Major LSAT Format ChangesAnnounced for August 2027:New Sections, Timing, andWhat Students Need to Know

The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) announced today that the LSAT will undergo a major format change beginning with the August 2027 exam. The test will move from four sections to three, eliminate the separate unscored experimental section, and introduce longer Reading Comprehension and Logical Reasoning sections.

This is one of the biggest changes in LSAT history. Although the question types and skills being tested will remain the same, students preparing for the August 2027 LSAT and later administrations will face a significantly different testing experience.

Bob Verini, a private LSAT tutor with more than 45 years of teaching experience and over 10,000 students taught, examines the changes and what students should know as they prepare for the new format.

Current LSAT vs. August 2027 LSAT: What's Changing?

The biggest difference is that the LSAT will no longer have a separate 35-minute experimental section. Instead, unscored questions will be incorporated into the three remaining sections.

The overall testing time remains nearly identical, increasing by just two minutes. However, the distribution of that time changes substantially, with students spending longer periods working within each section.

August 2027 LSAT: Exact Section Breakdown

LSAC has provided the precise number of questions and time limits for the new exam.

The Reading Comprehension section will contain six passages, compared with the four passages students currently encounter. Four passages, containing 27 questions, will count toward the final score. The other two passages, containing 13 questions, will be unscored.

Each Logical Reasoning section will contain 32 questions, of which 25 will count toward the student's score and seven will be unscored.

LSAC states that students will continue to receive the same amount of time per question under the new format.

Why Is LSAC Eliminating the Separate Experimental Section?

The experimental section has traditionally allowed LSAC to evaluate new questions before using them on scored exams. These questions help determine whether potential future test questions function as intended and whether they contain ambiguities or potential bias.

Beginning in August 2027, LSAC will use a method known as embedded pretesting.

Instead of placing all experimental questions into a separate section, LSAC will distribute them throughout the scored sections.

Embedded pretesting is already used by other major standardized examinations, including the SAT, ACT, and bar exam.

The purpose of the unscored questions remains unchanged. They allow LSAC to evaluate potential future test questions without affecting students' reported scores.

One important consequence is that students will no longer encounter an entire section that does not count toward their score. Instead, scored and unscored questions will appear within the same sections.

Reading Comprehension Will Be 17 Minutes Longer

Perhaps the most noticeable change will be to Reading Comprehension.

Currently, students complete four passages within a 35-minute section. Beginning in August 2027, they will encounter six passages within 52 minutes.

Although LSAC says the amount of time per question will remain consistent, students will need to sustain their reading and analytical concentration across a substantially longer section.

Reading Comprehension requires students to understand complex passages, distinguish competing viewpoints, identify main arguments, and draw conclusions supported by the text.

Those skills are not changing.

However, maintaining accuracy through six passages rather than four could require adjustments to pacing and endurance.

Bob Verini's more than 45 years of LSAT teaching experience provide a useful perspective on this distinction: knowing how to answer Reading Comprehension questions and maintaining that performance consistently under timed conditions are related but separate challenges.

The new format will make that distinction particularly important.

Logical Reasoning Sections Will Increase to 45 Minutes

The LSAT will continue to have two scored Logical Reasoning sections, but each will increase from 35 minutes to 45 minutes.

Each section will contain 32 questions, with 25 scored questions and seven unscored questions.

Students will continue to encounter the same types of Logical Reasoning questions, including assumptions, flaws, strengthen and weaken questions, inferences, and parallel reasoning.

There will be no new question types or changes to the underlying reasoning skills being evaluated.

The primary adjustment will be working through a longer section containing both scored and experimental questions.

For students who already struggle with maintaining focus during timed Logical Reasoning sections, this is an important consideration when planning preparation for August 2027 and beyond.

The LSAT Will Have a Fixed Section Order and Two Breaks

Beginning in August 2027, every student will encounter the sections in the same order:

1. Reading Comprehension — 52 minutes
2. Logical Reasoning — 45 minutes
3. Logical Reasoning — 45 minutes

Students will receive a 10-minute break after Reading Comprehension and another 10-minute break after the first Logical Reasoning section.

This replaces the current four-section format, in which section order can vary and students receive one scheduled 10-minute break.

The fixed order removes uncertainty about which section will appear first and allows students to prepare for a consistent sequence.

It also means students will begin every exam with the longest section: Reading Comprehension.

When Will New LSAT Practice Tests Be Available?

LSAC announced that updated LawHub preparation materials reflecting the August 2027 format will become available in February 2027.

These materials will allow students to practice the new three-section structure, including longer Reading Comprehension and Logical Reasoning sections with embedded experimental questions.

LawHub will continue providing materials in the existing four-section format through the June 2027 LSAT.

This creates a clear transition period:

• Testing through June 2027: Continue preparing for the existing four-section LSAT.
• Testing August 2027 or later: Begin familiarizing yourself with the new format when the updated LawHub materials become available in February 2027.

Students planning to take the August 2027 LSAT will have approximately six months between the release of the new preparation materials and the first administration under the revised format.

What Should Students Do Differently to Prepare?

For now, the most important point is that the underlying LSAT skills are not changing.

Students should continue developing their ability to analyze arguments, identify assumptions, recognize reasoning flaws, interpret complex reading passages, and evaluate competing answer choices.

Those skills will remain essential regardless of which version of the LSAT a student takes.

For students planning to test in August 2027 or later, the primary adjustment will be practicing under the new timing and section structure once official materials become available.

Longer sections may make concentration and pacing more important preparation considerations, but students should avoid abandoning effective study methods or assuming that previously learned LSAT strategies are obsolete.

Bob Verini has taught the LSAT for more than 45 years, working with over 10,000 students through multiple changes to the examination. The fundamental objective of effective LSAT preparation remains the same: developing the reasoning skills necessary to answer questions accurately and consistently.

The new format changes how those skills will be tested, not which skills students need to master.

The Bottom Line

Beginning in August 2027, the LSAT will consist of three longer sections rather than four shorter ones. The separate experimental section will disappear, with unscored questions embedded into Reading Comprehension and Logical Reasoning.

Students will encounter a fixed section order, two scheduled breaks, and a total of 142 minutes of testing, excluding breaks.

The question types, number of scored questions, and 120–180 scoring scale will remain unchanged.

For students taking the LSAT through June 2027, nothing changes. Those planning to test in August 2027 or later should begin preparing with the updated LawHub materials when they become available in February 2027.

The format is changing, but the reasoning skills required for LSAT success are not.

Official source: Law School Admission Council, LSAT Will Look a Little Different Starting August 2027, announced October 26, 2026.

https://www.lsac.org/lsat-will-look-little-different-starting-august-2027