Yes, the LSAT is changing again. On October 26, 2026, LSAC announced a new LSAT format that takes effect with the August 2027 test. The separate unscored section is going away. Instead, the test will have three sections in a fixed order: Reading Comprehension first, then two Logical Reasoning sections. Unscored questions will be mixed into each of those sections.
Here is the most important thing to know: the questions, the scoring, and the time per question are not changing. The same question types, the same 120 to 180 scale, and the same number of scored questions. What changes is the shape of the test day.
And if you are taking the LSAT any time through June 2027, nothing changes for you at all. You will take the current four-section test.
This post explains exactly what is changing, what is staying the same, how the new format affects your pacing, and how to decide which test date is right for you. We will update it when LSAC releases practice tests in the new format in February 2027.
Table of Contents
- Is the LSAT changing?
- The new LSAT format, section by section
- What is not changing
- Why LSAC is making the change
- What the new format means for your pacing
- Should you take the LSAT before or after August 2027?
- How to prepare for the new format before February 2027
- What we still don’t know
- New LSAT format FAQ
Is the LSAT changing?
Yes. Starting with the August 2027 LSAT, the standalone unscored section is eliminated. Right now, every LSAT has four 35-minute sections: two Logical Reasoning, one Reading Comprehension, and one unscored “experimental” section that can be either type. You cannot tell which section is unscored, and the order varies.
From August 2027, the test has three sections. Each one is longer, and each one contains a mix of scored and unscored questions. LSAC calls this “embedded pretesting.” The unscored questions are new questions LSAC is testing for future exams. They have always been on the LSAT; they are just moving from their own section into the scored sections.
Every student will also see the sections in the same order: Reading Comprehension, then Logical Reasoning, then Logical Reasoning.
LSAC published the full details on its announcement page. The numbers below come directly from that page.
The new LSAT format, section by section
Here is the current format next to the format that begins in August 2027.
| Current LSAT (through June 2027) | New LSAT (August 2027 and later) | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of sections | 4 (3 scored + 1 unscored) | 3 (all scored, with unscored questions inside) |
| Section order | Unscored section can appear anywhere, so order varies | Always RC, then LR, then LR |
| Reading Comprehension | 35 min, 4 passages, ~27 questions | 52 min, 6 passages, 40 questions (27 scored, 13 unscored) |
| Logical Reasoning 1 | 35 min, ~25 questions | 45 min, 32 questions (25 scored, 7 unscored) |
| Logical Reasoning 2 | 35 min, ~25 questions | 45 min, 32 questions (25 scored, 7 unscored) |
| Unscored section | 35 min, LR or RC | None |
| Breaks | One 10-minute break after section 2 | Two 10-minute breaks (after sections 1 and 2) |
| Testing time | 140 min | 142 min |
| Total time with breaks | 150 min | 162 min |
| Scored questions | 77 (27 RC + 50 LR) | 77 (27 RC + 50 LR) |
A few things stand out:
- Reading Comprehension gets two extra passages. You will read six passages instead of four. Two of them are unscored, but you will not know which two.
- Each Logical Reasoning section gets seven extra questions. Again, you will not know which seven are unscored.
- The test day is 10 minutes longer, but 8 of those minutes are extra break time. Actual testing time goes up by only 2 minutes.
- The “throwaway” section is gone. Today, one of your four sections does not count. In the new format, every section counts.
The LSAT Argumentative Writing section is not mentioned in LSAC’s announcement. It remains a separate, unscored task you complete online, and this change does not affect it.
What is not changing
LSAC was careful to say that this is a change in format, not substance. Specifically:
- Question types are the same. The Logical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension questions you see in August 2027 are the same kinds of questions on the test today.
- The number of scored questions is the same. 27 Reading Comprehension questions and 50 Logical Reasoning questions count toward your score, exactly as now.
- The score scale is the same. Scores still run from 120 to 180, and LSAC says scores will stay comparable across testing years. A 165 in June 2027 and a 165 in August 2027 mean the same thing.
