About the LSAT

Test Structure

The multiple-choice portion of the LSAT is made up of four 35-minute sections: three scored sections and one unscored section that LSAC uses to try out questions for future tests. There is no Logic Games (aka Analytical Reasoning) section — it was retired in 2024 and replaced with a second Logical Reasoning section.

The unscored section can appear at any point in the test, and it looks just like a scored one — so you should treat every section as if it counts. There is a 10-minute intermission between the second and third sections.

The scoring scale runs from 120 to 180. All questions are weighted exactly the same, so your raw score is simply the number of questions you answer correctly on the scored sections. LSAC then converts that raw score to your scaled score through a process called equating, which adjusts for small differences in difficulty between test forms. There is no deduction for incorrect answers, so you should answer every question.

What RC and LR Test

Reading Comprehension contains four sets of questions, each built on a passage followed by five to eight questions. The material is dense academic writing drawn from law, science, humanities, and social science. A section includes either one "comparative reading" set — two shorter related passages instead of a single long one — or none at all. Questions focus on main point, author's attitude, inference, and passage structure.

Logical Reasoning gives you a short argument and asks you to do something with it: find the assumption, strengthen or weaken it, identify the flaw, draw an inference, or match the reasoning pattern. With two scored LR sections out of three, roughly two-thirds of your score comes from Logical Reasoning, so that is where your study time pays off most.

The Writing Section

Beyond the multiple-choice sections, the LSAT includes a writing sample. LSAT Argumentative Writing gives you a debatable issue along with three or four perspectives on it. Your job is to take a position within that ongoing conversation while addressing at least one of the arguments raised in the other perspectives.

You get 50 minutes total: 15 minutes of prewriting analysis followed by 35 minutes of actual writing. (You can move on to the writing portion early if you finish analyzing sooner.)

You complete the Writing section separately from the multiple-choice test, using remote-proctoring software on your own computer.

The essay is unscored and does not factor into your 120–180 scaled score, but law schools do receive a copy of it. LSAC will not release your score until you have a completed and approved writing sample on file, so give yourself room before you need your score. If you already submitted a writing sample during your current reportable score period, that one still counts and you do not need to write another.

For registration, scheduling, accommodations, and test-day logistics, check with LSAC directly — those policies change from cycle to cycle.