How Hard is the LSAT? (And How It Compares to the GRE & MCAT)
There is a saying in law school admissions: “The LSAT is a mile wide and an inch deep.”
Actually, that’s the Bar Exam. The LSAT is the opposite: It is an inch wide and a mile deep.
It tests a very small set of skills-reading, analyzing arguments, and making deductions-but it tests them to an excruciating level of depth. It is widely considered the single most difficult test of “pure logic” in the American education system.
But how hard is it? And is it harder than the MCAT or the GRE?
Why the LSAT is So Difficult
1. It’s Not a Knowledge Test
You cannot memorize flashcards for the LSAT.
- MCAT: You need to know biology, chemistry, and physics.
- CPA: You need to know tax law and accounting principles.
- LSAT: You need to know… nothing.
The LSAT gives you all the information you need to answer the question in the question itself. The difficulty lies in untangling that information under extreme time pressure. You are not being tested on facts; you are being tested on your ability to process complex information quickly.
2. The Time Pressure is Suffocating
You have 35 minutes to answer roughly 25 questions. That is about 1 minute and 20 seconds per question. In that time, you must:
- Read a dense paragraph about 14th-century art history or quantum physics.
- Identify the logical flaw in the author’s argument.
- Read five answer choices that all sound vaguely correct.
- Pick the one that is objectively right.
Most students could get a 170+ if they had unlimited time. The difficulty is doing it at sprinting speed.
3. The “Trap” Answers
The writers of the LSAT (the LSAC) are masters of psychological warfare. They know exactly how smart people think, and they write “trap” answers designed to appeal to your intuition.
- The “Too Strong” Trap: An answer that sounds right but uses words like “always” or “never” when the argument only supported “sometimes.”
- The “Out of Scope” Trap: An answer that is factually true in the real world but irrelevant to the specific argument on the page.
LSAT vs. GRE vs. MCAT: The Difficulty Showdown
| Feature | LSAT | GRE | MCAT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Challenge | Logic & Precision | Vocabulary & Math | Content Knowledge |
| Memorization? | Zero. | Moderate (Vocab/Formulas). | Extreme. |
| Math Required? | None. | High School Level. | Physics/Chem Math. |
| Study Time | 3-6 Months. | 1-3 Months. | 3-6 Months. |
| ”Learnability” | High (Skills based). | Moderate. | High (Content based). |
| Pain Level | 8/10 (Mental Fatigue). | 5/10 (Annoying). | 10/10 (Overwhelming). |
LSAT vs. GRE
The GRE is essentially the SAT on steroids. If you were good at the SAT, you will likely be good at the GRE with minimal prep. It tests vocabulary you can memorize and math you learned in 10th grade. Verdict: The LSAT is significantly harder than the GRE for most people because it requires learning a completely new way of thinking.
LSAT vs. MCAT
The MCAT is a beast of a different nature. It is a 7.5-hour marathon (vs. the LSAT’s ~3 hours) that requires you to have mastered years of undergraduate science coursework. Verdict: The MCAT is “harder” in terms of the sheer volume of information you must know. The LSAT is “harder” in terms of the IQ/Logic required to solve the puzzles on the fly.
The “New” LSAT (Post-2024)
In August 2024, the LSAT removed Logic Games.
- Old LSAT: Hardest part was learning the Games diagrams. Once you learned them, they were easy points.
- New LSAT: It is now all Logical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension.
Is it harder now? Yes and no.
- Easier to Start: You don’t have to learn weird diagramming languages for games.
- Harder to Perfect: It is much harder to get a perfect score on Logical Reasoning than on Logic Games. The “ceiling” of the test has lowered, meaning elite scores are harder to reach.
Can You “Learn” the LSAT?
Yes. This is the most important part. The LSAT is a standardized test. “Standardized” means predictable.
- There are only about 15 types of Logical Reasoning questions.
- There are only about 4 structures of Reading Comp passages.
Once you learn the patterns, the test stops looking like a confusing mess and starts looking like a code you can read. This is why courses like 7Sage and Blueprint are so effective-they teach you the code.
Final Verdict
On a scale of 1 to 10:
- Difficulty to Pass: N/A (You don’t pass/fail).
- Difficulty to get Average (153): 4/10.
- Difficulty to get Elite (170+): 9.5/10.
The LSAT is likely the hardest mental challenge you have faced so far. But unlike the Bar Exam, it doesn’t require you to memorize thousands of laws. It just requires you to think clearly. And that is a skill you can build.