LSAT Law School Admission Test
FOLLOW-ALONG MANUAL
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Table of Contents I. Introduction to the LSAT ________________________________________________ 1 a. What Is the Law School Admissions Test and What does it Measure? ................. 4 b. What Concepts Are Covered on the Exam?............................................................ 4 c. Exam Format ............................................................................................................ 6 d. Exam Scoring........................................................................................................... 10 II. Preparing for the LSAT ________________________________________________ 19 a. How to Register for the LSAT................................................................................. 19 b. The LSAT and Your Law School Application......................................................... 20 c. Establishing a Study Routine .................................................................................. 21 d. Preparing for Test Day ............................................................................................24 III. Logical Reasoning ___________________________________________________ 29 a. Logical Reasoning Overview ................................................................................. 29 b. Concepts Tested on the Logical Reasoning Section ............................................ 30 c. Section Directions .................................................................................................. 30 d. Logical Reasoning Question Components ............................................................ 32 IV. Argumentation on the LSAT ___________________________________________ 41 a. Premises and Conclusions ...................................................................................... 41 b. Arguments versus Fact Sets ................................................................................. 45 c. Mixed Signals ......................................................................................................... 46 d. Counter-Premises .................................................................................................. 47 e. Understanding Assumptions and Inferences in Stimuli ...................................... 50 f. Language on the LSAT ............................................................................................ 51 V. Formal Logical and Reasoning _________________________________________ 60 a. Formal Logic Basics & the Logic Spectrum........................................................... 60
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b. Conditional Reasoning........................................................................................... 63 c. Suspending Common Sense .................................................................................. 67 d. Sufficient and Necessary Indicators ..................................................................... 67 e. Diagramming Conditional Statements .................................................................. 71 f. Complex Conditional Statements ........................................................................... 75 h. Causal Reasoning ................................................................................................... 86 VI. Logic Reasoning Question Types _______________________________________ 93 a. Main Point Questions............................................................................................. 93 b. Must Be True Questions ........................................................................................ 96 c. Support Questions ................................................................................................ 100 d. Weaken Questions ................................................................................................ 105 e. Parallel Questions ................................................................................................. 108 f. Method Questions ..................................................................................................110 g. Paradox Questions................................................................................................. 112 h. Cannot Be True.......................................................................................................116 i. Assumption Questions ...........................................................................................119 j. Flaw ......................................................................................................................... 126 VII. Logical Flaws ______________________________________________________ 130 a. Flawed Reasoning on the LSAT ............................................................................ 130 b. Ad Hominem Arguments ...................................................................................... 132 c. Circular Arguments ............................................................................................... 134 d. Exceptional Case or Overgeneralization ............................................................. 136 e. Part/Whole Errors ................................................................................................. 138 f. False Dilemma ........................................................................................................ 140 g. Equivocation.......................................................................................................... 140 h. Internal Contradiction .......................................................................................... 142
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i. Inappropriate Appeal to Authority or Emotion.................................................... 143 j. Fallacious Evidence ................................................................................................ 146 k. Sample Errors ......................................................................................................... 151 l. False Analogy.......................................................................................................... 155 m. Incompatible Data ............................................................................................... 155 n. Errors of Conditional and Causal Reasoning ....................................................... 156 o. Errors in Causal Reasoning ................................................................................... 159 p. General Strategy Notes for Flaw Questions........................................................ 160 VIII. Analytical Reasoning (Logic Games) ___________________________________ 164 a. Analytical Reasoning Overview ............................................................................ 164 b. Concepts Tested in the Logic Games Section ..................................................... 165 c. Section Directions ................................................................................................. 166 d. Components of a Logic Game .............................................................................. 167 e. Logic Games Types................................................................................................ 