The LSAT - Some Answers

Ever wonder how it came into being, how it is structured, and why law schools have come to use it as an integral metric in evaluating law school applicants? Here are some answers.

Breaking It Down

The LSAT has:

4 scored multiple choice sections, each 35 minutes in length, for a total of 100-02 scored multiple choice questions;

1 unscored multiple-choice section, also 35 minutes in length;

1 unscored writing exercise, again, 35 minutes in length.

Test-takers don’t know ahead of time which multiple-choice section is the unscored section, but the LSAC includes it as a way to try out new questions and answers to ensure their efficacy. The jaded test-taker might feel a little like a guinea pig. Plus, while the writing sample is not scored, a copy of that essay is forwarded to every law school you apply to.

Reading Comprehension

This portion of the LSAT consists of 4 sets of Reading Comprehension passages (about 450 words total either in one longer piece or two shorter ones) and each set has 5-8 questions that test-takers must answer. The substance of the passages typically relates to humanities, natural science, social science and/or law. Test-takers usually are asked: What is the central argument or message of the passage? What can you infer from what the author of the passage says? What principle does the author’s argument depend upon? What function does a particular paragraph perform in the overall passage? In 2007, the LSAC made one of the four Reading Comprehension passages a Comparative Reading passage, which consists of two shorter passages that relate to each other and where most of the questions require the test-taker to consider information in both passages. In all, Reading Comprehension counts for 25% of your overall LSAT score, and you have 35 minutes to finish this section.

Logical Reasoning

This portion of the LSAT consists of 2 logical reasoning sections, each with about 25 questions. Basically, test-takers read a short, argumentative text of about 20-100 words in length and then answer 1 (sometimes 2) questions based on the passage. The passage topics and formats vary, and their substance ranges from business to government to economics to health to psychology to the environment, among others. While you don’t need specialized training in logic, you will need to understand arguments, premises, inferences, conclusions and assumptions, as well as the role of qualifiers like “some” “all” “sometimes” “always” “usually” “never”, among others, in various argumentative and logical reasoning settings. Test-takers usually are asked: “What is the conclusion of the argument? What conclusion does the argument support? What is the reasoning error in the argument? What further information would strengthen the argument? In all, Logical Reasoning counts for 50% of your overall LSAT score, and you have 70 minutes to finish these two sections.

Analytical Reasoning (“Logic Games”)

This portion of the LSAT consists of four sets of analytical reading passages, each with its own scenario of about 120 words in length and with its own set of rules that apply. The scenarios relate to different kinds of relationships: spatial (above/next to); temporal (before/after); and/or group membership. Test takers must answer 5-7 questions per scenario about what can or what must be true. Typical questions include: Which one of the following could be true? Which one of the following cannot be true? Many LSAT takers find Analytical Reasoning to be the most challenging part of the LSAT. In all, Logic Games counts for 25% of your overall LSAT score, and you have 35 minutes to finish this section.

Experimental

This portion of the LSAT will either be a Reading Comprehension, a Logical Reasoning or a Logic Games section. You will not know when you take the LSAT which part of the LSAT was experimental--it will look and feel like all the scored sections, so there’s no point in trying to strategically guess on test day. The Experimental section does not count towards your LSAT score and you have 35 minutes to finish this section.

Writing Exercise

This portion consists of a scenario in which someone is deciding between taking one of two courses of action based on two criteria set forth in the scenario. The test-taker is asked to argue in favor of one course over the other. Neither course is right, neither is wrong. The LSAC does not grade this writing exercise so it is completely unreflected in your 120-180 LSAT score. Nevertheless, the LSAC forwards your answer to every law school you apply to, so law schools may review the quality of your written work product in a timed setting.

THE LSAC's ADVICE

The LSAC’s official advice is that you can prepare yourself to take the LSAT by taking taking challenging courses in college that engage your Reading Comprehension Logical Reasoning, and Analytical Reasoning skills. The LSAC is agnostic on whether to take a LSAT prep course, but it suggests that if you do so you should make sure the LSAT prep course uses real LSAT questions that the LSAC has authored. While many LSAT prep courses use real LSAT questions in their materials, they also frequently have self-authored materials designed specifically to enhance your ability to understand the format of LSAT questions and answers, as well as further develop your Reading Comprehension, Logical Reasoning and Analytical Reasoning skills. The LSAC mildly cautions against relying too heavily on materials they did not author, while LSAT prep companies argue that their specialized materials are precisely the stuff that helps you perform better. The reality probably lies somewhere in between. In any event, at a minimum, you owe it to yourself to at least take a few practice tests using old, actual LSAT exams under real, timed conditions, and work through the answers to see why you answered certain questions correctly and answered others incorrectly. And we encourage you to read through our review of the most popular methods of preparing for the LSAT and the LSAT prep offerings from Kaplan, Testmasters, Princeton Review, PowerScore, and Blueprint.