What It Takes to Score 170 on the LSAT

[kamacazi]

I’ve been practicing this test I went from 140-162 in 6 months. You CANNOT THINK or you would fail. Its about developing a mindset. It’s a test meant to challenge your instincts not really prior knowledge. Learn the LSAT rules and apply it mechanically to the test. Do not, I repeat do not use outside information to reach to an answer; even if the question doesn’t make sense. Your worst enemy is your emotions in this exam. The exam tests your responses to a set of rules and how fast your instincts can apply the rules to a situation. Think of the LSAT as developing these instincts that you don’t have. I didn’t use the practice exams to test myself on what I know I used it to teach myself what I didn’t know that’s the key. The test doesn’t test your intelligence or knowledge of anything. Most people who find the exam hard go in with the wrong mindset. Traditional tests test you on your knowledge or intelligence of things.

People go into the LSAT with this mindset and fail. The LSAT doesn’t test you on your knowledge it tests your ability to follow rules. In other words this is a skill of a lawyer. So people who have a natural ability to question things will find this exam hard not because they are st*pid but because it challenges your very nature. You are only allowed to question things within the world of LSAT using their given rules. For example in logic games the only way to question a conditional rule is by the use of a contrapositive any other method is flaw and wrong. See where I’m getting at?

Use the exam especially the practice exams to develop that mindset throw everything you learn out the door. The exam relies on your natural responses to cause you to fail hence why so many people find the exam difficult. If an LSAT question tells you a cow gave birth to a bird. Don’t question it. Don’t waste time trying to figure out how. They use this confuse you and distract you from noticing the argument in the question. Read the question not to understand but to identify the argument. Pay attention to words, especially words like “only” “will” “cause” “if” then” “require” “but” there is a list but you remember them the more you practice. The wrong answer choices are mostly wrong because they use the wrong words and with practice you can eliminate the wrong answer choices in little as two seconds. The LSAT is about developing a mindset. The test has a pattern the more you practice the more you see it and the easier it becomes. But the test is super easy but it’s hard cause it forces you to not think naturally or with emotion.

My tip don’t think at all just learn the rules of the LSAT world and read the questions and decide which rules apply. It’s that simple. Here is what I did to raise my score.

1. For the games the most important part is the set up. If you set the game up correctly and make proper deductions the answers to the questions are literally in your face. Also, when you are answering a question the question usually triggers a rule. To me the games have a domino effect one rule always triggers another. If the question tells you A is in fifth place and C is in 1st places look for any rules which mention A or C. It usually sets if a domino effect with regards to the other rules. So if A is in fifth place and C is in first it means E is in third place. You then look for rule that mentions E. Basically one rule triggers another, then another until you get the correct answer. When the chain reaction stops you get the correct answer.

There is a pattern in the games. If you have a proper set up, the set up automatically eliminates 2-3 wrong answers simply by looking at it. Which means you have 2 answer choices to really choose from in the end. Hence why the question is doable in one minute.

2. The Logical reasoning- Don’t read to understand don’t try to make sense of what is being said. Read to identify the argument style being used. Paraphrasing helped me a lot. Summarize the premise and conclusion in your head and the answers stand out more. Try to restate the question in the simplest forms with the simplest words. If the LSAT premise has huge words replace that word with something smaller. They usually use weird names like animals or scientific names to throw your brain off and you automatically start questioning what you are reading. The complexity of the sentence structure is intentional to confuse you as to what argument type of being used. I usually replace those words with something smaller that my brain can process. Let’s say they use the scientific word Aadonta Solem in a premise, I don’t know what that word means. I’ll read the rest of the premise to figure out if it’s an animal or compound and replace that word with the word animal or compound. So I’ll call it the animal or the compound instead of the confusing given name. It helps clarify the premise and make the argument much clearer.

There is a pattern here too. All the wrong answers have added a word that wasn’t in the passage. They may put a word that’s very similar. Other times they add an idea that wasn’t in the passage. This one is harder to spot.

