The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) will no longer be administered remotely for most test takers. The exam will return to its once-familiar test center format for the August 2026 exam due to concerns about cheating in a remote environment.
Susan L. Krinsky, Law School Admission Council (LSAC) Executive Vice-President, announced, “We have been increasingly concerned about organized efforts by individuals and companies in mainland China to promote test misconduct. While security is always a concern, these enterprises are becoming increasingly aggressive … We are taking steps to shut down these operations and will pursue appropriate legal remedies. LSAC also has processes in place to monitor and respond to individual score irregularities for all LSAT candidates, and we will continue to evolve our security measures. After careful consideration, we have decided to take the additional step of suspending online testing in mainland China following the upcoming October (2025) international administration of the LSAT.”
“I think it’s a great move,” said Dave Killoran, Chief Executive Officer of LSAT prep company PowerScore. “By and large, taking people off the remote platform will really limit the ability of cheating agencies to steal the test, so this is a necessary step.”
LSAC stopped offering the LSAT in China entirely after the October 2025 online administration, at least until a new, secure in?person system is in place.
What Is LSAC and the LSAT?
LSAC is a nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to advance law and justice by promoting access, equity, and fairness in law school admissions and to support the learning journey from prelaw through practice. LSAC develops, administers, and scores the LSAT. LSAC also provides LSAT-related products, including licensed test prep centers, study materials, and practice exams.
The LSAT, a 3-hour standardized exam, is part of the law school admission process in the United States, Canada, and several other countries. For most American Bar Association-approved law schools, passing the exam is an admission requirement, although there are some state exceptions to the traditional law school admissions path.
California is notable for its law school admissions exceptions: No LSAT is required, and neither is an undergraduate degree. Celebrity figure Kim Kardashian is a famous example of someone going through this process. Ms. Kardashian does not have a 4-year degree, and she has not taken the LSAT. Instead, she is undertaking California’s alternative bar admission path by engaging in a “reading the law” apprenticeship with an admitted attorney. She sat for the California Bar Exam in 2025 but did not pass; she previously passed the state’s First?Year Law Students’ Examination (“baby bar”).
According to LSAC, the LSAT is designed to measure skills essential for legal education, including reading comprehension, critical thinking, and logical reasoning. The test consists of four 35-minute multiple-choice sections (scored on a 120–180 scale) and a separate unscored writing sample
The LSAT was almost exclusively given in person until the COVID-19 pandemic forced the exam to go online in 2020. LSAC began offering test takers a choice between taking the exam remotely or in test taking centers. Most LSAT takers opted to take the exam at a licensed test center. On the January 2026 exam, 61% of LSAT examinees opted for test centers while 39% took the exam online.
What Rules Does LSAC Have to Protect The Integrity of the Remote Test Taking Process?
LSAC-mandated rules for remote LSAT testing include taking the exam in a private, enclosed room, a 360-degree scan of the room, specific hardware/software; a laptop/desktop; an external camera; no talking, no leaving the camera view; no looking away from the screen for extended periods; and no unauthorized materials.
In addition, no VPNs, hotspots or virtual machines are allowed. The only permitted materials are a government-issued ID, scratch paper that must be destroyed on camera after the test, a writing implement, and approved comfort items.
A live, remote proctor monitors the session, which is recorded.
How Did Some Test Takers Get Away with Breaking the Rules?
The test-taking integrity dam broke in 2025 when it was discovered that China may have hacked LSAT questions and used proxy test takers. A Chinese student studying at a Texas law school reported that he warned the LSAC about offers on Chinese language social media sites charging up to $8,000 for help in cheating on the online LSAT.
There are allegations that cheating rings are hiring groups to take standardized tests, such as the LSAT, and memorize exam questions, then compile and sell them to examinees.
Steve Addicott, chief operating officer of testing security firm Caveon, reported that “Cheating rings also use hidden, high-definition cameras to photograph in-person and online exams, and can sometimes gain remote access to a test taker’s computer and answer the questions for them.”
In an online reaction to the cheating scandal, a Chinese student exclaimed: “There are entire businesses openly advertising LSAT cheating services—whether it’s hiring a proxy to take the test, exploiting remote testing loopholes, or using technology to manipulate results. This is not just an isolated scam—it’s a full-on industry.”
A New World, Again
LSAC will be returning to its previous in-person test-taking format in August 2026. Most U.S. and international examinees will be required to sit for the exam at a physical test center. Remote testing will be reserved for individuals with approved medical accommodations or those facing extreme hardship in reaching a test center.
Reports suggest LSAC has leaned more heavily on previously unscored sections to create “all-new” tests, reducing the risk of stolen material being reused.
LSAC has indicated it’s updating its security measures and adding a new test delivery platform in LawHub, an online LSAC testing resource, for the August 2026 exam.
Although remote LSAT testing in China has been temporarily suspended, some security experts believe that the remedy is not broad enough, noting that the scandal is not confined to China. Cheating services in China were reported to be using software that bypasses security, allowing people to take the test through proxies, including in Canada and the U.S. On-site testing centers may need to institute further security protocols to validate test takers’ identities.
