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Each law school publishes a median LSAT, the 50th percentile of its entering class, in its ABA Standard 509 report, and these medians span a wide range across schools. Nationally, the median test-taker score sits near the center of the 120 to 180 scale. each school's median LSAT (see its 509 report).
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.
The median LSAT for a law school is the 50th percentile score of its entering class, meaning half of enrolled students scored above it and half below. Every ABA-approved law school reports this figure each year in its Standard 509 Information Report. Across all schools the medians vary widely, from schools whose median sits below the national average to the most selective programs whose medians are near the top of the 120 to 180 scale.
Median LSATs climb steadily with selectivity, so the most competitive schools report the highest medians. The table groups schools by tier, with each current median verified against ABA 509 data.
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.
A law school's median LSAT describes its admitted students, while the national average describes everyone who takes the test, so the two measure different populations. Because admitted classes are drawn from stronger applicants, most schools report medians above the national average score. The national median test-taker score sits near the center of the scale, whereas a selective school's median can sit far above it.
A school's median LSAT is the single most useful benchmark for your chances there, because law schools admit heavily around their medians to protect their reported numbers. A score at or above a school's median makes you competitive and can trigger merit scholarships, while a score below the 25th percentile is a significant reach. Build your list by comparing your LSAT against each school's 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile figures.
A good LSAT score is one at or above the median LSAT of the schools you want to attend. Because each ABA-approved law school reports its median in its Standard 509 data, good is defined school by school rather than by a single national number. 120 to 180. Aim to clear the median at each target school.
The average scaled LSAT score across all test-takers sits slightly below the middle of the 120 to 180 range. The exact mean changes a little 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). Most law school medians sit above that national average, because admitted classes come from the stronger end of the applicant pool.
The LSAT is scored on a 120 to 180 scale. Each correct answer earns a raw point, wrong answers carry no penalty, and LSAC converts the raw total into a scaled score, then a percentile. Since August 2024 the scored sections are two Logical Reasoning and one Reading Comprehension, plus an unscored variable section, after Logic Games were retired.
The T14 law schools report the highest medians in the country, so a competitive application generally needs a score at or above a given school's median. Those medians sit near the top of the 120 to 180 scale and shift year to year. 120 to 180. Check each school's latest 509 report for its exact median.
Verified August 2026.
August 21, 2026
August 21, 2026