3. Reading comprehension- This one you need to read to understand. It’s easy but you have to know how to read fast and decide which info is important and which isn’t. It’s basically the relationship between sentences, paragraphs and words with each other. That’s how I approach this section. To me it’s ideas being clumped together to form the Mai point or conclusion. So I focus on the idea the passage is trying to relate. I summarize it into a few words. Also I read the questions first that way when I read the passage I know what information to highlight. If you read the passage first you are basically reading blindly because you don’t know what is being asked if you.

4. I don’t answer every question. I made a goal of 165 which means I don’t have to get a perfect score. I can afford to get some answers wrong. So what I did I made sure that to get 165 I focus on scoring 85 raw answers and I literally intentionally sacrifice 15 questions. So when I study I study to answer 85 questions not 100 so I’m certain I’ll get them correct that way I can afford to ignore 15 questions and still score high.

LSAT literally teaches you not to be overwhelmed by words or complex dense information which is a key skill for lawyers. That’s literally the trick to passing. The complex words and word structure of the exam make you panic and the panic makes you fail.

[gopez]

Hit a 170 after like 4 months of casual studying and a 152 diagnostic. The difference maker for me was nailing games to 100% every time, so much so that it became a fun thing to do, and predicting answers in LR.

[karatefox]

It's a hard f💥ing test, but it's doable if you're willing to really study the nuts and bolts of each section. Your videos have certainly helped me on my law school journey thus far. Now, time to get back to studying.

[enwreathed]

They just got rid of the logic game section this August now that I finally have the courage to go for this. It's a sign.

[Films]

I scored a 163 on my diagnostic, with a -7 on Logic Games. In just a month and a half I've gotten to the point where I consistently limit my Logic Games misses to -1 or -2. Now I just need to nail consistency on the other two sections. If I combine my best from each section, I'm looking at a 174 which makes me really excited!

[shane]

This got me fired up ngl I needed to hear this

[arsentek]

"You have to be able to read it and figure that shit out." That is how I made it through the military.

[martinic]

These are the most honest and encouraging words I have ever heard regarding the LSAT exam. Thank you very much!

[haileyjanssens]

Love the breakdown between logic, work ethc, and English. I would say that was both accurate and helpful.

[michaelfouladi]

Starting with a diagnostic of 149, I was able to improve my score to a current 162 through excessive reviews and practice tests; through studying, though ironic, I’ve learned that the key to doing well on the test is to stop thinking, which is to say that you shouldn’t use any outside references or inferences in making your decision. In logical reasoning, the only goal is to make inferences based on info given, so you should take the info at its surface value and instead focus on the point being proven. If green means red in the text, then accept it. Instead of attempting to rationalize the info or an answer, look at what fits without having to draw outside conclusions. (Ex- if a farmer sells a device for X amount and said item is more expensive than fences, why will customers buy this item? )
Wrong answer- price will go down in bulk. This was never stated so don’t assume it.
Right answer- cows in the pack will follow the lead of a few. Yes, this was a real question from a 2015 test.
For logic games, graph everything out and try to follow your reasoning. And for reading comp, I do a once over, like a skim, and then re-read the first paragraph, since that’s usually where the thesis is and there will always be some question on it. Don’t overthink, just get the answer and move on.

[willhunter]

I am an electrical engineer and I still think that logic games are very challenging. Certainly doable, but hard in the time constraint.

[James_Bussman]

"Common sense is not so common" Francois-Marie d'Arouet,

[SirLuke]

My philosophy teacher told me lsat tests arguments, premises, conclusions and fallacies.

Now I’m knee deep wanting to take the test to see where I can improve my writing, speeches, etc.

[cristiancuevas]

Nathan may not be cut out to be a lawyer but he sure as hell has a high IQ!!

[realamerican]

Logic games is a strength I have but I am terrible at reading comprehension. