How Long are LSAT Scores Good for

An LSAT score is good for five years. When you apply through LSAC's Credential Assembly Service, the law school report includes every LSAT score from the five most recent testing years, so a score you earn today stays usable across five admissions cycles, according to LSAC's LSAT scoring policy. Most law schools weigh your highest reported score.

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.

How long are LSAT scores good for, and how does the rule work?

An LSAT score is good for five years, which means LSAC will report it to law schools throughout that window. When you register for the Credential Assembly Service, LSAC compiles a report listing every LSAT result from the reportable period and sends it to each school you apply to. LSAC reports scores for up to five testing years, so a result stays reportable for five years, according to LSAC's LSAT scoring policy. A score does not improve or decay inside that window; it simply stays available.

Are there exceptions to the five-year LSAT window?

Yes. A few situations sit outside the standard five-year rule:

• Scores older than the reporting window are no longer sent to schools and cannot be used.
• A cancelled score is not calculated, but the record that you sat for that administration can still appear on your report.
• An absence from a test you registered for may also be noted on the report.

Retaking the LSAT does not erase earlier scores that still fall inside the window, so schools see each one.

What does LSAT score validity mean for your application?

Because a score stays reportable for five years, you can sit for the LSAT before you are ready to apply and still use that result later. If a strong score is close to aging out of the window, you may need to retake the test to keep a current score on file. Most law schools consider your highest score rather than an average, so one strong sitting can anchor your application. Under current LSAC policy there is no cap on how many times you can take the LSAT within a single testing year; you may take it five times within the current five-year reportable period and seven times over your lifetime, according to LSAC's Limits on Repeating the Test policy.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use an old LSAT score?

You can use an old LSAT score as long as it still falls within LSAC's five-year reporting window. Scores from the five most recent testing years are reported to law schools, so a result inside that period stays valid. Once a score ages past the window, LSAC no longer reports it and you cannot use it.

Do schools take your highest LSAT?

Most law schools consider your highest LSAT score rather than averaging multiple scores. The LSAT is not superscored the way some college entrance exams are, so schools do not blend sections from different sittings; they look at your top single score. Every score inside the five-year window still appears on your report, so schools can see them all.

How many times can you take the LSAT?

Under current LSAC policy there is no limit on how many times you can take the LSAT within a single testing year; you may take it five times within the current five-year reportable period and seven times over your lifetime, according to LSAC's Limits on Repeating the Test policy. Because scores stay reportable for five years, retakes inside that window all appear on the report your law schools receive.

Sources

• LSAC LSAT Scoring
• LSAC Limits on Repeating the Test

Verified August 2026.