New LSAT Format in August 2027: What to Do by Test Date

The LSAT changes with the August 2027 test. The separate experimental section goes away, and you get 3 longer sections in the same order for everyone: Reading Comprehension first at 52 minutes, then 2 Logical Reasoning sections at 45 minutes each, with 10-minute breaks in between and the unscored questions hidden inside every section. Every test through June 2027 keeps today's format. Your score still comes from 77 questions on the same 120 to 180 scale, so the headline sounds like nothing changed. But each section now runs a lot longer, and that's where people will lose points.

Last updated October 28, 2026. I'll keep this page current: when LSAC posts the new-format practice tests in February 2027, when it answers the open questions below, and when the 2027-28 test dates come out. Everything here comes from LSAC's October 26, 2026 announcement and FAQ unless I say it's my read.

Whether this hits you comes down to your test date. I'll give you the new layout fast, then split the rest by test date so you can skip straight to your group.

The new LSAT layout at a glance

Starting August 2027, every test taker sees this, in this order:

Part	Minutes	Questions	Don't count
1. Reading Comp	52	40	13
Break	10
2. Logical Reasoning	45	32	7
Break	10
3. Logical Reasoning	45	32	7
Total		104	27

Reading Comp has 6 passages, and 2 of them (13 questions) don't count. That leaves 77 questions that do.

Our free practice test in the new format runs in exactly this order, so you can feel it before it counts.

Today you get 4 sections of 35 minutes each. 2 Logical Reasoning sections count, 1 Reading Comprehension section counts, and 1 experimental section (LR or RC, in any position) doesn't.

Plenty stays put. You still answer 77 scored questions (27 RC, 50 LR), and Logical Reasoning is still 2/3 of your score. Time per question stays the same: about 78 seconds per RC question and about 84 seconds per LR question, before and after. Scores stay comparable across testing years, so a 165 in June 2027 is a 165 in August 2027.

The length is what changes. Testing time goes up 2 minutes, and the whole sitting runs about 10 minutes longer. 8 of those 10 minutes are extra break.

The unscored questions are the part people worry about. They sit in different spots for different people, and they're balanced in type and difficulty like the scored ones. A strange passage doesn't mean a fake passage. LSAC won't tell you which questions were scored, not even at score release, and its advice is to treat every question as scored. LSAC calls this "embedded pretesting." The SAT, the ACT, and the bar exam already do it, and LSAC says it gives everyone the same section order and helps test security.

The new format doesn't bring interface changes on its own. That's separate from the switch to in-person test centers that started in August 2026.

If you'd rather watch than read, here's the 24-minute version: what changes, who it hits, and how to practice for it.

What LSAC hasn't said yet

I'd rather tell you what's unknown than guess. As of October 28, 2026, LSAC has not said:

Where the unscored questions sit. LSAC says the positions vary by test taker and are balanced in type and difficulty. Nothing more. Anyone who tells you "they're always at the end" is guessing.
Whether each section still gets harder as it goes. Today's sections roughly ramp in difficulty. With unscored questions mixed in, LSAC hasn't said whether that ordering holds.
What the February 2027 practice tests will be. New questions, or today's PrepTests re-cut into the new shape? LSAC has only said new-format material lands on LawHub in February 2027.
The accommodations detail. The request process doesn't change. How extra time maps onto the longer sections is "coming soon."
The 2027-28 test dates and registration deadlines. Not posted yet.

When any of these gets an answer, it goes here first, with the date.

Testing through June 2027: change nothing

If your test is June 2027 or earlier, you take today's test. Keep practicing exactly the way you are, with 35-minute sections.

My read: if you're applying for fall 2027, you almost certainly test before June 2027, so this is you. LSAC keeps current-format practice material on LawHub through the June 2027 test, so you won't run out of the right practice.

You still have an experimental section. Don't try to guess which one it is, and play every section like it counts. I wrote up why guessing the experimental section costs you points if you want the long version.

And don't panic-book an earlier date to dodge the change. More on that below.

Testing August 2027 or later: change how you practice

My read: if you're applying for fall 2028, there's a good chance you test in summer or fall 2027. That puts you in the new format.

Start with the good news. The skills and the question types don't change, so keep learning on current official material. A Necessary Assumption question in 2026 is still a Necessary Assumption question in 2027.

The shape of your timed work is what changes. 6 passages in 52 minutes is a long time to hold focus, and you won't know which 2 passages are free.

Here's a made-up example. Maya tests in August 2027. Passage 2 goes badly: 3 guesses, and she runs 4 minutes over. She walks into passage 3 rattled and misses 2 questions she'd normally get. Passage 2 might have been unscored. She paid for a passage that was worth zero.

My take: the reset between passages and between questions matters more now, because there's no whole section left to blame. When a passage is done, it's done. You don't carry it into the next one.

Stamina is the E in my LASER Approach (Exams and Endurance), and this change hits that piece hardest. A 35-minute section used to end before the fade got bad, and 52 minutes gives it plenty of room. Passages 5 and 6 sit right where focus drops, and you won't know whether they count.

Honestly, the fade is dangerous because it has nothing to do with knowledge. You can know every question type cold and still give back points in the last 10 minutes of a section.

