The two logical reasoning sections account for 50% of your overall test score. For this reason, logical reasoning should be considered the most important activity on the LSAT.
The questions in this section are designed to test your ability to interpret and evaluate logical arguments, as well as draw correct inferences from them. These arguments are presented as text passages similar to newspaper articles, editorials, opinion pieces, statistical and scientific evidence, informal conversations, and debates.
An example of a question from this section is as follows:
| Barry buys a device, which a company claims will significantly reduce his car’s fuel consumption. One month later, Barry discovers that his vehicle is getting 17 miles per gallon. His friend, Pete, owns the same make of vehicle and claims that it gets 23 miles per gallon. Moreover, Pete’s car doesn’t even have the device. Upon hearing this, Barry concludes that the company’s claim is untrue and returns the device.
Which of the following statements, if true, would weaken Barry’s conclusion the most? A. Although Barry and Pete both have the same make of car, Barry’s car is 15 years older than Pete’s. Barry’s conclusion is based on the company’s claim to reduce fuel consumption. In order to determine if his car’s fuel consumption has decreased, Barry must know what the consumption was prior to buying the device. The answer, therefore, is E. |
Logical reasoning requires an understanding of common argument forms and fallacies, as well as the structures of inductive and deductive arguments.
The thing to remember in this section, as with the entire the test, is that you must choose the best or most likely answer, based on the information presented in the passages.
