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An LSAT score is valid for five years. LSAC reports scores from the five most recent testing years to the law schools you apply to, so a score you earn today can be used across five admissions cycles, according to LSAC's LSAT scoring policy. Most schools then focus on 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 it to your chosen law schools for that entire span, and the score keeps full value throughout. The table summarizes the validity window at a glance.
Time since the testValidity statusCurrent testing yearValid and reportedOne to four years laterValid and reportedFive or more years laterExpired, no longer reported
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 window covers scored results. A cancelled score is not calculated, though the administration may still be listed on your report, and a registered absence can appear as well. Once a score is older than five years, LSAC removes it from your report, and there is no way to restore an expired score for admissions.
Because an LSAT score is valid for five years, you can test ahead of your application and use the result in a later cycle, which suits applicants who work before law school. If your best score is close to expiring, retake so a current score stays reportable. Most law schools consider your highest score, so a strong sitting keeps helping across the window.
An old LSAT score is usable as long as it stays within LSAC's five-year reporting window. LSAC reports scores from the five most recent testing years to law schools, so an older in-window result remains valid. A score past the five-year mark is no longer reported and cannot be used on an application.
Most law schools take your highest LSAT score rather than averaging your sittings. The LSAT is not superscored, so schools do not combine sections from separate test dates; they use your best single score. Every score inside your five-year window still appears on the report, but the highest one generally weighs most in admissions.
Under current LSAC policy there is no cap on LSAT attempts within a 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 a score is valid for five years, retakes inside that window all appear on the report law schools receive, so each attempt remains visible to admissions offices.
Verified August 2026.
August 21, 2026
August 21, 2026