A student scoring a 180 is in the 99.9 percentile because the student scored better than 99.9% of test-takers. A student scoring a 160 is in the 74.8 percentile because the student scored better than 74.8% of test-takers. You can hover over the blue outline to see a tooltip for all each LSAT/percentile combinations.
160 score: A score of 160 or above is typically considered a good LSAT score. Although it may not be high enough to get into the highest tier of law school, there are many very reputable law schools with median LSAT scores in this area.
Note that a score in this range places you, on average, in the 95th percentile, meaning that only 5% of all those who take the LSAT score 170 or above. To get a score of 160 you should aim for getting 55 questions correct. A 160 is typically at the 75th percentile.
How hard is it to get a 160+? One way to look at it is to realize that you need to put yourself ahead of 80% of all test-takers. In other words, in a room of 10 LSAT students, you need to achieve the highest or second-highest score in the group. In a room of 100 LSAT students, you need to be in the top 20.
If you're somewhere within the 25th to 75th percentile, then a retake may not even be necessary—especially when you consider the time and money it'll cost you. If you're one of the lucky few that scored a 170 or higher on the first try, then there's really no point in retaking it at all.
150 vs. 160 LSAT Score Differences | Raw Score vs. Scaled Score | Blueprint LSAT
Should I cancel a 160 LSAT?
If, for example, in your final practice LSATs you were scoring between 160 and 163, you felt that the "real" LSAT you just took was easier, and your best- and worst-case numbers put you at a 162-166 range, then you're probably right on target.
Your odds of getting into any of the T14 Law Schools, Harvard included, will be much higher if you score over 170 (out of 180) on the LSATs. Harvard's median LSAT score of entering students is 174, with the lower 25th percentile being 170 and upper 75th percentile being 176.
With the LSAT, the percentile for a 180 is 99.97%. Thus, in numerical terms, if you have a 180, then in a room of 10,000 people you have one of the three highest scores. With roughly 100,000 LSATs administered in the past year, that would suggest that about 30 people received a perfect score.
Anyone who successfully completes the LSAT receives a score between 120 and 180. "In general, scores in the high 160s and 170s are usually considered very competitive," she says.
On average, T-14 schools require an LSAT between 166 (25th percentile) and 172 (75th percentile score). The 25th percentile numbers suggest some wiggle room within T-14 schools. However, remember that if you're boasting a 25th percentile score, your GPA must be stellar.
Is a 162 LSAT Score Good? Yes! This is a good LSAT score if you're looking into applying to one of the top-25 law schools. However, once you get to the top-10 law schools, 162 will likely not be considered competitive.
As previously stated, the score range for any LSAT exam is 120 to 180, but the average score is about 150. However, most of the top ten law schools require a candidate to have scored at least 165 on the LSAT.
So a 165 is about an 80th percentile score amongst applicants. The percentile rank of a 165 LSAT among applicants is lower than the percentile rank amongst test takers. This is because people may take the LSAT more than once, and further people with higher LSAT scores are more likely to apply.
So let's take a look at what it actually takes to have a chance of being admitted to the most prestigious and preeminent law school in the world. As you can see from these numbers, an LSAT score of 170 or higher and a GPA above 3.75 will give you a chance of gaining admission to Harvard Law School.
The average LSAT score is about 150. To get into a top 14 law school, you need to score above 166, and to get into a top 50 law school, you need 153 or above.
It is quite common for students' LSAT practice test scores to be higher than their official LSAT score. There are several reasons for this. Know that your situation is not unusual. A 166 is actually a solid LSAT score.
This shows that the lowest acceptable LSAT score is 139. Typically, a good rule of thumb is that you want to at least break 140 to make taking on the cost of law school economically feasible. You can get into a law school with a 140 LSAT score.
And although schools will not judge you harshly for canceling one test, having more than one cancellation on your record can look bad. Additionally, a canceled score still counts toward the number of times you are allowed to take the LSAT. So, chances are you do not want to waste one of your chances to take the exam.
Performing well in the LSAT will allow you to overshadow a lower GPA to some extent and give you the chance of getting selected for a good law school with a low GPA.