Diagramming and notation can play a vital role in a strong performance on the Reading Comprehension section of the LSAT, but the ideal approach to effectively breaking down the passages can be different for each student. Unlike Logic Games, each of which is generally conducive to the creation of an objectively optimal diagram, effective for students across the board, when it comes to Reading Comprehension passages there is no single best way to diagram or notate. There are, however, several diagramming options from which to choose.Basic Underlining: this is the simplest, most common … [Read more...]
Diagramming on the LSAT Part II – Notation Suggestions
I wrote a blog post yesterday about LSAT diagramming and how to better determine its usefulness for you, where essentially I suggested that diagramming is an investment of your time and rhythm and for that investment to be worthwhile it needed to pay dividends in terms of either (1) gaining you more time than it took as you continue on (like a prephrase, where you can more aggressively/efficiently sort through the answers), or (2) leading to an improved understanding of what you're facing such that you've increased the likelihood of getting the question correct. Failing both of those, as I … [Read more...]
Diagramming on the LSAT Part I: Is it Worth It?
I've written in recent weeks about how to handle a Reading Comprehension passage when time is running out, and in thinking about that idea--Reading Comp pacing--I feel it's important to briefly address one of the most common elements that students find slows them down: diagramming.Here's the thing. Any time you find yourself stopping to make notations, be it for a passage, game, or LR stimulus, you're using valuable time that could theoretically be spent doing something else: maybe continuing to read the passage or stimulus, maybe analyzing answer choices and considering which is correct, … [Read more...]
Conditional Diagramming Part V: Advantages of the Unless Equation
[Read more on Conditional Diagramming: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5] Students often ask if there is an easier way to handle conditional statements containing necessary condition indicators such as “unless,” “except,” “until,” and “without.” The Unless EquationTM is relatively simple, but it does involve a two-step process:Whatever term is modified by “unless” becomes the necessary condition. The remaining term is negated and becomes the sufficient condition.For example, consider the following: Unless you try, you won’t succeed. Since “unless” modifies “you try,” … [Read more...]
Conditional Diagramming Part IV: Working with “Only”
[Read more on Conditional Diagramming: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5] The word “only” is used frequently in LSAT questions. “Only” is a necessary condition indicator, and its usage is often easy to parse. Here’s an example: Only doctors carry malpractice insurance. “Only” modifies “doctors,” and thus the proper diagram is: Carry malpractice insurance → doctor However, in a number of instances, “only” is used in a way that is more deceptive, and in those cases it can be difficult to determine the proper relationship. The classic example is when “only” modifies a term that refers … [Read more...]
When Do I Diagram Conditional Reasoning Statements?
A question that frequently comes up from readers of the LSAT Logical Reasoning Bible is, when should I diagram conditional statements in the LSAT Logical Reasoning section? In the book, I talk about diagramming in a number of different chapters, but most prominently in the chapter on Conditional Reasoning. While, not surprisingly, I think that every chapter in the LR Bible has high value, the Conditional Reasoning chapter is one that often has a tremendous impact on students. Conditional Reasoning is an extremely powerful form of thinking that is used on every single LSAT in both the … [Read more...]
The Limitations of Venn Diagramming on the Logical Reasoning Section
This post was taken from the LSAT Free Help Area on our website. Want to get even more free LSAT help? Check it out!While preparing for the LSAT, students will undoubtedly encounter a wide variety of suggested test taking strategies. Unfortunately, one of the more commonly advocated approaches, particularly with regards to the Logical Reasoning sections, is the use of Venn diagrams1. Despite their popularity with certain test-preparation programs, Venn diagrams are inappropriate for the Logical Reasoning problems test takers encounter on the LSAT because they force the test taker to make … [Read more...]
Conditional Diagramming Part II: “And” in the Necessary Condition
[Read more on Conditional Diagramming: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5] In my last post, I discussed conditional statements with "or" in the sufficient condition. Diagrams with multiple necessary conditions can, depending on the circumstances, then be used to create multiple single diagrams. Let's look at an example.If the rule reads: "If Operations is offered, then Accounting or Sales is also offered," then the diagram is solely: A O → or S Because the necessary condition is just at least one of the two (A or S), you cannot separate this relationship into two … [Read more...]
Conditional Diagramming Part I: “Or” in the Sufficient Condition
[Read more on Conditional Diagramming: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5]Diagrams with multiple sufficient conditions can, depending on the circumstances, then be used to create multiple single diagrams. Let's look at an example.Consider a rule that reads: "If Operations or Sales is offered, then Accounting is also offered." Operations = O Sales = S Accounting = A As a single conditional statement, there are two parts to the sufficient condition (O and S), that are joined by an "or" operator. That sufficient condition leads to a necessary condition of A: O or → A S This is … [Read more...]
Conditional Diagramming Part III: “If But Only If” in Logical Reasoning Questions
[Read more on Conditional Diagramming: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5] An interesting topic came up on our forum a short time back, about the meaning of “If but only if,” and the proper way to diagram a rule that includes this phrase. Students who are familiar with the the LSAT have probably encountered a rule that says “if and only if,” but the use of the term “but” is a clever trick by the test makers. “If but only if” doesn’t look quite the same as “If and only if,” and to many students, the two phrases appear to call for different diagrams. The reality, however, is that … [Read more...]