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Taking the LSAT costs $253 (which includes LSAT Argumentative Writing) for registration, and most applicants spend more once the required Credential Assembly Service (CAS) fee of $219 and per-school report charges are added. Fee waivers from LSAC can cover these core costs for applicants who qualify financially.
By Ali Unar, JD candidate at Georgetown Law and founder of Lovare Institut. Last updated August 2026. Figures on this page were verified in August 2026 or point readers to the current source.
Registering for one LSAT sitting costs $253 (which includes LSAT Argumentative Writing). Most applicants end up spending more than the headline fee because the Credential Assembly Service and its per-school reports are effectively mandatory for ABA law schools. LSAC posts every current figure on its official fees page.
The base registration fee covers the test itself. Extra costs typically include the CAS subscription, each law-school report, and any late-registration or date-change fees. The list below shows the usual charges.
Two applicants pay very different totals mostly because of school count and retakes. Every additional school adds a report fee, and every retake adds another registration fee. Choosing to register late or change your test date adds further charges, while a fee waiver can remove several of them.
Register early to avoid late fees, finalize your test date before deadlines to skip change charges, and apply for an LSAC fee waiver first if your finances qualify. Prepare thoroughly enough that one retake at most is likely, since each additional sitting repeats the full registration fee.
The core LSAT fee is $253 (which includes LSAT Argumentative Writing). On top of that, budget for the CAS report law schools require, plus possible late-registration or date-change charges if they apply to you. LSAC lists every current fee on its site, and eligible candidates can request a need-based waiver before they register.
You can repeat the LSAT, but LSAC caps the number of attempts within one testing year, within the current plus recent testing years, and across your lifetime: no per-testing-year cap, five times within the current five-year reportable period, and seven times over a lifetime. Because cancelled scores count toward these caps, most advisers suggest testing only when you are genuinely ready to hit your target.
The best LSAT date leaves time for a possible retake before deadlines, typically a sitting in the summer or early autumn of your application year. Rolling admissions reward early, complete applications, so an earlier score that meets your target medians usually beats a slightly higher score submitted months later.
Verified August 2026.
August 21, 2026
August 21, 2026