Here’s our first attempt at a free YouTube tutorial for LSAT Logic games. Give it a shot and let us know what you think. Watch LSAT Video Tutorial
You can also watch it on YouTube
Due to copyright protection this is not an actual LSAT Game but it’s design is identical to the games you will encounter on the LSAT. The principles for diagramming this game apply to your basic linear games on the LSAT. Begin with listing your entities:
A B C D E G N
Then make your placeholders for each entity:
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
Then diagram each of the rules.
You’ll have to check out the video for the rest of the game.
The answer is: almost always! With a few exceptions.
Summary:
When you first start studying take at least one full length LSAT under actual timed conditions (35 mins per section) in order to determine what your starting point is. Then do a few of each question type with no time constraints in order to learn the process. Then for the majority of your LSAT prep do only full length LSATs or 35 minute sections under timed conditions. When you review these LSATs/sections you can take extra time to understand those that you got wrong.
The Exceptions:
Learning a new LSAT question type
When you first start studying you should be learning how to approach particular question types. As part of this process you will be practicing a few questions of each type and analyzing each one in detail. This allows you to become familiar with the correct approach for each type of question. Doing this under time constraints will limit your ability to develop the skills necessary for each question type. It is best to take this process slow and fully understand how to analyze the questions, then you can start to apply these skills in a timed environment.
Reviewing completed LSATs
After you complete a LSAT or 35 minute section under actual time constraints, take the time to review each question, particularly the ones you got wrong. This extra time will allow you review why each of your wrong answers are wrong and why the right ones are right. You can identify which question types you are struggling with and identify areas for further review. In the games section you can deconstruct your diagram and rules to ensure you put them together properly and in the most effective way.
When to Time:
Other than the two exceptions listed above, always time yourself. At a minimum you should be timing yourself in 35 minute increments and doing a full LSAT test section each time. You should also regularly complete a full length LSAT under timed conditions. Other than learning a new question type you should always be timing yourself at 35 minutes per section. After a section you can turn off the clock for review.
Why to Time:
The LSAT is timed
The LSAT is a timed test. Given enough time, most people can score very high on the LSAT. Your score only counts if you can do it in the designated time.
It will help you improve
If you study under time constraints it will help you learn to deal with the time limits, forcing you to move quickly, read quickly, analyze quickly and apply all the skills you learn as fast as possible. It is one thing to learn how to analyze an argument but it is another entirely to analyze an argument identify its weakness and pick it out of a line up of 5 answer choices in under 90 seconds. Forcing your brain to get used to timed conditions will improve your ability to deal with the limitations and the stress.
How to Time:
One section at a time (at least)
Do not time one or a few questions. Time yourself on 35 minute sections at a minimum. Generally this means you should not be sitting down to do 2 or 3 LSAT questions at a time, always do at least a full section and if you have time a full LSAT. Make sure that you take extra time to review each section after you score it.
I am often asked if a student should re-take the LSAT.
What’s the value in re-taking it?
How do schools look at your second or third score?
The answer really depends upon your circumstances, but most often if you think you can do ,much better than your previous LSAT score, go ahead and re-write the LSAT. If you didn’t study enough, got too stressed out during the exam or were sick, it is likely a good idea to give it another try.
Here’s a few things to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to re-take the LSAT:
- You can only write the LSAT twice in any three year period. This policy applies even if you cancel your score or it is not otherwise reported. There are a few exceptions to this rule, but they aren’t easy to get. You need your law school to request another LSAT score for you. This usually only happens if they want a more recent LSAT score.
- If there were extenuating circumstances during your first LSAT writing such as you being sick, extreme anxiety or other issues, you many want to notify your law schools of this fact so that they are more likely to weight your second (and hopefully better) LSAT score more heavily, or ignore your first LSAT altogether.
- If you feel that you did not prepare for the LSAT properly the first time, then before you take the LSAT again, make sure you take the time to do proper LSAT prep and get your score up on practice tests. If you see a significant increase in your LSAT score after additionaly study time then take the test again.
- There is substantial data on how people typically do on the LSAT if they re-take it. Most of this data tells you that you are about a 50-50 shot to improve your score and if you do improve it, it won’t be by much. What you should take from this is, make sure you can do much better on your practice tests at home than your past LSAT score before you repeat the test.
