First, a little history: In the past, when applicants had more than one score, schools used the average of all scores when making admissions decisions and when reporting admitted applicant scores to the American Bar Association (ABA). Since the average of an applicant’s scores is included in their LSAT Score Report, this was easy for schools to do. Then, in 2006, something happened that changed all that: The ABA Section of Legal Education & Admissions voted to change its data collection procedures. It now required that law schools report the highest LSAT score for those students that took the test more than once.

Needless to say, this was huge for students with multiple official LSAT scores. While schools would still see every score and the average of those scores, the school would only use the highest one for reporting purposes–and if they reported the highest one, then it stood to reason that they just might ignore all the other scores when making admissions decisions, too.

So what does this mean for you? That taking the LSAT more than once is now is much less of a “risk” than it used to be. Schools are now not required to take or report the average of all your LSAT scores (although that average still appears in your LSAT score report), and can now use your highest LSAT. However, the rule did not require schools to use the highest score during the admissions process, which means that schools can still use the average score when making admissions decisions—and some still do.

What do law schools say about how they handle multiple scores?

Emory Law: “If there is more than one score on the LSDAS report, the highest of those scores will be used.”

Harvard Law: “If you take the test more than once, all scores and their average will be reported and considered.”

Yale Law: “We consider all of the information about an applicant, including multiple LSAT scores.  We do not average scores nor do we look at only your high score.”

UT (Austin) Law: “Candidates with multiple LSAT scores will be evaluated using all reported scores. However, the Law School will no longer solely consider an applicant’s average score in the admissions review process.”

UF Law: “Multiple LSAT scores are all reported by the LSAC in your LSAT Law School Report and are considered by the Admissions Committee.”

As you can see, the answer does vary from school to school. Some use only the highest. Some use all of them (but not necessarily the average). Some use both the highest and the average. Schools are forthcoming in their policies, both on their websites, and in person. To get an answer specific to the schools you are applying to, check the school’s website; if the policy is not listed, call their admissions offices and ask.

*   *   *

Have a question about applying to law school you’d like me to answer? Send me an email.

Check out the PowerScore Admissions Tip of the Week archives on the PowerScore LSAT and Law School Admissions blog!

Subscribe to the PowerScore Admissions Tip Of The Week via email

Note: The content of this blog post originally appeared in the PowerScore LSAT and Law School Admissions Blog.

How many times are you allowed to take the LSAT?

Generally, the LSAC allows you to take the LSAT no more than three times in any two year period (even if your scores are cancelled or otherwise unreported). There are select exceptions to this rule: “You may retake the LSAT if a law school to which you are applying requires a more recent score than any you have on record, or approves your retaking the test, and the school provides LSAC with written proof of its requirement no later than the last day of registration for the test.”

How LSAT scores are reported:

LSAC policy is as follows: “LSAC will automatically report the results of all LSATs in your file, including cancellations and absences, since June 1, 2002. The scores are averaged and also appear separately.” (Note: LSAC rounds up when calculating the average score).

Recent change to ABA policy

In 2006, the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admission to the Bar changed its policies, now requiring schools to report the highest LSAT scores of those students who took the test twice or more: “…beginning with the October 2006 Annual Questionnaire, which collects LSAT data on the Fall 2006 entering class, the Questionnaire will seek 75th percentile, median, and 25th percentile LSAT data based on the high score rather than the average score for matriculants who took the test more than once.”

Since schools now report their students’ highest scores to the ABA, the majority of law schools now consider only an applicant’s highest LSAT, although a small number of schools still consider the average of all scores.

Is a significant score increase possible?

We routinely hear this sort of question regarding potential score increases. It is important to understand that the LSAT is not an I.Q. test! Dramatic score increases are possible with proper preparation and the right approach. We routinely see students achieve double-digit score increases after studying the cutting-edge techniques taught in our courses, using real LSAT questions, relayed by an instructor who has scored in the 99th percentile on an actual LSAT (this is the minimum requirement for all of our LSAT instructors).

If you find yourself amidst their numbers, don’t worry–you’re definitely not alone.