172 f. Diagramming.......................................................................................................... 186 g. Question Types ..................................................................................................... 194 h. General Game Strategies ...................................................................................... 199 IX. Reading Comprehension _____________________________________________205 a. Reading Comprehension Overview .....................................................................205 b. Concepts tested on the Reading Comprehension section ................................ 206 c. Section Directions .................................................................................................207 d. Reading Comprehension on LSAT: What’s the Difference................................ 208 e. Reading Comprehension Passage Types ............................................................. 212 f. How to Approach Reading Comprehension Passages ........................................ 214 g. Reading Comprehension Question Types ........................................................... 219 h. Reading Comprehension Answer Choices .......................................................... 227
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i. Homing in on the correct answer.......................................................................... 231 j. Comparative Passage............................................................................................. 235 X. Writing Sample______________________________________________________245 a. Writing Sample Overview .....................................................................................245 b. Section Directions .................................................................................................245 c. Section Format ..................................................................................................... 246 d. Sample Prompt .....................................................................................................247 e. Approach the Section ...........................................................................................247 f. Sample Writing Sample Analysis ...........................................................................250 XI. Sample Problem Sets ________________________________________________259 a. Reading Comprehension ......................................................................................259 b. Logic Games ......................................................................................................... 294 c. Logical Reasoning ................................................................................................. 353 Accompanying PDFs XII. Logical Reasoning Sample Problems ___________________________________ 373 XIII. Formal Logic Basics & the Logic Spectrum ______________________________ 391 Diagramming Conditional Statements ................................................................... 396 Reversal Error ........................................................................................................... 397 Negation Error.......................................................................................................... 398 Contrapositive .......................................................................................................... 399 Complex Conditional Statements ........................................................................... 399 If and Only If Statements.......................................................................................... 401 Incompatibility Notation ......................................................................................... 402 Bumping Down: Dealing with Most and Some Statements .................................. 405 Causal Reasoning ..................................................................................................... 407 XIV. Logic Game Identification Drill ______________________________________ 409
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XV. Logic Games Problems ______________________________________________ 412 Game 1 ....................................................................................................................... 412 Game 2 .......................................................................................................................427 Game 3 ....................................................................................................................... 441 Game 4 ...................................................................................................................... 458 XVI. Analytical Reasoning (Logic Games) __________________________________ 478 Logic Games Types .................................................................................................. 479 XVII. Reading Comprehension (Sample Problems) ___________________________ 491 Sample Passage 1 ...................................................................................................... 491 Sample Passage 2 ..................................................................................................... 497 Sample Passage 3 (Comparative) ........................................................................... 504 Sample Passage 4 ...................................................................................................... 511 Sample Passage 5...................................................................................................... 518 Sample Passage 6 ..................................................................................................... 522
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INTRODUCTION TO THE LSAT I. Introduction to the LSAT Welcome to the Law School Admissions Test AudioLearn. In this course, you will review everything you need to know to help you better approach the Law School Admissions Test, commonly known as the LSAT. The first two chapters provide an overview of the exam and include a discussion on what the LSAT assesses, the exam format, scoring, how to establish a study routine, and how to prepare for a successful test day. In addition, we will discuss how to register for the exam and how to leverage the available test resources. The third chapter focuses on logical reasoning, which represents fifty-percent of the overall exam. This chapter provides an introduction, a review of the section directions, and details the three components that make up a logical reasoning question: the stimulus, the question task, and the answer choices. Chapters four and five provide an in-depth foray into argumentation and formal logic, the building blocks of the exam. Premises and conclusions are discussed at length, as is the importance of paying attention to nuances in language and the ability to recognize counterpremises and draw inferences. The formal logic chapter focuses on the logic spectrum conditional reasoning, diagramming arguments, and finally, casual reasoning. Chapters six and seven close out the logical reasoning section with an in-depth review of the logical reasoning question types you will encounter on the exam and a review of the logic flaws you will need to identify.
