The LSAT score distribution is roughly bell-shaped across the 120 to 180 scale, with most test-takers clustered in the middle and far fewer at the extremes. Each testing year LSAC administers a large volume of tests, and only a small share reach the highest scores.
By Ali Unar, Founder, Lovare Institut; JD/MSFS Candidate, Georgetown University. Last updated August 2026. Figures on this page were verified in August 2026 or point readers to the current source.
The LSAT score distribution is approximately bell-shaped, peaking near the center of the 120 to 180 scale and thinning toward both ends. Most test-takers land in the broad middle of the range, while comparatively few score at the top or bottom. This shape is by design, because LSAC scales the test so that scores spread out around a middle point, which is why a few points near the center cover a large share of examinees.
Only a small fraction of test-takers reach the top of the scale, since the distribution thins quickly above the mid 160s. The exact shares change as the test-taker pool shifts over LSAC's three-year percentile window. The table shows the general structure, with each figure verified against current LSAC data.
For current score interpretation, use LSAC’s official LSAT Scoring guidance and LSAT percentile table.
LSAC administers a large number of LSATs across each testing year, and the total rises and falls with the law school application cycle. Because a single person can sit the test more than once, the count of administrations is higher than the count of unique test-takers.
Your place in the distribution is captured by your percentile, which LSAC reports next to your scaled score and calculates from the three most recent testing years. A score near the middle of the scale sits close to the 50th percentile, while high scores climb steeply above the field. Compare your position not just nationally but against the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile scores your target schools publish in their ABA 509 data.
A good LSAT score is one at or above the median LSAT of your target schools. Each ABA-approved law school reports its median in its Standard 509 data, so a strong score is defined by where you apply rather than by the national distribution alone. 120 to 180. Aim to clear each school's median.
The average scaled LSAT score falls a little below the center of the 120 to 180 range, which places it near the peak of the score distribution. The exact mean varies 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). Because the distribution is densest in the middle, scores cluster tightly around that average.
The LSAT is scored on a 120 to 180 scale, then placed within the national distribution as a percentile. Correct answers earn raw points, wrong answers carry no penalty, and LSAC converts the raw total into 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.
Very few test-takers earn a perfect 180, since the distribution thins sharply at the top of the 120 to 180 scale. Only a small fraction of a percent reach the maximum in a given year. about 0.1 percent of test-takers. A 180 requires a nearly flawless performance across every scored section.
Verified August 2026.
September 20, 2026
September 20, 2026