LSAT Registration Guide: All 2026–2027 Test Dates, Deadlines & Fees

Quick Summary Box

The one thing to know: the November 2026 registration deadline closed October 1 — the next open administration is January 2027, with registration closing December 1, 2026. And starting with the August 2026 administration, LSAC moved to in-center testing at Prometric centers for nearly all test takers; the at-home option is now limited to approved exceptions.

Verdict

Register by December 1 for January — and if you need a fall score, there isn't one left to buy. The 2026–2027 calendar runs on fixed administrations, not continuous testing, and each one closes registration roughly 6–7 weeks before test day. Miss a deadline and you wait for the next administration — there's no late-registration back door for the LSAT.

The $253 fee went up this testing year (from $248), and the real sticker shock is what comes after: most applicants also need the Credential Assembly Service ($219) plus $45 per law school report. If there's any chance you qualify for the LSAC Fee Waiver, start the application now — LSAC recommends applying at least six months before your registration deadline, and you must complete two LawHub PrepTests in Exam Mode before the LSAT benefit unlocks.

Plan around the in-center shift: practice your final weeks in the new LawHub interface, visit your Prometric center once beforehand, and schedule your test time the day scheduling opens — it's first register, first in line, and the good slots go fast.

Detailed Breakdown

All 2026–2027 LSAT administrations

Source: LSAC's official test-dates page. Registration deadlines are 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

LSAC's registration deadline is generally also the deadline for the full refund, disability accommodation requests, and certain test date changes — exact options differ by administration, so check the detail page for yours. International administrations (Jan, Apr, Jun 2027) share the same deadlines and score release dates with shorter testing windows.

How registration works

1. Create an LSAC account. The name on your account must match your government-issued ID exactly — this is the single most common registration mistake (see ID rules below). Never create a second account.
2. Register for an administration through LSAC. You pay in full when you register — Visa, Mastercard, Amex, or Discover, charged in USD.
3. Schedule your test time through Prometric. This happens after the registration deadline, in a separate scheduling window. It's first register, first in line — the earlier you registered, the earlier your scheduling window. If you don't schedule a testing time by your administration's scheduling deadline, LSAC automatically withdraws you with no refund.
4. Complete LSAT Argumentative Writing. The writing sample opens about eight days before the primary test dates. It is unscored, but you cannot see your score or have it released to schools without a writing sample on file.

Fees (USD, per LSAC's fee schedule — 2026–2027 testing year)

Registration: $253 for the LSAT, which includes LSAT Argumentative Writing. Same price for first-time and repeat test takers. (Up from $248 last testing year.)

Test date change (within the testing year, requested through your LSAC account):

Scoring services:

Applying to schools:

Cancellation, refunds, and withdrawal

• Full refund of the $253 registration fee if you request it through your administration's full refund deadline — which is generally the same as the registration deadline. Request it through the LSAT Status page of your LSAC account.
• After the refund deadline: you can still withdraw your registration by 11:59 PM ET the day before your scheduled test. This prevents an absentee notation on your LSAC file — but you get no refund.
• CAS fees are not refundable (LSAC ended CAS refunds on May 20, 2024). Test Date Change, Score Preview, and Score Audit fees are nonrefundable.
• If you registered with a fee waiver and refund within an eligible window, the waiver returns to your account for a future test.

ID requirements — exact match, no exceptions

• Bring a physical, original government-issued photo ID — an international passport, or a government-issued photo ID from the U.S., a U.S. territory, or Canada (driver's license, state/province ID card, U.S. or Canadian permanent resident card).
• Your first and last names must exactly match the names on your LSAC JD account.
• ID must be current or expired no more than 3 months before your test date. Photocopies, digital IDs, student IDs, employee IDs, and Social Security cards are all rejected.
• Unsure? Contact LSAC at 1.800.336.3982 at least 14 days before your test date for review — they don't make exceptions on test day.

