LSAT Study Plan and How Long to Study

Last updated: 11 October 2026 · By Zoya K · Prices checked on 11 October 2026

Updated for the current LSAT format: no logic games since August 2024.

Most LSAT schedules online were written for a test with three question types. Today's LSAT has two, so the way you split your hours should change too. This guide covers how long to study, what's on the test now, and 1-, 3- and 6-month schedules built around the current sections.

This is planning advice, not official guidance. Check LSAC for current rules, dates and fees.

How long should you study for the LSAT?

LSAC does not publish a recommended number of study hours. Prep providers usually talk in months, and 7Sage tells students to expect at least 300 hours over six months. The practical answer is to pick a timeline from your test date and the hours you can protect each week, then confirm with timed PrepTests.

The best-known benchmark comes from 7Sage, whose guide by a 180 scorer says to "expect to spend at least 300 hours studying over six months." That works out to roughly 12 hours a week. The same guide adds that many people need more. Treat that number as one provider's estimate, not a rule.

A more useful approach is to work backward. Count the weeks until your test date, decide how many hours you can actually keep each week (not the number you'd like), and multiply. The table below does the math.

Two things change the right row for you. The first is your diagnostic score compared with your target: a big gap needs more weeks, not just more hours per week, because LSAT skills build through repeated review. The second is your schedule. Someone working full time can usually hold 8 to 12 hours a week for months. A student on summer break may manage 20 or more for a shorter stretch.

If you're still choosing between law school tests, the GRE study plan uses the same hours-first method.

What's on the LSAT now?

The LSAT has four 35-minute multiple-choice sections: two Logical Reasoning, one Reading Comprehension and one unscored variable section. There is a 10-minute intermission after the second section. LSAT Argumentative Writing is separate, unscored and online, with 15 minutes of prewriting and 35 minutes of writing. Scores run from 120 to 180.

LSAC's test specifications describe the standard test as "four 35-minute multiple-choice sections (one Reading Comprehension, two Logical Reasoning, and one unscored variable section)." The variable section is an extra unscored LR or RC section used to test new questions. You won't know which section it is, so treat every section as if it counts.

On LSAC's scoring page, the scale "ranges from 120 to 180," all questions "are weighted exactly the same," and "there is no deduction for incorrect answers." So never leave a question blank. A guess costs nothing.

The writing sample is unscored, but it isn't optional. LSAC says first-time test takers "must complete LSAT Argumentative Writing, and have it approved, before your score can be released." Put it in your plan as a real task with a date. You can't skip it.

What changed in August 2024?

The August 2024 LSAT was the first without the Analytical Reasoning section, known as logic games. LSAC's blog describes the new format as "two scored Logical Reasoning sections and one scored Reading Comprehension section, with an additional unscored section of LR or RC." Any study plan that still schedules logic games is out of date.

How to build your LSAT study plan in 6 steps

Take a timed diagnostic PrepTest on LawHub, set a test date, budget weekly hours, learn the Logical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension question types untimed, add timed sections with blind review, then finish with weekly full PrepTests. Split practice roughly two to one between LR and RC, because that is how the scored sections split.

The same six steps work for most standardized tests. The study plan for any exam explains the general method. Here is the LSAT version.

1. Take a cold diagnostic. Use a free official PrepTest on LawHub, timed, in one sitting. Don't study first. You want an honest starting point and a list of the question types that cost you the most.
2. Pick a test date. Count the weeks between today and that date, and leave room for a possible retake. Check registration deadlines on LSAC before you commit.
3. Budget weekly hours. Use the calculator above. Block the hours on your calendar as fixed appointments. A plan in a spreadsheet, a paper planner or Notion all work, as long as you look at it every week.
4. Learn the question types untimed. Logical Reasoning has recurring types (flaw, assumption, strengthen, weaken and so on). Reading Comprehension rewards reading for structure and the author's view. Work slowly and aim for accuracy first.
5. Add timed sections and blind review. Once your untimed accuracy is steady, practice 35-minute sections. After each one, blind review the questions you were unsure about before you check answers. More on that below.
6. Finish with full PrepTests. In the last month, take one full timed PrepTest a week under test-day conditions, including the intermission. Spend at least as long reviewing as you spent testing.

The two-to-one split matters more than it looks. Two of the three scored sections are Logical Reasoning, so a plan that gives LR and RC equal time underweights the part of the test that counts twice.

What does a 3-month LSAT study schedule look like?

