Insight LSAT Prep Course: Lesson 3 - Logical Reasoning

Introduction

• Brief Overview: Third lesson in an eight-part LSAT prep course.
• Previous Lesson: Focused on LSAT logic and arguments.
• Current Focus: Detailed discussion on the Logical Reasoning (LR) section of the LSAT.

Logical Reasoning Section Overview

• Time Limit: 35 minutes
• Questions: 24-26 per section
• Structure:
  • Short passage (1-3 sentences)
  • Question stem
  • Five answer choices (A-E)
• Purpose: Tests ability to understand, think critically, and logically about written information.

Question Types in LR Section

• Categories:
  • Structural Analysis
  • Sufficient Assumption
  • Flaw
  • Strengthener
  • Weakener
  • Necessary Assumption
  • Parallel Structure
  • Inference
  • Unexpected Results
  • Apply the Principle

Strategy for Logical Reasoning

• Phases of Improvement:
  1. Controlled Environment: Learn question types and strategies.
  2. Practice by Type: Start with easy questions and gradually increase difficulty.
  • Practice recognizing question types without labels.
• Step-by-Step Approach:
  1. Read question stem
  2. Note question type
  3. Read passage with purpose
  4. Find conclusion (if applicable)
  5. Thorough argument analysis (if applicable)
  6. Execute front-end strategies (if applicable)
  7. First pass of answer choices
  8. Second pass of answer choices
  9. Execute back-end strategies (if applicable)
  10. Choose an answer

Front-End Questions

• General Characteristics: Considerable work before reading answers, potential to predict answers.
• Types Covered:
  1. Structural Analysis
     • Focus: Conclusion, role of statements, dialogues
     • Common Stems: Identify main conclusion, role of a claim
  2. Sufficient Assumption
     • Focus: Tightening argument structure
     • Common Stems: Conclusion follows logically if assumed
     • Strategy: Find gaps, use bridging
  3. Flaw
     • Focus: Describing problems in reasoning
     • Common Stems: Describes a flaw, argument is flawed because
     • Common Flaws: Correlation vs causation, insufficient evidence, ad hominem, shifting terms, unrepresentative sample, part vs whole, necessary vs sufficient conditions

Practice and Homework

• Sample Questions & Insight Mode: Provided hints, highlighted conclusions and signal words.
• Homework: Lists of questions from past LSAT tests, organized by difficulty.

Conclusion

• Recap: Covered front-end question types, strategies, and provided practice.
• Next Lesson: Focus on back-end questions (strengthener, weakener, necessary assumption, parallel structure).
• Advice: Write down step-by-step approach, practice consistently for improvement.