The LSAT and the bar exam are the two big tests on the road to becoming a lawyer. The LSAT gets you into law school. The bar exam gets you a license to practice law after you graduate. They test very different things.
This guide explains how the two tests compare, which one is harder, and whether your LSAT score says anything about passing the bar.
LSAT vs Bar Exam at a Glance
| LSAT | Bar Exam | |
|---|---|---|
| When you take it | Before law school | After law school |
| Purpose | Law school admission | License to practice law |
| Who runs it | LSAC | Each state, most with tests from NCBE |
| Length | About 2.5 hours plus 50-minute writing | About 1.5 to 2 days |
| Content | Reading and reasoning skills, no law | Legal rules and how to apply them |
| Scoring | 120 to 180, no pass or fail | Pass or fail, cut score set by each state |
| Prep time | About 2 to 6 months | About 8 to 10 weeks of full-time study after graduation |
The Biggest Difference: Pass or Fail
The LSAT has no passing score. You get a score from 120 to 180, and schools decide what they accept. See is there a passing LSAT score.
The bar exam is pass or fail. Each state sets its own passing score. If you do not pass, you cannot practice law in that state until you do.
Which Is Harder, the LSAT or the Bar?
Most lawyers say the bar exam is harder to prepare for. It covers many areas of law, and you must memorize and apply a huge number of rules. The test itself lasts much longer.
The LSAT is harder in a different way. It tests reasoning skills that take time to build, and you are competing against other strong applicants for a spot. Many people say the LSAT felt harder to improve on, while the bar felt like more work.
What Is on the Bar Exam?
Most states use tests made by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE). For many years, this was the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE). It includes:
- A multiple-choice exam on core legal subjects
- Essay questions
- Practical tasks, like writing a legal memo from a file of documents
The NextGen Bar Exam
The bar is changing. The new NextGen bar exam was given for the first time in July 2026 in 10 jurisdictions, including Connecticut, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon, and Washington. It runs about a day and a half and puts more weight on practical lawyering skills. NCBE says more states will switch through 2028. If you are starting law school now, you will very likely take the NextGen version.
Does Your LSAT Score Predict Bar Passage?
There is a link, but it is not destiny. Schools with higher LSAT medians tend to have higher bar pass rates. That is one reason schools care about the LSAT. But your law school grades and your bar prep matter much more for you personally. Students with modest LSAT scores pass the bar every year.
When you pick a school, look at its bar passage rate along with its LSAT medians. Our school pages, like LSAT scores for top 100 law schools, help you compare.
LSAT vs Bar Exam: How Prep Differs
| LSAT Prep | Bar Prep | |
|---|---|---|
| Main method | Timed practice tests and careful review | Learning rules, practice essays, practice questions |
| Schedule | Often part time while in school or working | Usually full time for 2 to 3 months |
| Cost | Free to a few thousand dollars | Commercial bar courses often cost a few thousand dollars |
For the LSAT, start with our LSAT study schedule and free LSAT prep resources.
LSAT vs Bar Exam FAQ
Do you need to pass the LSAT to take the bar?
You need an LSAT score (or another accepted test) to get into most ABA law schools. Most states require a law degree from an ABA school to sit for the bar.
Is the bar exam like the LSAT?
Not much. Some reasoning skills carry over, like reading carefully and spotting weak arguments. But the bar tests legal knowledge, which the LSAT does not.
Can you take the bar without going to law school?
A few states, like California, allow other paths such as studying in a law office. These paths are rare and have extra rules.
Your first step is the LSAT. See your percentile and matching schools with our free LSAT score calculator.