Among my students, diagnostic LSAT scores are sometimes a cause for mild panic. The large gap between a person’s diagnostic result and their goal score often feels insurmountable. Many students wonder what a good diagnostic LSAT score is.
The million-dollar question: “How much can we really improve?”
The answer depends on several factors, including your study plan, the time you dedicate to preparation, and your ability to adapt to the LSAT’s unique logic.
If you’re just starting your LSAT journey, understanding how your LSAT diagnostic score relates to your final potential can be both motivating and clarifying. Let’s break down what a diagnostic score means, what kind of improvement is realistic, and how to maximize your LSAT score potential.
What Is an LSAT Diagnostic Score?
A diagnostic LSAT score is your baseline score—the result of your first official LSAT practice test. I recommend taking this test “cold,” i.e. without any prior studying. The goal here is simply to gain our first exposure to the LSAT while setting our baseline for improvement. The point is NOT to tell us “how smart we are” or to set limits on ourselves!
It’s normal for students to feel discouraged by their diagnostic scores. Many students initially score in the 130s, 140s, or low 150s, even if they go on to achieve scores in the 160s or 170s. That’s why there’s no such thing as a good LSAT diagnostic score. What matters most is not where you start, but how you learn and approach improvement.
Because here’s the good news: The LSAT is a skills-based test, not an aptitude test. In other words, it’s learnable, not innate. It’s remarkable how the LSAT can literally rewire your brain and reshape how you think.I am continually amazed by and proud of my students’ growth in their logic and reading skills from start to finish.
Further Reading
Understanding Your Starting LSAT Score
While every student’s journey is unique, let’s examine general trends based on LSAT diagnostic scores.
LSAT Diagnostic Score Below 150
Let me just say upfront that this is most people.
When your LSAT diagnostic exam score is in the 130s or 140s, your biggest obstacle is likely simply getting through all the material in time. Take Reading Comprehension for example. 35 minutes to read four passages and answer 27 questions is next to impossible for some people starting out.
Thankfully, there’s always significant room for improvement. It starts with learning the fundamentals: argument structure, author viewpoints, flaws, assumptions, and secondary structures. There are a lot of critical reading and reasoning skills to learn on the LSAT, and we need to learn them all. (A Blueprint LSAT course is a good option here! Just sayin’.)
This learning process can be slow at first. You might initially find yourself working even slower than you performed on your diagnostic. But we need to learn to walk before we run. In time, as the strategies sink in, you will find yourself implementing them automatically, almost unthinkingly, by force of habit. At that point, you’ll be reading more efficiently, making quicker decisions, and working faster. With these speed improvements, you will get through more of the questions on your subsequent practice tests, putting you on a path toward the 150s, 160s, and beyond.
LSAT Diagnostic Score in the 150s
If your diagnostic score is above a 150, you may still find yourself experiencing some of the timing issues discussed above. However, you probably got through most (if not all) of your LSAT diagnostic test.
The first big step toward improvement for a student in this range is – you guessed it – mastering the strategies. A student in the 150s may already know a thing or two about premises, conclusions, assumptions, and viewpoints.
But what’s the difference between a “Must Be True” and a “Soft Must Be True” question, anyway? What’s the optimal order of operations for a Logical Reasoning question? (Hint: it’s not reading the stimulus first!) In Reading Comprehension, what’s the difference between an extensive and a localized example structure, and why do we care?
When 150-something students begin to sink their teeth into these concepts, just like the 130s- and 140s-level students alongside them, they begin to see their scores rise.
Sign up to get expert tips and exclusive invites to free LSAT classes and law school admissions workshops!
LSAT Diagnostic Score in the 160s
A 160+ diagnostic, while rare, does happen from time to time. You might even think this is what a good LSAT diagnostic score looks like. Here’s the thing: if you have super-strong verbal skills, you can use that intelligence to breeze your way through most of the easier questions on the LSAT without knowing any strategies.
But then, when you get to the hard questions, this ability to “muscle” your way through fails, because the questions are highly difficult, the arguments stuffed with sesquipedalian words, and the passages replete with recondite language. Without the prerequisite mastery of formal logic, argument structure, and reading strategies, the student hits a wall known as “the mid-160s.”
Ironically, 160+ starters can be some of the most difficult students to work with because they’ve used their intelligence to skate by on most other standardized tests. When you are naturally good at testing and have hit the 99th percentile your entire life, it is difficult to grapple with failure (even when “failure” in this case is doing “really well” instead of “remarkably well”). It’s incumbent upon me, as a teacher, to compassionately push these students on the strategies, because developing these skills really is the only path to the 170s.
So What’s My Goal Score?
You may have noticed I’ve been careful not to indicate what a reasonable “goal score” is for a given student compared to their diagnostic. There are a few reasons for this.
For one thing, I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen 30+ point increases that lead to Ivy League caliber scores. I’ve also seen diagnostic scores of 166 that fail to break 170. Each student is on their own individual journey of improvement, and I’ve learned not to set expectations for that improvement. Sometimes the problem with expectations is not that they are too high, but that they are too low.
The impact of an LSAT diagnostic score is not necessarily on a person’s score “ceiling,” but on how much time it will take them to get there.
All other things being equal, a student who starts at 155 will need less study time to get to 165 (maybe 200 hours over three to four months) than a student who starts at 145 (300+ hours of studying over the course of six months or more).
Again, though, that’s if all other things are equal. A student starting at 145 can improve more–and improve more quickly–than the 155 student if they deploy better strategies, more consistent practice, and more thorough review of homework and exams.
Finally, let me be frank. I think it’s unhelpful to think too much about end goals. There’s nothing wrong with setting an LSAT score goal, but to dwell obsessively on an unrealized goal is to marinate in failure. It doesn’t feel great to constantly tell yourself that you’re not measuring up.
Instead, it’s better to accept where you are and focus on making small improvements. A typical three-point LSAT score increase equates to three to five more questions correct on the exam.
So ask yourself: “What are the three to five easiest questions I’m getting wrong right now?” Then, you can work on the skills to correct those mistakes. Once you’ve made that first three-point jump, you can look for the next three to five mistakes that will help you with your next jump, and so on.
Your LSAT Diagnostic Score Is Just the Beginning
Remember, your diagnostic LSAT score is just a starting point—it does not define your potential. With a strategic study plan, the right resources, and consistent effort, significant improvement is possible. Whether you’re aiming for a modest 10-point increase or a 20+ point jump, the key is to stay disciplined, track your progress, refine your weaknesses, and most of all, be patient!
No matter where you start, remember that the LSAT is learnable. The most successful test-takers are those who commit to understanding its logic, refining their strategies, and maintaining optimism in their ability to improve. Keep pushing forward, and your hard work will pay off on test day!
Ready to reach your LSAT potential? Blueprint LSAT students increase their LSAT scores by 15 points on average. Whether you want the flexibility of a Self-Paced Course, prefer to navigate the LSAT with instructors in a Live Course or 170+ Course, or even private LSAT tutoring, we have the study method that fits your learning style.
Get access to tons of LSAT prep resources when you create a free Blueprint LSAT account!