In the days immediately following the LSAT, I get many phone calls from distraught (and, sometimes, near-hysterical) students, all of them asking the same thing: “Should I cancel?” Their stress and anxiety is very understandable: They have just spent months studying for a test, the test is over, they have to wait three weeks for a score, and they know that the score they get can either help them or hinder them considerably in their law school plans. Being distraught about the results of the LSAT is par for the course.

One of the first things I tell students to do is evaluate their performance. Many think this is not possible; however, with just a little bit of time and some careful analysis, it is definitely possible to put together relatively accurate best- and worst-case scenarios about an LSAT performance.  Go through the following steps:

• Analyze the LSAT you just took very carefully.
  This can be hard to do, particularly in the immediate aftermath of the test, but it can prove to be very useful when attempting to determine your overall performance. Start by writing the sections you had, and the order you had them in. Once you’ve written down the sections in order, try to recall how many questions you were able to intelligently analyze and answer, and how many you just hazarded a guess on. Determine which sections where the hardest for you, and which specific parts of the hardest sections gave you the most trouble. Was there a specific logic game that you really struggled with? Was there a reading comprehension passage that stumped you? Don’t let your feelings about a type of question or the LSAT as a whole cloud your judgment.  Instead, consider each section in a manner than is as analytical and question-specific as possible. This kind of almost-impartial breakdown of the test will be invaluable when you are trying to determine your overall performance.
• Try to determine the experimental section.
  Again, this is something that many think is not possible, but it can definitely be doable in many cases. The PowerScore website has a great breakdown and explanation of what the experimental section is, how it is used, and how you can figure out which section in your LSAT was the experimental one. Click on this link to read the article: PowerScore Free LSAT Help Area: The Experimental Section Explained.
• Create a best-case and worst-case scenario of your performance.
  Once you have determined how you feel you did on each of the four scored sections of the test, it is time to translate that into a numerical score range. I say “range” because it will be impossible for you to determine exactly how many questions you answered right or wrong in a section, but you can definitely establish a general scoring range by figuring our your best-case and worst-case scenarios.
• To create a best-case score scenario, think back to each section. As objectively as you can, determine two numbers for each section: (1) The approximate number of questions you felt very confident about, and (2) The approximate number of questions you felt okay with, but weren’t 100% sure of the answer. Add the first number and 75% of the second number together. Do this for each section. That will give you  a raw “best-case” number.
• To create a worst-case scenario, determine the same numbers for each section, but only add 75% of the first number and 50% of the second number. Do this for each section and then add all the numbers together. This will give you a  raw “worst-case” number.
• Once you have your best-case and worst-case raw numbers, you need to determine what your score range is when converted to the LSAT 120-180. Although you will not have the range for the actual range you took, you can use past LSATs’ scoring ranges to help you, since raw scores usually fall around the same numbers. Take your raw numbers and plug them in to a historical LSAT range. You can find one on the PowerScore website by clicking here: PowerScore’s Historical Range of Correct Answers for Targeted Scores.
• Think about how you did on your practice tests.
  Use your knowledge of how you felt and performed on the practice tests leading up to the test, and compare them to how you feel you did on the LSAT you just took. Don’t forget to be objective–of course you likely felt more nervous, more anxious, less secure about the “real” LSAT you just sat for. That’s only natural. Don’t consider your feelings–be objective and consider your performance. Did you feel the questions were harder? Easier? This can also help you see if the best- and worst-case scenarios are accurate. 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. The same goes if you feel it was harder than your practice tests, or about the same. Combine all this information to ensure your analysis and range are in the right area.
• Consider which scores you would feel comfortable with.
  Are you applying to schools where you need to score above a 155 to really feel comfortable? Do you feel you need at least a 160? A 165? A 150? If you don’t know what ranges your schools are looking for, a great resource is LSAC’s Official Guide to ABA-Approved Law Schools. They provide the 25th and 75th percentile LSAT scores for the prior year’s incoming class for all ABA-approved schools, and you can use that information to determine where your score should be. Once you have those percentiles in hand, determine which LSAT scores you would feel most comfortable with, and which LSAT scores you think would best improve your chances of getting into the school(s) of your choice.
• Don’t forget to think about your past official LSAT performances.
  If you have multiple cancellations or absences on your LSAT Score Report already, then you need to think long and hard about having yet another cancelation on your record. Multiple score cancelations or absences may signal to AdComs that you are unable to handle the stress of a lengthy timed test (which, when you consider how intense and long law school finals are, doesn’t bode well), or that you don’t take your test-taking seriously or don’t prepare adequately (which also doesn’t bode well). Also, if you already have one or more other scores on your LSAT Score Report, take a moment to carefully consider what the effect of this additional score may be: Is it higher than what you’re got already? Lower? The same? Although schools are not required to take the average of all scores in an LSAT Score Report, the average is still reported, and schools can see both the average as well as the scores for every single LSAT you’ve taken in the last 5 years. Consider how this new LSAT will affect your overall report, and whether it will have a positive or negative effect.
• Make a final decision.
  Once you’ve followed all the above steps, it is time to make a final decision. You have six calendar days from the day you took the LSAT to let LSAC know if you want to cancel your score.  Consider your best- and worst-case scenarios, your past performances (and how you feel the “real” LSAT stacks up to them), the score that you feel you must have, and how your current Score Report looks, and decide. Don’t feel that you must do this immediately upon taking the test. As I mentioned, you have six calendar days, so you have some time. However, don’t put off doing your analysis until the last minute, and make sure that, should you decide to cancel your score, you follow the steps detailed by LSAC to cancel your score.

