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Take the LSAT far enough ahead of your application deadlines to allow at least one retake, typically in the summer or early fall of the year you apply. Because law schools admit on a rolling basis, earlier complete applications generally fare better, so aim to have your final score before the cycle opens.
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.
Aim to sit the LSAT so that your final score is ready before your earliest application deadline, with enough margin for one retake, which for most applicants means testing in the summer or early fall of the year they apply. Because law schools use rolling admissions, an application that is complete early in the cycle generally competes better than the same application submitted months later.
Start from the date you want applications submitted, usually early in the fall cycle, then place a primary LSAT sitting far enough ahead that a retake still fits before that date. Give yourself several months of preparation before the primary sitting. This backward planning keeps a weak first score from forcing a late application.
Your target-score gap, your available study time, and your academic or work schedule all move the date. Applicants needing a large score increase should start earlier to allow a retake, while those close to their target can test later. Gap-year applicants often have more flexibility than those testing during a demanding senior year.
Take a timed diagnostic to gauge the distance to your target score, then choose a primary LSAT date that leaves room for a fall retake before deadlines and register early. Confirm the current test-date calendar with LSAC, since dates change each cycle. Lovare's planning tools can map your study weeks against your chosen sitting.
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.
LSAC limits how often you can sit the LSAT, capping attempts within a single testing year, within a rolling multi-year window, and across your lifetime: no per-testing-year cap, five times within the current five-year reportable period, and seven times over a lifetime. Cancelled scores and absences still count against these limits, so plan each registration deliberately rather than treating early sittings as free practice.
Aim to have your final LSAT score before you submit applications, ideally by early fall, so you can apply early in a rolling cycle. Testing in the summer gives you a built-in retake window if your first score falls short of your target schools' medians, without pushing your applications late.
Verified August 2026.
August 21, 2026
August 21, 2026