I. Introduction to the LSAT

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.

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

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.