What Is a Good LSAT Score? (Percentiles + Targets)

A good LSAT score is one that meets or beats the median at the law schools you are targeting. On the LSAT's 120 to 180 scale, a 160 opens many strong regional programs and a 170 or higher makes you competitive across the T14, according to LSAC percentile data and school 509 reports.

By Ali Unar, Georgetown Law, Founder of Lovare Institut. Ali Unar is a Georgetown Law student and the founder of Lovare Institut, an admissions and LSAT-prep practice built on primary-source law school data and more than 5,000 real application materials. Verified August 2026. Every number on this page about a good LSAT score comes from LSAC's official percentile chart and each school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure for the fall 2025 entering class.

What is a good LSAT score?

A good LSAT score is defined by your target schools, not by a single national cutoff. Because law schools admit around their reported medians, a good LSAT score is one at or above the median LSAT of the programs you want, which for the T14 means roughly 170 to 174, per 2025 ABA 509 data.

The reason a good LSAT score is relative is structural. Every ABA-approved law school reports its 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile LSAT to the ABA each year, and the 50th percentile, the median, is the number that anchors admissions. According to the 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures for the fall 2025 entering class, the T14 medians run from 170 at Berkeley Law to 174 at Yale Law School, the University of Chicago, and Harvard Law School. A score at or above a school's median LSAT puts you in the top half of its admitted class and strengthens both your admission odds and your scholarship leverage.

This is why chasing a single good number in the abstract is a mistake. A 165 is a strong LSAT score that clears the median at many excellent law schools, yet it sits below every T14 median in the 2025 ABA 509 data. A 155, which LSAC's percentile chart places above 54.03 percent of test-takers, is a solid score for a range of regional programs but well under the T14 range. The same LSAT score can be excellent for one applicant's list and thin for another's.

To turn a good LSAT score into a personal target, build your school list first, then read each school's median LSAT from its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure, and aim to match or beat the highest median on your list. That single habit, anchoring your LSAT goal to real medians rather than to internet folklore, is the core of setting a good LSAT score target.

What LSAT score do you need for law school?

The LSAT score you need for law school depends entirely on which law schools you mean. There is no universal passing mark on the 120 to 180 scale. Instead, the LSAT score you need is set by the median of your target schools, from the mid-150s at many regionals to 170 plus across the T14.

Because the LSAT score you need for law school is a moving target, it helps to know the full LSAT score range. The LSAT runs from 120 to 180, a 61-point scale, and LSAC's official percentile chart shows how thin the air gets near the top. A 170 already sits above 94.48 percent of test-takers, and a 175 above 98.72 percent. So the LSAT score you need for the most selective law schools is not merely high, it is rare.

For the broad middle of American law schools, the LSAT score you need is far more attainable. LSAC's percentile chart puts a 155 above 54.03 percent of test-takers and a 160 above 71.06 percent, and many respected regional law schools report medians in that band. The practical rule holds at every level: identify your target law schools, find their median LSAT in the 2025 ABA 509 data, and treat that median as the LSAT score you need to be a median-strength candidate.

What do LSAT percentiles actually mean?

An LSAT percentile tells you the share of test-takers who scored below a given LSAT score. A 160 at the 71.06 percentile means about 71 percent of test-takers scored lower, per LSAC's official percentile chart. Percentiles, not raw feel, are how schools and applicants read where an LSAT score stands.

LSAT scorePercent of test-takers who scored below18099.85%17598.72%17498.24%17094.48%16585.17%16071.06%15554.03%15036.56%14521.48%14011.0%1200.0%

Source: LSAC's official LSAT percentile chart, covering the 2023-24 through 2025-26 testing years.

Read down the table and the shape of the LSAT scale becomes clear. The jump from a 160 to a 170 looks like ten points, but in percentile terms it moves you from above 71.06 percent of test-takers to above 94.48 percent, according to LSAC's percentile chart. Near the ceiling the compression is even sharper: a 174 already tops 98.24 percent, so each additional point of LSAT score is separating you from a smaller and smaller slice of the field.