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Chapter eight marks the transition to Analytical Reasoning, or Logic Games as it is more commonly known. The chapter offers an overview of the section, including the section directions and the components of a logic game. The chapter examines the four types of logic games from the exam: linear, multi-level, grouping, and combination. Diagramming is a critical part of learning to navigate the logic games and will be emphasized. We will discuss how to diagram logic games, symbolize rules, and draw inferences . To conclude the chapter, we explore approaches to the different types of questions general game strategies. Chapter nine covers reading comprehension, the final scored section on the exam. Following an overview of the section and a discussion differentiating common reading comprehension from LSAT reading comprehension, the chapter explores the various passages types that appear on the exam. General approach strategies are discussed along with an examination of the different question-and-answer choice types. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the comparative passage, which was introduced to the exam in June 2007. Chapter ten discusses the writing sample, which is the unscored assessment at the end of the exam. The chapter opens with an overview of the section and segues into a discussion of the format of the writing sample, the writing prompt, and general approach strategies. This chapter ends with an analysis of an actual writing sample prompt along with two accompanying responses to the prompt. Chapter eleven offers an opportunity to test your knowledge. The chapter includes three problem sets: reading comprehension, logical reasoning, and logic games. There are accompanying PDFs provided with this Audiobook that allow you to follow along and have a visual representation of the games and passages. Solutions to all the questions are discussed in this chapter. There are also accompanying PDFs that are referenced throughout the Audio for the formal logic chapter and the diagramming section of the logic game chapter. Passages included in the reading comprehension chapter can also be found in the accompanying PDF. These
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documents are included to provide you with a visualization of the content that can be difficult to process or navigate from the audio alone. In this introductory section, we will review the basics of the exam and what it measures. After that, we’ll move into the concepts covered on the exam and familiarize ourselves with the format. Finally, we will explore how the exam is scored, how to decipher your score report, and how to cancel your scores, if necessary. Before we jump into the nitty-gritty of the exam, let’s discuss how to get the most out of this course. First, use the introductory information to familiarize yourself with the exam and gain a better perspective on what to expect and how to prepare. Before diving into the various section strategies, take a diagnostic exam. There are many publishers that have the rights to redistribute the actual LSAT exams. And, the governing body that administers the exams also publishes several books under the name The Next Ten. Each of these books contains ten prep tests. They are all numbered and grouped in chronological order. As you work your way through the material, you should aim to take a prep test about every two weeks, assuming you have set out at least six-to-eight weeks to study. Be strategic, though. Taking too many prep tests in the beginning, before spending significant time understanding the core concepts, will likely be more frustrating than fruitful.
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a. What Is the Law School Admissions Test and What does it Measure? Let’s get started! First, let’s get a better understanding of what the LSAT actually is and what it seeks to assess. The Law School Admissions Test, commonly referred to as the LSAT, is administered by the Law School Admissions Council, known as the LSAC, four times a year in September or October, December, February, and June. All the exams except the June exam are administered on a Saturday morning. The June exam is administered on a Monday afternoon. So, if you’re not a morning person, the June exam might be your best friend! The LSAC is a non-profit corporation that also oversees the Credential Assembly Service. The Credential Assembly Service is a centralized law school admissions clearinghouse that manages your LSAT scores and other application materials online. This allows you to submit all your law school applications by simply completing a standardized form online. You register for the exam on the LSAC website. The exam is required for most American Bar Association–accredited law schools and is designed to evaluate your logical reasoning and critical thinking skills. These skills are critical for any practicing attorney. The standardized exam allows law schools to assess your reasoning skills relative to the other applicants and to use your performance as one of the handful of metrics to evaluate your potential success in law school.
b. What Concepts Are Covered on the Exam? Now that you have a better understanding of the purpose of the exam, let’s take a look at what concepts are tested on the exam. In other words: what you should know before taking the LSAT.
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This section covers the core competencies tested on the LSAT. Later on, we will parse out these core competencies and look at the specific skills associated with them. The LSAT tests logical reasoning and critical thinking skills across three different sections—logical reasoning, reading comprehension, and analytical reasoning. The multiple-choice questions in each of these sections require specific reasoning skills and a different approach. The Reading Comprehension section measures your ability to derive information and draw inferences from complex narrative passages from various fields of study. The Analytical Reasoning section—also commonly referred to as the logic games section—measures your ability to determine relationships and identify possible logical outcomes based on provided variables and a given scenario. The Logical Reasoning section assesses your ability to evaluate, challenge, strengthen, and logically complete arguments. While these tasks are not in and of themselves impossibly difficult, they are complicated by the time constraints of each section, which allows only thirty-five minutes to answer between twenty-four and twenty-eight questions. In addition to the aforementioned sections, the exam includes an unscored experimental section and an unscored writing sample. With that, let’s more closely explore the format of the exam.
