The LSAT does not grade on a percentage scale. Getting 50 of 68 questions correct is 73.5% accuracy, but the LSAT reports that as a 164, which sits at the 93rd percentile. This gap between raw accuracy and scaled score exists because LSAC applies an equating process that adjusts for difficulty differences across test forms. A harder test form produces a more generous conversion table so that test takers are not penalized for receiving a more difficult version.
The raw score is simply the count of correct answers across all scored sections. There is no penalty for wrong answers, so leaving a question blank and answering it incorrectly have identical effects on your raw score. Each administered LSAT has approximately 99–102 scored questions across Logical Reasoning, Analytical Reasoning, and Reading Comprehension.
Worked example, test taker answers 50 of 68 questions correctly:
Notice that the equating table is not linear. The difference between a 160 and a 161 might require one additional correct answer, while the jump from 174 to 175 could require two or three more. The table compresses and expands at different points in the score range depending on how many test takers cluster at each raw score. For a detailed look at how law schools weight the LSAT relative to GPA, see the LSAC GPA Calculator.
Law school admission decisions are heavily driven by published 25th and 75th percentile LSAT numbers, which appear in each school's ABA 509 disclosure. Falling below a school's 25th percentile LSAT is not disqualifying, but it typically requires an exceptional GPA or significant softs to offset. The table below maps score ranges to school tiers using median LSAT data from recent ABA filings.
| School Tier | Score Range | Percentile | Example Schools |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yale / Harvard / Stanford | 174–180 | 99th+ | HYS median: 174–175 |
| T14 (top-14) | 170–180 | 97th+ | Georgetown, Michigan, UCLA |
| Top-25 | 165–174 | 94th+ | George Washington, BU, UCI |
| Top-50 | 160–165 | 87th+ | Temple, Pepperdine, UNLV |
| Regional ABA | 148–158 | 38th–79th | Most state school programs |
These ranges reflect medians, not cutoffs. Schools with a 170 median still admit applicants with 165 who present compelling applications. The tradeoff is scholarship funding, applicants below the median often receive less merit aid even when admitted. Applicants targeting top-25 schools typically need their LSAT and GPA to work together. A 168 with a 3.4 GPA produces a different admission profile than a 168 with a 3.8 GPA at the same school.
Because law schools receive your LSAC-calculated GPA, not your transcript GPA, it is worth understanding how LSAC converts grades before finalizing school selection. See the LSAC GPA Calculator to see how your academic record translates to the index law schools actually use.
Researches and verifies the formulas, methodology, and source data behind each calculator on CalculatorFlux. All tools are built and checked against the cited references before publication.