Percentiles also explain why a good LSAT score cannot be judged by how the test felt. Two test-takers can miss a similar number of questions and land points apart, and a score that feels ordinary can sit in a strong percentile. For admissions, what matters is where your LSAT score falls on LSAC's percentile chart and, more precisely, how it compares with the median LSAT of your target schools.

What LSAT score do you need for a T14 school?

For a T14 law school, the LSAT score you need runs from about 170 to 174 at the median. According to 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures, T14 medians span 170 at Berkeley Law up to 174 at Yale, Chicago, and Harvard, so a 174 sits at or above every T14 median.

The table below lists the traditional T14 with each school's median LSAT, median GPA, and acceptance rate, drawn from its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure for the fall 2025 entering class. Use it to set the LSAT score you need for the specific T14 schools on your list.

SchoolMedian LSATMedian GPAAcceptance rateYale Law School1743.964.06%Stanford Law School1733.966.1%University of Chicago Law School1743.979.74%Columbia Law School1733.9211.84%Harvard Law School1743.969.2%NYU Law1723.9213.39%Penn Carey Law1733.958.05%UVA Law1733.9910.17%Michigan Law1713.888.57%Berkeley Law1703.9214.84%Duke Law School1713.9112.88%Northwestern Pritzker Law1733.9612.3%Cornell Law School1733.9218.19%Georgetown Law1713.9315.75%

Source for all fourteen schools: each school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure for the fall 2025 entering class.

Read the T14 table as a ladder of medians. A 174 LSAT sits at or above the median at every T14 school in the 2025 ABA 509 data, including the 174 medians at Yale Law School, the University of Chicago, and Harvard Law School. A 171 matches the medians at Michigan Law, Duke Law School, and Georgetown Law, and sits just below the rest. A 170, the lowest T14 median, matches Berkeley Law and trails the others by one to four points.

Medians are not cutoffs, though. Because each T14 school also reports a 25th percentile LSAT below its median, applicants below a school's median LSAT are still admitted every cycle, most often when a high GPA, like the 3.88 to 3.99 medians in the T14 table, or an exceptional overall file offsets the gap. Still, the safest way to read the LSAT score you need for a T14 school is to target that school's median or higher.

The T14 table also shows why the LSAT is only half the numeric picture. Every school reports a median GPA alongside its median LSAT to the ABA, and those GPA medians run from 3.88 at Michigan Law to 3.99 at UVA Law in the 2025 ABA 509 data. A good LSAT score works with, not instead of, a competitive GPA, and the two medians together define the center of each T14 class.

Is a 160 a good LSAT score?

A 160 is a good LSAT score in absolute terms and a strong one for many regional law schools, but not for the T14. LSAC's percentile chart places a 160 above 71.06 percent of test-takers, yet the lowest T14 median is 170 in the 2025 ABA 509 data, ten points higher.

Whether a 160 is a good LSAT score for you depends on your list. Above 71.06 percent of test-takers, a 160 clears the median at a wide range of solid law schools and can attract merit money at schools whose medians sit in the mid-150s. For an applicant targeting strong regional programs, a 160 is a genuinely good LSAT score and a reasonable target.

For a T14 applicant, though, a 160 is below every median in the 2025 ABA 509 table, and a ten-point gap to Berkeley Law's 170 median is very hard to overcome. If the T14 is the goal, a 160 is best treated as a diagnostic checkpoint, a signal to keep studying, rather than a finished score. The honest read is that a 160 is a good LSAT score for many destinations and an insufficient one for the very top.

Is a 170 a good LSAT score?

A 170 is an excellent LSAT score that opens the entire T14. LSAC's percentile chart places a 170 above 94.48 percent of test-takers, and it meets or beats the median at the lower-median T14 schools like Berkeley Law, though it sits below the 174 medians at Yale, Chicago, and Harvard.

A 170 is a good LSAT score by any national standard, and for most applicants it is the number that turns a T14 admit from a long shot into a real possibility. Above 94.48 percent of test-takers on LSAC's percentile chart, a 170 clears Berkeley Law's 170 median and sits within a point or two of Michigan Law at 171, Duke Law School at 171, and Georgetown Law at 171 in the 2025 ABA 509 data.

