How Long Is an LSAT Score Valid? A Comprehensive Guide for Aspiring Law Students

For anyone considering law school, the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is a significant milestone. This standardized test is a crucial component of the application process, and understanding the validity of your LSAT score is essential for effective planning. Most students are happy to put it behind them once they've taken it. Unfortunately, scores for the LSAT don't count forever for the purposes of applying to law school. This article delves into the lifespan of LSAT scores, factors influencing their acceptance, and strategies for ensuring your application remains competitive.

LSAT Validity Period: The Five-Year Rule

LSAT scores remain valid for 5 years after your test date. This means that if you take the LSAT, your score will be valid for this amount of time. The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) considers an LSAT result reportable for up to five testing years after the testing year in which the score is earned. Beginning with the 2021-2022 testing year, LSAT testing years run from July through June.

For example, if you apply to a law school in January 2026, any LSAT scores you earn in the July 2025-June 2026 testing year will be reported. Any scores you earned during the following testing years will also be reported: July 2024-June 2025, July 2023-June 2024, July 2022-June 2023, and July 2021-June 2022. If you took the LSAT in June 2020, you could use this score to apply to law school through June 2026.

LSAT Score Reporting

Your LSAT Score Report includes your current score, 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. For instance, your twelve most recent LSAT scores, absences, and cancellations from the past five years will appear on your LSAT Score Report that is sent to the law schools you apply to.

However, if you want to see all your scores (valid and expired), you can request an Official Candidate LSAT Score Report for $50. LSAC years are not calendar years.

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Law School Preferences and Score Age

While LSAT scores technically remain valid for five years, individual law schools maintain their own policies regarding "old" scores. Some schools will only look at scores from the last three years, or sometimes the last four years. Law schools can see the dates your LSAT scores were obtained, but they do not prefer one date over another. It’s essential to be aware of how long LSAT scores are valid to ensure they remain relevant when applying to law schools.

Multiple LSAT Scores: Consistency and Trends

If you do have multiple LSAT scores, law schools prefer to see consistency or an upward trend over time.

Implications of Score Expiration

If your LSAT score is older than five years, you cannot use it to apply to law school. You need a reportable score to complete your application. If your LSAT is no longer valid and you still want to apply to law school, your best bet will be to retake the LSAT.

Strategic Planning for the LSAT

Given the LSAT's validity period, it's crucial to strategically plan when to take the test. Plan to take the test only when you believe you’ll get a score that makes you competitive for the schools you’re considering. Most applicants don’t need to worry too much about how long LSAT scores are valid. Five years is a pretty long time.

Timing Considerations

Most people take the test in their junior or senior year of undergrad and then enroll either right after college or one year later. Taking a year off after school is still absolutely feasible, and highly recommended. The only way this might be problematic is if you’re taking the LSAT really early in your college career, and you plan on taking a lot of time off. Safe to say taking the LSAT in your first year of college isn’t ideal.

Factors Leading to Delayed Application

The decision to delay law school shouldn’t be taken lightly. There are certainly some instances where delaying law school would be an acceptable option. On a more positive note, you might have just learned that you are going to be a new parent. Life events circumvent schedules and plans sometimes.

Understanding the LSAT Score

Your LSAT (or LSAT-Flex) score is based on the number of questions you answered correctly - your “raw score.” All test questions are weighted exactly the same. The total number of questions you get right is what matters for your score, not which particular questions you get right or wrong. There is no deduction for incorrect answers.

To make it easier to compare scores earned across different LSAT administrations, your “raw score” is converted to an LSAT scale. This is the score you receive in your score report. The LSAT scale ranges from 120 to 180, with 120 being the lowest possible score and 180 being the highest possible score.

Your LSAT Score Report includes:

Your current score.
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.
Your percentile rank, which reflects the percentage of test takers whose scores were lower than yours during the previous three testing years.
Your score band.

LSAT Score Preview and Cancellation

LSAT Score Preview is available to test takers who wish to see their score before deciding whether to keep it as part of their LSAC file and report it to schools. Score Preview will cost $45 if you sign up prior to the first day of testing for a given test administration, or $85 if you sign up after testing has concluded. Test takers who sign up for Score Preview will receive their scores at the same time as other test takers (assuming they have an approved LSAT Argumentative Writing sample on file and have no holds on their accounts), and will have six (6) calendar days from the date their score is released to decide if they want to cancel or keep their score.

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Yes, you can cancel your LSAT score. Should you decide to cancel your LSAT score, you must do so within six (6) calendar days of your test date.

Retaking the LSAT

There are different schools of thought regarding this, but most people agree that taking the LSAT more than once won't harm your chances of getting into law school. Students are allowed to take the LSAT 3 times within the testing year (June 1st to May 31st) and are allowed to take the test 7 times throughout the course of their life.

LSAT Score and Admission Standards

Whether or not you are pleased with your score will depend on the caliber of school you are looking to get into. Those looking to get into a Tier 1 school will most likely need to get a 175 or higher to be considered for admission.

Addressing Score Errors

LSAC routinely conducts multiple procedures to ensure the accuracy of all test response data before scores are released. Because we go to these great lengths as part of our normal processes, the possibility of finding any scoring errors on computerized tests is extremely small. However, in response to requests from test takers, LSAC is providing an optional Score Audit service. This service costs $150 (or $75 if you’ve been preapproved for a fee waiver which is noted on your LSAC JD Account). You may request a score audit after you have received your LSAT score.

Preparing for the LSAT

There are a lot of different options when it comes to preparing for the LSAT. Some students might prefer to take classes at a local university, while others might prefer the comfort of their own laptops and do courses online. Some students will even hire private tutors to help with LSAT prep. For those that can't afford to pay for expensive courses and tutors, there are options out there through public universities and online programs. Most importantly, students who are preparing to take the LSAT should take as many practice tests as they can. Even if a student is not enrolled in a preparation program, LSAT practice tests are available both online and at local universities. In some cases, you can find them for free.

The LSAT Test Day Experience

After all the preparation, all the stress, and all of the exhaustion, what can you expect when the big day finally comes? The test itself generally starts a little bit later than scheduled, but you should still arrive at your designated testing location on time. On test day, you will have to complete five 35 minute sections. The fastest way to get your LSAT score is to make an account online at LSAC.org. LSAT scores are generally available no later than 3-4 weeks after you have taken the test.

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