LSAT Test Sections

The LSAT test is a multiple-choice exam having a total of five 35-minute sections. Out of the five sections only four contribute towards the scores of the students’. The four sections comprises of one reading comprehension section, one analytical reasoning section, and two logical reasoning sections. The section that is un-scored is usually used as pretest for new test questions or to bring about new test forms.

Reading comprehension

The reading comprehension section has four passages of about 500 words each followed by questions after each passage. This section tests is designed to test the students reading skills. This section is not targeted towards testing the student’s knowledge but only how well he can read and understand the meaning that the passage conveys.

Since students availing for admission into law schools have to read hundreds of pages of cases that are long, dry, and hard to understand each week, The LSAT tests Reading Comprehension section is planned to test the students ability to sort through complex passages and understand the associations between each section of the passage. Reading Comprehension questions are designed to test the students’ ability to understand the writer’s views by reading between the lines.

The Analytical reasoning section is considered by many students as the most difficult section of the LSAT test. The difficulty of this section can easily overcome through repeated practices and acquiring the right strategies. This section is helpful in determining the students’ ability to understand a coordination of relationships and draw suitable deductive conclusions about those relationships. The students’ are expected to draw intricate tables that arrange all parts of the question in a spatial relationship. Many students find this section the most difficult on the test day since they are expected to draw precise diagrams under excessive strain. Students are advised to concentrate on proper preparation to improve on this section.

The students’ are asked to make inferences from a set of reports, rules, or conditions that portray associations among units such as persons, places, things, or events. They replicate the varieties of thorough investigation of dealings that a law student must perform to solve legal problems.

Logical reasoning

The logical reasoning section deals with handling arguments. Since there are two logical reasoning sections that the students’ have to deal with they are advised to spend double the time practicing for this section.

Logical Reasoning questions test the students’ capability to take apart an argument. The questions are presented as an argument of few lines and the students have to break up the argument and arrive at the hypothesis of the argument through analysis and evaluation. The students have to answer about 25 multiple-choice questions in each of the logical reasoning section in about 35 minutes. Most of the questions require the student to select the answer choice that strengthens or weakens an argument, or identify the conclusion.

Reading Comprehension Section

In the Reading Comprehension Section the students are presented with 4 passages, about 400 to 500 words in length. At the end of each passage there are a list of multiple-choice questions. There are a total of about 27 questions in this section that have to be answered in 35 minutes.

The Reading Comprehension section test the students’ ability to come to conclusions based on the information provided in the passages, determine main ideas of passages, find relevant information within a text, understand a dense, scholarly text

Experimental Section

The Experimental Section is employed as a trial to test probable questions for future LSAT tests. It is usually formatted as any one of the four section types hence it could either be a logical reasoning, analytical reasoning, or reading comprehension section. This in turn leads to the confusion of defusing the experimental section from the other sections. Due to this factor students are advised to put in equal effort to each section.

Essay Section

Though the Essay Section is not evaluated it is sent to law schools that the students wish to apply for along with the LSAT score. When 2 or more students’ have equal scores the essay section is used as a "tie breaker".

The LSAT test consists of two prompts. The Decision prompt and the Argument prompt. The students have to select one from each of the prompt and write essay based on the topics. The essay section is helpful in determining the student’s ability to form an argument based on given facts. It is used to evaluate the student’s skill to support an argument and express an idea in writing.

The Decision Prompt

Students are offered an imaginary setting and given a choice between 2 different actions. Students have to choose action that they consider is better and support their decisions with their reasons.

The Argument Prompt

The Argument prompt offers a brief passage to the student. The passage presents the authors case for some course of action or interpretation of events by presenting claims backed by reasons and evidence. Students are required to discuss the logic of the author’s case by seriously examining its line of interpretation and use of facts. ,/p>