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To take the LSAT, create an LSAC account, register for a test date, and choose the remote-proctored option or a test center. The exam has two scored Logical Reasoning sections, one Reading Comprehension section, and one unscored section, and is scored 120 to 180. Prepare with a diagnostic and timed practice through Lovare before test day.
By Ali Unar, JD candidate at Georgetown Law and founder of Lovare Institut. Last updated August 2026. Every figure on this page was verified in August 2026 against the sources listed below.
You take the LSAT by registering through your official LSAC account, which is the only place the test is administered. Create the account, choose a test date and administration option, then pay the registration fee. The LSAT registration fee is $253 and includes LSAT Argumentative Writing, according to LSAC's LSAT and CAS fees schedule. LSAC does not list a single fee waiver amount here, so check its current fee waiver terms directly. Seats and dates are limited, so register well ahead of your target sitting. According to LSAC's LSAT dates calendar, upcoming administrations run September 9 to 12, 2026, October 7 to 10, 2026, November 11 to 14, 2026, January 13 to 16, 2027, February 12 to 13, 2027, April 8 to 10, 2027, and June 9 to 12, 2027, with each administration's registration deadline listed on that same LSAC calendar.
On LSAT test day you complete four 35-minute sections: two scored Logical Reasoning sections, one scored Reading Comprehension section, and one unscored variable section used to pretest questions. If you take the remote-proctored LSAT, you check in with a live proctor, show identification, and are monitored through your webcam. Test-center sittings follow the same section structure under in-person proctoring. You also complete LSAT Writing, an unscored writing sample, in a separate session.
The LSAT is scored on a 120 to 180 scale, based only on the number of questions you answer correctly across the scored sections, with no penalty for wrong answers. Your score and percentile rank are released through your LSAC account on a set date after the test. For example, scores from the September 2026 LSAT are released on September 30, 2026, according to LSAC's LSAT dates calendar. Because there is no wrong-answer penalty, answer every question even when you must guess.
Prepare for the LSAT by taking a full-length diagnostic first, then studying question types untimed before shifting to timed, full-length practice tests. Aim to sit at least a few complete practice tests under real conditions so test day feels familiar. Lovare's free diagnostic and prep target the specific question types that cost you points.
Most test-takers prepare for roughly three to six months before taking the LSAT, scaled to the gap between a diagnostic score and their target. The exam itself runs about three hours of testing across four sections. Give yourself enough runway to complete several timed, full-length practice tests before your official sitting.
Start preparing three to six months before the LSAT date you register for, and register early because seats and dates fill. Open with a diagnostic, learn fundamentals, then build up to full timed tests. Taking the LSAT earlier in your application cycle also leaves room to retake it if needed.
To lift LSAT Reading Comprehension before test day, practice reading each passage for structure: main point, author's stance, and viewpoint shifts. Work untimed until accuracy is high, then rehearse under the 35-minute section clock so pacing feels natural. Record misses by question type to expose recurring traps.
Verified August 2026.
August 21, 2026
August 21, 2026