Here's how I'd change practice:

RC: 6 passages in 52 minutes. That's a little under 9 minutes per passage. Check the clock after every passage. If one took 11 minutes, you owe 2 back.
LR: 32 questions in 45 minutes. Check the clock every 5 questions; you want roughly 7 minutes each time. In review, look hard at the last few questions of each set, since that's where a fade shows up first.
Full tests in the new order, with real 10-minute breaks. No phone. Get up, eat something, and don't replay the last section in your head, because that's how a bad passage leaks into the next 45 minutes.
Start with RC cold. No warm-up set. You need to see what passage 1 looks like when it's the first thing you do all day.

You don't have to wait to rehearse the new length. We built a free practice test in the new format: RC first, then 2 LR sections, with 2 breaks. It's unofficial. Every question is scored, it saves as you go, and every question has an explanation. Take it this week and you'll know how 52 minutes of RC feels before it counts.

In February 2027, LSAC's own new-format practice tests land on LawHub, about 6 months before the first new test. Switch your full practice tests to those. Review every test, every question, before you take the next one. Taking test after test without review just rehearses your mistakes.

Accommodations, quickly: the request process doesn't change. LSAC says more on how accommodations work in the new format is coming soon.

Taking June 2027, retaking August 2027

This is the awkward case. Your first test is the old format, and your retake is the new one.

You get about 2 months between them, and your timing practice has to change inside that window. Prep for June exactly like the first group. Then, the day after June, switch every timed set to the new shape (52-minute RC, 45-minute LR, real breaks) and take a full new-format test that first week. Your skills carry over fine. Your sense of where you should be at minute 30 doesn't.

No test date yet: pick by readiness, not by format

Honestly, the worst call here is rushing to beat the change.

Pick your test date by when your practice scores say you're ready. Admissions offices see the same 120 to 180 score either way, and a 165 is a 165. Sitting before you're ready, just to dodge a format, costs you far more than a longer RC section ever will.

There's a single exception. If June vs August 2027 is a genuine coin flip and you're ready for both, take the format you practiced for.

Also, check your materials. The LSAT went digital in 2019 and dropped Logic Games in August 2024. If a book or course still teaches Logic Games, it's already out of date, and by August 2027 it'll be 2 updates behind.

Treat the new format as a timing problem you can practice, and get to work.

Every LSAT change since 2005

I've been coaching the LSAT since 2005, and this is the sixth big change I've coached students through. Paper went to a tablet in 2019. LSAT-Flex put the test at home in 2020. In August 2024, LSAC dropped Logic Games and rebuilt the writing sample into LSAT Argumentative Writing. The August 2026 test brought everyone back to test centers with a new on-screen interface. Now this.

Every time, the same 2 things happened. Students who kept working on the skills were fine. Students who stopped to wait for clarity, or threw out their prep to buy "new format" books, lost months. The question types in August 2027 are the question types in your current PrepTests. Keep going.

Frequently asked questions

When does the LSAT change?

With the August 2027 test. Every test through June 2027 keeps the current format: 4 sections of 35 minutes, including an experimental section.

Is the experimental section going away?

Yes, as a separate section. The unscored questions don't disappear, though. 27 of the 104 questions (about 1 in 4) won't count, and they're spread across all 3 sections.

Will I know which questions are unscored?

No. Their positions differ from person to person, they look like scored questions, and LSAC won't say which were scored, even at score release. Treat every question as scored.

Should I take the LSAT before August 2027?

Only if that's when your practice scores say you're ready. Scores stay comparable across formats, so rushing gains you nothing. If June and August 2027 are a true toss-up and you're ready, take the format you practiced for.

How long is the new LSAT?

Testing time goes up 2 minutes: 52 + 45 + 45 = 142 minutes of sections, against 140 today. With 2 10-minute breaks, the whole sitting runs about 10 minutes longer than it does now. LSAT Argumentative Writing stays separate and online.

How many questions are on the new LSAT?

104 multiple-choice questions: 40 in Reading Comprehension and 32 in each Logical Reasoning section. 77 of them count toward your score (27 RC, 50 LR), the same 77 as today.

Is the new LSAT harder?

LSAC says no: same question types, same mix of difficulty, same time per question, and scores stay comparable across years. My read is that the sections are longer, so stamina and recovering from a bad passage matter more. That's a practice problem, and you can train it. In one way it's easier, though. Today you can sit 70 minutes without a break (sometimes 8 Reading Comp passages in a row, if the unscored section lands next to the scored one). From August 2027 the longest stretch is 52 minutes and 6 passages.

Which format should I study for?

Go by your test date. June 2027 or earlier, today's format. August 2027 or later, build your skills on today's PrepTests now and switch your full timed tests to the new layout when LSAC's new-format tests land in February 2027. No date yet? Same plan, and you're not behind.

When do new-format practice tests come out?

LSAC says February 2027, on LawHub. Until then, our free practice test in the new format runs the new order and lengths. It's unofficial, built from the layout LSAC published.

Do I need new LSAT prep books?

No. The question types don't change, so a good current book still teaches the right skills. A book that still has Logic Games is already 2 updates out of date, so replace that one.

Does the 120 to 180 scale change?

No. Scores stay on the same scale and stay comparable across test dates, so a 165 in June 2027 means the same thing as a 165 in August 2027.

What happens with accommodations?

The request process stays the same. LSAC says detail on how accommodations apply to the new format is coming. I'll add it here when it does.

Go deeper

For the short list of what to study in either format, grab my free LSAT cheat sheet.

I've written free explanations for every question in LSAT PrepTest 159, 158, 157, 156, 155 and 154, with the right answer and why each wrong answer fails. All LSAT explanations are here.

Enough reading. Try a question. Free LSAT drills, 1 at a time, explained the second you answer. Start free drills