Exam Hub · LSAT
The LSAT, explained plainly
The Law School Admission Test — the admissions exam every ABA-accredited law school accepts. Four 35-minute sections, a 120–180 score scale, and no partial credit for almost knowing. Every fact on this page is checked against LSAC, the test's owner, and dated at the bottom.
Not sure where you stand? The diagnostic samples both scored skills — Logical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension — and tells you which one is costing you points. Free, about ten minutes.
At a glance
The numbers that matter
Four 35-minute sections
Two scored Logical Reasoning sections and one scored Reading Comprehension section — plus one unscored experimental section (either skill) that looks identical to a scored one. You never know which section is experimental, so every section is treated as real. LSAT Argumentative Writing is a separate, online, unscored sample — required, because your score is not released until a writing sample is on file.
120–180 — there is no "passing"
The LSAT has no pass or fail. Your scaled score lands somewhere on the 120–180 scale, and each law school weighs it its own way. There is no penalty for a wrong answer — a blank is a guaranteed zero, so you answer everything.
$253 registration (2026–27)
Per administration, paid to LSAC when you register, and it includes LSAT Argumentative Writing. Optional Score Preview — see your score before deciding whether to keep or cancel it — costs $46 if bought before test day, $87 after. Fees are set per testing cycle; check LSAC's current schedule before you budget.
Source: LSAC (lsac.org) — LSAT registration, fees, and test-date pages for the 2026–2027 testing cycle, checked October 30, 2026.
What the exam covers
Two skills, weighted by the test's own design
LSAC publishes no finer weighting than the section mix itself — and the mix is the strategy. Logical Reasoning is two of the three scored sections, so it decides roughly two-thirds of your score; the exact question-type mix varies from test to test.
- Logical Reasoning — short arguments, tested skill by skill: assumptions, strengthening and weakening, flaws, inferences, principles, parallel reasoning. The section rewards knowing the task before you read the argument.
- Reading Comprehension — four passage sets (one is a paired comparative reading set) across law, science, social science, and the arts — main point, detail, inference, and what the author is doing, all under the same 35-minute clock.
- Argumentative Writing — a separate online session (about 50 minutes: 15 of prewriting, 35 of writing) taken on your own computer before score release. Unscored, but law schools read it — and an incomplete sample holds your score.
- Gone since August 2024: the old Logic Games (Analytical Reasoning) section no longer exists. Any prep material that still leads with games is teaching a test that is not given anymore.
Our free diagnostic is built on this same mix — two-thirds reasoning, one-third comprehension.
2026–27 dates
Remaining administrations this cycle
| Test dates | Register by | Scores released |
|---|---|---|
| January 13–16, 2027 | December 1, 2026 | February 3, 2027 |
| February 12–13, 2027 | December 29, 2026 | March 3, 2027 |
| April 8–10, 2027 | February 25, 2027 | April 28, 2027 |
| June 9–12, 2027 | April 29, 2027 | June 30, 2027 |
Per LSAC's published 2026–2027 schedule, checked October 30, 2026. The registration deadline is also the last day to request testing accommodations and a free test-date change — miss it and both get expensive.
Registration
How to book your seat
- Register through your LSAC account at lsac.org by your administration's deadline.
- The name on your LSAC account must match your government-issued ID exactly. A mismatch at the test center means no testing — and no refund.
- For the 2026–27 cycle the LSAT is given in person at Prometric test centers for almost everyone. Remote testing survives only in narrow exceptions — certain disability accommodations, and candidates who live more than 180 miles (or three hours' drive) from a test center with capacity.
- After you register, you schedule your exact day and center through Prometric when scheduling opens for your administration (for February 2027, scheduling opens in late January). Seats at popular centers go first — schedule the week it opens.
- Argumentative Writing opens about a week before your test dates. Take it early in its window; your multiple-choice score is not released until the sample is complete.
Retakes & rescheduling
Attempts are limited — spend them ready
Five, then seven
LSAC's limits: you may take the LSAT five times within the current reportable score period (the period since July 2021) and seven times in a lifetime. Score a 180 in the reportable period and you may not retake during it. Canceled scores — including ones canceled through Score Preview — still count toward the limits; absences and withdrawals do not.
Schools see the record
LSAC reports your scores from the current and previous five testing years. Most schools say they weigh your highest score most heavily, but the whole reportable record travels with your application — another reason each attempt should be a ready one.
Need to move your date?
A test-date change is free through your administration's registration deadline. After it, the fee climbs steeply — in the current cycle, up to a full second registration fee as test day approaches. LSAC publishes the exact deadlines and fees for each administration; check yours before you book, not after.
Source: LSAC, "Frequently Asked Questions about the LSAT" and the per-administration dates-and-deadlines pages, checked October 30, 2026.
Test-day expectations
What exam day actually looks like
- Arrive early for Prometric check-in — ID check, security screening, and locker storage all happen before your section clock starts.
- Bring one valid, unexpired, government-issued photo ID that matches your LSAC account name exactly.
- Leave the rest in the locker: no phones or electronics, no smartwatches, no notes or books. The center controls what enters the testing room, including scratch materials.
- Pace is the test inside the test: 35 minutes a section is roughly 1 minute 20 seconds a question. Nobody finishes every question comfortably — finishing ready is what preparation is for.
After you test
From score to application
- Scores release on the published date for your administration (February 2027 testers: March 3, 2027) — provided your Argumentative Writing sample is complete and on file.
- The score is one piece of the application. Law schools assemble your file through LSAC's Credential Assembly Service — transcripts, letters, and your LSAT record; CAS carries its own fees on LSAC's schedule when you apply.
- A score stays reportable for five testing years — which cuts both ways: a strong score keeps working for you, and there is rarely a reason to burn an attempt before you are ready.
Find out where you stand — before LSAC has your $253
Our free 15-question diagnostic samples both scored skills in the test's own proportions. It marks where you are strong, names the skill that is costing you points, and prescribes the exact sections to study first. Students then work a plan built backwards from their test date — and don't sit until they've cleared our Readiness Gate: two consecutive full timed practice tests inside their target band.
The WBI LSAT Study Program is in founder testing — its first student is the Institute's founder, sitting in February 2027. It opens for enrollment when his run is complete and the evidence is in.
Facts on this page were checked on October 30, 2026 against LSAC (lsac.org): the LSAT registration and fees pages, the 2026–2027 test dates and deadlines schedule, and LSAC's LSAT FAQ (including the limits on repeating the test). Exam rules and fees change by cycle — confirm the current details on lsac.org before you register. The LSAT is a registered trademark of the Law School Admission Council; the Wealth Building Institute is not affiliated with LSAC, and its LSAT Study Program is independent exam preparation. The LSAT has no passing score, and completing a WBI program — or clearing our Readiness Gate — is not a guarantee of any score. The diagnostic button above routes to our enrollment team until the online diagnostic opens; email admin@buildingmywealthinstitute.com and ask for the LSAT Readiness Snapshot.