LSAT Test Dates 2026-2027: Full Schedule and Deadlines

Picking your LSAT date is the first real decision in your law school timeline, and it drives almost everything after it: when you study, when you apply, and whether you have room for a retake. The LSAT is offered roughly eight times per testing cycle, each over a multi-day window, and the exact dates and deadlines shift every year. Here is the full 2026-2027 schedule, plus how to choose the date that fits your application plan.

The 2026-2027 LSAT schedule

The LSAT runs on a testing cycle that spans from late summer through the following June. For the 2026-2027 cycle, the administrations and their key dates are below. Each test is offered over a multi-day window, and you select a specific day and time when you register.

Administration	Primary test dates	Registration deadline	Score release
August 2026	Aug 5 to 8, 2026	Jun 25, 2026	Aug 26, 2026
September 2026	Sep 9 to 12, 2026	Jul 28, 2026	Sep 30, 2026
October 2026	Oct 7 to 10, 2026	Aug 27, 2026	Oct 28, 2026
November 2026	Nov 11 to 14, 2026	Oct 1, 2026	Dec 2, 2026
January 2027	Jan 13 to 16, 2027	Dec 1, 2026	Feb 3, 2027
February 2027	Feb 12 to 13, 2027	Dec 29, 2026	Mar 3, 2027
February 2027 (Puerto Rico)	Feb 18 to 20, 2027	Jan 5, 2027	Mar 10, 2027
April 2027	Apr 8 to 10, 2027	Feb 25, 2027	Apr 28, 2027
June 2027	Jun 9 to 12, 2027	Apr 29, 2027	Jun 30, 2027

These dates are accurate for the 2026-2027 testing cycle as published by LSAC, but LSAC updates the calendar every year and can adjust specific dates. Always confirm against the official LSAC LSAT dates page before you commit your plan to a particular administration.

How to read the timeline: two deadlines that matter

Notice the pattern in the table. Two dates control your planning, and they sit on opposite sides of the test.

• Registration deadline. This falls roughly six to seven weeks before the administration. Miss it and your next option is usually a month or more away. Registering early also matters because test centers, dates, and times fill on a first-come basis, and the seat you want may be gone if you wait until the deadline.
• Score release. Your score arrives roughly three weeks after you test. This lag is easy to forget and costly to ignore. If a school’s deadline is in early December, a November test that releases in early December may be cutting it close, and a January test would arrive after the deadline entirely.

The window between when you register and when your score posts is often two to three months end to end. Plan around the whole span, not just test day.

A note on format: in-person testing for 2026-2027

One important change for this cycle: starting with the August 2026 administration, LSAC requires in-person testing at a test center. There are limited exceptions, mainly for test takers who live a long distance from any center and for certain approved medical or disability accommodations, but the default is now a physical test center rather than at-home remote testing.

Practically, this means you should factor in travel and test-center availability when you choose a date. A center near you may not offer every administration, and seats are limited, which is one more reason to register as early as you reasonably can. (Note also that, due to provincial law, LSAC does not offer in-person LSAT testing in Quebec.)

Which test date should you choose?

The right date is the one that gives your best score enough runway to reach your schools before they fill their class. Three principles:

1. Work backward from your earliest application deadline. Most law schools admit on a rolling basis, which rewards applying early in the cycle. Pick a test date whose score releases comfortably before you want your applications complete.
2. Leave room for one retake. Test day rarely matches your best practice exam exactly. If you test in August or September, a disappointing score still leaves you time to retake in October or November and apply the same cycle. Test in January and your retake options for that cycle shrink fast. We cover when a second attempt is worth it in how many times you can take the LSAT.
3. Do not pick a date you are not ready for. A rushed early test that produces a low score is worse than a slightly later test you are actually prepared for, especially since schools see your full history. Set the date only once you know your prep timeline.

That last point is where most people get the sequencing wrong. The test date should follow your study plan, not the other way around.

Back-plan your date from your study runway

Before you lock a date, you need a realistic estimate of how long your prep will take. Most people need three to six months and somewhere around 250 to 300 hours, but the honest number depends on the gap between your diagnostic and your target. We break that down in detail in how long to study for the LSAT, and the phase-by-phase plan itself is in how to study for the LSAT.

Here is the simple version of the back-plan:

• Take a diagnostic now and find your gap to target.
• Estimate your study months from that gap.
• Count forward from today to find the earliest administration you will genuinely be ready for.
• Confirm that test’s score-release date lands before your application deadlines.
• Register for it as soon as registration is open, then build your study calendar to that date.

If the math does not work for this cycle, it is far better to target a later administration and apply next cycle with a strong score than to rush a test you are not ready for.

Budget for the date you pick

Registering for a date is also when the costs start. LSAT registration is a few hundred dollars, and the Credential Assembly Service and per-school reports add up on top of it. If you may need a retake, budget for two administrations from the start. We lay out every fee and a realistic total in how much the LSAT costs.

The calendar is the skeleton of your whole law school timeline. Confirm the current dates on lsac.org, pick the administration that fits your prep and your deadlines, and register early enough to get the seat you want. Then put your energy where it actually moves your number: the Logical Reasoning sections that make up most of the current test. Start the prep itself with 2,400+ free practice questions, and join the early-access list so our LSAT instructors can help you back-plan a date and a study calendar.