- Time per question is the same. LSAC states the average is 78 seconds per Reading Comprehension question and 84 seconds per Logical Reasoning question, before and after the change. (We do the math below.)
- The testing interface is the same. Any interface updates in 2027 will be general improvements, not part of this change.
- The accommodations process is the same. LSAC says the process for requesting accommodations is not changing.
If you want a refresher on how raw scores become scaled scores, our guide to how LSAT scoring works still applies in full.
Why LSAC is making the change
Every standardized test needs to try out new questions on real test takers before those questions can count. That is what the unscored section has always been for.
LSAC’s reasoning is that mixing those trial questions into the scored sections gives better data, because students treat them exactly like real questions. This is already how the SAT, the ACT, and the bar exam handle it. LSAC calls embedded pretesting “a best practice in the assessment field” and also says it helps with test security.
The side benefit for students is uniformity. Everyone gets the same section order and the same section types on test day. No more wondering whether your third section was the one that did not count.
What the new format means for your pacing
The sections are longer, so it is natural to wonder whether you have to move faster. You do not. Here is the arithmetic.
| Section | Current time per question | New time per question |
|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 35 min ÷ 27 questions ≈ 78 seconds | 52 min ÷ 40 questions = 78 seconds |
| Logical Reasoning | 35 min ÷ 25 questions = 84 seconds | 45 min ÷ 32 questions ≈ 84 seconds |
Per passage, Reading Comprehension works out to about 8 minutes 40 seconds per passage in the new format, compared with about 8 minutes 45 seconds today. The pace you are practicing now is the pace you will need in August 2027.
What does change is how long you have to hold that pace. Today, the hardest stretch is 35 minutes. In the new format, Reading Comprehension is a single 52-minute block with six passages. That is a stamina question, not a speed question.
Pro tip: Build checkpoints into the new Reading Comprehension section. At the 26-minute mark, you should be finishing your third passage. If you are more than a passage behind at the halfway point, it is time to make a decision about which remaining passage to attack last.
The other real change is psychological. Today, if one section feels unusually hard, you can tell yourself it was probably the experimental section. In the new format, every section counts, and the unscored questions are scattered inside it. The right mindset is simple: treat every question as if it counts, because you cannot tell which ones do not.
Should you take the LSAT before or after August 2027?
Many students will want to know whether they should test before the change. The honest answer is that the content is identical, so the format should not drive your decision. Your readiness should. Still, the timing creates a few real considerations.
Take the LSAT by June 2027 if:
- You will be fully prepared by then. Do not take a test early just to avoid a format change. An underprepared June score is worse than a prepared August score.
- You are applying in the fall 2027 cycle and want your score finished before applications open.
- You strongly prefer the shorter 35-minute sections and have practiced extensively on the current format.
Plan for August 2027 or later if:
- You need more study time. Taking the test when you are ready matters far more than which format you see.
- You are applying in fall 2028 or later. Most of your practice will happen after LSAC releases new-format practice tests in February 2027, so you will have months to get comfortable.
One scenario to plan for: if you take the June 2027 LSAT and decide to retake, your retake will be in the new format. That is fine, since the questions are the same, but you should spend a few weeks practicing the longer sections before the retake. Check the full LSAT test dates and score release schedule so you know exactly how your dates line up.
Pro tip: Whatever date you choose, do not delay studying. Logical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension skills transfer completely between formats. Every hour you spend on them now counts in either version of the test.
How to prepare for the new format before February 2027
LSAC will release practice tests in the three-section format in February 2027 through LawHub. Until then, you can prepare in a way that mirrors the new experience using material that already exists.
1. Keep using current PrepTests. The questions are the same type, so every PrepTest LSAC has released in the current format (PrepTest 101 onward) is still full-value practice for content and skills. Old PrepTests (1 to 80) are also still useful for individual Logical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension sections, though they include Logic Games, which have not been on the test since August 2024.
2. Build new-format sections yourself. This is the step most students skip. To simulate the August 2027 test:
- Reading Comprehension: Take all four passages from one PrepTest section and add two passages from a second section. Set a timer for 52 minutes and do all six in one sitting.
