We focus a tremendous amount of time and attention in our courses and books emphasizing the importance of inference making in Games; determining the truths of the relationships between variable sets. In making inferences, what we’re really focused on is establishing notions of what I’ll refer to here as positive and negative certainty. That is, determining what must occur in an absolute (consistent) sense, and what cannot occur in an absolute … [Read more...]
Controlling Test Day Anxiety, NASA Style
A number of years ago I listened to the National Public Radio (NPR) podcast Fresh Air. They had a fascinating interview with a Canadian astronaut, Col. Chris Hadfield, who was promoting the release of his book, An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth. Col. Hadfield is an interesting guy. From his Facebook description, he was "the first Canadian to walk in space and the first Canadian to command the international space station." Col. Hadfield's … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 85: Causal Reasoning Part II – Causality and Question Types
Wrapping up their comprehensive coverage of LSAT causality, Dave and Jon move from conceptual discussions of causation to an application-focused look at how causal reasoning is treated in the test’s various LR question types. Specifically, you’ll hear them address what to look for and how to best respond to causality in every context—from Weaken to Strengthen to Flaw and more—before touching on advanced cause and effect constructions, ensuring … [Read more...]
Logic Game Types and Frequency of Appearance
Anyone preparing for the LSAT is well aware of the unique difficulty presented by the Logic Games section. What is occasionally overlooked is that certain concepts are far more critical to success than others. That is, specific game types and ideas routinely appear and regularly serve as the basis for the entire section. Other outlier notions are tested so infrequently that they deserve far less attention.Basic Game Types & Frequency of … [Read more...]
Should You Cancel a Potentially Lower LSAT Score?
There's a common situation that pops up for test-takers after taking their second or third LSAT. After the exam, feelings of doubt creep in. "Should I cancel my score? It might be lower than a previous attempt! That would look bad on my application! What should I do?" It's a question that pops up a lot on our LSAT Forum and it's definitely worth addressing. Both Dave Killoran and Jon Denning have weighed in the debate countless times, so here's a … [Read more...]
Ignoring a Possibility vs. Making an Assumption: What’s the Difference?
If you're taking the LSAT, you'll encounter Flaw questions in the Logical Reasoning section. Students commonly struggle with determining how the author talks about a stimulus. Specifically, when reading and analyzing a stimulus, how do you determine whether the author has ignored a possibility or has made an assumption? What clues within the stimulus and/or what reading strategies help differentiate these two author approaches in … [Read more...]
Should I Take the LSAT “Cold?”
All too often we hear about students that took the LSAT “cold,” meaning without studying. It’s not uncommon for some students to believe they don’t have to study, especially if they’ve proven they can test well. Another common reason students do this is to get a feel for a “real” LSAT without preparing. In both cases, the LSAT often delivers a harsh reality. You need to study for this exam to really do well. Of course, there are exceptions, … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 84: Causal Reasoning Part I – The Nature of Basic LSAT Causality
After several months of LSAT-Flex reviews and admissions cycle analysis, Jon and Dave are getting back to basics with a conceptual overview of causal reasoning. In this episode they examine precisely how LSAT causality operates, the central assumption that makes it so vulnerable, common points of confusion including correlations and conditionality, and the key distinctions between causation in premises and conclusions. If you’re looking for a … [Read more...]
Logical Negation: Identifying What to Negate in a Sentence
When negating a sentence, how do you know what specific word you need to negate if it's a long and complicated sentence?Students often ask this question, and it’s one that entails a more in-depth response than you may be expecting. We cover this topic in the Logical Reasoning Bible, Chapter 11, in the discussion of the Assumption Negation Technique™. However, even in such a comprehensive discussion, it's impossible to formulate categorical … [Read more...]
What Kind of Vocabulary Should I Expect on the LSAT?
Note: this was originally written for the PowerScore LSAT Reading Comprehension Bible. Students often ask about the vocabulary required to do well on the LSAT. They worry that they might need an especially large vocabulary, or perhaps a working knowledge of legal or logical terms. Let’s take a closer look and find out what you need to know before you take the LSAT. The Good News Most of the words you will see on the LSAT will be of the simple, … [Read more...]
LSAT Podcast Episode 83: The April 2021 LSAT-Flex Review
The April 2021 LSAT-Flex has come and gone, which can only mean one thing: Dave and Jon are here with a detailed look! Tune in as they discuss all of the content used this week—including the international exams—and offer their take on everything from the tests’ first appearances, overall difficulty, unusual moments, and exact scale predictions for every possible configuration. … [Read more...]
Updates to LSAT Test Scheduling Policy and Digital Testing Interface
LSAC recently announced two updates set to take effect with the April 2021 LSAT-Flex, the first regarding the test day/date selection timeframe, and the second concerning their digital testing interface.The more critical of these two announcements is that test takers must now schedule their testing day and time by 11:59 pm EST of the Thursday prior to their exam. So for those planning to sit for this upcoming April LSAT beginning on April … [Read more...]
How Practice LSATs Can Help You Decide to Keep or Cancel Your Score
Taking practice LSATs can do a lot for your test preparation. We talk about how to take PTs to replicate the testing experience as closely as possible here. While taking and analyzing PTs should be an integral part of everyone’s test preparation, we beg the question. Are you using each practice test to their full potential? Meaning, are learning everything you can from each PT? Certainly identifying your strengths and weaknesses and adapting your … [Read more...]
How to Report a Test Day Malfunction to LSAC
While LSAC tries to makes the testing experience as smooth and uniform as possible for everyone, a small percentage of students inevitably experience technical or human errors during any given LSAT that impedes their performance. These issues could involve a substandard test proctor, a malfunction in the testing software, problems with the testing facility, or any other number of unfortunate scenarios. We often see students panic afterwards when … [Read more...]