On LSAC's current percentile table, 154 is the first LSAT score above the median: 50.43 percent of scores from the 2023-2026 testing years fall below it. A 160 is the 71st percentile, a 165 the 85th, and a 170 the 94th, so a good score is the one that clears the medians at the schools on your list.
That second half is what most answers skip. There is no pass mark on the LSAT, so the only benchmark that decides anything is the entering-class profile of the schools you are actually applying to. That is also why the average LSAT score of 153 answers a different question from this one: it tells you where you landed in the field, not whether a school will take you.
- LSAT scores run on a fixed 120 to 180 scale, and there is no deduction for a wrong answer.
- On LSAC's 2023-2026 table, 154 is the first score above the median, 160 is the 71st percentile, 165 the 85th and 170 the 94th.
- 171 is the first score above the 95th percentile. Charts that put a 170 there are built on an older window.
- About 29 percent of scores are 160 or higher, and 5.5 percent are 170 or higher.
- LSAC rebuilds the table every year by the end of July, so the percentile attached to your score moves even when your score does not.
- A good score is one at or above the median of your target schools, which each school reports in its ABA Standard 509 disclosure.
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How LSAT scoring works
LSAC's LSAT Scoring page, read on October 1, 2026, sets out the mechanics:
- your raw score is the number of questions you answered correctly
- all questions are weighted exactly the same, and there is no deduction for incorrect answers
- the raw score is converted to a scale running from 120 to 180
Your report also carries a percentile rank, which LSAC defines as "the percentage of test takers whose scores were lower than yours during the previous three testing years."
One detail drives most of the bad advice on this question: LSAC states that percentiles "will be updated every year by the end of July." The same scaled score can be worth a different percentile in October than it was in June, and any chart labelled with an older three-year window no longer matches what schools are reading.
The LSAT score range (120 to 180)
Every LSAT score falls on the same fixed scale:
- Lowest possible score: 120
- Highest possible score: 180
- Midpoint of the current table: 154
There is no negative marking, so every question is worth attempting. Where you land in that 120 to 180 band, not a raw percentage, is what schools compare. Our LSAT score range explainer breaks the scale down band by band, including how many correct answers each edge takes.
Current percentile anchors (LSAC 2023-2026 testing years)
LSAC's LSAT Percentiles table now covers the 2023-2024, 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 testing years. The second column is LSAC's own figure. The third is what it implies about how many people clear that score, which is usually the number applicants actually want.
| LSAT score | Percent below | Share of scores at or above |
|---|---|---|
| 180 | 99.85% | 0.15% |
| 175 | 98.72% | 1.28% |
| 172 | 96.72% | 3.28% |
| 171 | 95.77% | 4.23% |
| 170 | 94.48% | 5.52% |
| 168 | 91.36% | 8.64% |
| 167 | 89.53% | 10.47% |
| 165 | 85.17% | 14.83% |
| 162 | 77.20% | 22.80% |
| 160 | 71.06% | 28.94% |
| 157 | 61.04% | 38.96% |
| 155 | 54.03% | 45.97% |
| 154 | 50.43% | 49.57% |
| 152 | 43.37% | 56.63% |
| 150 | 36.56% | 63.44% |
Two things in that table are worth saying out loud, because almost nothing written about this keyword has caught up with them.
A 170 is a 94th-percentile score on the current table, not a 95th-percentile score. The first score above the 95th percentile is 171. And a 170 or better is about 1 in 18 scores, which is the figure that actually tells you how far the climb is.
For the full score-by-score breakdown and what percentile means next to a school's own bands, see our guide to LSAT score percentiles.
What is the average LSAT score?
154 is the first score above the median. On LSAC's current table, 50.43 percent of scores sit below a 154, and 46.93 percent sit below a 153.
LSAC does not publish a mean score on its percentile page, so treat any single "average LSAT score" figure with care, including the 151 to 153 that gets repeated across prep blogs and in the AI summaries Bing and Google show for this question. That range came from an earlier three-year window. On the window schools are reading now, a 152 is the 43rd percentile and a 153 is the 47th, both below the midpoint.
In practical terms:
- A score in the low 150s is slightly below the midpoint of the current table.