- After you re-take the tests, any reports that go out to Law Schools will include all the tests you have taken. Check with your schools (usually on their websites) to see if they average your scores or take the highest one. Even schools that average scores can occaisionally be persuaded to take your highest if there were special circumstances at the time of your lower scored LSAT. Law schools are increasingly taking the highest reported LSAT score for applicants as it helps their law school rankings when they report the average LSAT of their admitted students.
- You should also consider the delay of re-taking the LSAT on your applications to law school. Many schools admit students on a rolling basis so it is actually easier to get in if you apply earlier. What you can do is apply with your lower score to take advantage of the rolling admissions and then if you get a higher score alert the school and have another shot at admission. Some people will get accepted to a school that is not their first choice based on their initial LSAT score. At this point you can take the LSAT again, stress free because you know you are already accepted to one school. Then, if you second score is higher, you might get into the school of your choice. Stress is a very significant factor in how students perform on the actual LSAT so whatever you can do to reduce or elminiate stress is a good thing!
If you do decide to re-take the LSAT, make sure to let your school know about your new score. Law Services does not automatically update the schools, you need to make sure your new score gets to them.
Straw man arguments are found in a number of logical reasoning question types on the LSAT, including flawed reasoning questions, parallel flawed reasoning questions, and method of reasoning questions.
A straw man argument is a fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponent’s position. To “attack a straw man” is to create the illusion of having refuted a proposition by substituting a superficially similar proposition (the “straw man”), and refuting it, without ever having actually refuted the original position.
Or more simply: a straw man argument presents a weaker version of the opponents argument and attacks that weakened argument rather than the original argument. It often involves rephrasing the opposing argument in order to make it more vulnerable to attack.
E.g.
Person A: We should liberalize the laws on marijuana.
Person B: No, any society with unrestricted access to intoxicants loses its work ethic and goes only for immediate gratification.
The proposal was to relax laws on marijuana. Person B has exaggerated this to a position harder to defend, i.e., “unrestricted access to intoxicants”.
Straw Man arguments can be described on the LSAT as:
“portrays opponents views as more extreme than they actually are”
“rephrases the opposing viewpoint in order to make it more vulnerable to criticism”
“distorts the proposal made by the advocates”
“misstates the original position held by the politician in order to make it easier to refute”
These statements can be included either as a correct or incorrect answer. By understanding the straw man fallacy you will be faster at identifying these answer choices as correct or incorrect.
For free access to a complete “Flawed Reasoning Tutorial” email: freetutorial@alpha-score.com
The tutorial is online and interactive and includes 16 other common forms of flawed reasoning found on the LSAT.
Most logic games include a complete and accurate list question. This is usually the first question. e.g. “Which of the following could be a complete and accurate list…?”
For most LSAT logic game questions the best way to approach them involves redrawing your diagram. For the complete and accurate list questions, however, there is a better way.
The best way to approach this type of question is to apply each of the rules to all of the answer choices in turn. Cross off any answer choices that violate the rule. The only answer choice left remaining that does not violate a rule is your correct answer.
Here is an example:
Assume that these are your rules:
4 runners finish a race from 1st to 4th
The runners are Bob, Jim, Sarah and Angel
Rule 1: Bob finishes before Jim
Rule 2: Sarah finishes before Bob
Rule 3: Angel does not finish last
Which of the following could be a complete and accurate list of runners in the order they finish the race?
(A) Bob, Sarah, Angel, Jim
(B) Sarah, Bob, Jim, Angel
(C) Angel, Sarah, Bob, Jim
If we apply the first rule to each answer choice we see that no answer choices violate rule 1.
Next we apply rule 2. (A) violates rule 2 because B is before S.
Next we apply rule 3 (B) violates rule 3 because Angel is last.
The only remaining answer choice is (C), so (C) is our correct answer choice.
If after applying all of your rules you are still left with more than one answer choice you have either missed a rule or there is some other information in the game set up that needs to be applied as a rule. For example if in the question above we had another answer choice (D) Angel, Sarah, Bob, Jim, Ryan
This does not violate any of our rules but it does violate part of our game set up because it has 5 runners not 4 and it includes Ryan, a runner not included in our race.
Try this formal logic or conditional reasoning question for the LSAT:
If the novel were successful, it would be produced as a movie or adapted as a theatre script. However, this novel is not successful, therefore, we must conclude that it will neither become a movie nor will it be adapted as a theatre script.