Test format and delivery — in-center is now the rule

• Starting with the August 2026 administration, the multiple-choice LSAT is taken in person at a Prometric test center for nearly all test takers. Remote testing is limited to approved exceptions (e.g., certain medical/disability accommodations or test takers living far from a center).
• The test: two scored Logical Reasoning sections, one scored Reading Comprehension section, and one unscored variable section (LR or RC, in any position) — 35 minutes each. The Logic Games (Analytical Reasoning) section was retired in August 2024.
• A 10-minute break follows the second section.
• LSAT Argumentative Writing is completed separately online — 50 minutes total (15 minutes prewriting analysis + 35 minutes writing). It is unscored but sent to every school you apply to, and required before your score is released.

Scores and Score Preview

• Score scale: 120–180 (median ~150–152). Scores release on the published date for your administration, about three weeks after testing.
• Score Preview ($46 if you sign up before testing, $87 after): you see your score on the regular release date, then have six calendar days to keep it or cancel it. Cancellation is irreversible — but schools never see the number. It does count toward your retake limits.
• Without Score Preview, the ordinary cancellation period ends before you see your score.

Retake limits

Per LSAC's repeat-test policy: 5 attempts within the current reportable score period (currently since July 2021), and 7 attempts over your lifetime. Canceled scores — including Score Preview cancellations — count toward both limits; absences and withdrawals do not. Test takers who already hold a reportable 180 may not retake during that period. Each attempt costs the full $253.

User Reviews — what students say about registration & test day

Community-sourced advice from LSAT students and prep communities, not our own testing.

• On the scheduling window: "I registered for November the day registration opened and still got a mid-morning slot. A friend who registered the week of the deadline got 4 PM at a center 40 minutes away." Prometric scheduling is genuinely first register, first in line.
• On the November deadline trap: "October 1 is the deadline and I assumed 'fall tests' meant I could register in October. Gone. January it is." The registration deadlines run 6–7 weeks ahead — don't map them to the test month.
• On the in-center transition: "I practiced exclusively at home and froze at the test center noise. Do your last few PrepTests in a library or café." The August 2026 in-center shift caught at-home practicers off guard.
• On the writing sample: "I ignored Argumentative Writing for weeks after my test, then panicked when my score release date came and went." Do it the week it opens — nothing releases without it.
• On Score Preview: "Pay the $46 before testing, not $87 after. It's the cheapest insurance on the LSAT." Student advice is near-unanimous for first-time takers.
• On the fee waiver tasks: "Nobody told me I had to finish two PrepTests in Exam Mode before the waiver would cover my registration. Apply six months early — the tasks take longer than you think."
• On ID names: "My license has my middle name, my LSAC account didn't. Almost got turned away at check-in." Register with the exact name printed on your ID.

Sentiment note: student advice clusters around LSAC's own deadlines and rules — the recurring regrets are scheduling-window misses, the November deadline trap, and fee-waiver task timing, not test content.

Discount Link — LSAC Fee Waiver Program

There are no promo codes for the LSAT — LSAC does not issue public discount codes. The legitimate way to pay less is the LSAC Fee Waiver Program, open to financially under-resourced prospective U.S. and Canadian law students (citizens, permanent residents, plus DACA, TPS, asylum, and protected-person statuses).

Tier 1 (independent: up to 235% of federal poverty guidelines; dependent applicant: up to 150%; applicant + parents: up to 200%):

• Two LSAT registrations, including Argumentative Writing and Score Preview
• Five-year Credential Assembly Service subscription
• 6 law school reports + one-year LawHub Advantage subscription

Tier 2 (independent: 235–260%; dependent applicant: up to 200%; applicant + parents: 200–300%):

• One LSAT registration, including Argumentative Writing and Score Preview
• Five-year Credential Assembly Service subscription
• 3 law school reports + one-year LawHub Advantage subscription

Important mechanics:

• The LSAT benefit unlocks only after you complete 2 unique LSAT PrepTests in LawHub using Exam Mode; the CAS benefit unlocks after the "How Do I Apply to Law School?" course.
• Apply through your LSAC account at least six months before your registration deadline, and submit all supporting documents within 45 days of applying — decisions usually come in two to five business days after documentation is complete.
• The waiver is valid two years from conditional approval. Fees already paid cannot be waived retroactively, and there are maximum asset and cash-balance limits on top of the income thresholds.

Start at the LSAC Fee Waiver page (lsac.org) and apply before you register — the waiver cannot be applied afterward.

Methodology: public LSAC pricing & policies, October 2026. No sponsored placements — ever.