- Breaking 155 puts you above the median, at the 54th percentile.
- The midpoint tells you where you stand nationally, not whether you clear your list.
The midpoint is a useful reference, but admissions is comparative. Your target comes from your school list, not from the national distribution.
So what is a good LSAT score?
If your goal is broad admission options
A score in the low 160s, which is roughly the top quarter of all scores, makes you competitive at a wide range of schools depending on GPA and the rest of the application.
If your goal is scholarship and selectivity leverage
The mid to high 160s gives you more leverage than the low 160s. A 167 is about 1 in 10 scores.
If your goal is highly selective outcomes
170 and above is the top 5.5 percent of scores, which is a different tier of competitiveness. The exact threshold still depends on each school's current entering-class profile.
What is a good LSAT score range?
There is no single cutoff, so it helps to think in bands. Each one below is anchored to the current LSAC table rather than to a feeling about the score.
| Score band | Percentile range | Practical reading |
|---|---|---|
| 150 to 154 | 37th to 50th | At or just below the midpoint; needs strong compensators elsewhere |
| 155 to 159 | 54th to 68th | Above the median, still context-dependent on your list |
| 160 to 164 | 71st to 83rd | Top 29 percent of scores; competitive at a wide range of schools |
| 165 to 169 | 85th to 93rd | Top 15 percent; real scholarship and selectivity leverage |
| 170 and up | 94th and up | Top 5.5 percent of all scores |
This is directional guidance about the national distribution, not a prediction about any one school.
Is your exact LSAT score good? (150 to 180)
If you are checking one specific number, here is the exact figure from LSAC's current table, with no interpolation.
| LSAT score | Percentile (percent below) | Is it a good score? |
|---|---|---|
| 180 | 99.85% | The maximum. Only 0.15 percent of scores reach it |
| 178 | 99.57% | Top 0.4 percent of scores |
| 175 | 98.72% | Top 1.3 percent; competitive anywhere |
| 173 | 97.59% | Top 2.4 percent |
| 172 | 96.72% | Top 3.3 percent |
| 171 | 95.77% | The first score above the 95th percentile |
| 170 | 94.48% | Top 5.5 percent, about 1 in 18 scores |
| 168 | 91.36% | Top 8.6 percent |
| 167 | 89.53% | About 1 in 10 scores |
| 165 | 85.17% | Top 15 percent; strong scholarship zone |
| 163 | 80.05% | Top fifth of scores |
| 162 | 77.20% | Top quarter of scores |
| 160 | 71.06% | Top 29 percent; competitive at many schools |
| 157 | 61.04% | Comfortably above the median |
| 155 | 54.03% | Just above the median |
| 154 | 50.43% | The first score above the median |
| 152 | 43.37% | Just below the midpoint |
| 150 | 36.56% | Below the midpoint; lean on GPA and school fit |
To turn a practice-test raw score into a scaled score before you read it off this table, use our LSAT score converter.
What is the highest LSAT score?
The highest LSAT score is 180, and the lowest is 120. On LSAC's current table, 99.85 percent of scores fall below a 180, so 0.15 percent of scores are perfect, roughly 1 in 670.
You do not need one. A 175 is already the top 1.3 percent of scores and a 172 the top 3.3 percent, so the mid-170s is elite territory well before the ceiling.
What a law school median means for your target score
A law school's reported 25th, 50th and 75th percentile LSAT figures describe its enrolled class, not the national pool. They are not the same as the LSAC percentiles above, and they are the numbers your application is measured against.
Every ABA-approved law school files them annually in its Standard 509 disclosure, published by the ABA Section of Legal Education in its required disclosures database, where the most recent reporting year available is 2025. The ABA notes that the data is submitted by the law schools themselves.
Read a school's report like this:
- Its 50th percentile is the median. At or above it, your score is helping you.
- Its 75th percentile is where scholarship conversations usually get easier.
- Below its 25th percentile, the rest of the application has to carry the file.
Then take the median you find and look it up in the percentile table above. A school with a 168 median is drawing from the top 8.6 percent of all scores, which tells you what the gap really is. Medians move every cycle, so take them from the school's own current 509 report rather than from a tier chart on any prep site.
