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An LSAT score stays valid for five years. Through the Credential Assembly Service, LSAC reports scores from the five most recent testing years to the law schools you apply to, so a score earned today supports applications across five admissions cycles, according to LSAC's LSAT scoring policy. Schools usually consider 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.
An LSAT score is valid for five years. LSAC reports the score to your chosen law schools throughout that window, and it holds its value the whole time. A result from a few years ago counts the same as a fresh one so long as both remain inside the reporting period. LSAC reports scores for up to five testing years, so a result stays reportable for five years, according to LSAC's LSAT scoring policy.
The five-year rule applies to scored results, and a few related points matter for applicants:
Retaking the exam does not erase earlier in-window scores, so schools continue to see them.
Because an LSAT score is valid for five years, you can test before you apply and still use the result later, which suits a gap year or a career change into law. If your best score is nearing expiration, retake to keep a current score on file. Most law schools consider your highest score, so a single strong sitting keeps supporting your application.
You can use an old LSAT score as long as it remains within LSAC's five-year reporting window. Scores from the five most recent testing years are reported to law schools, so an older in-window result is still valid. Once a score is older than five years, LSAC stops reporting it and you cannot use it.
Most law schools take your highest LSAT score instead of averaging your attempts. The LSAT is not superscored, so schools do not merge sections from separate sittings; they rely on your best single score. All scores inside your five-year window still appear on the report, yet the highest one usually matters most in the decision.
Under current LSAC policy there is no limit on LSAT attempts within a single testing year; you may take the test 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 valid for five years, retakes inside that window all appear on the report law schools receive when you apply, so every attempt remains visible.
Verified August 2026.
August 21, 2026
August 21, 2026