How long is the LSAT? Can’t figure out how to divide your study time to cover each LSAT section? Here’s everything you should know to breeze through it!
How long is the LSAT – A Must-Read for pre-law Students!
If there’s one guarantee of you entering your dream law school, then it’s by nailing your LSAT exam. To obtain the score required to get in, you need to devote the majority of your time preparing for it, but it’s different for all test takers. Or let’s say everyone has their unique way of approaching the LSAT exam.
Typically, each section of the LSAT exam lasts 35 minutes, and the entire test takes up to 2 hours and 55 minutes to finish. And if we include the break schedule in it, it would take about 3 hours 10 minutes. Woah – that sounds like a long time, and we understand how it can be a hassle to maintain your concentration level for that long. Thus, the best way to ace it is by incorporating the test’s format into your study strategy.
Pro tip: organize your study sessions and limit yourself according to the exam time.
If you have a hard time figuring out how to go about it, we’re here to help you find a way out!
Time Span of LSAT Exam
As we’ve discussed earlier, the entire LSAT exam lasts for about 2 hours and 55 minutes, with a 15-minute break halfway through the exam. But this isn’t even all – there’s more you need to know about the duration of the exam!
Let’s break it down to make it easier for you to understand!
There are about 100 multiple-choice questions in the test as a whole. Another thing is that each section has more questions than you can complete in the allotted time. If that freaks you out, relax – you don’t have to complete every question.
Here’s the best part; LSAT is positively marked, which means it only counts up the right answers! No penalty for the wrong ones.
However, accuracy is the key. Do all you can to resist the urge to work too quickly and avoid rushing it through. Because frankly, the faster you proceed, the more susceptible your exam is to errors you don’t even mean to make! So, if a question stumps you, you have two options: try revisiting it later, or give it a shot.
Since your score depends on correct responses, making a guess when you’re not sure won’t hurt. Take your time to think it through, and then answer the question.
How Long Is Each LSAT Section? - LSAT Test Day Breakdown
When you’re well-prepared for what’s coming, there’s no way your anxiety will get the better of you. Your nerves stay calm during the exam; naturally, you can think straight. Since there’s a random arrangement of the LSAT questions, you won’t know what’s the first thing coming your way. That’s when keeping your cool helps (more than you think)!
So, let’s dive deeper into each section and break it down for you.
Section 1: Logical Reasoning
Also known as “Arguments”, this section consists of about 25-26 questions, which must be completed in 35 minutes. This means you’ll get around a minute and a half for each question in this part. The aim here is to gauge how skillfully you can assess logical arguments, which is where the name comes from. You’ll know how crucial it is once you begin practicing law.
On test day, you will see at least one LR portion. However, there’s a chance you will see it twice if the experimental section is also a part of it. You’ll be surprised to know that the Logical Reasoning part only accounts for a third of your LSAT. That’s because there are only three scored sections on the entire exam.
This will all make sense once you find out (later in practical life) how crucial the skill is to your law career!
Section 2: Analytical Reasoning
Analytical reasoning only has one section, consisting of four logic games with roughly six problems for each. Like the LR, this section also has a 35-minute time limit. Here, you’ll get a game or prompt with a selection of objects, people, or locations, rules to assist you in deciding how they should be arranged, or questions based on those rules.
There’s no denying that this looks terribly challenging; nevertheless, practicing can be your savior!
You constantly improve over time as you practice. This one aims to see your capacity to comprehend connections between two or more items. Also, to see if you understand how logic influences certain decisions.
To be a thriving future lawyer, you’ll need to ace this part of the exam. And, of course, nothing can stop you once you’ve nailed it.
Section 3: Reading Comprehension
Again, the reading comprehension section is about 35 minutes long, with four passages to read. You have to answer about 27 multiple-choice questions in this section. While it may seem like a lot of time, that’s not true! You have less than 9 minutes to read a lengthy or rather complex passage and respond to some challenging questions based on it. Yep, it may take quite a while.
Primarily, this section aims to assess your ability to quickly comprehend what the passage really talks about. They gauge if you can draw logical conclusions from what you’ve read.
That might seem unimportant, but it’s insanely significant for a career as challenging as law.
Experimental/Variable
On the LSAT exam, there’s always an unscored experimental section. Here, you’ll find new exam-relevant questions for future exams. But, the trickiest part remains – it’s impossible to tell which question is the experimental section of the exam.
However, it isn’t that bad if you know how to make a guess based on logic. For that, you must remember that each exam will have 2 LR Sections, one analytical reasoning section, and one reading comprehension section.
Suppose you get two analytical sections on your test, you can obviously tell that one of them was the experimental section, right?
Section 4: Writing Sample
Breaks During Your LSAT Exam
Once you’re done with the second section, you’ll get a 10-minute break. You can use this time to munch a snack, sip on your beverage, or maybe stretch your legs. We’d highly recommend you use this time to unwind in the restroom or meditate for a while. After the break, you’ll have two more sections, so you must utilize them in every way to maximize your performance.
By the time you’re done with the break, just make sure you have the necessary preparation and mental toughness to get through each section!
Practising for the LSAT Exam
While there are countless preparation resources, you need to ensure you choose the best one, and on top of that, you make the most out of it. That means setting up practice exams for yourself that closely resemble the real LSAT.
Setting out your mornings and nights for preparation is the best way you can go about it. Anytime you feel comfortable, try giving yourself three hours and forty-five minutes to finish the test questions. Pick out random questions for Logical Reasoning, analytical reasoning, reading comprehension, and writing a sample.
You might even consider setting up an exam environment to cope better with your stress on exam day. To do this, you can review the exam specifications and clear the test area of all items except for what you’ll be permitted to use during the exam.
Just like the LSAT pattern, set a 35-minute timer and go through each section. Take a 10-minute break in between the second and third parts, and practice relaxing during that.
Trust us – nothing helps drive away your anxiety more than practicing well ahead of time!
