LSAT Score Cancellation
Voluntary Cancellation of Scores by Students
There are two ways test takers can voluntarily cancel their LSAT scores, and how it's done depends on whether LSAT Score Preview was purchased.
If you DID NOT purchase LSAT Score Preview, you may decide to cancel your LSAT score within six (6) calendar days after your LSAT test date. If you choose to cancel your score via this option, you will not receive your LSAT score. You can cancel your score through your LSAC JD account or by contacting LSAC directly by email or phone. If you choose to cancel your score on the day of the deadline, you must do so during business hours. If you experience technical difficulties while attempting to cancel your score after business hours, the cancellation deadline will not be extended.
If you DID purchase LSAT Score Preview, you will receive your score on the release date associated with your test administration, as long as you have no holds on your account. You will then have six (6) calendar days to decide if you want to keep or cancel your score. You can indicate your choice through your LSAC JC account or by contacting LSAC directly by email or phone. If you do not take action before the end of the six-day period, your score will be added to your LSAC file and released to the law schools to which you applied.
Canceling a score is an irreversible decision, and score reports will state, "Candidate Cancel," to reflect this decision.
What is LSAT Score Preview?
LSAT Score Preview is an additional service offered by LSAC that allows students to decide whether to keep or cancel their LSAT score after first seeing it. Be aware that there are strict deadlines to follow when registering for Score Preview that are specific to each test administration. When purchased before you have taken the LSAT, Score Preview costs $45. When purchased during a specified period after you have taken the LSAT, it costs $85. Test takers with approved LSAT fee waivers can sign up for Score Preview at no additional charge. If you decide to cancel your LSAT score, this cancellation does count against the annual and lifetime limits on taking the LSAT.
Voluntary Cancellation and Disclosed LSAT Administrations
If a student has canceled scores for a disclosed LSAT administration, they will still have access to the test questions and the correct answers for the scored sections, but will not receive their answer sheets. This privilege is not applicable to nondisclosed LSATs, for which LSAC keeps test questions and answers confidential.
Involuntary Score Cancellation by LSAC
LSAC reserves the right to cancel LSAT scores against students' will for reasons of logistics, validity, or academic dishonesty. Computerized hacking of the digital exam or test exercises of questionable validity are examples, respectively, of the first two possible causes of involuntary score cancellation. Every effort will be made in these cases to offer the test taker a viable alternative. Actions that can lead to score cancellation for academic dishonesty include using banned electronic devices, leaving the testing space without proctor approval, or working beyond the exam's time limit. LSAC provides a comprehensive list of actions that can result in score cancellation, and test takers are encouraged to thoroughly read the Candidate Agreement to fully understand involuntary score cancellation.
Score Reporting to Law Schools
After you have taken the LSAT and completed the Argumentative Writing task (and assuming you have no holds on your account), you will receive your LSAT score on the release date associated with your test administration. Test takers designate which law programs they would like their LSAT scores sent to, and score reporting to law programs is automatic after the exam has been completed. Test takers don't need to do anything else to have their scores sent to the law programs they chose.
LSAT score reports show every test for which the student has registered, typically limited to the LSAT's five-year validity period. If the student has canceled their scores or registration for any test, this will be indicated on the score report.
Voluntary Cancellation of Registration
Registration for the LSAT may be voluntarily canceled at any point up to the day before the test. A test held on June 3rd, for instance, would have a cancellation deadline of June 2nd at 11:59 pm. If the test taker fails to cancel and also fails to appear for their LSAT administration, this will be noted on their score reports with an "absent" marking. Refund policies for canceled registration depend on when the cancellation was completed. (See below)
Refund Policy for Canceled Scores and Canceled Registration
Students with canceled LSAT scores, whether the cancellation was voluntary or involuntary, are ineligible for refunds of registration and service fees for those test dates. For cancellation of registration, a partial refund of $50 is available if the student cancels on or before the refund request deadline, which is about two weeks before the test date.
Is It Wise to Cancel My LSAT Scores?
Unexpected things can, and do, happen on testing days. You might receive unwelcome news about a family member, friend, or pet. You might come down with an illness. Or you might experience another challenging, unforeseeable life event that can't help but influence your mood and cognitive abilities. If something unexpected occurs close to your LSAT test date, this may result in a lower score than you otherwise would have achieved. If this is the case, you may want to consider canceling your score and taking the LSAT a second time to try to earn a score that better reflects your preparation and test-related knowledge. If, however, nothing upsetting or unexpected occurred before you took the LSAT and you are still disappointed with your score, think carefully about canceling it and taking the exam a second time.
According to LSAC, analyses indicate that students who take the LSAT a second time generally raise their scores by 2 to 3 points. If you scored towards the lower end of any given range, it may not make much difference. For example, if you obtained a score of 161 on your first LSAT, that means you are most likely to obtain a score of 163 or 164 on your second, which is unlikely to make you much more of a desirable law school candidate. Additionally, some test takers get a lower score on their second LSAT, which is not the direction you want your test scores to trend. At the same time, an increase of 2 to 3 points could be enough to move you from an average score to an above average score, for example, which might make a significant difference to the law programs you hope to be accepted by.
It is also worth considering the financial expenses and time you will need to devote to taking the LSAT a second time. Are a few more months of studying that likely to make a difference in your score? How do you plan to prepare differently than you did before? Can you justify paying all the LSAT registration fees again, and are you able to take time away from studies, job, or both for test preparation and on the day of the exam?
Ultimately, you're the only one who can decide if canceling your score and taking the LSAT a second time is the right decision for you and your career plans. Like most test prep professionals, we discourage people from canceling scores unless the need to do so is caused by extreme circumstances. Otherwise, taking as many practice exams as you can under timed conditions that mimic the official exam is the best way to predict how well you will do on the LSAT, while lessening the likelihood of earning a score you want to cancel in the first place.