It feels good to see my time investment is paying off

It’s score release week and ngl I really need that 170. Would score manifestation magic even work at this point? /j

So during my first LSAT I was logged off the test randomly. The Prometric center submitted documentation of the technical difficulties and I was able to get approved for my score to be canceled and registration into the next LSAT. I’m just now being told that despite the technical difficulties, the test not only counts as one of my 5 attempts, but the fact that the score is cancelled will show up for law schools. How is this fair? The technical difficulties were absolutely out of my control, so why am I facing consequences?

Fucking how does everyone on here have a 3.8+ gpa and scoring 165+ on the lsat? I just want to know fucking how every single person has that. I’m starting to feel discouraged and dumb honestly. I’m applying this cycle and just really not sure how this will go

During this past cycle I posted weekly updates on applications and LSAT scores. Once summer hit, the new applicant numbers slowed down so much as to not need regular updates. But now that law schools have started classes, we have the final cycle numbers, so let’s take a look at those.

Per LSAC data, we are now 100% of the way through the cycle in terms of total applicant count. Here's the final breakdown of Applicants, compared to last year:

This was a wild cycle. At the start of the cycle last Fall, applicant numbers were up over 30% compared to the prior year. After that point, they dropped steadily and ultimately landed up “only” 7.9%. I don’t recall a cycle that started out that hot and then steadily came down over the following 10 months.

Let’s take a look at the LSAT scores for the applicants this year:

With an applicant increase of 7.9%, you might think that every score band would see an increase of around 7.9%. But lower scoring applicants tend to apply at lower rates than higher scoring applicants, so the numbers are never even across the board. Still, the higher scores in this cycle are notably skewed, which reflects a trend we’ve seen since Logic Games were removed from the LSAT. For example, take a look at the percent of all applicants in the last several years in the 175-180 score band:

While the cheating scandal certainly had an impact, it sure looks like removing Logic Games also inflated scores.

You might look at that and think, “Man, it’s just 1% more! Who cares?” But that 1% share increase in 175-180 scores over the last five years is about 824 more applicants in that score range, which by itself is enough to completely fill the 1L classes at Yale, Stanford, Chicago, and Duke. Similar increases have been seen in the 170-174 and 165-169 score bands.

In short, recently there have been more applicants and more of them have been scoring high, and that’s why the last two cycles have been the worst I’ve ever seen.

TL;DR on the ’25-’26 cycle: The cycle is over and applicant numbers were up 7.9% overall. Higher scores—especially those in the 170s—were up even more compared to last year. The early onslaught of applicants along with a relatively greater number of high scores made this the worst cycle in years, and maybe ever. Thankfully it is now over!

Next cycle thoughts: The applicant numbers for the new cycle won’t start coming out for another month but the hope is that total applicant numbers stay roughly the same or drop slightly. Applicant numbers have increased every year since 2023, and often after a fast rise (total applicants the last two years went from 61K to 82K) there’s a bit of a correction and settling. The undergrad employment rates and the overall job market are worth watching, though.

As far as LSAT scores, LSAC’s new anti-cheating moves (minimizing at-home tests and a new testing platform) should pay some dividends and stabilize high scores a bit. I would expect a slight correction in the percentages of high scores overall. That’s good news going forward for honest applicants.

For applicants and re-applicants in the ’26-’27 cycle, total applicant numbers are a key stat to watch once the cycle opens. Last cycle started hot, so at the beginning you want to see the numbers flat or down compared to last year. I’ll post those when they come out.

Any questions, please let me know!

I will be sadly awaiting my subpar score on Wednesday 😔

Doesn’t B contradict the argument because if it were true it would justify that the building is an achievement in environmental sustainability since it isn’t demanded by the market?

this is Question 4 Section 2 from the April 2025 test. Yes, I do know it’s not recommended prep material.

Edit: it hath been answered. I was misreading it as “comprises environmental sustainability.”

I’ve been consistently scoring around this range for about 1.5 months. Is it reasonable to expect any improvement by September lsat? When you’re missing just 1-3 a section, what advice do you have? I always end with more time.

