Remember the experimental section? The unscored chunk of the LSAT that every prep book told you to take seriously, and that every test taker spent the whole exam trying to spot anyway? Starting in August 2027, it’s going away.

Well, sort of.

The Law School Admission Council announced that beginning with the August 2027 administration, the first of the 2027-2028 testing cycle, the unscored questions LSAC uses to vet future test items will no longer get their own standalone section. Instead, they’ll be tucked into each of the three scored sections, a practice known in the testing world as “embedded pretesting.” The experimental section isn’t dying so much as going undercover.

Under the new format, every test taker gets the same lineup: Reading Comprehension first, followed by two Logical Reasoning sections, with a 10-minute break after each of the first two sections. Reading Comp balloons to 52 minutes for six passages and 40 questions, though only four passages and 27 questions actually count. Each Logical Reasoning section runs 45 minutes for 32 questions, 25 of them scored. Which ones are the duds? You won’t know, and the placement of scored and unscored questions will vary from test taker to test taker.

LSAC points out that the SAT, ACT, and the bar exam already work this way and says the change will help it “maintain and enhance the security and reliability of the LSAT going forward.” It’s also the latest in a string of overhauls that began when LSAC eliminated logic games starting in 2024, a change that may have helped drive an applicant surge.

So how big a deal is this for the people actually sitting for the exam? Krystin Major, Kaplan’s director of LSAT programs, gave Above the Law her take:

“On a scale of 1 to 10, we’d rate the upcoming LSAT changes at about a 6 in terms of significance for test takers. The biggest change coming in August 2027 is to the test-taking experience rather than the test itself. The exam will continue to assess the same core skills, but changes to its format, timing, and structure will require students to adjust their test-taking strategies. With longer sections and experimental questions integrated throughout the exam, pacing, concentration, and mental endurance will become especially important. Students will need to practice maintaining their focus over longer stretches of time while approaching every question with equal seriousness.”

That last part is the real adjustment. Under the current format, test takers at least knew a full section somewhere didn’t count, and plenty of them burned precious mental energy trying to guess which one. Now the throwaways are sprinkled in among the questions that matter, and the exam opens with 52 straight minutes of dense reading passages.

Major’s advice for what comes next:

“The good news is that the fundamental skills needed to succeed on the LSAT remain unchanged, so students shouldn’t feel they need to start their preparation from scratch. Our advice for test takers is to familiarize themselves with the new format and practice under realistic test-day conditions. As with any significant standardized test change, Kaplan will update its courses, practice materials, and expert guidance to ensure students have the strategies, tools, and confidence they need to succeed on test day.”

LSAC will release practice tests in the new format through LawHub in February 2027, and current-format practice tests will remain available through the June 2027 administration. So if you’re planning to sit before next summer, carry on as you were. If not, you have until February to make peace with the idea that any question might be the one that counts — which is, of course, exactly how the prep books told you to approach it all along.

Earlier: LSAC Will Eliminate Logic Games From LSAT In 2024!
Looks Like Logic Games Really Did Gatekeep The LSAT
But, Maybe, Logic Games Were… Good?
The Latest Right-Wing Culture War Is LSAT Reform
China’s Hacking Operation Apparently Came For The LSAT
It’s Time For Future Law Students To Say Goodbye To The Remote LSAT

Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Bluesky @Kathryn1

The post The LSAT Shakes Up Its Format (Again) appeared first on Above the Law.

Well, sort of.

So how big a deal is this for the people actually sitting for the exam? Krystin Major, Kaplan’s director of LSAT programs, gave Above the Law her take:

“On a scale of 1 to 10, we’d rate the upcoming LSAT changes at about a 6 in terms of significance for test takers. The biggest change coming in August 2027 is to the test-taking experience rather than the test itself. The exam will continue to assess the same core skills, but changes to its format, timing, and structure will require students to adjust their test-taking strategies. With longer sections and experimental questions integrated throughout the exam, pacing, concentration, and mental endurance will become especially important. Students will need to practice maintaining their focus over longer stretches of time while approaching every question with equal seriousness.”

Major’s advice for what comes next:

“The good news is that the fundamental skills needed to succeed on the LSAT remain unchanged, so students shouldn’t feel they need to start their preparation from scratch. Our advice for test takers is to familiarize themselves with the new format and practice under realistic test-day conditions. As with any significant standardized test change, Kaplan will update its courses, practice materials, and expert guidance to ensure students have the strategies, tools, and confidence they need to succeed on test day.”