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c. Exam Format The LSAT is a skills-assessment exam comprised of six sections, only four of which are scored. Each exam will have: •
Two scored sections of Logical Reasoning
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One scored section of Analytical Reasoning and
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One scored section of Reading Comprehension
In addition to these scored sections, each exam will also include: •
One unscored experimental section and
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One unscored writing sample
The five scored sections contain anywhere between ninety-nine and one-hundred-three questions. Each section has a thirty-five-minute time limit; with the exception of the writing sample, all of the sections are multiple choice. Each multiple-choice question will have five answer choices from which to choose. Every LSAT has the same format. And all test-takers taking the exam during the same administration will have the same exam. The exam may appear in a different order, however. The only exception to this is students who sit for Sabbath exams. Since Sabbath exams are administered on a different day within the same week as the test administration, the exam is different. If you are unable to sit for the exam on Saturday for religious reasons, there is a special online registration process to get approval. Otherwise, you may register for the June exam, which is administered on a Monday.
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A sample LSAT exam might look like this: •
Thirty to forty-five minutes of instructions issued by the exam proctors
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Section One: Analytical Reasoning, thirty-five minutes
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Section Two: Logical Reasoning, thirty-five minutes
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Section Three: Logical Games Experimental Section, thirty-five minutes
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Section Four: Logical Reasoning, thirty-five minutes
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Section Five: Reading Comprehension, thirty-five minutes
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Section Six: Writing Sample, thirty-five minutes
Again, these sections can occur in any order. This just gives you an idea of what a sample exam might look like. OK, now let’s look at each of the sections you will encounter on the exam individually. First up is Logical Reasoning. The Logical Reasoning section primarily measures your ability to evaluate, challenge, strengthen, and logically complete arguments. Each of these questions contains an argument—or stimulus, a question task, and an answer choice set. The questions are each about eighty to one hundred words long. Each stimulus is relatively short and ranges from two to five sentences. Occasionally, the stimulus may include a dual argument where more than one author is represented. These stimuli might be slightly longer. Each section of logical reasoning contains between twenty-four and twenty-six questions. Like all the other sections of the exam, you have thirty-five minutes to complete the section. The stimuli are developed using a wide array of material and tend to focus on topics such as economics, science, politics, psychology, and other academic topics. It is not necessary to know anything specific about these subject matters; remember, this is a skills-based exam, not a content-based one. Your focus is on the question task that will direct you to evaluate the logic of the argument in some way.
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This section is often considered the most difficult, and unfortunately, makes up fifty percent of the exam. The abstract nature of some of the arguments and the section’s expectation that you analyze complex arguments containing confusing language can further enhance the difficulty level of the section. Then there’s Analytical Reasoning. The Analytical Reasoning section—commonly referred to as the logic games section—measures your ability to determine relationships and identify possible logical outcomes based on provided variables and a given scenario. The section contains four games. Each game has a scenario, a set of rules, and an answer choice set that contains five answer choices. The section typically is made up of twenty-two to twenty-six questions, depending on the exam. You can expect each game to have a least five questions and at most seven. There are various types of games that you may encounter, including basic linear and grouping, which we will talk about later. But essentially, for right now, just know that there are two key tasks games will ask of you: either sort or order. Some games will ask you do both, but that’s it. The composition of the games section will vary by exam; and there is no reliable way to predict the exact game makeup you will encounter on any particular exam. OK, let’s address the elephant in the room. It’s no secret that the logic games section is often considered by test-takers as the most daunting and pegged as the most difficult section. That’s not without merit. It is a hard section. However, many students initially feel this way because they are unsure of how exactly to approach logic games. Once students develop a greater familiarity with games, they usually conquer their initial feelings about the section and navigate it more smoothly. So, see? There’s hope! Next is Reading Comprehension. The Reading Comprehension section measures your ability to derive information and draw inferences from complex narrative passages from various fields of study. In this section, you will have four passages that can be anywhere from fourhundred-fifty to six-hundred-fifty words. Of the four passages, three of them will be a long single narrative. These are not uncommon from passages you may have seen on other 8
