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Across all LSAT test-takers, the average scaled score is in the low 150s on the 120 to 180 range, with the median close behind. LSAC recalculates this each testing year, so the precise mean moves a little. the low-to-mid 150s (LSAC does not publish a single headline average; the median falls near 152 on the percentile tables) is the number to cite, and most competitive law schools post medians above it.
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 average LSAT score is the mean scaled score across everyone who sits the exam in a given period, as compiled by LSAC from official results. Because the scale runs from 120 to 180 and the distribution is roughly bell-shaped, the mean lands near the center, in the low 150s. LSAC publishes updated figures each testing year, so the exact average is best taken from its most recent report rather than memorized.
Matching the national average does not make you competitive everywhere, because selective schools set medians well above it. The table contrasts the overall average with the kind of medians top programs report, using current figures to confirm.
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.
Read the average from LSAC and each school median from its ABA 509 report, since all of these figures move by cycle.
People often treat the average as a target, but it functions better as a baseline than a goal, since competitive schools expect scores well beyond it. Some also assume the average implies a passing standard, though the LSAT has no pass or fail cutoff on the 120 to 180 scale. Finally, the average includes unprepared and repeat testers, so focused preparation commonly lifts a score above it.
A good LSAT score is one that positions you at or above the medians of your target law schools, which usually means scoring above the national average on the 120 to 180 scale. Since the LSAT drives much of the admissions decision, clearing a school's median matters most. Reference your target schools' published 25th-50th-75th percentile figures.
The mean LSAT score for all test-takers rests in the low 150s, near the middle of the 120 to 180 scale, and edges slightly up or down each testing year. The median sits close to the mean because the score distribution is roughly symmetric. Confirm the latest figure with the low-to-mid 150s (LSAC does not publish a single headline average; the median falls near 152 on the percentile tables).
LSAT scoring converts your raw score, meaning your total correct answers, into a scaled 120 to 180 score using a conversion table specific to your test form, with no penalty for wrong answers. Since August 2024 the exam contains two scored Logical Reasoning sections, one scored Reading Comprehension section, and one unscored variable section.
Verified August 2026.
August 21, 2026
August 21, 2026