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Historical Range of Correct Answers for Targeted Scores Students preparing for the LSAT often wonder exactly how many correct answers are required to obtain a particular score. The chart below lists the number of correct answers needed to achieve scores from 150 to 180 (in five-point increments) on every released test over the last eight years. LSAT | 150 | 155 | 160 | 165 | 170 | 175 | 180 | December 1996 | 55 | 64 | 72 | 80 | 87 | 93 | 98 | February 1997 | 54 | 62 | 70 | 79 | 86 | 93 | 98 | June 1997 | 56 | 65 | 74 | 82 | 89 | 94 | 99 | October 1997 | 55 | 63 | 71 | 78 | 84 | 90 | 96 | December 1997 | 56 | 64 | 72 | 80 | 87 | 93 | 99 | June 1998 | 56 | 65 | 73 | 82 | 89 | 94 | 99 | September 1998 | 56 | 64 | 72 | 80 | 87 | 93 | 98 | December 1998 | 54 | 62 | 70 | 78 | 85 | 91 | 97 | June 1999 | 54 | 63 | 71 | 80 | 88 | 94 | 99 | October 1999 | 56 | 65 | 73 | 82 | 89 | 94 | 99 | December 1999 | 55 | 63 | 72 | 79 | 87 | 93 | 98 | June 2000 | 56 | 65 | 73 | 81 | 87 | 93 | 98 | October 2000 | 55 | 64 | 72 | 80 | 87 | 93 | 98 | December 2000 | 54 | 63 | 72 | 80 | 87 | 93 | 98 | June 2001 | 57 | 66 | 74 | 81 | 88 | 93 | 98 | October 2001 | 57 | 66 | 74 | 82 | 89 | *** | 99 | December 2001 | 57 | 66 | 74 | 82 | 89 | 95 | 99 | June 2002 | 57 | 67 | 76 | 84 | 91 | 96 | 100 | October 2002 | 57 | 66 | 74 | 82 | 88 | 93 | 98 | December 2002 | 55 | 63 | 71 | 80 | 88 | 94 | 99 | June 2003 | 58 | 67 | 76 | 84 | 91 | *** | 99 | October 2003 | 58 | 67 | 75 | 83 | 89 | 94 | 99 | December 2003 | 56 | 66 | 75 | 83 | 90 | 95 | 99 | June 2004 | 58 | 67 | 75 | 82 | 89 | 94 | 99 | October 2004 | 60 | 68 | 76 | 84 | 90 | *** | 98 | December 2004 | 56 | 65 | 73 | 81 | 87 | 92 | 97 | June 2005 | 61 | 69 | 77 | 84 | 90 | 94 | 98 | October 2005 | 59 | 68 | 77 | 84 | 90 | 95 | 99 | December 2005 | 58 | 68 | 78 | 86 | 93 | 97 | 100 | | Averages | 56.41 | 65.21 | | 24)" class="xl29">73.52 81.48 | 88.31 | 93.58 | 98.45 |
Standard Deviation | 1.76 | 1.93 | | 24)" class="xl29">2.15 1.99 | 1.89 | 1.42 | 0.87 |
*** Indicates that there was no raw score capable of producing that scaled score for this test. One of the more noticeable trends in the above chart is that, depending on the test year, different raw scores translate into equivalent scaled scores. The reason for this apparent discrepancy is that the LSAT varies slightly in difficulty each administration. To account for these variances in test "toughness," the test makers adjust the Scoring Conversion Chart for each LSAT in order to make similar LSAT scores from different tests mean the same thing. For example, the LSAT offered in June of a given year may be logically more difficult than the LSAT offered in December, but by making the June LSAT scale "looser" than the December scale, a 160 on each test would represent the same level of performance. Test takers can draw important conclusions about their own performance from both the average raw scores and the standard deviations. For instance, though the average raw score corresponding to a scaled 160 is 73.52, the standard deviation shows that a majority of the scores are within ± 2.15 of this number, or from roughly 71 to 75. A student wishing to score 160 on an upcoming test should then expect, with a reasonable degree of confidence, that correctly answering somewhere between 71 and 75 questions correctly would result in that score. Similar conditions apply for a score of 170, where, with the standard deviation adjustment, a raw score between roughly 86 and 90 is likely needed. Perhaps most important of all for the potential test taker is to realize that achieving a desired score does not require perfect performance. Each of the raw scores above is the number correct out of 99, 100, or 101 questions (the October 1997 test had one question withdrawn after the test was administered; the October 2004 test had only 100 questions; December 2004 and June 2005 tests had only 100 questions and then one question was withdrawn after the test was administered; and the October 2005 test had only 100 questions), so it is clear that missed questions, within reason, are acceptable regardless of the desired score. Even perfect scores usually allow for two or three incorrect answer choices. Again, the averages and standard deviations listed are useful tools in determining an acceptable number of missed questions, whether setting pre-test objectives or evaluating your performance in the week following the LSAT when scores may still be cancelled.
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