1. Wednesday, November 3

2. The LSAT Test
 Required by most law schools for admission
 Second most important deciding factor after CGPA
 Administered 3 times a year (February, June and October)
 Deadline to apply for law school November 1st
 5 timed sections:
 3 that are scored
 1 that is not scored
 Writing sample section (not scored but used by some law
school admissions boards)
 Average score needed to get accepted 165
(80th percentile)

3. The LSAT Test
 Categories of scored sections:
 Logical Reasoning
 Logic Puzzles
 Reading Comprehension
 One of the above sections will appear twice but will
not be graded because it is used as an experimental
section for newly developed questions

4. The LSAT Test – Myths and Tips
Myths:
 Reading the questions first helps
 Having a law-related academic background helps
Tips:
 Time yourself while you practice questions
 Read the information for each question in the order
presented
 Underline and use symbols to organize your thoughts

5. Our Focus: Logical Reasoning
 Why Logical Reasoning?
 What about the other sections?
 What resources are useful?
 The PowerScore series
 The Logical Reasoning Bible
 The Logic Games Bible
 The Reading Comprehension Bible

6. About Logical Reasoning
 What is it?
 Critical thinking skills
 Taking in information
 Identifying exactly what is asked
 Separating what is important information and what is not
 Analyzing the important information using the appropriate
method based on what is asked
 24-26 questions, 35 minutes
 Average of 1 minute 20 seconds per question
 TIMING MANAGEMENT IS CRUCIAL!

7. Logical Reasoning Question
Components
 Presented in the following order:
 Stimulus
 Question
 Answer Choices

8. Sample Question
Muscular strength is a limited resource, and athletic techniques help to use this resource
efficiently. Since top athletes do not differ greatly from each other in muscular strength,
it follows that a requirement for an athlete to become a champion is a superior mastery of
athletic techniques.
Which one of the following most accurately expresses the conclusion of the argument?
(A) Only champion athletes have a superior mastery of athletic techniques.
(B) Superior muscular strength is a requirement for an athlete to become a champion.
(C) No athlete can become a champion without a superior mastery of athletic techniques.
(D) The differences in muscular strength between top athletes are not great.
(E) Athletic techniques help athletes use limited resources efficiently.

9. Steps to answering a question
Task Estimated Time1.
1. Read the stimulus , determine if there is an argument,
identify the conclusion and make notations
20 seconds
2. Read the question, identify what type of question it is
and recall the appropriate strategy
5 seconds
3. Read ALL of the answer choices and eliminate obvious
wrong answers
20 seconds
4. Analyze the remaining answer choices while referring
back to stimulus/notations
20 seconds
5. Utilize strategy to decide between potential answer
choices
10 seconds

10. The Stimulus
 Argument vs. Fact Set
 Fact Set
 A collection of statements that do not lead to any kind
of conclusion
 Usually does not evoke any kind of reaction from the
reader
 Example: “The Jacksonville area has just over one
million residents. The Cincinnati area has almost two
million residents. The New York area has almost twenty
million residents.”

11. The Stimulus
 Argument
 A set of statements wherein one statement is claimed to
follow from or be derived from the others.
 Normally expresses an opinion using supporting
statements
 Supporting statements = “Premises”
 Opinion = “Conclusion”
 Example: “All professors are ethical. Mason is a
professor. So Mason is ethical.”

12. Identifying a Conclusion
 A statement or judgment that follows from one or
more reasons.
 What is the author driving at?
 What does the author want me to believe?
 What point follows from the others?

13. Identifying Premises
 A fact, proposition, or statement from which a
conclusion can be made.
 What reasons has the author used to persuade me?
 Why should I believe this statement?
 What evidence exists?

14. Indicator Words
Premise Indicators Conclusion Indicators
because thus
since therefore
for hence
for example consequently
for the reason that as a result
in that so
given that accordingly
as indicated by clearly
due to must be that
owing to shows that
this can be seen from conclude that
we know this by follows that
for this reason

15. Simple Argument vs. Complex Arugment
 A simple argument has one conclusion supported by one
more more premises.
 A complex argument has one MAIN conclusion and one or
more subconclusions that are supported by premises, and
that support the main conclusion.
P1 + P2 + P3 P4+P5+P6
SC1 + SC2 + P7
MC

16. Strong vs. Weak Argument
 Do the premises necessarily lead to the conclusion?
 Always take the premises as true.
 You are not trying to determine the TRUTH of the
argument, you are trying to determine VALIDITY.
 Validity = The conclusion makes sense given the facts
stated.

