When you get your LSAT score back, thus begins the next phase of your law school application process — stressing over what the heck your LSAT score means. One thing you know for certain: Your LSAT score can impact you for the rest of your life, for better or for worse.  (One joke that’s been stated in many an LSAT prep classes is that your LSAT score is more important than your family, your spouse, your kids . . . OK enough of that!)   The most important factor in how law schools decide who to admit, the LSAT score is the great equalizer between students with a 4.0 in Liberal Arts from Southern Arizona State University and a 3.2 in Classics from Harvard.

So what does your LSAT score mean?

First, let’s discuss the range of LSAT scores. An LSAT score can range between 120 (yikes) and 180 (you nailed it). The average LSAT score is 150, but if you want to get into a top law school, you’re going to have to do a lot better than that and achieve a good LSAT score. To get into the top law schools, you’re going to need an LSAT score in the 160s and 170s. Even if you don’t much care about getting into the best law school and making tons of money, you can often convert an offer from a top-tier school into a lucrative scholarship package at a lower-tier school.

Each LSAT usually has 101 questions. In your LSAT score, you get a single point for each question you answer correctly, with no deductions for incorrect or blank answers. The number of questions you get right (called the “raw score”) is multiplied by a variable that results in a score between 120 and 180 (the “scaled score”). You can take the LSAT again, but most schools will average your LSAT scores together, rather than taking the highest one.

Your LSAT score is pretty important . . . .

And this underscores the importance of being prepared for the LSAT. While other factors are used in determining admission to law school, such as your GPA, personal statement, and recommendation letters, no single factor will make the difference in gaining admission to a top-notch law school with a handsome scholarship package like a good LSAT score. Preparing for the LSAT can dramatically increase your LSAT score, helping you secure admission to the school of your dreams.

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