LSAC announced a change to the LSAT’s format beginning in August 2027. The experimental will be removed, and unscored questions will instead be included within each of the three sections.

New section order and timing

Every test taker will take the sections in this order:

1. Reading Comprehension: 52 minutes, six passages, 40 questions.
   • Four passages with 27 scored questions.
   • Two passages with 13 unscored questions.
2. Logical Reasoning: 45 minutes, 32 questions.
   • 25 scored questions and seven unscored questions.
3. Logical Reasoning: 45 minutes, 32 questions.
   • 25 scored questions and seven unscored questions.

There will be a 10-minute break after each of the first two sections.

What stays the same

• The question types and skills tested.
• Scores will still be based on one Reading Comprehension section and two Logical Reasoning sections.
• The number of scored questions.
• The 120–180 scoring scale, with scores remaining comparable across years.
• According to LSAC, test takers will continue to have the same amount of time per question.
• LSAC explicitly stated that the content is NOT changing in difficulty or kind. There has been speculation by both students and even some in the LSAT industry.

Timeline and prep materials

• Through June 2027: No change to the current test format.
• February 2027: LawHub will release prep materials aligned with the new format.
• August 2027 onward: The new three-section format takes effect.

LawHub will continue offering materials in the existing four-section format through the June 2027 test.

Someone tell me something hopeful for scores coming out soon 😆

how screwed am i? i’ve seen people waiting 4 months and if this is the case for me too, it is going to obliterate my cycle 😭😭😭 omg i’m about to cry

Hello,

I’m a first year uni student and really interested in going into law.
However, I live in canada where the LSAT floor is really high, the school I want to go to needs a 165 LSAT. I haven’t studied for it yet but my diagnostic was around 150.

The issue is this was the old format. Apparently according to people here the new format is much harder and will grade deflate. Getting to 165 with the old format was already gonna be brutally hard, and now that they’re deflating scores I doubt I will hit it.
Should I switch majors and stop doing pre law because of the new testing format? How much harder is it.

It doesn’t help that since i have adhd with accomodations the already long sections would be longer. I mean 78 minutes of RC wtf??

It just feels so upsetting because i planned my degree for law school and now because of the testing format change i have to switch degrees despite not having pre reqs which will delay my graduation by like 2 years. I hate LSAC so much.

Affirmations needed!! I felt really good leaving and need hopecore stories of people who left feeling really good and calm also getting good scores that reflect that feeling!!!

I've been studying for the LSAT for the past six months and now I am at a point where I can consistently score within the 173-180 range. The biggest hurdle for me in getting to this point was reading comprehension, and I am confident that I am not alone in this. If you are also struggling to score higher on reading comp I have some advice that I think you need to hear. DO MORE READING COMP. There isn't a secret trick to getting better at reading comp, you can't approach reading comp like you would logical reasoning. You just need to do more of the reading comp sections and I promise you will score better. I'm sure you think you do enough reading comp but I promise that you are wrong. This isn't necessarily your fault, there are less reading comp sections in general, which is why it's all the more important that you set time aside specifically for reading comp. Thanks and good luck!

By argument, I mean information made up of evidence (premises) leading to a conclusion.

I cannot adequately express the importance of reading arguments with this mental framework:

WHY is the conclusion true? Because the evidence is true.

Put another way:

This conclusion true. WHY? Because the intermediate conclusion is true. WHY is the intermediate conclusion true? Because the evidence is true.

Note that most arguments do not feature an intermediate conclusion.

Reading arguments in this way does two things. First, it confirms that the conclusion has been properly identified. In fact, this goes to the very definition of the meaning of a conclusion: Information supported by evidence. In other words, evidence answers WHY a conclusion is true.

More importantly though, asking WHY is the best way to identify the assumption, the flaw, the gap, or whatever you want to call it. It takes practice though. Not with new material at this point though. Use previously answered questions until you’re comfortable with the process.

Specifically, ask WHY the conclusion is true and identify any and all information that purportedly answers this question. “Purportedly” because most arguments are initially invalid.

Most of the time, one or two pieces of evidence will answer WHY the conclusion is true. Three pieces of evidence is rare, but can happen. So when looking at previously answered questions, make sure to identify any and all information that supports the conclusion.

Keep in mind that background/contextual information is relevant, even though it doesn’t answer WHY the conclusion is true. 

If necessary, practice by saying the process out loud, but do NOT change any of the wording of the argument, which should be looked at as the law. With enough practice, it becomes clear that the evidence provided in the argument is simply not enough to demonstrate the truth of the conclusion. 

In other words, it becomes easier to see the assumption, the flaw, etc. But again, it does take practice. 

Happy to answer any questions. 

Per LSAC data, we are about 20% of the way through the cycle in terms of total applicant count. Here's the breakdown of Applicants, compared to last year:

The applicant numbers have already come down since the first data was released about 10 days ago, and are now up only 6.8%. That may look bad but remember that over the last two years the early numbers were up 26% and 33%, so these increases are considerably lower than the prior two years. The numbers are fairly volatile this early in the cycle, but this quick drop is an encouraging sign that this cycle may end up less competitive than last year.

Because things are hard to read at this point, you’ll see law schools be a bit hesitant while they wait and see what happens, and that points to another slow cycle as far as decision-making is concerned.

Let’s take a look at the LSAT scores for the applicants so far:

These numbers are also down compared to the opening numbers, and with the October LSAT scores coming out this week we should see some additional movement. I’ll check back on these in more detail next week, but for now these numbers are lower compared to last year, which is good news.

