# LSAT exam guide > Study the LSAT section by section, with the current two-Logical-Reasoning format, the Reading Comprehension passage types, and the separate Argumentative Writing task. - Canonical page: https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/lsat - Markdown source: https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/lsat/llms.txt - Exam family: Graduate admissions - Governing body: Law School Admission Council (LSAC) - Official exam information: https://www.lsac.org/lsat - Who takes it: Applicants to Juris Doctor programs in the United States, Canada, and other jurisdictions that accept the LSAT for law school admission. - Follows the LSAT format introduced in August 2024, from 9 Aug 2024 - Guide structure last checked against official sources: August 30, 2026 ## Overview The LSAT is the law school admission test administered by the Law School Admission Council. The scored test is made up of multiple-choice sections that measure reading, analysis, and reasoning skills rather than legal knowledge: two scored Logical Reasoning sections and one scored Reading Comprehension section. A fourth, unscored section, which can be either Logical Reasoning or Reading Comprehension, is used to pretest new questions and is not identified during the exam. Every section is 35 minutes long, and a 10-minute break follows the second section, so the multiple-choice portion runs about two hours and twenty minutes plus the break. The test is delivered digitally through LSAC's LawHub platform, either remotely with online proctoring or at a testing center, and it is offered several times each year. LSAT Writing is completed separately from the multiple-choice sections. It is an unscored argumentative writing task with dedicated prewriting time, and a completed writing sample must be on file before LSAC releases a score to law schools. Because the writing sample is sent with every score report, it deserves deliberate practice even though it does not change the 120 to 180 score. ## Exam format - **Scored sections:** Two Logical Reasoning and one Reading Comprehension - **Unscored section:** One additional Logical Reasoning or Reading Comprehension section, not identified - **Section length:** 35 minutes each, with a 10-minute break after the second section - **Question format:** Multiple choice with five answer choices; no penalty for wrong answers - **LSAT Writing:** Separate, unscored argumentative writing task completed online - **Delivery:** Digital through LawHub, remotely proctored or at a testing center - **Score range:** 120 to 180 ## Scoring Every scored question counts equally, and there is no deduction for incorrect answers, so no question should be left blank. The raw number of correct answers is converted to a scaled score from 120 to 180, and LSAC also reports a percentile rank alongside the score. LSAT Writing is not scored; the sample itself is sent to schools. ## Sections LSAT is organized into 3 sections. Each one below lists its published weighting where the governing body publishes one, the topics it covers, and study tips specific to it. ### 1. Logical Reasoning - Position: 1 of 3 - Time: 35 minutes - Page: https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/lsat/logical-reasoning Logical Reasoning presents short arguments or sets of facts, usually a single paragraph, followed by one question that asks you to analyze, evaluate, or complete the reasoning. Because two of the three scored sections are Logical Reasoning, roughly two-thirds of the scored questions on the test come from this section type, which makes it the largest single lever on the final score. Each section contains about 24 to 26 questions in 35 minutes, so pacing and disciplined reading of the stimulus matter as much as logic itself. #### Topics - **Argument structure** — Identifying the conclusion, the premises that support it, and the role of any intermediate claims or background information. - **Assumptions and gaps** — Necessary and sufficient assumption questions that ask what the argument depends on or what would guarantee its conclusion. - **Strengthen and weaken** — Selecting new information that most supports or most undermines an argument without restating it. - **Flaws in reasoning** — Recognizing common errors such as causal confusion, sampling problems, equivocation, and conditional-logic mistakes. - **Inference and must-be-true** — Drawing conclusions that follow with certainty from a set of statements, including conditional chains and quantified claims. - **Paradox, principle, and parallel reasoning** — Resolving apparent discrepancies, applying or identifying governing principles, and matching the structure of one argument to another. #### Study tips - Learn to find the conclusion before anything else; most wrong answers are attractive only when the conclusion has been misread. - Categorize every practice question by type and keep a log of which types cost the most time or accuracy. - Practice full 35-minute sections regularly so that pacing decisions, including which questions to skip and return to, become automatic. - Review every missed question by writing out why each wrong answer is wrong, not only why the right answer is right. ### 2. Reading Comprehension - Position: 2 of 3 - Time: 35 minutes - Page: https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/lsat/reading-comprehension Reading Comprehension contains four reading selections, each followed by five to eight questions, for roughly 27 questions in 35 minutes. Three selections are single passages of about 400 to 500 words drawn from the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and law; one is a comparative reading set of two shorter passages on a related topic. Questions ask about the main point, the author's attitude, the function of a specific sentence, what the passage supports, and how the paired passages relate, so the section rewards structural reading rather than memorizing details. #### Topics - **Main point and