reading comprehension tests. The remaining passage will be a comparative passage. This passage, while the same length overall, is broken into two smaller passages and written by two separate authors. The passages are related to the same issue but may express different viewpoints or may share the same viewpoint but for different reasons, for example. Each passage is followed by five to eight questions. Overall, the section has twenty-six to twenty-eight questions, making it the longest section on the exam. The topics of the passages run the gamut from hard science to humanities to history to law. The passages are typically drawn from academic journals and other scholarly or publicly available sources. Like the rest of the exam, the passages assume no subject-specific knowledge. You will have everything needed to answer the questions provided in the passages. So that’s it for the scored sections—but hardly it for the exam. You’ll also encounter a writing sample and an experimental section. The experimental section is an additional unscored section included in the exam. The experimental section will be either Logical Reasoning or Reading Comprehension or Logic Games and will occur in any section prior to the writing sample. The Law School Admission Council uses this section to test out new material that it may be thinking about introducing to the exam. For example, the Reading Comprehension comparative reading passages first occurred on the June 2007 exam. Prior to that exam, however, they were tested in experimental sections. While every student who sits for a particular exam administration will have the same exam for the scored sections, the experimental section may be different in terms of content and placement. At the end of the exam, you will know what type of experimental section you had, though you may not know until you receive your scores which section number it actually was. There are many theories and speculations about how to figure out which section might be experimental. However, it can be a risky gamble if you guess incorrectly
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and do not perform your best on a section because you think it is experimental when it is actually a scored section. It’s best to approach each of the sections as if they are scored. The sections we just reviewed make up the five multiple-choice sections you will have on the exam: four scored sections and one unscored experimental section. As if it that were not exhausting enough, after you complete these five sections, you’ll be asked to complete a writing sample. The Writing Sample is administered at the end of the exam and is unscored. As with the other sections, you have thirty-five minutes to write a well-reasoned argument in response to the provided prompt. The writing sample is included to assess your ability to effectively communicate in writing. While the writing sample is unscored, each school you apply to will receive a copy. Each law school evaluates the writing sample differently. While some may not look at it too closely, other schools may factor it into their admission decision. As such, it is important that you approach the writing sample seriously, as you would any other section on the exam. Failure to complete the writing sample can result in your application not being considered or being rejected. So, though you may be thoroughly exhausted, dig down and get it done! Now that we have examined the format of the exam, let’s review how the exam is scored.
d. Exam Scoring The LSAT is scored on a scale of one-hundred-twenty to one-hundred-eighty. But, the scoring process is much more complex than a simple number. In fact, there are several components of your LSAT score that you should be aware of, and you will want to understand how law schools use each component when evaluating your application for admission. On your score report, you will see a raw score, a scaled score, and a percentile ranking. Let’s look at what each of these means.
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i. The Raw Score The raw score indicates the number of questions you answered correctly. The LSAT typically has between one hundred and one-hundred and two questions. For each correct answer, you will receive one point; all questions are weighted equally regardless of difficulty. So, your raw score will be zero if you answer no questions correctly. The maximum raw score you can receive is equal to the number of questions on the exam. If there are one-hundredone questions, for example, the maximum raw score you can receive is one-hundred-one. There is no penalty for incorrect answers or unanswered questions. Since there is no penalty, it is wise to attempt every question, even if you guess. Since all the questions are weighted equally, if you find yourself running low on time, shift your focus to the easier questions, and tackle those first. This will help you rack up easy points in less time and boost your score. Your raw score is used to determine your scaled score. Again, the scoring scale for the LSAT is one-hundred-twenty to one-hundred-eighty. The vast majority of law schools will not look at your raw score, but rather your scaled score and percentile rank when assessing your application. Let’s look more at the scaled score and understand how it’s calculated and used by admissions committees. ii. The Scaled Score But while the scaled score is pretty cut and dry when it comes to answering all or none of the questions correctly, there is a bit more involved with scores that fall in between. Your scaled score is calculated using your raw score and a calculation known as equating. The equating calculation adjusts for differences in the number of questions and the level of difficulty between exams. This calculation accounts for minor differences in the raw score to scaled score conversion and ensures your scores accurately reflect your performance in comparison with other test-takers, regardless of the exam you took.
