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The LSAT is a demanding reasoning and reading test scored from 120 to 180, and how difficult it feels depends on preparation. It rewards argument analysis and fast, accurate reading, not memorized facts or math. Because those skills are trainable, scores typically rise from a first diagnostic to test day after structured study.
By Ali Unar, JD candidate at Georgetown Law and founder of Lovare Institut. Last updated August 2026. Every figure on this page was verified in August 2026 against the sources listed below.
The LSAT is difficult because it tests reasoning under time pressure rather than knowledge you can memorize. On the 120 to 180 scale, your score reflects how accurately and quickly you can analyze arguments and read dense passages. There is no content to cram, so improvement comes from retraining how you think through questions, which is a slower process than memorizing facts but a very learnable one.
The LSAT is one of the more improvable standardized tests precisely because it measures trainable skills. Most people raise their score meaningfully from a first diagnostic to test day, though gains take time and come mainly from careful review, not raw volume, and no authoritative source publishes a single typical score gain. Since August 2024 the test has two scored Logical Reasoning sections, one Reading Comprehension section, and one unscored variable section, so practice concentrates on reasoning and reading.
Unlike the GRE, the LSAT has no quantitative section and no vocabulary lists; it is closer to a pure reasoning and reading test, which some students find harder and others find more intuitive. It is very different from the bar exam, which tests large volumes of memorized law after law school. The LSAT rewards thinking skill, while the bar rewards memorization and endurance.
Reduce the LSAT's difficulty with a structured plan: start with a timed diagnostic, drill official questions by type, and review every miss to identify the exact reasoning error. Build timing only after accuracy is solid, and study consistently over several months. Set your goal at or above your target schools' medians, which run about 170 to 174 at the most selective schools and are published in each school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 report, so your prep has a clear target.
Yes. The LSAT tests trainable reasoning and reading skills, so most people raise their score meaningfully between a first diagnostic and test day with structured practice, though no authoritative source publishes a single typical improvement figure. The biggest gains come from reviewing every missed question to find the reasoning error and drilling that pattern, rather than from simply taking more full-length timed tests.
A good LSAT score is one at or above the median of the schools you are targeting, since admissions depends heavily on your LSAT and GPA against each school's medians. On the 120 to 180 scale, higher is always better, and the number to aim for is at or above your target schools' medians, which run about 170 to 174 at the most selective schools, per the 2025 ABA Standard 509 reports. There is no fixed passing score on the LSAT.
LSAC limits how often you can take the LSAT within set windows, currently no limit per testing year, five times within the current reportable period (since July 2021), and seven times over a lifetime, per LSAC's Limits on Repeating the LSAT. Most schools consider your highest score rather than an average, though they can see every score. Retaking is common and usually worthwhile when your recent practice tests are trending above your last official score.
The LSAT and the bar exam are hard in different ways. The LSAT is a timed reasoning and reading test with no memorization, taken before law school, while the bar exam tests memorized legal rules across many subjects after three years of study. Many lawyers find the bar more grueling in sheer volume, while the LSAT is harder to improve quickly.
Verified August 2026.
August 21, 2026
August 21, 2026