Have You Retaken the LSAT? Here Are Some Statistics for You

Have you ever wondered whether you should re-take the LSAT? Or how many people actually do take the LSAT more than once? Well, even if you haven’t, we’re here to provide some insight into just how many people do take the LSAT multiple times.

The Numbers

According to an LSAT Research Report covering the period of 2010 to 2018, the average percentage of first-time test takers was 68%. So, on average, almost 7 out of 10 test takers yearly are taking the LSAT for the first time. Thus, when you go to the test center for the first time, the majority of people around you are also there for the first time.

What about people repeating the test? The average percentage of second-time test takers is 26%, and the average percentage of third-time test takers is 5% (percentages rounded).

Within each testing year, however, these figures are not constant. Each June (which is considered the start of the testing cycle), about 80% of the test takers are first-timers. This percentage drops off in successive tests: 73% of September/October testers are first-timers, 58% of December test takers are LSAT virgins, as are 57% of February test takers.

What the Trends Tell Us

This decreasing trend is not all that surprising. As a new test cycle rolls around, most of the people at the start of the cycle are just beginning on the law school admissions path and gearing up to take the LSAT for the first time. On succeeding tests, an increasing percentage of test takers return in an attempt to increase their score (or receive a score if they cancelled an earlier test). The repeat numbers rise as the year progresses, until almost 1/2 of test takers in December and February are sitting for their second or third LSAT. In other words, there are plenty of people in the room taking the test again.

From a scoring standpoint, test takers who repeat the LSAT increase their scores by an average of 2.6 points the second time they take the test, and increase by another 2.3 points the third time they take the test (as compared to the second time). While those are only averages, they suggest that sitting for the LSAT again is likely to bump up your score, and if you choose to re-take the test, you won’t be alone. While it is never fun to contemplate re-taking the LSAT, there can be value in doing so, especially if you are close to some of the magical score markers. Good luck!