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By Susan L. Krinsky

For decades, the LSAT has been a vital resource for both aspiring law students and law schools. The LSAT has consistently been the most valid and reliable assessment of candidates’ critical reading and reasoning skills and their readiness to succeed in law school. That’s not to say that the test hasn’t evolved over time. Over the years, we’ve made occasional changes in the structure of the test, or the way in which it is delivered, to address various issues like the global pandemic or to take advantage of evolving technologies and best practices.

While the format of the test or the way we deliver it may change over time, what never changes is the underlying skills that are at the heart of the LSAT and the LSAT’s unmatched predictive validity and reliability.  

Today, as we release the test dates for the 2026-2027 testing cycle, we are announcing two changes in how we will administer the LSAT. These changes will not occur until the August 2026 LSAT administration, but we are sharing them now to give test takers, test prep licensees, and other stakeholders plenty of advance notice. It’s important to note that we are not making any changes to the content, structure, or format of the test. These changes are solely about how we deliver the test.  

Moving toward in-center testing for almost all test takers

Starting with the August 2026 LSAT, we will be moving toward in-center testing for almost all U.S. and international test takers, with limited exceptions for certain medical accommodations or extreme hardship in getting to a testing center.

This move will help to ensure the long-term security and integrity of the test. We currently use a wide range of security measures before, during, and after testing to deter and detect potential misconduct. Moving toward in-center testing will provide another important deterrent to anyone who tries to undermine the integrity of the test.  

We are not taking this step lightly. Remote testing with real-time proctoring was a vital service for both test takers and schools during the pandemic, and we understand that some test takers may prefer remote testing for convenience, comfort, or other reasons. But given the security and test integrity benefits of in-center testing, moving toward in-center testing is the right decision at this time.  

We recognize that some test takers have specific medical accommodations that make in-center testing impossible, and we will provide a secure remote-testing solution that fulfills their accommodation needs. We will be providing more detail on medical and hardship exceptions to the in-center requirement within the next two months so that test takers can plan before registration for the 2026-2027 testing cycle opens in mid-May.

In-center testing is not a panacea. Test security requires constant vigilance and innovation. We will continue to invest in new security measures, and we will continue to take a comprehensive, multi-layered approach to test integrity.  

In addition to enhancing long-term test security, in-center testing will also provide important benefits to test takers in terms of successfully completing their test with fewer technological or proctoring issues.  

While only a small percentage of test takers experience problems that prevent them from completing their test, the majority of those are testing remotely. We know how important the LSAT is to test takers and the enormous time and effort they put into preparing for their test, so we want every test taker to have the best possible test experience.  

In-center testing will also reduce the number of score holds, which are an important tool for test integrity, but can cause significant delays for test takers. While remote test takers account for only about 40% of all test takers, remote test takers account for the majority of score holds.  

Minor changes in the testing user interface starting in August

In addition to moving toward in-center testing with the August 2026 LSAT, we will also be adding a new test delivery platform in LawHub. This new platform will provide important additional capabilities for our test administration and test security teams, but it will also result in certain minor User Interface (UI) changes for test takers starting with the August 2026 test. We will be providing new versions of our existing practice tests in the new UI through LawHub so people planning to take the August or later tests will be able to practice in the same user interface they will be using on test day.  

People planning to take the April or June tests will continue to use the existing interface; people planning to take the LSAT in August or later will be able to practice using the new interface.

We expect to have an interactive model of the new UI in LawHub by the end of March, and versions of all our practice tests in the new UI by May, so people testing in August and beyond will have several months to practice. We will also be working closely with our test prep licensees to ensure that they have the access and information they need to serve their students.  

The UI changes are minor, but we understand that people want to be completely familiar with the interface when they take the test.

Again, while we are announcing these changes today to give people time to plan and prepare, these changes will not occur until the August 2026 test. We will provide periodic updates, tools, and other resources to ensure a smooth transition.