and appear once more in the next LSAT.
This creates two different types of LSAT percentiles:
Law School Admission Council (LSAC) and school-specific percentiles.
LSAC percentiles are based on the scores of all test-takers within a specified period, usually the past three years.
School-specific percentiles, on the other hand, are calculated using the scores of applicants to a particular law school. These percentiles can vary between schools and admissions cycles.
How To Translate LSAT Score Percentiles?
As already explained, translating your LSAT score percentile is relatively straightforward. The higher your percentile, the better you’ve performed compared to other test-takers.
If you’re in the 90th percentile, you’ve outperformed 90% of your peers. Admissions committees often use these percentiles as a quick way to assess your LSAT performance.
The question you should be asking here is how much LSAT score gets you the coveted 99th percentile.
Well, for reference, look at the below conversion chart from LSAC’s official June 2020 LSAT results. The table shows the exact conversion of raw scores to their relevant scaled scores and an estimated percentile score.
Raw score | Scaled Score | Est. Percentile |
74-75 | 180 | 99.97% |
73 | 179 | 99.94% |
72 | 178 | 99.87% |
71 | 176 | 99.64% |
70 | 175 | 99.47% |
69 | 173 | 98.8% |
68 | 172 | 98.4% |
67 | 171 | 97.8% |
66 | 170 | 97.1% |
65 | 169 | 95.9% |
64 | 168 | 94.8% |
63 | 167 | 93.3% |
62 | 166 | 91.5% |
61 | 165 | 89.8% |
60 | 164 | 87.4% |
58-59 | 163 | 85.0% |
57 | 162 | 82.7% |
56 | 161 | 80.1% |
54-55 | 160 | 77.0% |
53 | 159 | 73.6% |
52 | 158 | 70.4% |
50-51 | 157 | 66.5% |
49 | 156 | 62.9% |
48 | 155 | 59.2% |
46-47 | 154 | 55.5% |
45 | 153 | 51.7% |
44 | 152 | 47.7% |
42-43 | 151 | 44.0% |
41 | 150 | 39.7% |
40 | 149 | 36.3% |
39 | 148 | 32.8% |
37-38 | 147 | 29.1% |
36 | 146 | 26.0% |
35 | 145 | 22.9% |
34 | 144 | 20.0% |
32-33 | 143 | 17.4% |
31 | 142 | 14.8% |
30 | 141 | 12.6% |
29 | 140 | 10.8% |
28 | 139 | 9.0% |
27 | 138 | 7.5% |
26 | 137 | 6.4% |
25 | 136 | 4.9% |
24 | 135 | 4.2% |
23 | 134 | 3.6% |
22 | 133 | 3.0% |
21 | 132 | 2.4% |
20 | 130 | 1.6% |
19 | 129 | 1.4% |
18 | 127 | 0.9% |
17 | 126 | 0.8% |
16 | 124 | 0.5% |
15 | 123 | 0.5% |
14 | 121 | 0.3% |
0-13 | 120 | 0.0% |
If you look closely at the scores, you’ll need to get more than 173 to score 99th percentile. This means you’ll need to get around 69 correct responses, i.e. the LSAT raw score.
But do you only need to be in the 99th percentile LSAT score range to get into a top law school?
Let’s understand what’s a good score percentile for attending law school.
What Is A Good LSAT Score Percentile?
So, what’s considered a good LSAT percentile score?
Well, the answer varies depending on the law schools you’re applying to. Therefore, it’s essential to research the specific schools you’re interested in to understand their expectations.
Generally, if you score above the 50th percentile, it means you outperformed more than half of the applicants.
However, it’s advisable to target the 75th percentile. This translates to an estimated LSAT score of 160, which will enhance your admission chances to a decent law school.
But if you’re looking to be accepted in top law schools, you should aim for 167+.
In fact, you may refer to the below table of 2024 law school rankings to figure out estimated scores for particular law schools among the top 20 LSAT schools.
Rank | University Name | LSAT Score 25th Percentile | LSAT Score Median | LSAT Score 75th Percentile |
1 | Stanford University | 170 | 173 | 176 |
1 | Yale University | 171 | 175 | 178 |
3 | University of Chicago | 169 | 173 | 175 |
4 | University of Pennsylvania | 167 | 172 | 173 |
5 | Duke University | 168 | 170 | 171 |
5 | Harvard University | 170 | 174 | 176 |
5 | New York University | 169 | 172 | 174 |
8 | Columbia University | 171 | 173 | 175 |
8 | University of Virginia | 166 | 171 | 173 |
10 | Northwestern University | 166 | 171 | 172 |
10 | University of California - Berkeley | 167 | 170 | 172 |
10 | University of Michigan | 166 | 171 | 172 |
13 | Cornell University | 170 | 172 | 174 |
14 | University of California - Los Angeles | 166 | 171 | 172 |
15 | Georgetown University | 166 | 171 | 172 |
16 | University of Minnesota | - | 168 | - |
16 | University of Southern California | 165 | 168 | 169 |
16 | University of Texas at Austin | 166 | 170 | 171 |
16 | Vanderbilt University | 163 | 170 | 170 |
20 | University of Georgia | 156 | 168 | 169 |
20 | Washington University in St. Louis | 164 | 172 | 173 |
Important: Remember that good LSAT scores alone don’t guarantee you admission. Other factors like your GPA, resume, recommendations, and personal statement make a difference, too.
FAQs About LSAT Score Percentiles
Why do LSAT score percentiles matter?
LSAT score percentiles matter because they provide context to your LSAT score by showing where you stand relative to other test-takers, helping admissions committees assess your performance in a competitive applicant pool.
What percentile is 172 on the LSAT?
A score of 172 roughly translates to 98.4 percentile on the LSAT.
What percentile is 150 on the LSAT?
150 score roughly translates to 39.4 percentile on the LSAT.
