Should I retake the LSAT? Run the numbers.
A retake you didn't need costs you a test fee and a delay you can't get back. Applying a cycle early on a score that's short costs you a shot at a better class. Put in your LSAT and GPA and see exactly how many points move your list, and whether you need them at all.
Sample numbers: 158 LSAT, 3.60 GPA. Put your own in the form.
Your points, and what each one buys
| Score | At or above median |
|---|
Your schools
| School | Median (25th/75th) | Your gap | Band now est. | Band at +3 est. | Band at +5 est. | Flip point est. |
|---|
| School | Median | Your gap | Band now est. | Flip point est. |
|---|
Can you still retake for this cycle?
Here's what's left on the 2026-2027 LSAT testing year calendar. LSAC caps you at 5 attempts in a testing year and 7 in a lifetime, and a canceled score under Score Preview still counts against that limit, so don't burn an attempt to see a number you might toss anyway. Score Preview costs $46 if you buy it before your test date and $87 after, with 6 days to decide once scores are out.
- January 2027, test window January 13, 2027 to January 16, 2027Register by December 1, 2026 · Scores release February 3, 2027
- February 2027, test window February 12, 2027 to February 13, 2027Register by December 29, 2026 · Scores release March 3, 2027
Rolling admissions means the calendar is part of the decision, not a footnote. An application filed in November with a 158 and one filed in January with a 164 are not read the same way: committees are still filling seats in November and running out of them by February, and the class-level medians on this page are what they're comparing you against either way. A retake that lands you a higher score after most seats are gone is worth less than the same score filed earlier.
If the next test on the calendar releases scores after your target schools' priority deadlines, wait for the following cycle instead of forcing a late score into a thinning applicant pool. Which specific date fits your situation is exactly what the free lesson is for.
How the estimate works. Your LSAT and GPA are placed against each school’s 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles from its 2025 ABA 509 filing, weighted toward the LSAT, and scaled by the school’s acceptance rate. Flip point is the smallest gain, GPA held steady, that moves a school’s estimated band to Target or Likely; it’s an estimate, not a promise. Verify any figure against the school’s own 509 report before you act on it. LSAT is a registered trademark of the Law School Admission Council, which does not endorse this tool. Source: ABA Standard 509 Information Reports, 2025 entering class, compiled by LSAT Unplugged.
What a retake buys, by score
How many of the 196 ABA schools your LSAT alone clears the median at, score by score. This is the record, not your personal number, so it's free.
| LSAT score | Schools at or above the median |
|---|---|
| 150 | 14 of 196 |
| 151 | 19 of 196 |
| 152 | 29 of 196 |
| 153 | 40 of 196 |
| 154 | 49 of 196 |
| 155 | 65 of 196 |
| 156 | 75 of 196 |
| 157 | 88 of 196 |
| 158 | 97 of 196 |
| 159 | 105 of 196 |
| 160 | 112 of 196 |
| 161 | 123 of 196 |
| 162 | 130 of 196 |
| 163 | 135 of 196 |
| 164 | 148 of 196 |
| 165 | 153 of 196 |
| 166 | 159 of 196 |
| 167 | 163 of 196 |
| 168 | 168 of 196 |
| 169 | 174 of 196 |
| 170 | 179 of 196 |
| 171 | 184 of 196 |
| 172 | 186 of 196 |
| 173 | 192 of 196 |
| 174 | 195 of 196 |
| 175 | 196 of 196 |
When a retake isn't the answer
If your GPA sits below a school's 25th percentile, points alone don't flip it. The LSAT can carry a below-median GPA a long way, but a GPA under the 25th percentile is a different kind of gap, and a reverse splitter (GPA up, LSAT down from where you are now) reads differently than a straight retake at some schools.
If you're already at or above a school's median, a retake there buys you a better position in the class, not a better shot at admission. That's a real reason to retake, aid position moves with your score, but it's a different argument than "I might not get in."
If your gap to Target is 12 points or more at every school on your list, that's a retake plan measured in test cycles, not a single retake. The honest move is a longer runway or a different list, and both are things the free lesson covers.
Questions people ask before they retake
How many times can you take the LSAT?
LSAC caps you at 5 attempts in a single testing year and 7 over a lifetime. Tests taken before September 2019 don't count toward either limit. A canceled score, including one canceled through Score Preview, still counts against you; an absence or a withdrawal doesn't. (Source: LSAC.)
Do law schools average your LSAT scores?
No. Since 2006 the ABA has required schools to report your highest LSAT score, not an average, and that's the number that feeds the medians on this page and in each school's 509 filing. Schools can still see every score you've taken, but the reported number, the one that sets the bar for the next class, is your best one. (Source: LSAC.)
How much do people actually gain on a retake?
LSAC's own data on repeat test takers puts the average gain at 2.6 points on a second attempt and 2.3 points on a third, measured across testing years 2010-2011 through 2017-2018. That's an average, not a floor: some retakers score the same or lower. (Source: LSAC.)
Does Score Preview change the math?
Score Preview lets you see your score before it's reported and cancel it within 6 days if you don't like it. It costs $46 if you buy it before your test date, $87 if you wait until after, and it's free with an approved fee waiver. A canceled Score Preview score still counts against your 5-per-year limit, so it removes the score from your file, not the attempt from your count. (Source: LSAC.)
What's a flip point?
It's our term, not LSAC's. Your flip point at a school is the smallest LSAT gain, holding your GPA steady, that moves that school from Reach or Long shot into Target or Likely. It's an estimate built on the school's own percentile filing, not a promise about your file specifically.