The argument’s reasoning is flawed because the argument:
(A) fails to draw the conclusion that the novel will not both be produced as a movie and be adapted as a theatre script, rather than that it will do neither
(B) fails to explain in exactly what way the novel is unsuccessful
(C) equates the novel’s aesthetic worth with its commercial success
(D) presumes, without providing justification, that there are no further avenues for the novel other than production as a movie or adaptation as a theatre script
(E) fails to recognize that the novel’s not satisfying one sufficient condition does not preclude its satisfying a different sufficient condition for production as a movie or adaptation as a theatre script
This is a formal logic question. It uses conditional reasoning or if then statements.
For a full analysis of IF THEN statements and formal logic for logical reasoning questions see our free LSAT course: Formal Logic Tutorial
And here Practice Questions
Let’s analyze our stimulus.
Our first premise is: IF the novel is successful THEN movie or script
Our second premise: This novel is NOT successful.
Conclusion: NOT movie nor script
This is flawed formal logic. The mistake here is that we have reversed our IF THEN statement. As you can see from the tutorials in formal logic Formal Logic Tutorial you cannot reverse your IF THEN statement except as a contra positive. The contra positive of our IF THEN statement is as follows:
Original Statement: IF the novel is successful THEN movie or script
Contra-Positive: IF there is NOT a movie or script THEN the novel was NOT successful
There is nothing else you can conclude from this original statement or premise. This means that our conclusion is a flawed conclusion. The conclusion tries to state the following:
Conclusion: IF NOT successful THEN NOT movie or script.
We cannot draw this conclusion from our original premise. By drawing this conclusion we fail to recognize that the novel could become a movie or script by some other means than success. For example, maybe all novels about children are made into movies giving us the statement IF novel is about children THEN movie. This would give us another avenue to arrive at a movie or script despite the novel not being successful.
So our correct answer choice is (E). The argument fails to recognize that the novel’s not satisfying one sufficient condition (being successful) does not preclude its satisfying a different sufficient condition (some other means such as being about children) for production as a movie or adaptation as a theatre script.
The New Angel Law School allows students to evaluate their law professors. Evaluations are submitted in paper on the last day of school. Some professors at the law school either do not disseminate the evaluation forms or do so selectively and many students do not attend the last day of school. A new system allows students to evaluate their law professors online. Online evaluations can be submitted at any point during the school year. Therefore, evaluations under the online system will accurately reflect the distribution of student opinion about teaching performance.
Which one of the following is an assumption required by the argument?
(A) Law professors who disseminate the evaluation forms selectively, do so only to the students they personally like.
(B) Students can wisely and insightfully asses a professor’s performance before the end of the school year.
(C) The old system of evaluation should not be used in any law school.
(D) Nearly all law professors who do not disseminate the evaluation forms do so because they believe the students will give negative evaluations.
(E) Law students who are unhappy with their professors are not more likely than students who are happy with their professors to submit an online evaluation.
Explanation:
This is an assumption question. We are looking to determine which statement is required by the argument. The author of the argument has made an assumption or skipped over a point in the logic in order to come the the conclusion and this assumption will be our correct answer.
First we should determine the conclusion of the argument. Our conclusion here is the last sentence of the argument: “Therefore, evaluations under the online system will accurately reflect the distribution of student opinion about teaching performance”. Notice that the word “Therefore” signals the start of the conclusion in this case.
Prior to this conclusion the argument proceeds in summary as follows:
- there is an old system of evaluation using paper forms
- these forms are submitted on the last day of classes
- these forms are not submitted to all students due to various biases and problems
- a new system allows all students to submit evaluations online
- the new system allows for evaluations at any point in the year
(A) The fact that professors disseminate the forms only to students they like is not required for our conclusion. It may help discredit the existing system but does not make the new system accurate as our conclusion requires.
(B) Many students choose this answer choice at it would seem to be an assumption that helps our conclusion. However, our conclusion requires only that the new system accurately reflects student opinion, not whether that opinion is wise or insightful. If our students opinion is not wise or insightful as this answer offers, our new system could still accurately reflect the students unwise opinions.
(C) This answer choice is much too strong. Our conclusion does not require nor does it go so far as to say that the old system should not be used at ANY law school. Look out for strong wording such as ALL, ANY, NONE, EVERY etc.
(D) Once again this answer choice has strong working, with ALL professors. However, the real issue with this answer choice is that our conclusion does not depend upon the belief of our professors in choosing not to hand out the forms. Our conclusion relates only to the accuracy of our new system.