TL;DR: We are only 20% of the way through the cycle, so numbers remain small and will move plenty in the coming weeks. Early applicant numbers are up, but not nearly as much in the prior two years, which is a hopeful sign we may see the overall number of applicants decrease eventually compared to last year.

Any questions, please let me know!

is anyone else freaking out. i legit had a nightmare last night that I got only one point better than my previous attempt. it's def me being nervous but oh my god it feels like a bad omen. august score release day trauma is coming back. >.<

also crazy that i have to register for my November test the day before scores come out. i need to be free of this exam.

I had technical difficulties in my October exam and I’m worried it was flagged and I have to retake or my score will be held for longer when I plan to apply as soon as I get my score

Hi everybody! I know this myth is frustrating, and many people ask the same question over and over again, but I would love to hear some words of advice because I’m so nervous for score release, and the wait has been so brutal for me. My best LSAT score is a 161 from June, and since then, I’ve been testing in the mid-170s before taking the October LSAT. I’m starting to believe the score hold rumors, and I fear that I’m just going to be disappointed again due to my bad test anxiety. Is it normal for in-person scores not to be held with an increase of 10 or so points?

I've always thought about the experimental section as a way to "test" new LSAT questions before administering them in real exams. In the past, these experimental questions were quarantined, so to speak, in an experimental section. Now that they are embedded with real questions I was wondering what the impact would be if/when LSAC includes a bad question or two. Now that they are no longer isolated, couldn't a test taker conceivably spend too much time wrangling with an experimental question (or passage for RC) because it was poorly designed? This would tradeoff with attention for scored questions. LSAT questions are not answered in a vacuum on the real test---some people flag questions, allocate time based on perceived difficulty, and engage in various other test-taking strategies that are created by the context of having a section and don't apply as much to a isolated series of individual questions.

Presumably there are bound to be some experimental questions that never get used again because of some issue---if there were no such cases, the utility for the experimental in the first place seems limited. And would LSAC calculate how much time they expect test takers to spend on experimental questions/passages? If so, how given that they are being tested in real sections? And would people get the same "experimental" questions? If not, how would LSAC "standardize" these sections filled with varied experimental stuff? Would it be fair if someone got a section with experimental questions that perform well enough to be used officially while another person got 2-3 questions that didn't?

LSAC probably does some testing before even releasing experimental content, but surely it can't be comprehensive or as accurate as testing them in real-time. After all, why have the experimental to begin with if you didn't need to experiment?

Will my gpa prevent me from getting into T20 law schools? I know my LSAT score is solid but is my gpa likely to offset it?

Looking for hope core: anyone score multiple points above any PT 🙏 I am praying for 170+ and highest PT I’ve gotten is 170. Felt calm and focused during the test and this waiting period is excruciating. Any success stories to help me cope would be appreciated

LSAC has announced there will be no more standalone experimental section and it will instead be incorporated into the other sections on the exam.

Here is the official language:
In the Reading Comprehension section, test takers will have 52 minutes for six passages with a total of 40 questions. Four passages with 27 questions will be scored and two passages with 13 questions will be unscored.

For each Logical Reasoning section, test takers will have 45 minutes for 32 questions. In each Logical Reasoning section, 25 questions will be scored and seven questions will be unscored.

There will be a 10-minute break after the first section and another 10-minute break after the second section.

What are your thoughts?

I certainly feel this makes the exam harder and maybe a way to combat score inflation with longer sections, but wow, definitely going to be a harder RC battle for almost an hour straight.

So, I’ve been doing untimed drills to try and break through my plateau into the 160s and am having diminishing returns. There are a few problem types I’ve been having issues with… (Conditional reasoning, parallel (half the time it seems easy, but I think I just need to get more acclimated to thinking in abstract terms), causal reasoning, link assumptions)

Specifically I’ve noticed I have issues with finding the assumption the author is making, statistic problems have been a weak area for me as well, but the main thing I’ve had a problem with is pre phrasing the assumption the author is making. (Any tips on that would be helpful)

Should I try and do targeted drilling, go back and review foundational LR in 7sage, or continue to do untimed random drilling? Also should I be diagramming for practice, or should I take more time to figure it out mentally to get used to it. — I’ve been trying to work on areas I struggle with to force myself to learn through
drilling, but I feel like I’m just beating a dead horse.

Side note- At work I try to go through foundational material during downtimes (I feel like drilling is not ideal because I’ll get distracted and miss questions because I’m not focused). I’ve also been casually going through the loophole.

I’m shit with the MBT method on necessary methods. I’m like a meh with the negate method on level 3 and 4 but I’m better with it, so I guess I’m gonna keep using it. How do I get better with it? I negate the answer choice and whatever answer choice that hurts the conclusion more wins? It’s just a matter of understanding of what the conclusion is saying right that I lack I think

My computer is infront of a window, I have a blind that covers it but i’m not sure if I have to move my set up for the argumentative writing and for the lsat. Anyone had this issue?

Took my diagnostic in Feb and got a 152. This makes me feel better about how October may have gone. 166 was my best PT prior to taking October. Still studying for November and this looks like a great sign! Would love to share my prep experience, this sub has been super helpful throughout my journey!

My test date was 19th oct

Just did my first cold diagnostic got a 142. Shooting for mid 60’s taking the June test is this obtainable?