As an LSAT tutor in Cambridge, I know that this is the time of year many students begin to think about applying to law school, and therefore, the LSAT. This post will give you the basics of the LSAT test.
The LSAT test consists of six 35-minute sections.
The first five are multiple-choice and the last is an essay.
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Two Logical Reasoning
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Logical reasoning questions consist of a short paragraph and a question stem, followed by five choices.
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According to LSAC.org, the logical reasoning sections test your ability to “assess the ability to analyze, critically evaluate, and complete arguments as they occur in ordinary language.”
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Each section has 24-26 questions.
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One Analytical Reasoning (more commonly known as Logic Games)
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This section has four “logic games.”
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Each game consist of a prompt with several rules. For example, six people participated in a race – Mary came before Jimmy, but after Peter, etc. Then there are questions that follow.
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LSAC.org says that “these questions measure the ability to understand a structure of relationships and to draw logical conclusions about that structure.”
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There are 22-24 questions total, spread among the four games.
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One Reading Comprehension
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This section has four passages on different subjects, followed by questions.
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According to LSAC.org, “these questions measure the ability to read, with understanding and insight, examples of lengthy and complex materials similar to those commonly encountered in law school.”
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There are 26-28 questions, spread among the four passages.
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One Ungraded Experimental Multiple Choice section
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This section can be any of the three types listed above.
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There is no way to know which is your ungraded section, so be sure to treat every one like it’s the real thing!
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One Writing Section
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In this section, you are prompted you are given two positions and need to choose one and write an argument for it. There is no right answer; they are looking for how well you reason and argue.
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This section is not part of your LSAT test score, but it is sent to the schools to which you apply.
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After you’ve mastered these basics, think about when you want to take the LSAT test and plan the rest of your law school application timeline.
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