Getting a good score on the LSAT is essential for getting accepted to law school. To get a good score on the LSAT, you must study and have a good understanding of the material that will be on the test. LSAT preparation is extremely important. Without any preparation, the LSAT can be a very challenging test. One of the sections of the LSAT that seems to trip students up the most is the logical reasoning (LR) section. It is important to do well on the logical reasoning sections because they comprise 2 out of the 4 scored sections on the LSAT. This article aims to provide you with the fundamentals of the logical reasoning section.
The logical reasoning sections contain about 25 questions, and you have 35 minutes to answer all of the questions. You have about 1 minute and 25 seconds to complete each question, but you should not spend this much time on every question. You should spend less time on questions that are easier that way you can spend more time on the difficult problems. The first questions will be the easiest and they will progressively get harder throughout the section. It is important to take practice tests before you take the actual LSAT so you can practice your pacing of the questions. The most difficult aspect of the test is solving all of the problems within the limited time span, so it is important to learn how to manage your time in the logical reasoning section.
To do well on the logical reasoning sections of the LSAT, you need to understand what the questions are asking and how they are structured. The first part of an LR question is called the stimulus. The stimulus part of the question either gives an argument or gives facts. Arguments will always argue for something and they will always have a conclusion, or a point in which the author is trying to convey. The argument’s conclusion will be followed by some supporting statements called premises. All arguments will have at least one conclusion and premise. These arguments will not always be valid, and it is usually the job of the test taker to determine the strength of the arguments. Questions where the stimulus provides you with facts will not provide any argumentative info, just facts. You are a lot less likely to see these types of questions, but if you do they are not any harder or easier than questions with arguments.
The second part of an LR question is called the question stem. The question stem is where the actual question is asked. This is where you will have to use the argument or facts from the question stimulus to answer the question stem. Make sure you read the question stem very carefully because this is what you are trying to answer.
Being able to pace yourself and understand the breakdown of the questions are just the first steps in mastering the logical reasoning section of the LSAT. Once you have a good grasp of these concepts you should be taking practice tests so you can develop the reasoning skills needed to be successful on the logical reasoning sections. Don’t let the logical reason sections intimidate you, once you master the techniques you will do great!
