Yes. A 165 is a strong LSAT score and currently sits at the 85.17th percentile, meaning it is higher than about 85% of scores in LSAC’s 2023–2026 percentile table. It is not a T14 median score, but it is competitive at many strong regional and national law schools and can create meaningful scholarship leverage where it meets or exceeds a school’s median.
| LSAT | Current percentile |
|---|---|
| 170 | 94.48% |
| 168 | 91.36% |
| 167 | 89.53% |
| 165 | 85.17% |
| 164 | 82.75% |
| 163 | 80.05% |
A 165 is near or above the median at many respected regional schools and below the median at most T14/T20 programs. Use the current school median, not a generic rank, to interpret the score.
A 165 can be especially valuable at schools with medians in the low-to-mid 160s because it can improve both admission positioning and merit-aid competitiveness.
Usually below the current median range. A T14 admission with a 165 is possible in an exceptional overall file, but applicants targeting those schools should generally view a retake as high leverage if practice performance supports a higher result.
Retake when recent practice tests consistently sit several points higher, a 168–170+ would materially change your target list, or scholarship value is likely to improve. Keep the score when 165 already places you above medians at schools you would happily attend and another test is unlikely to move.
There is no universal “165 scholarship.” Merit aid is school-specific. The useful relationship is your score versus each school’s median and 75th percentile. A 165 can be ordinary at one school and a major recruiting credential at another.
Yes. It is currently around the 85th percentile.
Yes. A 165 is competitive at many strong regional and national schools.
It can, but it is below current medians at most T14 schools, so the rest of the file must be unusually strong.
Retake when practice performance supports a meaningful gain and that gain would materially change admission or scholarship outcomes.
Percentile data come from LSAC’s current 2023–2026 LSAT percentile table.
Written by Ali Unar, Founder, Lovare Institut. Verified September 19, 2026.
September 20, 2026
September 20, 2026