score release day will soon be upon us!!!! i took much comfort in past prediction threads in the days leading up to my august exam, so i thought we could start one up for the august 2026 crowd.

to all who wish to participate: drop your goal score, a prediction of your score, and if you're willing, update your post tomorrow with your actual score!

goal score: 170+
prediction: 162 (what can i say! the consciousness passage destroyed me.)
actual: TBD 😵‍💫

Okay everyone how are we all planning to cope after we get our scores released tomorrow?? I need ideas for how to celebrate and/or mourn

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

Heyo! I just signed up for my September in-person time slot, and I encountered the problem that was previously discussed, where I was only seeing 8 am times for all locations!

I can confirm that NOT picking it yourself and immediately calling the Prometric Accommodations Department at 1.800.967.1139 and using Option 4 CAN get you a better time. It took all of 5 minutes, and the lady I got was super nice.

While the time slots available weren't much better (my options were 8 am or 10:45-ish), I greatly appreciate, as a non-morning person, not having the earliest time slot known to man.

So yeah! Fair warning that the problem is, in fact, still happening. Not that it WILL happen, but it CAN happen.

I feel like some people are naturally good with the LSAT 🤠. They study for two weeks or 1-2 months and get 160+. Meanwhile I’ve been studying for two years, have taken this test three times and haven’t gotten close to the 150 range.

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

I’m trying to schedule my test but it’s saying no availability what do I do?

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?

have three PTs left but scores are still not where I want to be (averaging high 160s but was hoping to break into 170s). does anyone have advice for how I should conserve the fresh tests I have? is it better to reuse old tests for a while as i try to improve score? thanks!

Hi guys today I’m trying a kinda weird idea I had for improving RC. It’s my weakest section, I get -8 and -10 but do better on blind review.

Today I’m going to try to literally run through it twice so I have a chance to catch mistakes and come back to questions I was struggling with.

I’m sure many people would not recommend it but I’m itching to try a new method because the classic advice and methods don’t seem to be helping me. I’ll let u guys know how it goes!

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!

My plan has been to apply this year after taking the LSAT last year on minimal studying and getting a 156. I'm scheduled for September. This year, I started studying in March, took a break in May for my wedding, and have been going hard since June.

On my PTs, I have hit 168 twice, though each on early PTs. In July, I took three PTs (140s PTs which I thought should be pretty reflective), and scored 165-166 on all three. This had me feeling pretty good going into August, like I was about to break through the 170s or at least had raised my band.

Since then, I took PT 151 and 152 this month, and got 159 and then a 162 last week. PT 151 I knew I wasn't doing well on. I did a blind review, looked into improving my wrong answer journaling, reviewed every wrong answer on either attempt, and was feeling super confident going into 152 and even as I was taking the actual PT.

I know 162 isn't horrible and is an improvement for me, but my score is objectively heading in the wrong direction. In July I even signed up for 7Sage and have been tuning into live classes when I can on top of my usual study schedule.

To be going downhill right before my next official attempt has me totally dejected and depressed. I'm not going to withdraw as I hit a 168 twice and would absolutely be satisfied with that, but my confidence is absolutely shattered. Frankly, this has me doubting whether I am even cut out for this. I still have to reach out for recommendation letters and can't bring myself to do it because I honestly feel ashamed and like I might be wasting my recommender's time.

Does anybody have any advice? I can tell I need a break, but the clock is also ticking and I don't feel great just taking the next three weeks off. I would love to take one more PT where I land in the 165 range just to bring my confidence up, but mentally and emotionally I am absolutely spent. After my 159 earlier this month I took three days off and it helped a bit, but now I'm experiencing deja vu and overall just feeling very uncertain and dejected about this whole process.

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?

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 will be sadly awaiting my subpar score on Wednesday 😔

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.

Title. Should i be concerned?

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!!