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Certain undergraduate majors post higher average LSAT scores: analyses of LSAC data have long placed philosophy, physics, mathematics, economics, and classics near the top, with some pre-professional majors lower. Major correlates with score, but focused preparation matters far more than what you studied. see the linked source (see the linked source).
By Ali Unar, JD candidate at Georgetown Law and founder of Lovare Institut. Last updated August 2026. Figures on this page were verified in August 2026 or point readers to the current source.
Your undergraduate major correlates with LSAT performance, but it does not determine it. Analyses of LSAC data show consistent gaps in average scores between fields, largely because some majors demand more of the logical reasoning and dense reading the LSAT tests. The correlation reflects the skills a field builds and the students it attracts, not any advantage law schools grant to a particular major.
Analyses of LSAC data have long shown a familiar set of majors clustered at the top, driven by heavy analytical and reading demands. The table lists the fields that typically lead, with the current averages verified against published analyses.
The current ranking is best read directly from the source. See the U.S. News Best Law Schools list for the up-to-date order, and each school's ABA Standard 509 report for its median LSAT, GPA, and acceptance rate.
Majors that lead on the LSAT tend to train exactly the skills the test measures: constructing and evaluating arguments, and reading dense, unfamiliar text closely. Philosophy and mathematics build formal logic, while economics and classics demand rigorous analysis and interpretation. The effect is about skill transfer, not prestige, which is why fields with lighter analytical loads often show lower average scores.
You should choose a major for your interests and strengths, not to game the LSAT, because the score gaps between fields are modest and preparation closes them. A motivated student in any major can reach a high score with focused study of Logical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension. Law schools do not favor specific majors; they focus on your LSAT score and GPA against their published medians.
A good LSAT score is one at or above the median LSAT of your target schools, regardless of your major. Each ABA-approved law school reports its median in its Standard 509 data, so good is defined by where you apply. 120 to 180. Your major does not change the score a school expects.
The average scaled LSAT score across all test-takers sits a little below the middle of the 120 to 180 range. The exact figure moves slightly each testing year. the low-to-mid 150s (LSAC does not publish a single headline average; the median falls near 152 on the percentile tables). Averages by major sit above or below that overall mean, but the differences are modest compared with the effect of preparation.
The LSAT is scored on a 120 to 180 scale, the same for every test-taker regardless of major. Correct answers earn raw points, wrong answers are not penalized, and LSAC converts the raw total to a scaled score. Since August 2024 the scored sections are two Logical Reasoning and one Reading Comprehension, plus an unscored variable section, after Logic Games were retired.
Law schools care far more about your LSAT score and GPA than your major, since they report and are ranked on those numbers. A rigorous major can strengthen your file at the margins, but no major is required for law school, and admissions offices admit students from a wide range of fields. Focus on strong grades and a competitive LSAT rather than a particular major.
Verified August 2026.
August 21, 2026
August 21, 2026