You can take the LSAT three times in a single testing year. LSAC also caps you at five attempts within any five-year period and seven attempts over your lifetime. All three limits apply simultaneously, so hitting any one of them will stop you from registering for another test date until the restriction clears.
How the Three Limits Work Together
The LSAT’s testing year runs from June 1 through May 31 of the following year, which aligns roughly with the law school admissions cycle. Within that window, three attempts is the maximum. But even if you have attempts left in the current testing year, the rolling five-year cap of five attempts or the lifetime cap of seven could block you first.
For example, if you took the LSAT twice in the 2023-2024 testing year and three times in 2024-2025, you’ve used five attempts in a two-year span. You still have room under the lifetime cap, but the five-year limit means you can’t sit for the exam again until one of those earlier attempts ages past the five-year mark, or until you successfully appeal for an exemption.
What Counts as an Attempt
Any administration where you sit for the test and receive a score counts toward all three caps. If you start the test and then cancel your score, that attempt still counts. Withdrawing your registration before test day or being absent on test day generally does not count, since you never actually took the exam. The distinction matters if you’re close to a limit: canceling a score after a bad test day uses up one of your attempts, while pulling out beforehand does not.
Requesting an Exemption
If you’ve hit one of the three caps, LSAC does allow you to appeal for an additional attempt, though approval is not guaranteed. You need to demonstrate significant and extenuating circumstances that justify an exception. To apply, email TTL@LSAC.org with your name, LSAC account number, the test date you’re targeting, and any supporting documentation.
The deadline for submitting your appeal is five business days before the registration deadline for the test date you want. LSAC’s appeals panel will respond within five business days, and their decision is final with no further review. If approved, the exemption covers the next test date you register for, even if it’s a different administration than the one you originally named in your appeal. You’ll need to complete registration over the phone with an LSAC representative.
One important detail: an exemption only overrides the specific cap you’ve hit. If you’re granted a sixth attempt within five years, for instance, the seven-attempt lifetime limit still applies to you.
How Law Schools View Multiple Scores
Retaking the LSAT is common, and most law schools focus on your highest score rather than averaging all of your attempts. Before 2006, schools typically averaged applicants’ LSAT scores because that average was factored into their rankings. When reporting standards changed to use an applicant’s highest score, admissions practices shifted accordingly. Today, most schools consider only your top score. A smaller number say they review all scores, and a few may average scores that fall within a narrow range of each other.
This means a lower score on an earlier attempt is unlikely to hurt you if you improve significantly on a retake. That said, law schools do see every score on your LSAC report. A pattern of many attempts with minimal improvement could raise questions about whether your highest score reflects your true ability. Two or three attempts is perfectly normal and raises no red flags at most schools.
Making Your Attempts Count
With only three shots per year and seven over a lifetime, each attempt carries weight. Taking the LSAT before you’re ready burns through a limited resource. Most test prep experts recommend that you take a full, timed practice test under realistic conditions before registering. If your practice scores are consistently in the range you’re targeting, you’re ready. If they’re not, postponing to a later test date costs nothing but time, while a low score on record uses up one of your seven lifetime attempts permanently.
LSAC offers multiple test dates throughout the year, typically in January, February, April, June, August, September, October, and November, though the exact schedule varies. Spacing your attempts at least a couple of months apart gives you time to study weak areas and realistically improve. Back-to-back attempts a few weeks apart rarely produce meaningful score gains.
If you’re planning to apply in a particular admissions cycle, map your potential test dates against application deadlines. Most law schools accept fall LSAT scores for the same cycle, but taking the exam in January or February of the year you want to start law school puts you at the tail end of the process, when fewer seats and scholarship dollars remain.