purpose** — Stating the central claim of a passage and distinguishing the author's purpose from the topics the passage merely discusses. - **Passage structure and function** — Tracking how paragraphs build on one another and explaining why a particular sentence, example, or quotation appears where it does. - **Author attitude and tone** — Reading for evaluative language that reveals how the author regards a view, a study, or a group of scholars. - **Inference from the passage** — Identifying what the passage most strongly supports or what the author would most likely agree with, staying within the text. - **Comparative reading** — Relating two shorter passages by finding shared subject matter, points of agreement or disagreement, and differences in approach. #### Study tips - Read for structure on the first pass: note the main point, each paragraph's job, and any viewpoint the author endorses or rejects. - Answer questions by returning to the text; an answer choice that cannot be supported by a specific line is wrong even if it sounds plausible. - Practice comparative reading sets separately so the relationship between the two passages is the first thing you look for. - Time each passage and its questions as a unit, aiming for roughly eight to nine minutes per selection. ### 3. LSAT Writing - Position: 3 of 3 - Time: 50 minutes - Page: https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/lsat/lsat-writing LSAT Writing is an unscored argumentative writing task completed online and separately from the multiple-choice sections. The current format gives you a debatable issue with several perspectives, a prewriting period to organize your thinking, and a timed window to write an essay that takes a position and defends it while engaging with the competing views. Law schools receive the writing sample with the score report, so a clear, well-organized essay is a meaningful part of the application even though it does not affect the 120 to 180 score. #### Topics - **Taking and defending a position** — Choosing a clear stance on the issue and supporting it with reasons that connect to the perspectives provided. - **Engaging competing perspectives** — Acknowledging the strongest opposing considerations and explaining why your position still holds. - **Organization and clarity** — Structuring the essay with a recognizable introduction, focused body paragraphs, and a conclusion under time pressure. - **Prewriting strategy** — Using the prewriting period to outline the argument, select supporting reasons, and plan responses to counterarguments. #### Study tips - Complete at least two full timed practice essays using the official prewriting and writing periods so the format holds no surprises. - Decide on a repeatable essay structure in advance, then adapt it to the issue rather than inventing a structure on test day. - Spend prewriting time on the counterargument you will address; essays that ignore other perspectives read as incomplete. - Finish LSAT Writing early in your registration window so a missing sample never delays your score release. ## Study strategies - Build the study plan around Logical Reasoning, since two scored sections come from it, while giving Reading Comprehension a dedicated block every week. - Take full-length, timed practice tests, including an extra section to simulate the unscored one, and review each test more slowly than you took it. - Track accuracy by question type and by passage subject so the weakest categories get targeted practice instead of general review. - Treat every wrong answer as a data point: write a one-line explanation of the trap it used, and revisit those notes before the next practice test. - Practice with official LSAT questions wherever possible, because the logic and phrasing of official items are what the test rewards. - Complete LSAT Writing well before the score release deadline so the writing sample never delays an application. ## Frequently asked questions ### What sections are on the LSAT now? Since August 2024 the LSAT has two scored Logical Reasoning sections, one scored Reading Comprehension section, and one unscored section that is either Logical Reasoning or Reading Comprehension. Analytical Reasoning, the former logic games section, is no longer part of the test. LSAT Writing is a separate, unscored task. ### How is the LSAT scored? Every scored question is worth the same amount and there is no penalty for wrong answers. The number of correct answers is converted to a scaled score from 120 to 180, and a percentile rank is reported alongside it. ### Does LSAT Writing affect my score? No. LSAT Writing is unscored, but it must be completed before LSAC releases your score, and law schools receive the writing sample with your score report. ### How long is the LSAT? The four multiple-choice sections are 35 minutes each, with a 10-minute break after the second section, for about two hours and twenty minutes of testing plus the break. LSAT Writing is completed separately. ### Can I take the LSAT remotely? Yes. The LSAT is delivered digitally through LSAC's LawHub platform and can be taken remotely with online proctoring or at a testing center, subject to LSAC's current policies. ## Related exam guides - [SAT](https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/sat): Study the digital, adaptive SAT module by module, with the College Board's published content domains and their share of every section. - [ACT](https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/act): Study the enhanced ACT section by section, from the three core tests behind the composite to the optional science and writing components. - [MCAT](https://www.arcadesacademy.com/exams/mcat): Study the Medical College Admission Test section by section, with official question counts, section timing, and the foundational concepts behind each set of passages. ## Independence and trademark notice Arcade Academy is an independent educational resource. 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