So, what happens if you’ve decided to cancel your score? The first thing you need to do is notify LSAC. You can do this by completing an LSAT Score Cancellation Form (available at LSAC.org under the “LSAT” section for six days following the test administration), or by sending a signed fax, or overnighted letter. BE CAREFUL: LSAC does not take emails or phone calls as cancelation requests, because the request must include your signature.  Valid score cancellation requests must include:

• A statement that you wish to cancel your LSAT score
• Your name, LSAC account number, and last four digits of your Social Security Number
• Your test date, test center number, and test center name
• Your signature

Make sure you carefully read the specific procedures that need to be followed to cancel your score. You can find these on the LSAC.org About Your Score page, and also on page 25 of LSAC’s 2009-2010 Law Admissions Guide (you can find the PDF of this guide by clicking here). If you have any–any–questions about the process or what you need to do, contact LSAC at 215-968-1001. Do not email them and wait for a response–call them.

Commonly-asked questions:

• Will schools be able to see that I cancelled my LSAT score? Yes. Your Law School Report will reflect that the score was cancelled at your request.
• Can I get a refund if I cancel my score? No. LSAC gives no refunds for cancelled scores.
• If I cancel my score, will I still know what I got? No. You will never know how you actually scored on the test.
• Will I still get a copy of the test questions if I cancel my score? It depends. If you took a non-disclosed test (i.e., any February administration, a Sabbath Day Observer administration, or an LSAT administered at a non-published test center), then you will not get a copy of the test questions. However, if you took a disclosed test (i.e., all standard administrations of the June, September/October and December test), then you will get a copy of test questions. However, you will not receive a copy of your answer sheet.
• What happens if LSAC doesn’t cancel my score after I asked them to (in writing, with a signature, on the appropriate form, etc.)? LSAC is very good about notifying students once cancellation requests are processed. They will mail out a confirmation to you once they do so. If you do not receive one within four calendar days after you submit the request, contact LSAC immediately. You will need to submit proof that you sent the request in on time–this is why keeping fax transmittal sheets, USPS/FedEx/UPS delivery confirmations, etc. is very important. If you can’t produce proof that you sent your request at or before the six-calendar-day deadline, LSAC won’t cancel your score.

Score Cancelation resources:

• LSAC.org About Your LSAT Score page (includes information on canceling your score)
• LSAT Score Cancelation Form (will not be available after the six-calendar-day deadline)
• PowerScore Historical Range of LSAT Scores
• PowerScore LSAT Experimental Section Breakdown