How the LSAT Is Scored and What Canadian Law Schools Actually Weigh

The LSAT format changed in August 2024

The Law School Admission Council removed the Logic Games section, formally called Analytical Reasoning, starting with the August 2024 test administration. The change followed a legal challenge from two blind test takers who argued the section put candidates with visual impairments at a disadvantage, and LSAC settled by redesigning the test rather than defending the section in court. Every LSAT since that date follows the new structure.

The current LSAT has four sections: two scored Logical Reasoning sections, one scored Reading Comprehension section, and one unscored section that LSAC uses to test future questions. You will not know which section is unscored while writing the test, so treat every section as if it counts. Full details on the current format sit on the LSAC LSAT page .

How your answers become a 120-180 score

LSAC does not report a raw percentage correct. Your raw score, the number of questions you answer correctly across the scored sections, gets converted to a scaled score between 120 and 180 through a process called equating. Equating adjusts for small differences in difficulty between test forms so a given scaled score means the same thing regardless of which test date you sat.

Because of equating, missing 2 questions on a harder form might still produce the same scaled score as missing 4 questions on an easier form. You will not get your exact scaled score from a raw count alone, though official practice tests publish conversion charts that come close.

What your score means in percentile terms

LSAC publishes a percentile alongside every scaled score, showing where you rank against test takers from recent testing years. Percentile matters more than the raw number once you compare yourself against a law school's admitted range, since it tells admissions committees how you performed relative to your applicant pool rather than in isolation.

How Canadian law schools use the score

Highest score or average score

OLSAS reports every LSAT score on your file to every school you apply to, both your highest score and your average across attempts, according to the OLSAS FAQ . Each law school then decides which number to weigh. Some schools consider only your highest score, treating multiple attempts as a chance to show improvement. Others average all your scores, so retaking the test without a real jump in preparation pulls your file down rather than helping it. Check the admissions profile page for each school on your list before you decide to rewrite.

Score alongside GPA

No Canadian common law school admits on LSAT score alone. Most combine your score with your grade point average, often calculated on your best 2 years of full-time study or your last 2 years, rather than your full cumulative GPA. A few schools publish an index formula that mixes LSAT percentile and GPA into one number, while others review LSAT and GPA side by side without a fixed formula. Both approaches still leave room for the rest of your file to matter.

What else factors into your file

Your OLSAS autobiographical sketch, references, and personal statement carry real weight next to your numbers, particularly at schools that describe their process as holistic. A strong LSAT score will not offset a thin sketch or weak references, and a softer score still earns an interview or offer when the rest of the file makes a clear case. If you fall into a mature student or access category, admission committees weigh your file under different criteria entirely.

Test format then and now

The separate writing sample

LSAC requires a separate unscored writing sample, called LSAT Writing, that you complete on your own time before your score gets released. Every law school you apply to receives a copy of this writing sample alongside your scaled score, so treat it as a real part of your application rather than a formality to skip.

Deciding whether to retake

A retake only helps when your practice scores show real headroom above your first result. Since some schools average every attempt you report, a repeat score close to your original pulls your file down instead of up. Review the specific score policy for every school on your list before you register for a second sitting, and time that sitting so the new score reaches OLSAS well before your earliest application deadline.

Practical takeaways

Take a full-length timed practice test under real conditions before you register, so you know how the current two-Logical-Reasoning-section format feels under time pressure. Only book a real LSAT date once your practice scores sit inside or above the range you want, since a disappointing score follows you if your target schools average attempts. Confirm each target school's LSAT policy and GPA calculation method on their own admissions page before you finalize your school list.