LSAT® Exam

Key point: the current LSAT does not include a scored Logic Games section. The scored multiple-choice sections are two Logical Reasoning sections and one Reading Comprehension section.

Try these LSAT-style sample questions. The multiple-choice examples focus on Logical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension, and the writing prompt reflects the current LSAT Argumentative Writing format.

1. Logical Reasoning: Strengthen the Argument

City officials installed brighter streetlights in the downtown district last year. Since then, nighttime pedestrian accidents in the district have decreased by 30 percent. Therefore, the new streetlights caused the decrease in nighttime pedestrian accidents.

Which one of the following, if true, most strengthens the argument?

1. Several other districts installed brighter streetlights during the same year.
2. The number of nighttime pedestrians in the downtown district was about the same before and after the new streetlights were installed.
3. Most downtown businesses close before midnight.
4. Some residents complained that the new streetlights were too bright.
5. Daytime pedestrian accidents in the downtown district also decreased slightly.

2. Logical Reasoning: Necessary Assumption

A museum director concludes that extending the museum’s Friday evening hours will increase total weekly attendance. The director bases this conclusion on a survey of current members in which most respondents said they would visit more often if the museum stayed open later on Fridays.

Which one of the following is an assumption required by the director’s argument?

1. The museum’s current members visit more often than nonmembers do.
2. The museum will not need to hire any additional staff to remain open later on Fridays.
3. The additional Friday visits by current members would not simply replace visits those members would otherwise make on other days.
4. The museum’s exhibits are more popular on Fridays than on any other day of the week.
5. The survey was conducted during a week when the museum had a special exhibit.

3. Logical Reasoning: Identify the Flaw

All first-year law students at Eastwood University who joined the debate club reported improved public-speaking confidence by the end of the semester. Therefore, joining the debate club causes first-year law students to become more confident public speakers.

The reasoning in the argument is most vulnerable to criticism because it fails to consider that

1. some law students may prefer written advocacy to oral advocacy.
2. the students who joined the debate club may already have been especially motivated to improve their public-speaking skills.
3. debate clubs usually require members to attend meetings regularly.
4. public-speaking confidence is not the only skill needed for success in law school.
5. some students at Eastwood University are not first-year law students.

4. Reading Comprehension: Main Point

Peer review is often described as a safeguard against error in academic research, but that description can be misleading if it suggests that peer-reviewed work is automatically correct. Reviewers may miss weaknesses in a study’s design, overlook statistical problems, or disagree about how much evidence is enough. Still, peer review remains valuable: it can force authors to clarify claims, address objections, and improve the transparency of their methods before publication.

Which one of the following best states the main point of the passage?

1. Peer review is unreliable and should no longer be used in academic research.
2. Peer-reviewed research is always more accurate than research that has not been peer reviewed.
3. Peer review does not guarantee correctness, but it can improve research by subjecting it to critical evaluation.
4. Academic reviewers usually agree about whether evidence is sufficient.
5. Statistical problems are the most common weakness in academic research.

5. Reading Comprehension: Comparative Passage

Passage A

Municipal open-data portals are valuable because they allow journalists, researchers, and residents to examine government decisions independently. When budget data, inspection records, and public-service statistics are easy to access, people outside government can identify patterns that officials may have overlooked.

Passage B

Open-data initiatives are often praised as a form of transparency, but data access alone is not enough. If datasets are incomplete, poorly labeled, or difficult to interpret, only organizations with significant technical expertise may be able to use them effectively.

Both passages most strongly support which one of the following statements?

1. Open-data portals should be replaced by private research firms.
2. Municipal data is useful only when it concerns budget decisions.
3. Public access to government data can affect how people outside government understand public decisions.
4. Only journalists should be allowed to use public-service statistics.
5. Government officials rarely overlook important patterns in public records.

6. LSAT Argumentative Writing: Sample Prompt

A state university is deciding whether to require all undergraduate students to complete at least one course in artificial intelligence and society. Read the perspectives below and write an argumentative essay in which you take a position. Your response should address at least one of the perspectives and support your position with reasons and examples.

LSAT Score Basics

• Score scale: 120 to 180
• Scored multiple-choice sections: two Logical Reasoning sections and one Reading Comprehension section
• Unscored section: one variable section that may be Logical Reasoning or Reading Comprehension
• LSAT Argumentative Writing: unscored, but required for first-time test takers before score release
• No penalty: there is no deduction for incorrect answers

Before You Register

• Create or log in to your LSAC account.
• Check law school application deadlines before choosing a test date.
• Review the current LSAT fee schedule.
• Confirm whether you need testing accommodations.
• Review current test center and remote-testing rules.
• Plan to complete LSAT Argumentative Writing early so your score release is not delayed.

LSAT Study Checklist

• Review the current LSAT format before you study.
• Practice Logical Reasoning questions that ask about conclusions, assumptions, flaws, strengthening, weakening, inference, and argument structure.
• Practice Reading Comprehension passages with main point, inference, author attitude, organization, and comparative-reading questions.
• Review wrong answers carefully and identify the specific reasoning trap.
• Practice under timed 35-minute section conditions.
• Use official LSAT practice tests whenever possible.
• Practice LSAT Argumentative Writing with a timer: 15 minutes for prewriting and 35 minutes for writing.
• Build endurance by completing full practice tests under realistic conditions.