The LSAT is not pass or fail
There is no official passing LSAT score.
Admissions decisions are comparative and holistic, and schools read scores alongside GPA, writing, recommendations, work history and fit.
The GPA half of that pair is rarely the one on your transcript. LSAC recalculates it on a 4.33 scale and averages both attempts of any course you repeated, so work out your real number with our LSAC CAS GPA calculator before you set a target score.
How to pick your personal target score
- Build a realistic school list.
- Pull each school's 25th, 50th and 75th LSAT figures from its current 509 report.
- Set a target range, not a single number, and check what percentile that range is on the current table.
- Compare the time and cost of reaching that range against what it buys you.
If your current score already sits near the top of your target range, a retake may return less than the same hours spent on the rest of the application. Everything else LSAT, from test dates to prep options, sits on our LSAT hub.
Is retaking worth it?
Retake decisions come down to four things:
- the gap between your score and your target schools' medians
- how much improvement is realistic from where you are
- the prep time you would need to get there
- the added test and application cost
For timeline and budget planning, use how long to study for LSAT and how much does the LSAT cost. If a retake is not realistic and your score is well short of your list, it is worth knowing which law schools that do not require the LSAT accept the GRE instead, and what their score-history rules do to a reportable LSAT score you already hold.
FAQs about good LSAT scores
Is 160 a good LSAT score?
For many applicants, yes. On LSAC's current table a 160 is the 71st percentile, which puts it in the top 29 percent of all scores and makes it competitive at a wide range of schools.
How rare is a 160 on the LSAT?
About 29 percent of scores are a 160 or higher, so roughly 1 in 3.5 test takers reaches it. A 165 or higher is about 1 in 7, and a 170 or higher about 1 in 18.
Is 152 a bad LSAT score?
A 152 is the 43rd percentile, just below the midpoint of the current table. It is not a bad score in any absolute sense, but it sits below the midpoint of the national table, so it works best paired with a strong GPA and a well-matched school list.
Is a 140 LSAT score good?
A 140 is the 11th percentile, so about 87 percent of scores are higher. Most applicants at that level either retake after a full prep cycle or focus on schools whose reported 25th percentile is close to it.
Is 165 a good LSAT score?
Yes. A 165 is the 85th percentile, the top 15 percent of scores, and it is the range where merit aid conversations usually get easier.
Is 170 a good LSAT score?
Yes. A 170 is the 94th percentile and the top 5.5 percent of scores. Note that it is no longer a 95th-percentile score on the current window: 171 is.
Is 150 a good LSAT score?
A 150 is the 37th percentile, below the midpoint. It can still work with a strong GPA and a well-matched list, though applicants aiming higher often retake.
Is 155 a good LSAT score?
A 155 is the 54th percentile, just above the median. It is viable across a range of schools and stays dependent on GPA and your target list.
Is 162 a good LSAT score?
Yes. A 162 is the 77th percentile, the top quarter of all scores, and a solid competitive number at many law schools.
Is 168 a good LSAT score?
Yes. A 168 is the 91st percentile, the top 8.6 percent of scores.
Is 172 a good LSAT score?
Yes. A 172 is the 97th percentile, the top 3.3 percent of scores.
Is 175 a good LSAT score?
Yes. A 175 is the 99th percentile, the top 1.3 percent of all scores, and comfortably clear of the reported medians at even the most selective schools.
Is 180 a good LSAT score?
A 180 is the highest score possible. On the current table 0.15 percent of scores reach it, about 1 in 670, and you do not need one to be admitted to a top school.
What LSAT score do I need for top schools?
There is no universal cutoff. Take the 50th and 75th percentile figures from each school's current Standard 509 report and treat its median as your floor, rather than relying on a generic tier chart.
How long are LSAT scores valid?
Your results are reported for the current testing year plus the prior five testing years, and LSAC testing years run July 1 through June 30. Results earned before July 2021 are not reported to law schools at all. Your report also shows up to 12 reportable results, including cancellations and absences.
If your current band falls short of your target schools, our roundup of the best LSAT prep courses compares the options by price, format and official-PrepTest access.
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