What Score do You Need to Pass the LSAT

You do not need to pass the LSAT, because it has no pass/fail line; you receive a scaled score from 120 to 180. The score you actually need is whatever meets or exceeds the medians at your target law schools. A score above a school's median makes you competitive there, while one below its 25th percentile is a long shot.

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.

What score do you need to pass the LSAT?

You need no particular score to pass, because the LSAT is not a pass/fail exam; it reports a scaled score from 120 to 180 with a percentile. There is no minimum you must clear to be allowed into law school in the abstract. Instead, the score you need is defined by the schools you apply to and how their medians compare to your result.

How do you set a target LSAT score for your schools?

Set your target by looking up each prospective school's median LSAT and aiming at or above it, then sort your list into reach, target, and likely categories based on where your score lands.

• Likely: your score is at or above the school's 75th percentile.
• Target: your score sits near the school's median.
• Reach: your score falls below the school's 25th percentile.

Pull the medians you need from your target schools' published 25th-50th-75th percentile figures.

What is the lowest LSAT score that still works?

The lowest workable LSAT score depends entirely on where you apply, since ABA-approved schools span a wide range of medians. A score that is too low for one school can be at or above another school's median, so there is no single floor. A strong GPA, work experience, and essays can also offset a score that sits below a school's median.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good LSAT score?

A good LSAT score meets or exceeds the medians at the law schools you are targeting, since the exam has no fixed passing bar on its 120 to 180 scale. Scoring above a school's 50th percentile strengthens your file most. Look up your target schools' published 25th-50th-75th percentile figures for your benchmark.

What is the average LSAT score?

The average LSAT score across all test-takers is in the low 150s, near the center of the 120 to 180 scale, and it moves slightly each testing year. That average is a reference, not a passing line. For the latest mean, see the low-to-mid 150s (LSAC does not publish a single headline average; the median falls near 152 on the percentile tables) and compare it to your schools' medians.

How is the LSAT scored?

The LSAT is scored by converting your raw score, the count of correct answers, into a scaled 120 to 180 result using your form's conversion table, with no penalty for wrong answers and no pass/fail threshold. Since August 2024 the scored sections are two Logical Reasoning sections and one Reading Comprehension section, plus one unscored variable section.

Sources

• LSAC LSAT Percentiles

Verified August 2026.