17. Ex: Weak Argument
The Jacksonville area has just over one million residents.
The Cincinnati area has almost two million residents.
The New York area has almost twenty million
residents. We should move to Jacksonville.
 Why is this a weak argument?

18. Ex: Strong Argument
 The Jacksonville area has just over one million
residents. The Cincinnati area has almost two million
residents. The New York area has almost twenty
million residents. Highly populated areas often have a
high crime rate. We should move to Jacksonville.

19. Compare that to…
 The Jacksonville area has just over one million
residents. The Cincinnati area has almost two million
residents. The New York area has almost twenty
million residents. People who live in highly populated
areas often smell bad. We should move to Jacksonville.
 What is the point I’m trying to make?

20. Read the fine print!
 Be weary of quantity, frequency and probability
indicators. Know exactly what the author said!
Quantity Frequency Probability
All never must
Every often will
most sometimes probably
many hardly likely
several occasionally would
few frequently Not necessarily
sole rarely could

21. Scope of the argument
 Understand the scope of the argument in order to
eliminate answer choices are outside of the scope
 Scope = The range to which the premises and
conclusion encompass certain ideas.
 If an argument is discussing a surgical procedure or
technique, then the ideas of surgery and medicine are
within the scope. But any ideas pertaining to federal
monetary policy relating to healthcare is not.

22. Notating the Stimulus
 Things to notate/mark:
 The Main Conclusion of an argument
 Quantity, frequency and probability indicator words
 To notate the conclusion, use brackets [ ]
 To notate Q, F and P indicators, underline

23. Exercise 1
 Identify the conclusion and determine if the argument
is strong or weak.
 Some teachers claim that students would not learn
curricular content without the incentive of grades. But
students with intense interest in the material would
learn it without this incentive, while the behaviour of
students lacking all interest in the material is
unaffected by such an incentive. The incentive of
grades, therefore, serves no essential academic
purpose.

24. Exercise 1 Answer
 Some teachers claim that students would not learn
curricular content without the incentive of grades. But
students with intense interest in the material would
learn it without this incentive, while the behaviour of
students lacking all interest in the material is
unaffected by such an incentive. [The incentive of
grades, therefore, serves no essential academic
purpose.]

25. Exercise 2
 Identify the conclusion and determine if the argument is
strong or weak.
 While it was once believed that the sort of psychotherapy
appropriate for treatment of neuroses caused by
environmental factors is also appropriate for schizophrenia
and other psychoses, it is now known that these latter ,
more serious forms of mental disturbance are best treated
by biochemical – that is, medicinal – means. This is
conclusive evidence that psychoses, unlike neuroses, have
nothing to do with environmental factors but rather are
caused by some sort of purely organic condition, such as
abnormal brain chemistry or brain malformations.

26. Exercise 2 Answer
 While it was once believed that the sort of
psychotherapy appropriate for treatment of neuroses
caused by environmental factors is also appropriate for
schizophrenia and other psychoses, it is now known
that these latter , more serious forms of mental
disturbance are best treated by biochemical – that is,
medicinal – means. This is conclusive evidence that
[psychoses, unlike neuroses, have nothing to do with
environmental factors but rather are caused by some
sort of purely organic condition], such as abnormal
brain chemistry or brain malformations.

27. Exercise 3 (TIMED: 45 seconds)
 Identify the conclusion and determine if the argument
is strong or weak.
 If relativity theory is correct, no object can travel
forward in time at a speed greater than the speed of
light. Yet quantum mechanics predicts that the
tachyon, a hypothetical subatomic particle, travels
faster than light. Thus, if relativity theory is correct,
either quantum mechanics’ prediction about tachyons
is erroneous or tachyons travel backwards in time.

28. Exercise 3 Answer
 If relativity theory is correct, no object can travel
forward in time at a speed greater than the speed of
light. Yet quantum mechanics predicts that the
tachyon, a hypothetical subatomic particle, travels
faster than light. Thus, if relativity theory is correct,
[either quantum mechanics’ prediction about
tachyons is erroneous or tachyons travel backwards in
time.]

29. Why determine strong vs. weak?
 This is the essence of critical thinking and logical
reasoning. Most logical reasoning questions that are
asked will require you to make this kind of analysis.
 Buy LSAT Prep Tests and practice, practice, practice!
 Don’t forget to time yourself!

30. Next Session:
 The Question Stem
 The 4 question family groups
 The 13 question types
 Must Be True Questions
 Main Point Questions
 Conditional Reasoning
 Weaken Questions