Bar Exam vs. LSAT Comparison: What You Need to Know

LSAT Prep Pre-Law Basics

If you are preparing to enter the legal profession, two monumental exams bookend your formal education: the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and the bar exam. While one helps you gain admission to law school and the other allows you to practice law, their similarities mostly end there.

Understanding the critical differences between the LSAT and the bar exam is the first step toward conquering both and launching a successful legal career. The good news is that you can master both with BARBRI.

The LSAT: Your Gateway to Law School

The LSAT is the standardized law school entrance exam used by most law schools in the United States. While some law schools have waived the requirement that applicants take the LSAT, or allow applicants to submit a Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) score in lieu of an LSAT score, most schools still require applicants to submit an LSAT score.

Unlike the bar exam, the LSAT requires no prior knowledge of law. This makes it different from other professional entrance exams as well, including the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). The purpose of the LSAT is not to test what you know, but how you think. The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) designed the test to assess skills essential for success in law school, including reading comprehension, logical reasoning, and analytical reasoning.

Format: The LSAT is typically a much shorter exam than the bar exam and is a multiple-choice, digitally administered exam. It consists of several 35-minute sections, including two Logical Reasoning sections, one Analytical Reasoning section (often called “Logic Games”), and one Reading Comprehension section. There is also an unscored experimental section and an unscored writing sample submitted separately.
Scoring: Your score is based on the number of questions you answer correctly. This raw score is converted to a scaled score ranging from 120 to 180. The median score is typically around 150. A higher score significantly improves your chances of admission to top-tier law schools.
Administration: The LSAT is offered multiple times throughout the year, giving you flexibility in your application timeline. You can take the test up to five times within a five-year period; there is no major downside to taking it multiple times. Most schools will look at your highest score (in part, because they want to report the highest scores to outside organizations), so in some ways, you actually benefit from taking the LSAT multiple times and getting comfortable with the test.

Effective LSAT Preparation

Success on the LSAT hinges on understanding its unique logic and question types rather than memorizing facts. Since the LSAT requires no prior legal knowledge, your study should focus on strategy and practice to master a specific way of thinking. Spend your time deconstructing question types, identifying patterns, and learning how to avoid common traps.

A good course will teach you the fundamental strategies needed to decode the test’s logic and improve your speed and accuracy. Programs like the BARBRI LSAT Prep courses offer expert guidance and a proven methodology to help you prepare efficiently. That’s why BARBRI students have seen score increases of 30 points or more on the LSAT.

The Bar Exam: Your Final Hurdle

If the LSAT is the gateway, the bar exam is the final gatekeeper. It is a comprehensive examination administered by a state’s bar association that you must pass to become a licensed attorney.

Unlike the LSAT, the bar exam does test your knowledge of the law itself. You’ll be tested on a wide array of subjects. And while you might have studied most of those topics in law school, the way the subjects are tested on the bar exam will likely be unique from how you approached them in class.

While the vast majority of your LSAT prep could be spent learning how to take the test and what tricks to look for, for the bar exam, you’ll also have to learn a ton of Black Letter law—and then apply your knowledge under extreme pressure.

Format: The bar exam structure varies by state and jurisdiction, but most have adopted the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE). That will change in July 2026, however, when some jurisdictions begin administering the NextGen UBE.

In jurisdictions that administer the Uniform Bar Exam, the exam takes place over two days and consists of a total of 12 hours of testing. The NextGen bar exam will span nine hours over two days. Sheer stamina plays a huge role in either bar exam. So as with the LSAT, you’ll want to dedicate a certain amount of your study time to taking full-length practice exams to become familiar with the pacing needed for exam day.
Scoring: Your scores from each section are combined to determine if you meet the minimum passing score for your jurisdiction. Unlike the LSAT, where you aim for the highest possible score, the bar exam is a pass/fail test.
Administration: The bar exam is offered twice a year, in February and July. The limited testing opportunities make preparation intense.

How to Prepare for Bar Exam Success

Passing the bar exam requires a completely different approach from the LSAT. While the LSAT tests your reasoning skills, the bar exam tests your ability to recall, synthesize, and apply a vast body of law.

The sheer magnitude of this task makes self-study a monumental, if not impossible, task. A comprehensive bar prep course is the single greatest investment you can make in your exam preparation (and your legal career). BARBRI Bar Review provides a customizable calendar for scheduling your studies, expert-led lectures, and an AI-driven Personal Study Plan that adapts to your strengths and weaknesses. With features like this, it’s no wonder BARBRI has helped more students pass the bar than any other provider.

Bar Exam vs. LSAT Comparison

Feature	LSAT	Bar Exam
Purpose	To gain admission to law school.	To gain a license to practice law.
Content	Tests reasoning and comprehension skills. No prior legal knowledge is required.	Tests knowledge of specific legal subjects and the skill to apply that law in real-world scenarios.
Length	A half-day exam, consisting of a few hours of testing.	A two-day marathon that tests mental and physical endurance.
Preparation Focus	Learning test-taking strategies, logic games, and question types through extensive practice.	Memorizing vast amounts of Black Letter law and practicing its application through essays and MCQs.
Stakes	High. A good score opens doors to better law schools, but you can retake it multiple times a year.	Extremely high. Passing is mandatory to practice law, and it is only offered twice a year.

Powerful Solutions for Your Legal Learning Journey

BARBRI is ready to help you prepare effectively for the LSAT or the bar exam. With proven strategies, smarter tools, and a deeply personalized approach, we help you move from where you are to where you need to be.