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With equating, a raw score on one exam may yield a scaled score of one-hundred fifty-two, while the same raw score on another exam may yield a scaled score of one-hundred fiftythree. These differences are subtle and never more than a two-point difference. Keep this in mind when taking practice exams; make sure you use the scoring scale for the specific exam to get an accurate scaled score that matches your performance. Your scaled score is what is primarily used by law schools to evaluate your application. The weight attached to your scaled score varies by institution. Most institutions have a formula that adds different weights to your LSAT score, your grade point average, and other factors they deem important. Just like your raw score is used to determine your scaled score, you scaled score determines your percentile rank. The key difference between the raw and scaled scores and the percentile rank is that the raw and scaled scores are based on the specific exam you took. Percentile scores take into account more historical test data. Let’s look at the percentile rank. iii. The Percentile Rank Your percentile rank reflects how your performance compares to the test-takers who took any LSAT exam in the three years prior to your test administration. More specifically, your percentile ranking indicates the percentage of scaled scores in the applicable testing period that your score was relatively better . For example, if you scored a one-hundred-sixty-three and your percentile rank was the eighty-seventh percentile, you scored better than eightyseven percent of test-takers in the three-year period used to scale your exam. The percentile rankings account for the previous three years’ scores. However, they may undergo slight adjustments since the rankings are based on a normalized bell curve. A majority of the scores are concentrated in the middle of thisbell. The score range for the
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middle of the bell is typically between one-hundred-forty-seven and one-hundred-fifty-five. Because of the bell-curve scoring, there are very few scores on either end of the curve: those in the low one-hundred-twenties and those in the high one-hundred-seventies. Many law schools view your percentile score as a more accurate measure of your abilities in comparison with other test-takers over the past three years. Combined with your scaled score, GPA, and other application materials, law school admissions committees have a wealth of information to evaluate your fitness for their law program. Now that we’ve discussed the different scores, let’s look more closely at what you can expect to see when you receive your score report. iv. Understanding your Score Report After each exam you sit for, you will receive an official score report either in the mail, via your online LSAC profile, or both. Each score report will contain the following key pieces of information: •
Your score from the most recent exam
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Your raw score and scaled score band for the most recent exam
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Your percentile rank for the most recent exam, which reflects your performance in relation to test-takers for the previous three years
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All your previous exam scores, up to a maximum of twelve, for the past five years
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Any cancelations or no-shows for the past five years
Lastly, if you have more than one valid score on file, your report will display an average of those scores; this average is sometimes used by schools instead of your most recent score. Most schools that average your scores will indicate this on their application or website. You can always ask an admissions counselor for the school if you are unsure. In the past few years, however, most schools have started to take the highest score.
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Your official LSAT score is sent directly from the LSAC platform to schools to which you apply. Your scores are only valid for five years. Scores older than five years are not reportable and will not show up on your score report. As we wrap up scores, let’s discuss how to get hard copies of your score report and how to handle score cancelations. v. Obtaining and Canceling your LSAT Score After the exam, your score should be emailed to you in about three weeks. Your LSAC profile, if you have already registered, will also be updated with your score, and you can view it online. There is no fee for either of these delivery methods. If for some reason you want a hard copy of your score report, you can order one directly through the LSAC. You should be aware that if you do not register for an online LSAC account prior to your exam, you will need to order a hard copy of your scores. They will not be emailed to you. Hard copies of score reports are delivered about a month after the exam administration and cost twenty-five dollars as of June 2017. The price is subject to change. You can always check the LSAC website for the most up-to-date fees. After you take the exam and before your score is calculated, you have a window in which to cancel your score if you wish. You have two cancelation options. First, you can pull the trigger immediately, before you even leave the test center. There is a section on your answer sheet that allows you to cancel your score. Follow the directions provided on the answer sheet. But here’s the deal: it’s immediate and you can’t take it back. So, unless you threw up on your test booklet or slept through the exam, this isn’t really a wise option. It’s natural to feel panicky after the exam and feel like you did horribly. It can be a stressful exam, and when it’s over, you may not be in the best mental space to make a
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clear decision. Avoid making a rash decision and avail yourself of the second cancelation option, if necessary. The second option for cancelling a score is to cancel it directly through the LSAC. You have six days—six whole days—to cancel your score. This gives you some time to cool off and seriously consider whether or not you want to cancel your score. Giving yourself some time allows you to clear your head and think more clearly about the exam and your performance. Maybe you’ll discover that the really hard section you struggled on was not on your friend’s exam. So, it was the experimental section. Or maybe you’ll realize that you completed more questions than you thought you did. Whatever perspective you gain, use it to determine whether you really want to cancel your score. If you decide you do in fact want to cancel, you can mail or fax the cancelation form to the LSAC. Make sure you use tracking information or follow up to ensure the fax was received. Canceled scores are not reported on your score report, meaning you will not have a numerical score appear on your report. Nor will you ever know that score. You will, however, see a cancelation notation on your score report. This will indicate that you sat for the exam and that the score was canceled. The first cancelation is really not a big deal. Schools don’t look poorly on this at all. Anything could have happened to lead up to a canceled score. But if you have a record of canceled scores, that may be a red flag to law schools. Be wise about canceling your score…and remember that if you cannot make it to an exam you should absolutely cancel or reschedule to keep from getting a no-show notation on your score report. If you cancel your score, you can of course take the exam again. You can take the LSAT up to three times in a two-year period.