- Logical Reasoning: Take a full 25-question section and add seven questions from another section. Set a timer for 45 minutes.
- Full test: Do Reading Comprehension first, take a 10-minute break, then two Logical Reasoning sections with a 10-minute break between them. That is the exact shape of the new test.
3. Train for stamina, not speed. Since your per-question pace does not change, your practice should focus on holding attention for a 52-minute Reading Comprehension block. Start by doing five passages in 43 minutes, then move to six in 52. Pay attention to where your accuracy drops in the later passages. That is where your stamina work should go.
4. Practice starting with Reading Comprehension. Many students prefer to warm up with Logical Reasoning. In the new format you will not have that choice. Make Reading Comprehension your first section in every full practice test from now on, so test day feels familiar.
5. Decide your skip-and-guess rules in advance. Because you cannot identify unscored questions, do not try to guess which passage or question “doesn’t count” and skip it. Use the same rule for every question: if it is taking too long, make your best guess, flag it, and move on. There is no penalty for wrong answers, so never leave a question blank.
If you want a baseline before you start, Magoosh offers a free LSAT practice test. And Magoosh LSAT prep uses official LSAC-licensed questions with video explanations, so the questions you practice on are the same kind you will see in either format.
Pro tip: When you build a six-passage Reading Comprehension set, mix passage topics from the two source sections rather than doing them in order. The real test will place its two unscored passages in positions that differ from student to student.
What we still don’t know
A few details are not yet public, and we would rather tell you that than guess:
- Accommodation specifics. LSAC says the accommodations process is unchanged and that it “will provide additional information about accommodations in the embedded pretesting format soon.” It has not yet said how extended time will work with the longer sections. If you test with accommodations, watch LSAC’s accommodations page and your LSAC account for updates.
- Where the unscored questions appear. LSAC says positions differ between students and that unscored questions are balanced in type and difficulty. It has not said whether unscored passages can appear first, last, or anywhere.
- How LawHub will present new-format practice. LSAC says new-format practice tests arrive in February 2027. We will update this post once we have seen them.
New LSAT format FAQ
How many sections are on the new LSAT?
Three, starting in August 2027: one Reading Comprehension section and two Logical Reasoning sections, always in that order. The current LSAT has four sections, one of which is unscored.
Is the new LSAT longer?
Slightly. Testing time goes from 140 minutes to 142 minutes. With the two 10-minute breaks, the whole sitting is 162 minutes instead of 150. Each individual section is longer (52 or 45 minutes instead of 35), but the time per question stays the same.
Is the new LSAT harder?
The scored content is identical, so the test is not harder in substance. The experience is different: longer sections, a fixed order, and no section you can mentally write off. Students who build stamina for the longer Reading Comprehension section should feel no difference in difficulty.
Can I tell which questions are unscored?
No. Unscored questions look like every other question, and their positions vary from student to student. Your score report will not identify them. Treat every question as scored.
Do old LSAT PrepTests still work for the new format?
Yes for content, no for format. The Logical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension questions in existing PrepTests are exactly the type you will see. To practice the new section lengths and order, combine sections as described above, or wait for LSAC’s new-format tests in February 2027.
Will law schools treat scores from the old and new formats differently?
No. LSAC says scores on the 120 to 180 scale represent the same skill levels before and after the change and remain comparable across years. The same 77 questions count toward your score in both formats. Our LSAT score conversion table explains how raw scores map to the scale.
Does this change affect LSAT Argumentative Writing?
LSAC’s announcement does not mention the writing section. It remains a separate, unscored task taken online, and nothing in this change alters it.
What happens to the experimental section before August 2027?
Nothing. Every LSAT through June 2027 keeps the current format: four 35-minute sections, one of them unscored, in an order you will not know in advance.
The new LSAT format is a change in packaging, not in what the test measures. Learn the question types, build your stamina for longer sections, and pick the test date when you will be ready. Magoosh is here to help with every step of your LSAT prep.