At the very top, a 170 is still below the median. Yale Law School, the University of Chicago, and Harvard Law School all report a 174 median LSAT in the 2025 ABA 509 disclosures, so a 170 applicant there sits in the lower part of the class and typically needs a near-perfect GPA or a standout file. The takeaway is that a 170 is a good LSAT score everywhere and a median-or-better score across much of the T14, with the four-point gap to the 174 schools the main caveat.

What is the average LSAT score?

The average LSAT score is often discussed, but LSAC's percentile chart in this guide does not publish a single mean LSAT score. What the chart does show is that the middle of test-takers falls between 150 and 155, since 36.56 percent score below 150 and 54.03 percent score below 155.

Because this guide will not invent a number the source does not give, the most precise honest statement about the average LSAT score is a range. LSAC's official percentile chart shows a 150 above 36.56 percent of test-takers and a 155 above 54.03 percent, which places the median test-taker, the person exactly in the middle, just under a 155. That is different from a true arithmetic mean, which LSAC does not report on the chart used here.

For practical purposes, treat the mid-150s as the center of the LSAT distribution and judge your own score against that center and, more importantly, against your target-school medians. Note also that the 120 to 180 scale has an arithmetic midpoint of 150, but the midpoint of the scale is not the average LSAT score of test-takers, and this guide keeps the two ideas separate rather than printing a figure LSAC does not publish.

How do you set a target LSAT score for your school list?

To set a target LSAT score, build your law school list first, then pull each school's median LSAT from its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure and aim at or above the highest median on the list. Anchoring your LSAT target to real medians beats chasing a vague national good score.

Setting a target LSAT score is where a good LSAT score becomes actionable. Suppose your list centers on the T14. The highest medians in the 2025 ABA 509 data are the 174 at Yale Law School, the University of Chicago, and Harvard Law School, so a T14-focused applicant should target roughly 174 to sit at or above most of the list, and no lower than the 170 to 173 band to stay competitive across it.

If your list is a mix of reach and target schools, set two LSAT numbers: a reach target at or above your top school's median LSAT, and a floor at or above the median of your safer schools. Because law schools weigh the LSAT and GPA together, a good LSAT score also does more work when your GPA trails, so a lower-GPA applicant should aim above a school's median LSAT, not merely at it. Every one of these targets comes from reading medians in the 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures, not from a single national cutoff.

Does a good LSAT score help you win scholarships?

Yes. A good LSAT score, meaning one above a school's median, is one of the strongest levers for merit scholarships, because schools protect their reported medians. An applicant whose LSAT score sits above a school's median LSAT in the 2025 ABA 509 data is exactly the candidate a school is most willing to fund.

The logic connects a good LSAT score to money directly. Because each law school reports its median LSAT to the ABA every year and is judged on it, an applicant above that median helps the school hold or raise its number, and schools reward that with merit aid. A score a few points above a target school's median LSAT, rather than merely at it, is where scholarship leverage is strongest.

This is also why the same LSAT score can be a scholarship magnet at one school and a plain admit at another. A 168 sits above the median at schools reporting medians in the low 160s, so it can draw strong merit offers there, while at a 174-median school like Yale Law School in the 2025 ABA 509 data the same 168 is below median. To use a good LSAT score for scholarships, target schools whose medians your score exceeds.

What else do people ask about a good LSAT score?

People still ask a lot of specific questions about a good LSAT score, from what counts as a good number to how percentiles and medians fit together. The short answers below draw only on LSAC's official percentile chart and the 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures used throughout this guide to a good LSAT score.

What is a good LSAT score?

A good LSAT score is one at or above the median LSAT of your target law schools. There is no single national cutoff on the 120 to 180 scale. For the T14, a good LSAT score is roughly 170 to 174 at the median, per the 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures, while the mid-150s and low 160s clear the median at many strong regional law schools.

What LSAT score do you need for law school?

The LSAT score you need for law school is set by your target schools, not by a fixed pass mark. Many regional law schools report medians in the mid-150s, while the T14 reports medians of 170 to 174 in the 2025 ABA 509 data. Find each target school's median LSAT in its 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure and aim to match or beat it.

Is a 160 a good LSAT score?

