The LSAT experimental section is the one section of the test that doesn’t count. LSAC calls it the unscored section and uses it to try out questions for future tests. Every LSAT through June 2027 has one. Starting with the August 2027 LSAT, it goes away: the unscored questions move inside the scored sections instead. Here’s how it works now, whether you can spot it, and what changes.
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What Is the LSAT Experimental Section?
The multiple-choice LSAT has four 35-minute sections. Three are scored: two Logical Reasoning sections and one Reading Comprehension section. The fourth is unscored. It can be either Logical Reasoning or Reading Comprehension, it can come anywhere in the test, and it looks exactly like the others (LSAC’s description of the test).
LSAC uses your answers to check new questions before they appear on a scored test: whether they work as intended and are free of ambiguity or bias. Your answers on that section don’t affect your score. There’s a 10-minute intermission after the second section, whichever sections you get.
Two things that aren’t the experimental section:
- Logic Games. It was removed starting with the August 2024 LSAT, so the unscored section can no longer be Logic Games. Older guides that say otherwise are out of date.
- LSAT Argumentative Writing. It’s also unscored, but it’s a separate 50-minute essay you take online, as early as eight days before your test. Law schools read it; LSAC doesn’t score it.
Can You Tell Which Section Was Experimental?
Sometimes you can narrow it down, but you can never be sure. Because the scored sections are always two Logical Reasoning and one Reading Comprehension, the mix of sections you saw tells you what kind the unscored one was:
| What you saw | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| 2 Reading Comprehension + 2 Logical Reasoning | One of the two Reading Comprehension sections was unscored. Both Logical Reasoning sections counted. |
| 3 Logical Reasoning + 1 Reading Comprehension | One of the three Logical Reasoning sections was unscored. The Reading Comprehension section counted. |
That’s as far as it goes. You can’t tell which of the matching sections was unscored, the position changes from test taker to test taker, and LSAC doesn’t tell you, even after scores are released.
Should You Try to Spot It During the Test?
No. Every scored question is worth the same, and there’s no penalty for wrong answers, per LSAC’s scoring page. If you coast through a section you’ve decided is experimental and you’re wrong, you’ve thrown away real points. A section that feels unusually hard isn’t a sign either; unscored questions are meant to look and feel like scored ones.
Treat all four sections as if they count. Practice that way too: take full four-section timed tests so the extra section doesn’t wear you down. Our LSAT practice tests guide covers LawHub’s official tests.
What Changes in August 2027
LSAC announced in October 2026 that starting with the August 2027 LSAT, there will be no standalone unscored section. Unscored questions will be mixed into each of the three sections instead, which LSAC calls “embedded pretesting.” The SAT and ACT already work this way. Every test taker will get the same section order:
| Section | Time | Scored | Unscored | Total questions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension (6 passages) | 52 min | 27 | 13 | 40 |
| 10-minute break | ||||
| Logical Reasoning | 45 min | 25 | 7 | 32 |
| 10-minute break | ||||
| Logical Reasoning | 45 min | 25 | 7 | 32 |
What stays the same: the question types, the 77 scored questions, the 120–180 scale, and the average time per question (78 seconds for Reading Comprehension, 84 for Logical Reasoning). The test gets 10 minutes longer overall, and 8 of those minutes are extra break time. You still won’t know which questions are unscored, so the advice is the same: treat every question as if it counts.
Which format will you take?
- Testing in June 2027 or earlier: the current four-section format with a separate unscored section. Current-format practice tests stay in LawHub through the June 2027 LSAT.
- Testing in August 2027 or later: the new three-section format. LSAC is adding new-format practice tests to LawHub in February 2027.
Check the LSAT test dates for 2026–27 if you’re deciding between a spring and a fall test.
Should You Cancel Your Score Over the Experimental Section?
Don’t cancel because you think you did badly on a section you’ve guessed was scored. You can’t know which one counted, and a hard-feeling section is a poor guide. If you’re worried about your score, these are your options:
- Cancel without seeing it. You can cancel your score within six calendar days of your test date. There’s no refund.
- Buy LSAT Score Preview. It costs $46 before testing starts or $87 after, and gives you six days after your score is released to keep it or cancel it.
Canceled scores still count toward LSAC’s limits: five tests in the current reportable period (since July 2021) and seven in a lifetime. According to LSAC’s retake page, test takers who retake in the same testing year score 2 to 3 points higher on average. More on how many times you can take the LSAT.
LSAT Experimental Section FAQ
Does the LSAT still have an experimental section?
Yes, through the June 2027 LSAT. Every test has four 35-minute multiple-choice sections, and one of them is unscored. Starting with the August 2027 LSAT, there is no standalone unscored section; unscored questions are mixed into each of the three sections instead.
Is the experimental section Logic Games?
No. Logic Games was removed from the LSAT starting in August 2024. The unscored section is now always a Logical Reasoning or Reading Comprehension section.
Can you tell which LSAT section was experimental?
Not for certain. The scored sections are always two Logical Reasoning and one Reading Comprehension, so if you saw two Reading Comprehension sections, one of them was unscored. You can’t tell which one, and LSAC doesn’t tell you, even after scores come out.
Does the experimental section affect my LSAT score?
No. Your score comes only from the three scored sections: 27 Reading Comprehension and 50 Logical Reasoning questions. That stays the same after the August 2027 change.
Is LSAT Argumentative Writing the experimental section?
No. Argumentative Writing is also unscored, but it’s a separate 50-minute essay you take online, as early as eight days before your multiple-choice test. Law schools see it; LSAC doesn’t score it.
Next Steps
The experimental section doesn’t change how you prepare: get good at the two section types that count. Start with our Logical Reasoning tips and Reading Comprehension tips, then build stamina with free LSAT prep and full timed practice tests.