Post-test analytics - Interpreting raw-to-scaled conversions

Learning Outcomes

After reading this article, you will be able to explain the purpose of converting raw LSAT scores to scaled scores, understand the process of score equating, and accurately interpret what your scaled score says about your exam performance. You will also be able to recognize how scaled scores enable comparisons across test sittings and identify essential caution points when using scaled results for applications.

LSAT Syllabus

For LSAT, you are required to understand the process of converting raw scores (number of questions correct) to scaled LSAT scores, and how equating is used to adjust for minor differences in test difficulty. In preparation for this article, focus on:

• What a raw score is and how it is calculated
• The concept of a scaled score (120–180) and its significance
• How the equating process works to make test forms comparable
• Interpreting individual and comparative LSAT performance using scaled results
• Key points about reporting and using scaled scores for admissions

Test Your Knowledge

Attempt these questions before reading this article. If you find some difficult or cannot remember the answers, remember to look more closely at that area during your revision.

1. What is the main purpose of converting an LSAT raw score to a scaled score?
   1. To reward high-performing candidates
   2. To allow direct comparison between different test forms
   3. To reduce the total number of test questions
   4. To identify weakness in test subject knowledge

2. True or false? Two students with the same raw score on different versions of the LSAT may receive different scaled scores due to equating.

3. Which of the following is correct about equating in LSAT scoring?
   1. It guarantees everyone the same raw score
   2. It adjusts for test difficulty variations
   3. It increases the passing score every year
   4. It changes applicants’ answers after test day

4. If you know only your scaled score, what additional information do you need to determine your exact raw score?

Introduction

Understanding how LSAT raw scores are converted into scaled scores is essential for interpreting your results with precision. Scaled scoring ensures fairness, allows year-to-year score comparison, and is the basis for law school admissions decisions. This article sets out the principles behind raw-to-scaled conversion, the rationale for equating, and the implications for your LSAT result.

Key Term: raw score
The number of LSAT questions answered correctly. Each correct answer contributes equally to the raw score; no penalty for incorrect or blank responses.

Key Term: scaled score
The standardized LSAT score (range: 120–180) derived from the raw score by a statistical process. Enables fair comparison across test dates and forms.

Key Term: equating
A statistical adjustment to account for slight variances in test difficulty across different LSAT forms, ensuring scaled scores represent the same ability level overall.

LSAT Raw Scores

Your raw score is simply the number of questions you answered correctly on the test. All questions carry equal weight. There are typically around 75–76 questions in total on a modern LSAT (excluding unscored sections and the writing task). No marks are deducted for blanks or incorrect answers.

How Are Scaled Scores Determined?

At the conclusion of each official LSAT, your raw score is mapped to a scaled score in the range of 120 to 180. This is not a direct percentage or a fixed conversion; it is determined after the test by LSAC through a standard process called equating.

Key Term: equating
See above definition.

Scaling is required because small differences in difficulty between test forms occur despite rigorous test development. Two students with similar ability may achieve the same raw score on different versions of the exam, even if minor content changes made one form slightly harder. To ensure fairness, the conversion adjusts for this.

What Does the Scaled Score Mean?

Your scaled score reflects your performance as adjusted for test form difficulty, enabling law schools to treat scores from different test dates as equivalent. The 120–180 scale is highly compressed: each scaled score can represent several raw scores, and a small change in raw marks can mean a notable shift in scaled result, especially near the middle and high end of the scale.

Scaled scores are precise enough to allow robust candidate evaluation but must be interpreted as estimates, subject to measurement error (for example, ±2–3 points, reported as a score band).

Worked Example 1.1

Suppose the June form of the LSAT has 75 questions. On that administration, a scaled score of 160 may correspond to 52 correct answers out of 75. In December, minor difficulty adjustments mean a raw score of 50 on a slightly harder form may also be scaled to 160. This illustrates why direct comparison of raw scores can mislead.

Answer:
The scaled score tells you how your ability level compares to other candidates, no matter when or which test form you sat.

Comparison with Percentages

The scaled score is not a direct percentage, and the same raw percentage may yield very different scaled scores depending on the test form and year. The LSAT scale is designed to differentiate most sharply near the median, so the difference between a 160 and 165 is not the same as between a 170 and 175 in terms of raw marks.

Interpreting Your Scaled Score

If you intend to use your LSAT result for admissions, you must refer only to your scaled score, as this is the information law schools use. Scaled scores are also associated with percentile ranks, but percentiles vary slightly from year to year and should not be used to compare performance across different years unless reported for the same annual cohort.

Score Bands and Measurement Error

Each scaled score has an associated 'score band', typically ±2–3 points. A score band reflects the range in which your true score likely falls. Small differences between candidates’ scaled results are often not meaningful.

Revision Tip

Even a small fluctuation in the number of questions answered correctly can affect your scaled result, especially at the higher or median levels—you should not interpret raw and scaled scores as identical, and law schools do not see your raw number.

Exam Warning

Do not attempt to compare your LSAT raw score percentile performance with someone who sat a different exam session using only their raw marks. Only use the scaled score for all outcome-based decisions and law school submissions.

Summary

Table 1.1: Raw and Scaled Score Relationship Overview

• Law school admissions always use scaled scores (120–180), not raw marks.
• Equating ensures fairness and comparability across test forms.
• Each scaled score is a broad estimate—small differences are not always significant.

Key Point Checklist

This article has covered the following key knowledge points:

• The raw score is the total number of correct answers; each question is worth the same
• Scaled scores (120–180) are determined by converting raw scores using equating
• Equating adjusts for minor difficulty differences between test forms, making scores comparable
• Scaled scores, not raw scores, are reported to law schools and used for admissions
• Your scaled score reflects your relative performance and is comparable year-to-year
• The precise mapping from raw to scaled score varies per administration and is not uniform

Key Terms and Concepts

• raw score
• scaled score
• equating