LSAT Format Change: Embedded Unscored Questions Starting August 2027
LSAC announced that starting with the August 2027 LSAT, the standalone unscored section goes away. Unscored experimental questions will instead be mixed into the three scored sections.
New format (August 2027 onward)
Every test taker gets the same 3 sections in the same order:
1. Reading Comprehension: 52 minutes, 6 passages, 40 questions (4 passages / 27 questions scored, 2 passages / 13 questions unscored)
2. 10-minute break
3. Logical Reasoning: 45 minutes, 32 questions (25 scored, 7 unscored)
4. 10-minute break
5. Logical Reasoning: 45 minutes, 32 questions (25 scored, 7 unscored)
What's not changing
- Question types
- Number of scored questions
- Time per question
- Score scale and comparability across cycles
What it means for you
- Testing through June 2027: Nothing changes. Prep with the current four-section format.
- Testing August 2027 or later: LSAC will release new-format practice tests in February 2027. Switch to those once they're available.
Practical implications
- You won't be able to identify the unscored questions, so every question counts as far as you know. No more spotting the experimental section.
- Sections are longer: 52 and 45 minutes instead of 35. Stamina within a section matters more.
- Section order is fixed, with RC always first. You can build your warm-up and pacing routine around that.
- Total time on test day goes up slightly: 142 minutes of testing plus two breaks, compared with 140 minutes plus one break now.
We're already on it. Don't worry, you can rely on 7Sage to adapt so you'll be able to practice under real test-day conditions well before August 2027.
https://www.lsac.org/lsat-will-look-little-different-starting-august-2027
63 comments
SO UNEXCITED FOR THIS CHANGE. HOPEFULLY WE WILL ALL BE DONE WITH THE LSAT BEFORE THIS GOES LIVE.
@Kyle180 so real
@Kyle180 I Pray to God
LSAC every once in a while: "I hate you all, and f*** you"
@JordanGiffin 😭
Lord I pray for everyone here to get their desired score in time by June 2027. Bless our hands and feet. Protect us against the Enemy
@pjin Amen🙏🏾
@pjin Amen!
@pjin Amen
AND JUST LIKE IM MOTIVATED AGAIN
100% not sticking around for all that
@Willyc 😭
Not liking the changes. For me, this just means I NEED to have my desire score by January.
@Angesila15 So effing real 😢
This is a terrible move on LSACs part. Another money making scheme? Me thinks yes.
@Epicness W pfp
oh okay so I REALLY need to lock in for this November test then...cause what is this
@dancingqueen138 same here.. taking in November, and might have to in the Spring. Better get it done by June 2027! ha
That RC passage is insane! Not only is doing 6 sections a lot, but if your short on time and maybe can only fully do 1 section, it's a possibility you spend your time on an unscored section instead of the scored one. And just the idea that I could be spinning my wheels on a section or question that may not even factor into the score is absolutely ridiculous.
Having said that... for anyone still needing to take it, it will be a challenge everyone faces so there is nothing to worry about.
@Garrett_dom On the other hand there is a chance you run out of time and blindly guess on a passage, get them all wrong, and then it doesn't count.
This would increase your variance, and give the possibility you do much worse. But you get 5 takes. Variance is your friend.
@Garrett_dom Even though everyone else who you took it with will face the same challenge, not everyone applying in that cycle will have taken the new test...
@jacobb Not necessarily. Imagine someone who only has 1 or 2 takes left after August, for example. They don't have as many rolls of the die left. In addition, someone might want to ensure hitting a certain minimum more than they want the chance of a lucky high (because of their application strength and school goals).
@Kevin_Lin Good point. There will be counter examples, where the same average with a higher variance is a disadvantage for a specific person.
Specifically if you had someone with limited takes left, with all their past attempts below the median of a specific target school.
But whatever result happens aside, right now in the system we have where your highest score matters way more than how low your lowest score is. Higher variance with the same average should be helpful more often than not not. And so I think most people should not be worried about this change making the August 2027 test harder than it would have been. And for many it could even be an advantage.