A 3-month LSAT plan runs 12 weeks in three phases. Weeks 1 to 4 cover fundamentals and untimed drills. Weeks 5 to 8 move to timed sections with blind review. Weeks 9 to 12 center on full PrepTests and review. At 12 to 18 hours a week, the total comes to about 175 hours.

This is the core plan of this guide. LR and RC hours keep a two-to-one ratio in every phase, matching the scored sections. Adjust the weekly totals to your own row in the calculator, but keep the ratio.

Total: about 174 hours. Two things to schedule alongside the table. First, LSAT Argumentative Writing: since your score is released only after it's done and approved, many people complete it in the weeks around test day rather than leaving it to the last minute. Check LSAC for the current window. Second, a buffer week. Life will take one week out of twelve. Plan for it instead of letting it push your test date.

Here's how the phases feel in practice. Picture someone working full time with 12 weeks left: weeknights hold one hour of LR drills, and weekends take the longer blocks, an RC passage set on Saturday and a timed section plus blind review on Sunday. In phase three, the full PrepTest moves to Saturday morning to match a morning test slot, and Sunday is for review.

How do 6-month and 1-month LSAT schedules compare?

A 6-month LSAT schedule spreads the same three phases over 24 weeks at about 8 to 14 hours a week, which suits people who work or study full time. A 1-month schedule needs 20 to 25 hours a week and only fits a retake or a diagnostic already close to your target.

6-month LSAT study plan (part-time)

Six months gives you room to build skills slowly and absorb setbacks. Months here are four-week blocks, so the plan is 24 weeks.

Total: about 264 hours, close to the 7Sage benchmark. Full PrepTest weeks count the test and its review inside the weekly total, so trim drill time on those weeks.

1-month LSAT study plan (retake or strong diagnostic only)

A month is short for the LSAT. Reasoning skills improve through repeated practice and review, and four weeks gives you few review cycles. This plan assumes you already know the question types and mainly need timing and test practice.

Caution: if your first timed PrepTest lands far below your target, a month is unlikely to be enough time. Moving your test date is usually a better choice than cramming. Check LSAC's fees page first, because a date change can cost money after the registration deadline.

What is blind review and how do you log mistakes?

Blind review means re-answering the practice questions you weren't sure about, untimed and before seeing the answers, to separate knowledge gaps from timing pressure. If you get a question right in blind review but wrong under time, your problem is pacing. If you miss it both times, you need to relearn the concept.

Here is the routine after every timed section:

1. While you take the section, mark any question you aren't confident about.
2. Before you check answers, redo every marked question with no time limit. Write down your final choice and a one-line reason.
3. Now check answers. Compare your timed answer, your blind-review answer and the correct one.
4. Log every miss and every lucky guess in the error log.

Your log can live in a spreadsheet, a notebook or Notion. Copy these columns:

Once a week, sort the log by question type and by the "pattern" column. The two or three patterns that keep repeating become next week's drills. That's where the log earns its keep: it turns random practice into a short list of specific fixes.

Is there free official LSAT prep? LawHub explained

Yes. A free LawHub account from LSAC includes full official LSAT PrepTests in the same digital interface you'll see on test day. LawHub Advantage is a paid, one-year subscription to a much larger PrepTest library. Start with the free tests for your diagnostic, then decide if you need more.

LSAC's prep page lists the free LawHub account as offering "full free Official LSAT PrepTests" with "unlimited practice with the authentic test interface." LawHub Advantage is described as "one-year access to an extensive library of full LSAT PrepTests." Check the current price on LSAC before you buy.

A sensible order: use one free PrepTest as your diagnostic, keep the others for your first timed full tests, and decide on Advantage when you reach the timed phase. On a 3-month plan that's around week 5. If you upgrade, save the newest tests for your final weeks so they feel closest to the real thing.

Budget for the test itself too. According to LSAC's fee table for August 2026 to June 2027, all in US dollars:

How do you know you're ready for the LSAT?

You're ready when your timed full PrepTests land consistently in your target range, not just once, and your blind-review score and timed score are close together. A wide gap between them means you know the material but run out of time, so keep working on pacing before test day.

Use this checklist in the last two weeks:

• Your last three timed PrepTests are all in or near your target range.
• The gap between your blind-review score and your timed score has narrowed over the past month.
• Your error log shows fewer repeat patterns than it did a month ago.
• You finish each 35-minute section with time to make a guess on every question.
• You've practiced the full sequence, including the 10-minute intermission, at the time of day you'll test.
• LSAT Argumentative Writing is on your calendar.

If two or more of these are missing, consider a later test date. Readiness is about consistency. One good score on a good day doesn't tell you much.

Comparing tests for business school as well? See the GMAT study plan.

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