LSAT Structure (2026)
The LSAT (Law School Admission Test) is administered by LSAC and is required for admission to ABA-accredited law schools in the US and Canada. Since August 2024, the test has three scored sections:
Logical Reasoning (Section 1)
~26 questions — analyse and evaluate short arguments
Reading Comprehension
~27 questions — 4 passages including one Comparative Reading set
Logical Reasoning (Section 2)
~26 questions — second scored LR section replacing Logic Games
Scores range from 120–180. The test is norm-referenced — your raw score is converted to a scaled score based on difficulty. The 50th percentile is approximately 152.
Logical Reasoning: The Core Skill
LR now accounts for ~52 of the ~79 scored questions. Question types:
- Weaken / Strengthen: Find the assumption, then attack or support it
- Flaw: Name the logical error — ad hominem, correlation-causation, sampling error
- Inference / Must Be True: Only select what is 100% provable from the stated premises
- Parallel Reasoning: Match argument structure, not content
- Point of Contention: Identify the exact claim both speakers disagree about
Reading Comprehension Strategy
LSAT RC passages are dense legal, scientific, or humanistic texts. The Comparative Reading set presents two shorter passages that must be analysed together.
- Read the first paragraph and the last paragraph before scanning the rest — these hold the author's thesis
- Mark attitude words: "unfortunately", "surprisingly", "critics argue" — they signal the author's perspective
- Comparative Reading: questions will ask what both authors agree on, disagree on, or how they would respond to each other
Preparation Timeline for 170+
- Months 1–2: Conceptual foundation — understand all LR question types and argument structures
- Months 3–4: Drilling accuracy — timed 35-minute sections with detailed error analysis
- Months 5–6: Full timed tests under real conditions, blind review of every missed question
- Final 4 weeks: 3 full preptests per week + targeted drilling of lowest-accuracy question types
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