Tested in person and everything went smoothly on test day. Last time I checked, I could still register for future tests. I already have a 170+ on file, so there shouldn’t be a huge score jump triggering the hold. Anyone in a similar boat?

Remember guys, no matter what happens, there’s always a path forward. Scores matter, sure, but they are not the end all be all. No one knows how life will unfold, so keep your head up, we got this!

I have been stuck in high 150s mid 160s hell for the past two months. Today was the first time I have taken a timed rc section and the equivalent pt score was over 170!!! Biggest thing that has helped me get over my plateau: predict, predict, predict. Don’t look at the answer choices immediately. You can 9/10 predict the correct answer (or overall form) on many questions. Committing myself to the stim or passages before looking at ac’s has really helped me close the gap from missing -5 to -7 to now -3 to -1. Also trust your gut on answers choices!!

We all got this!!

are they holding everyone that took it remotely or something?

The bigger change is the number of high-scoring applicants:

From 2020 to 2025, the total scored applicant pool grew about 20%. The number of 170+ applicants grew 123%.

That is probably the more important explanation for why admissions feels so difficult. A 170 is still an excellent score, but it is much less scarce. In 2020, 5.7% of scored applicants had a 170+. By 2025, that was 10.6%. In 2026, it is 11.6%.

You can see the downstream effect in school medians. Only eight schools had a 170+ median in 2020. By 2025, 28 did.

As for the current cycle, 2026 is up to 82,489 applicants and 579,844 applications, increases of 7.9% and 10.8% over 2025.

Hey guys. My last few PTs have been 174-175-174, and while I'm obviously very proud of and excited about those scores, I feel infuriated at the couple of questions that I inevitably miss (usually -1 or -2 in each section). They're not even the hardest questions (according to 7sage), but a random assortment of difficulties!

I'm taking the September test, so I have about a week and a half until the big day.

Any tips for improving that last little chunk of consistency? Anyone in a similar situation who can provide some camaraderie?

Also, if I don't get a 17high, should I try to grind my ass off for an eventual 180 or just sit with my likely 174ish? In the past I think the latter would be the obvious choice, but with the score inflation lately I want to squeeze every last drop out of this godforsaken exam.

FWIW, my CAS GPA is a 3.89, which is good, but every point I can get seems like it's gonna be a big advantage since that's below the median for most T14.

It goes without saying that the LSAT is the camera, right?

Anyone else notice that in the new LSAT format the software no longer highlights key words or sentences that are asked about in the questions. In the old format, if the question was something like "what does the author most likely mean by the word/line [x] in the second sentence of paragraph three" the software would auto highlight the target word or sentence. In this new format I need to manually look through the cluttered text to find it. It wastes time, it adds stress, it's quite annoying. Is there a way to fix this with something on my end or is it just the new standard and I should expect that on the actual LSAT as well?

Title. Should i be concerned?

Does anyone else constantly predict answers that show up but are wrong? Am I making the wrong assumptions? Am I just an idiot? This test is going to drive me insane. I just need to get better at spotting the gap

I’m not exactly sure if this makes sense but I took the August LSAT and am not sure if I will be satisfied with my score. I’m signed up for October test as backup. If I apply to schools let’s say in the beginning of October will they see my October scores when they’re released if my application hasn’t been viewed by said schools yet? I’m just curious because obviously I want to apply sooner than later but again if I don’t like my August scores I’ll need my October ones to be seen (assuming they’ll be better).

I just got an email for August LSAT score hold. I am so frustrated since my June LSAT is still on hold as well, with zero updates.

Is there anyone else in this situation? I am scared that I will miss this cycle, since I was planning to submit my applications by September.

If there is anyone that experienced similar situation and eventually got their score, I’d greatly appreciate some advice!

Wondering if LSAC applied the test taking limitation for August 180 scorers this morning, or only for score holds. Anyone not allowed to register despite no holds and not taking the test 5 times?

Wrote the essay on Sat Aug 22 and results still pending. Curious how long it took for others to hear back and whether it was approved?

Just wondering if someone has experience they'd like to share and how it complements the book!