LSAT Tip #1: Learn the Logic
The following post is the first in a series of 20 blog posts Robert M. Fojo of LSAT Freedom will contribute regarding general LSAT tips.
Enter Robert . . .
One of the most common myths about the LSAT is that you can’t study for it. A newcomer to the LSAT experience might view the exam as some sort of an IQ test and dismiss it as the latest example of the standardized test prep world’s archaic customs. That may be true, and we can all derive some comfort in yearning for some breakthrough in the distant future when standardized exams are no more. But let’s be clear about one thing: Believing that you can’t study for the LSAT will get an LSAT rookie in hot water. You should dispel that myth as quickly as possible.
Although it may be true that you can’t study for the LSAT like you could for a traditional exam, such as a history exam or a political science exam, you can prepare for the LSAT. One of the most important ways to study for the LSAT is to learn the logic on the exam.
The LSAT is an exam that tests students on their understanding of certain logical principles. Most LSAT questions will be based on one or more of these principles. Over half of the exam (the two logical reasoning sections) will require you to recognize these principles and apply them in different situations. The remainder of the exam (reading comprehension and those dreaded logic games) will also weave you through these principles, in some instances dragging you through one inference after another (reading comprehension), and in others very mechanically (logic games). Thus, to perform well on this exam, you need to know and understand logic.
Contrary to some naysayers, you can learn logic. (Do not, for one second, believe anyone who tells you, “Well, either you know logic, or you don’t.” If you hear that, run in the opposite direction.) It is true that logic is not something you typically learn in grade school, high school, or college. However, there are steps you can take to study it and master it.
- First, many colleges and universities offer a critical thinking or logic course. If you are planning on taking the LSAT and going to law school, you should take that course in your sophomore or junior year. If you are lucky, the logic course you take will include some emphasis on logic as it relates to the law and the role of logic in the legal field.
- Second, if your institution doesn’t offer such a course, consider finding and reading an introductory book on logic or consulting an online resource. There are many resources in both print and electronic form that cover this area and introduce and explain its concepts effectively.
- Third, you should take an LSAT prep course that teaches you the logical principles that appear on the exam. Fortunately, these principles are very specific, can be identified and listed (e.g., structural reasoning, conditional reasoning, mistaking a correlation for causation), and then explained in a straightforward fashion with relevant examples. You should not waste your time with any LSAT prep course that does not focus on this material.
Unfortunately, there are no gimmicks or shortcuts you can take to do well on the LSAT. It all comes down to how well you can understand the logic and recognize these principles as they appear on the exam. If you spend the time learning the logic that underlies the LSAT, you can – with practice – begin recognizing these principles in the many variations in which they appear in question after question. Once you can begin doing that, you will start mastering the LSAT and improving your score.
This article was written by Robert M. Fojo from LSAT Freedom.