A 160 is a good LSAT score for many strong regional law schools and sits above 71.06 percent of test-takers on LSAC's official percentile chart. It is not a T14-level LSAT score, however, because the lowest T14 median is 170 in the 2025 ABA 509 data, a full ten points higher than a 160.

Is a 165 a good LSAT score?

A 165 is a good LSAT score that clears the median at a wide band of well-regarded law schools and sits above 85.17 percent of test-takers on LSAC's official percentile chart. Against the T14, a 165 is below every median in the 2025 ABA 509 data, so a T14 applicant with a 165 usually needs a very high GPA to compensate.

Is a 170 a good LSAT score?

A 170 is an excellent LSAT score, above 94.48 percent of test-takers on LSAC's official percentile chart. A 170 meets or beats the median at the lower-median T14 schools such as Berkeley Law at 170 and matches Michigan Law, Duke Law School, and Georgetown Law at 171, though it trails the 174 medians at Yale, Chicago, and Harvard in the 2025 ABA 509 data.

What LSAT score do you need for a T14 school?

For a T14 school, the LSAT score you need is roughly 170 to 174 at the median. The 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosures put T14 medians from 170 at Berkeley Law to 174 at Yale Law School, the University of Chicago, and Harvard Law School. A 174 sits at or above every T14 median, making it the safest T14 LSAT target.

What is the average LSAT score?

LSAC's percentile chart used in this guide does not publish a single average LSAT score, so this guide will not invent one. The chart does show the middle of test-takers falls between 150 and 155, because 36.56 percent score below 150 and 54.03 percent score below 155. Treat the mid-150s as the center of the LSAT distribution.

What is the highest possible LSAT score?

The highest possible LSAT score is 180, the top of the 120 to 180 scale, according to LSAC. On LSAC's official percentile chart, a 180 sits above 99.85 percent of test-takers, making it the rarest LSAT score. A perfect 180 is far above every T14 median of 170 to 174 in the 2025 ABA 509 data.

What is the lowest LSAT score?

The lowest LSAT score is 120, the floor of the 120 to 180 scale, according to LSAC. On LSAC's official percentile chart, a 120 sits at the 0.0 percentile, meaning no measurable share of test-takers scores below it. A 120 is far below any law school median, so it is not a competitive LSAT score anywhere.

What percentile is a 170 on the LSAT?

A 170 on the LSAT is at the 94.48 percentile, according to LSAC's official percentile chart, meaning about 94 percent of test-takers scored below a 170. That places a 170 in the top six percent or so of all LSAT scores, which is why a 170 is competitive across the T14, whose medians run from 170 to 174 in the 2025 ABA 509 data.

Does a good LSAT score depend on the school?

Yes. A good LSAT score depends entirely on the school, because each law school admits around its own reported median. A 160 is a good LSAT score at a school with a mid-150s median but below the median at every T14 school, where 2025 ABA 509 medians run 170 to 174. Always judge a good LSAT score against your specific target schools.

How much does GPA matter alongside a good LSAT score?

GPA matters a great deal alongside a good LSAT score, because every law school reports a median GPA next to its median LSAT to the ABA. In the T14, 2025 ABA 509 median GPAs run from 3.88 at Michigan Law to 3.99 at UVA Law. A good LSAT score and a competitive GPA work together to place you at the center of a class.

Is a good LSAT score enough to get into law school?

No. A good LSAT score strengthens your file but does not by itself guarantee admission, because law schools read essays, letters, and experience alongside the numbers. Even applicants at or above a school's median LSAT are denied every cycle. A good LSAT score is necessary at selective schools and powerful, but it is not a standalone admission guarantee.

Sources

Every statistic in this guide to a good LSAT score is drawn from the primary sources named here, so readers can verify each figure about a good LSAT score directly.

LSAC official LSAT percentile chart, covering the 2023-24 through 2025-26 testing years: https://www.lsac.org/data-research/data/lsat-percentiles

T14 median LSAT, median GPA, and acceptance rate: each school's 2025 ABA Standard 509 disclosure for the fall 2025 entering class, published through the ABA Required Disclosures database. This guide cites those 509 disclosures by name; the underlying figures for each school also appear on its Lovare Institut profile under /law-schools/ with the school slug, for example /law-schools/yale-university/.

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