(E) This is our correct answer. This assumption is required for our conclusion. If this assumption is not true then our unhappy students would be more likely to submit online evaluations and the online system would be negatively biased making it an inaccurate expression of student opinion and negating our conclusion. Our argument requires this assumption to be effective and so we have our correct answer choice. This technique of reversing our answer choice in assumption questions and testing the effect on our conclusion is a great way to check for correct answers. A required assumption when reversed will destroy your conclusion.
Ring tailed lemurs are herbivores and incapable of digesting meat. However, scientists have observed ring tailed lemurs killing and eating beetles.
Which one of the following, if true, best resolves the discrepancy above?
A) Ring tailed lemurs eat only the hard shell of the beetles.
B) Ring tailed lemurs often kill beetles by accident.
C) Ring tailed lemurs do not kill beetles frequently.
D) Beetles often compete with Ring tailed lemurs for food sources.
E) Beetles are easily caught by Ring tailed lemurs.
Explanation:
This is a paradox question and you are looking to resolve the paradox or discrepancy. The paradox here is that despite being unable to digest meat the ring tailed lemurs are eating beetles which would seem to be meat. We are looking for an explanation for this behavior.
A) If the lemurs do not eat the meat and only eat the shell that would explain our discrepancy. They are not consuming meat, only a hard shell that may be digested by the lemur. (A) is our correct answer choice.
B) This explains why they are killing the beetles but does not address the issue of why they are eating them and so does not resolve our paradox.
C) The fact that they do not kill them frequently still does not explain why they do kill them sometimes and more so why do they eat them. We have not addressed our paradox with this answer choice.
D) Once again, this statement may explain why the lemurs kill the beetles but does not explain our paradox as to why they eat them despite being unable to digest meat.
E) The beetles may be easy to catch but if the lemurs cannot digest they meat then why are the lemurs catching and eating the beetles? This does not explain our discrepancy either.
So our correct answer and the only one that addresses the discrepancy or paradox is answer choice A. Be careful of answer choices that explain some aspect of the argument but do not address the paradox directly. A good way to avoid these common wrong answer choices is the have a clear understanding of the paradox before moving on to our answer choices. In this question we paraphrased the paradox as “despite being unable to digest meat the ring tailed lemurs are eating beetles”. With this in mind the correct answer is much easier to spot.
A study released in May, 2009 by the US Department of Education shows that students in online learning environments outperformed those receiving face-to-face instruction.
The report was based on a systematic search of the research literature from 1996 through July 2008, and identified more than a thousand empirical studies of online learning. Analysts screened these studies to find those that (a) contrasted an online to a face-to-face condition, (b) measured student learning outcomes, (c) used a rigorous research design, and (d) provided adequate information to calculate an effect size. As a result of this screening, 51 independent effects were identified that could be subjected to meta-analysis. The meta-analysis found that, on average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction.
The easiest way to look at this statement is that it is the same, logically, as “Either X or Y”
Note there is one subtle difference between “X Unless Y” and “Either X or Y”. See below.
X Unless Y, tells you that you will always have X except if (unless) we have Y, in which case you will not have X. So essentially it is the same as Either X or Y but never both. So the full set of statements we can include are:
If X then Not Y
If Y then Not X
If Not X then Y
If Not Y then X
So you could write it as:
IF Not Y then X (meaning that in all circumstances where you do not have Y you must have X)
or the contra positive
IF X then Not Y (Meaning that whenever you have X you cannot have Y)
Or another way to look at it is:
If you have X then you know you cannot have Y because we have X unless there is a Y so
IF X then Not Y
And
IF Y then Not X
Finally you can look at Unless as essentially the same as saying “IF NOT”
So X Unless Y is the same as “X IF Not Y” or “IF Not Y then X”
Let’s try this in a sentence.
I will go to the park unless I stay home.
This is the same as “I will go to the park if I do not stay home” or…
IF Not Home then Park
IF Not Park then Home
The easiest way to see the unless statements is as an Either Or statement. So X Unless Y is the same as Either X or Y.
The one subtle difference between “X Unless Y” and “Either X or Y” is that “X Unless Y” implies that you start with the assumption of having X. So we will have X, unless there is Y. So if you are told nothing else about whether you have X or Y you will have X. this is unlikely to be an issue on the LSAT, however, as the test makers are typically more precise.