How Are Older LSAT Scores Reported?

One point of confusion among test-takers is how LSAC reports older LSAT scores. Currently, LSAC reports any LSAT score from the past five years. They report an average score if two or more LSAT scores appear on your record. However, even though LSAC reports those scores, most schools want to see a score within the past three years.

Some test-takers applying to law school take advantage of this and wait to retake the LSAT until a past poor performance drops off their record. We don’t recommend this since law schools typically only care about the highest score. If your LSAT score record seems to be all over the place, consider submitting an explanation via an addendum to law schools.

But, what if you want law schools to see an older score? Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do. In the past, students could request that LSAC release scores up to ten years old. However, as of July 2015 LSAC only keeps score records for 5 years. So, even if you want to obtain a score for personal reasons, at this time there is no formal way to retrieve that information. LSAC states that “LSAT scores are the property of LSAC and are kept indefinitely,” but interpret that at your own will.