The LSAT takes about 3 hours for standard test takers: four 35-minute multiple-choice sections (2 hours 20 minutes of testing) with a 10-minute intermission after Section 2, plus check-in. The 50-minute LSAT Argumentative Writing task is separate, on another day. From August 2027 the test changes to three longer sections and two breaks.
Use the planner below to turn your start time into a minute-by-minute schedule, including extended time if you've been approved for it. Every time on this page comes from LSAC's LSAT FAQ, its test specifications and its August 2027 announcement, checked November 9, 2026.
Pick your format, scheduled start time and testing time. The planner lays out every section and break with clock times and tells you when you'll be done, so you can plan meals, travel and the rest of your day.
You finish at about 11:00 AM. Testing time 2 h 20 min, breaks 10 min, plus 30 min for check-in: plan on about 3 h in all.
| Block | Starts | Ends | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arrive and check in | 8:00 AM | 8:30 AM | 30 min |
| Section 1 (LR, RC or unscored) | 8:30 AM | 9:05 AM | 35 min |
| Section 2 (LR, RC or unscored) | 9:05 AM | 9:40 AM | 35 min |
| Intermission | 9:40 AM | 9:50 AM | 10 min |
| Section 3 (LR, RC or unscored) | 9:50 AM | 10:25 AM | 35 min |
| Section 4 (LR, RC or unscored) | 10:25 AM | 11:00 AM | 35 min |
Section times and breaks come from LSAC. The check-in allowance is our planning assumption; follow the arrival instructions LSAC and your test center give you. With accommodations, your LSAC approval letter decides your exact times and breaks. The Argumentative Writing task (50 minutes) is taken separately, on a different day.
Last verified against LSAC's LSAT FAQ, test specifications, intermission and August 2027 pages: November 9, 2026.
Each of the four sections is exactly 35 minutes in the current format, whatever its type. Two are scored Logical Reasoning, one is scored Reading Comprehension, and one is an unscored variable section of either type that LSAC uses to try out new questions. You won't know which section is unscored, so treat all four as real.
| Block | Time | Counts toward your score? |
|---|---|---|
| Section 1 | 35 min | Yes, unless it's the variable section |
| Section 2 | 35 min | Yes, unless it's the variable section |
| Intermission | 10 min | No (everyone takes the full 10) |
| Section 3 | 35 min | Yes, unless it's the variable section |
| Section 4 | 35 min | Yes, unless it's the variable section |
| Total | 2 h 20 min testing + 10 min break = 2 h 30 min | Three scored sections |
| Argumentative Writing (separate day) | 50 min | No, but required: no score release without it |
LSAC rounds the whole sitting to "approximately 3 hours" because check-in adds time before Section 1 and after the intermission. The sections themselves are strictly timed: when the clock hits zero, the section ends. For what each section tests, see our LSAT sections breakdown.
Yes: one 10-minute intermission, immediately after Section 2. Section 3 won't start until the full 10 minutes are up, even if you come back early. You can use the restroom, eat or drink, and stretch, but you can't touch your phone or any test material, and you must tell your proctor when the intermission starts.
Starting with the August 2027 LSAT, the unscored questions move inside the scored sections, so the test has three sections instead of four: Reading Comprehension first (52 minutes), then two Logical Reasoning sections (45 minutes each), with a 10-minute break after each of the first two. Anyone testing through June 2027 keeps the current format.
| Through June 2027 | August 2027 and later | |
|---|---|---|
| Sections | 4 × 35 min (2 LR, 1 RC, 1 unscored) | RC 52 min, LR 45 min, LR 45 min |
| Testing time | 2 h 20 min | 2 h 22 min |
| Breaks | One 10-min intermission after Section 2 | 10 min after Section 1 and after Section 2 |
| Sections + breaks | 2 h 30 min | 2 h 42 min |
| Unscored questions | A whole variable section | Embedded: 13 in RC, 7 in each LR |
| Scored questions | 27 RC + 50 LR | 27 RC + 50 LR |
| Section order | Varies | Same for everyone: RC, LR, LR |
LSAT Argumentative Writing takes 50 minutes: 15 minutes of guided prewriting analysis and 35 minutes to write the essay. You can move past prewriting after 5 minutes, but the unused time doesn't carry over, so most people should use it. The task is unscored, but LSAC requires a completed writing sample before you can see your LSAT score or have it released to law schools, so finish it early.
It isn't part of test day. You take it online with remote proctoring, on demand, starting 8 days before your multiple-choice test. Block out about an hour including the proctor check-in. Our LSAT Argumentative Writing guide shows how to use the prewriting questions.
With 50% additional time the four sections take 3 hours 30 minutes; with 100% additional time they take 4 hours 40 minutes, before breaks. LSAC grants test takers approved for 100% or more additional time five-minute breaks between the other sections on request. Your LSAC approval letter governs your exact schedule.
| Testing time | Per section (current) | Four sections | With intermission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 35 min | 2 h 20 min | 2 h 30 min |
| 50% additional | 52.5 min | 3 h 30 min | 3 h 40 min |
| 100% additional | 70 min | 4 h 40 min | 4 h 50 min (5 h with optional breaks) |
LSAC says accommodation requests, including the extra 5-minute breaks, must be in by the accommodation request deadline for your test date. Our LSAT extended time guide covers how to request it and how to pace the longer sections.
About 1 minute 20 seconds per question on average. LSAC's August 2027 figures make it easy to compute: 78 seconds per Reading Comprehension question and about 84 seconds per Logical Reasoning question, which LSAC says matches the current format.
Our LSAT time management tips turn these averages into a section plan.
Take at least three or four full, timed practice tests under test conditions before test day, with the 10-minute break in the same place. The LSAT is short compared with the bar exam, but focus fades in Section 4, and that's where untrained test takers lose points.
Ready for the day itself? The LSAT test day checklist covers what to bring, and when LSAT scores are released tells you how long you'll wait afterward.