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LUMS admission tests: SAT, ACT or LCAT, and how the digital SAT works
Which tests LUMS accepts for undergraduate programmes, how the digital SAT is built, and how to prepare for its Reading and Writing and Math sections.
Last updated: 31 October 2026
The short answer
For most undergraduate programmes at LUMS you can apply with one of three tests: the SAT, the ACT or the LUMS Common Admission Test (LCAT). The LCAT is LUMS's own test. For the law programme (BA-LLB Honours) you also sit the Law Admission Test (LAT). The programmes that accept these tests include business, humanities, science, law and education. Read the page for your programme on the LUMS admissions website.
How the digital SAT is built
The College Board gives the SAT on a computer. It has two sections, and each section has two modules. The first module of a section has a mix of easier and harder questions, and your result on it decides whether the second module of that section is easier or harder. This is called an adaptive test.
| Section | Questions | Time | Modules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and Writing | 54 | 64 minutes | 2 modules of 32 minutes |
| Math | 44 | 70 minutes | 2 modules of 35 minutes |
| Total | 98 | 2 hours 14 minutes | 10 minute break between sections |
What each section tests
- Reading and Writing: short passages of 25 to 150 words, each with one multiple choice question. The four areas are Information and Ideas, Craft and Structure, Expression of Ideas and Standard English Conventions.
- Math: Algebra, Advanced Math, Problem-Solving and Data Analysis, and Geometry and Trigonometry. Most questions are multiple choice and some ask you to type an answer.
How to prepare
- Take the official practice tests of the College Board, which are free.
- For Reading and Writing, practise grammar rules (agreement, punctuation, verb tense), transitions and vocabulary in context.
- For Math, strengthen linear equations, systems, quadratics, percentages, ratios, statistics and basic geometry.
- Review each wrong answer and write down the rule you missed.
- Book your SAT date early, and check the LUMS deadline for your intake.
What to confirm
- The test that your programme accepts.
- The deadline for scores for your intake.
- Whether LUMS asks for any score above a minimum for your programme. LUMS does not publish one on the testing page, so ask the admissions office if you need to know.
Where this comes from
- LUMS Office of Admissions, testing admissions page at admission.lums.edu.pk: the SAT, ACT and LCAT options and the extra test for law.
- College Board, SAT Suite, what is on the test (satsuite.collegeboard.org): the number of questions, the time and the content areas.
- Contact the LUMS admissions office at [email protected] for any question about a score.