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Key Takeaways •
The Law School Admissions Test, commonly referred to as the LSAT, is administered by the Law School Admissions Council, known as the LSAC, four times a year in September or October, December, February, and June.
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The registration deadline is usually five -to-six weeks before the day of the test. There is a late-registration deadline that is usually seven-to-ten days after the first deadline. There is a late fee for this registration period. Save money and avoid the stress. Register early!
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The LSAT tests logical reasoning and critical thinking skills across three different sections—logical reasoning, reading comprehension, and analytical reasoning. The multiple-choice questions in each of these sections require specific reasoning skills and a different approach.
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The Reading Comprehension section measures your ability to derive information and draw inferences from complex narrative passages from various fields of study. The Analytical Reasoning section—also commonly referred to as the Logic Games section—assesses your ability to determine relationships and identify possible logical outcomes based on provided variables and a given scenario. The Logical Reasoning section evaluates your ability to analyze, challenge, strengthen, and logically complete arguments.
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The LSAT is comprised of six sections, only four of which are scored. Each exam will have: o Two scored sections of Logical Reasoning o One scored section of Analytical Reasoning o One Scored section of Reading Comprehension
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In addition to these scored sections, each exam will also include: o One unscored experimental section and o One unscored writing sample
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The LSAT is scored on a scale of one hundred twenty to one-hundred-eighty. On your score report, you will see a raw score, a scaled score, and a percentile ranking. o The raw score simply indicates the number of questions you answered correctly. o Your scaled score will be one hundred-twenty to one hundred-eighty and is calculated using your raw score and a calculation known as equating. The equating calculation adjusts for differences in the number of questions and the level of difficulty between exams. o Your percentile rank reflects how your performance compares to the testtakers who took any LSAT exam in the three years prior to your test administration.
Mini-Quiz Question 1. What is the name of the governing nonprofit that administers the LSAT and whose online platform you are required to use to submit your law school applications? Answer: Law School Admissions Council (lsac.org) Question 2. What is the scaled score range for the LSAT? Answer: One-hundred-twenty to one-hundred-eighty. Question 3. How many days do you have to cancel your LSAT score after you take the exam? Answer: Six days. Question 4. What are the four scored sections on the LSAT? Answer: Two Logical Reasoning sections, One Analytical Reasoning (Games) section, and One Reading Comprehension section.
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Question 5. How long is your LSAT score valid? Answer: Five years.
Question 6. How many times a year is the LSAT administered and in what months? Answer: Four times a year in September or October, December, February, and June. Question 7. Which of your LSAT scores are reflected on your score report and indicate your performance in relation to test-takers from the previous three years of test administrations? Answer: The percentile rank. Question 8. Which section is the longest section in terms of number of questions on the exams? Answer: Reading Comprehension. Question 9. To receive your score report online, it is necessary that you do what before you sit for the exam? Answer: Create a user profile on LSAC.org. Question 10. If you are unable to make your scheduled exam, what should you be sure to do? Answer: If possible, cancel or reschedule the exam. Simply not showing up will result in a “no-show” notation on your score report.
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