If we have a fresh test taker with a bunch of attempts left. Which will presumably be most people after August 2027. And they could choose between having a score range of 155-165, or 150-170. They should choose 150-170(assuming the same average)
Random aside about how I think it effect high scorers.
I guess also for the very high scorers lower variance might be good, because once you get to above every median I don't think it matters as much to increase your ceiling. So the difference between having a ceiling of 177 instead of 175 may be essentially trivial, and increasing their top end potential might not matter. But decreasing the floor probably matters more.
Although I don't think the problem of potentially doing an experimental passage, then running out of time and guessing for a real passage really applies as much to that score range. So I don't see why this would increase variance at the top end?
If anything I could see it having the opposite effect for really high scorers. As an example I am more likely to run out of time if you give me a 8:45 1 passage drill, than I am if you give me a 35 minute section. Because if I get an outlier difficulty passage, I have time to recover in the 35 minutes. I am faster than 8:45 per passage on average, but I can get an individual passage where I take 9 minutes, but it is highly unlikely I will get 4 passages in a combined where I average 9 minutes.
I would think the same applies if I go up to 6 passages. I guess it makes it more likely I get a passage that messes me up, but that effect of it being less likely that I run out of time should extrapolate? (I don't see why it wouldn't)
At some point exhaustion would kick in, and more passages would be harder. But I think it would take quite a lot of passages back to back before I become more likely to run out of time.
So if I had to guess I would expect variance will go down for people who generally finish sections, and will go up for people who don't, and who generally have to blindly guess on some sections.
A 1 hour RC section is wrong and cruel
Lol they said we're sick and tired of Jon Denning and his on-point predictions
I need to lock in for April 2027
6 straight passages is ludicrous.
@ElliotFarr58 exactly
Ew 😭 just want to be done with this hopefully by Jan 2027 and never again 🙏🏽🙌🏾
I guarantee by then the writing section will be scored
@AlexHaro I honestly do not mind that
@AlexHaro In an admissions panel with a bunch of schools I went to, they were mentioning how they are starting to look at the writing section a little closer now to see if the writing style is drastically different than your essays (aka seeing if someone used AI on their essays).
wowwww, they just continue to find more ways to make it harder to keep people out of law school.
oh really need my June LSAT to be one and DONE lol
On one hand, the potential to not get double slammed with two RC sections sounds good, but a whole hour with 6 passages and no break is diabolical.
@Kevin_Lin what does this mean for people with accommodations on the current format? For instance, what if they already have an accommodation that removed the experimental section? Will this now apply to the experimental questions embedded within the new format? Or how about someone already approved for time and a half, or double time? Are they now expected to literally test for almost 6 hours, or possibly longer if they're also approved for start/stop times? This seems to be asking a lot from people who are already documented to be compromised enough to warrant an accommodation.
@whouse737 LSAC hasn't released details yet. I assume they'll still offer the extra time accommodations. I'm not sure they'll offer the no-experimental accommodations, but that's just a guess. I think people will just have to choose -- maybe they can qualify for 200% but if you can't finish sections early than maybe you don't want to ask for that and just stick with 150%. All of this is just speculation until LSAC comes out with more.
@Kevin_Lin By the way, note that overall testing time is not very different, because there's only 3 sections now instead of 4. So the test won't be especially longer in the new format even for those with extra time accommodations.
@whouse737 On the LSAC announcement FAQ, they say there won't be any changes to how accommodations will be handled. I think removing the unscored questions will be tricky, but I imagine extra time will still be available like usual.
Thank you for commenting on these changes so promptly. I read about the changes elsewhere and immediately logged on to 7sage for guidance
Stamina and pacing have entered the chat.
so happy to be done this now
Life has been really kicking me so it doesn't surprise me that this is happening
BRING It. THE FUQ ON.