This article was last updated Feb 3rd, 2021. As the score release date for each LSAT administration nears, tensions run high among test takers. The moment of truth is at hand, and you're days or even hours from knowing exactly how you did. In the past, LSAC confused things further by nearly always releasing scores days in advance of their "official score release date." Because of this, there was uncertainty and anxiety about the process. However, in response to our Twitter suggestions and our open letter to LSAC about release times, they changed policy and started releasing scores on the … [Read more...]
How to Choose the Best LSAT Prep Option
At the beginning of any given student's LSAT prep journey, we commonly receive two questions:"How do I begin to prepare?" "How do I pick the prep option that's best for me?"In this post I’ll do my best to answer both of those questions.First, I'm obviously pretty biased when it comes to courses and prep in general. PowerScore is truly the industry leader when it comes to quality instruction and student results. For the purpose of this post, I’ll avoid a blatant PowerScore pitch and instead take a different approach. So, here’s broader advice to help you make the most informed … [Read more...]
Should You Retake the LSAT?
When LSAT scores come out, many students are faced with the uncomfortable reality of a possible retake. With that in mind, consider one of the most common questions regarding law school admissions. “Should I retake the exam? And if I do, how will law schools interpret my scores?”In order to help you better understand your options, we have researched LSAC policy, as well as that of top law schools, and spoken with many admissions counselors regarding these issues, and compiled our findings below.Let’s address some of the facts about the LSAT and admissions first, and then weigh the … [Read more...]
How to Increase Your LSAT Score When You Are Stuck
I'll begin this blog with a confession. The vast majority of the text below is not my own, but rather has been taken (with encouragement) from a post Dave Killoran wrote on our LSAT Forum. The advice is too good and too endlessly relevant not to share, so I'm reusing it here to ensure it reaches the widest audience possible. Specifically, Dave went to great lengths to explore and explain two of the most common concerns plaguing test takers. Namely, how to correct for wide-ranging performance variations and how to keep improving when it feels as though you've hit a permanent score … [Read more...]
What to Trust and What to Question in LSAT Logical Reasoning
One of the most common questions test takers ask when considering LSAT Logical Reasoning is "How do I know what information I can accept as fact?" So let's consider what information you should question or approach with skepticism.This very question came up on our Forum. A student considered a question from the second LR section, #24 on the February 1994 LSAT. This question discusses investments and the relationship of inflation to profitability. The student ultimately struggled to make sense of the stimulus because of a multitude of economic considerations not mentioned in the text, but … [Read more...]
Flaws in Logical Reasoning Part X: Time Shift Errors
[Further Reading in Flaws in Logical Reasoning: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10] As we finish up this series on common flaws in logical reasoning, here's a reminder of where we started.The majority of LSAT Logical Reasoning questions have an argument in their stimulus and most will contain some sort of flawed reasoning. In this series, we will address a variety of the flaws that tend to appear with some frequency. I’ll examine common mistakes that authors on the test make. This should prove useful for Flaw in the Reasoning questions (which … [Read more...]
Flaws in Logical Reasoning Part IX: Appeal to Emotion
We're at the final stretch! Before we can get to Part 9, here's a recap on our purpose as stated in the first post on Source Arguments.The majority of LSAT Logical Reasoning questions have an argument in their stimulus and most will contain some sort of flawed reasoning. In this series, we will address a variety of the flaws that tend to appear with some frequency. I’ll examine common mistakes that authors on the test make. This should prove useful for Flaw in the Reasoning questions (which account for about 15% of LR questions.) It should also help with other question types that require … [Read more...]
The Ultimate Guide to LSAT Writing
This article was updated 5/30/19. Effective June 2019, students do not have to complete a writing sample immediately after taking the LSAT. Instead, they will complete LSAT Writing (the official new name) on their own time. Whether it be in the days, weeks, or even months following the test. But, it’s not just the name and location that has changed. Continue reading to learn all you need to know about the LSAT Writing Sample! What’s expected of you, how it’s administered, its general importance, and how to write the most compelling essay possible.LSAT Writing is a 35-minute assignment. It … [Read more...]
Flaws in Logical Reasoning Part VIII: Appeal to Authority
Before continuing on to Part Eight of our flaws in LR on the LSAT, let’s review once more. Here’s how I began the first post in this series, where we looked at Source Arguments: The majority of LSAT Logical Reasoning questions have an argument in their stimulus and most will contain some sort of flawed reasoning. In this series, we will address a variety of the flaws that tend to appear with some frequency. I’ll examine common mistakes that authors on the test make. This should prove useful for Flaw in the Reasoning questions (which account for about 15% of LR questions.) It should also help … [Read more...]
Flaws in Logical Reasoning Part VII: Internal Contradiction
Part 7 is here! But before we get going on the topic of internal contradiction, let's start with a review the importance of this series Take a look at how I began the first post, where we looked at Source Arguments. The majority of LSAT Logical Reasoning questions have an argument in their stimulus and most will contain some sort of flawed reasoning. In this series, we will address a variety of the flaws that tend to appear with some frequency. I’ll examine common mistakes that authors on the test make. This should prove useful for Flaw in the Reasoning questions (which account for about 15% … [Read more...]
Flaws in Logical Reasoning Part VI: Uncertain Use of a Term
Welcome back to our series on some of the common flaws you'll find in LR questions on the LSAT! We're already half way through and heading on to Part 6! Let's remember our roots with how I began the first post on Source Arguments in this series: The majority of LSAT Logical Reasoning questions have an argument in their stimulus and most will contain some sort of flawed reasoning. In this series, we will address a variety of the flaws that tend to appear with some frequency. I’ll examine common mistakes that authors on the test make. This should prove useful for Flaw in the Reasoning questions … [Read more...]
Flaws in Logical Reasoning Part V: False Dilemma
Part Five of our series examining common flaws in LR questions is here! But, before we continue, here's a recap of our mission as stated in the first post on Source Arguments. The majority of LSAT Logical Reasoning questions have an argument in their stimulus and most will contain some sort of flawed reasoning. In this series, we will address a variety of the flaws that tend to appear with some frequency. I’ll examine common mistakes that authors on the test make. This should prove useful for Flaw in the Reasoning questions (which account for about 15% of LR questions.) It should also help … [Read more...]
Flaws in Logical Reasoning Part IV: Errors of Composition and Division
Let's recap the purpose pf this series before we tackle Part Four. Why is it so important to understand these argumentative errors? Here’s how we started the series when looking at Source Arguments: Considering the vast majority of LSAT Logical Reasoning questions will have an argument in their stimulus, and the vast majority of those arguments will contain some sort of flawed reasoning, I thought I would take a moment to address a variety of the flaws that tend to appear with some frequency. In a series of posts I’ll examine a number of common mistakes that authors on the test make, which … [Read more...]
Flaws in Logical Reasoning Part III: Exceptional Cases and Over-generalizations
Before continuing with Part Three of our Flaws in Logical Reasoning series, let’s review the importance of understanding argumentative errors. Here’s how I began the series when we looked at Source Arguments: The majority of LSAT Logical Reasoning questions have an argument in their stimulus and most will contain some sort of flawed reasoning. In this series, we will address a variety of the flaws that tend to appear with some frequency. I’ll examine common mistakes that authors on the test make. This should prove useful for Flaw in the Reasoning questions (which account for about 15% of LR … [Read more...]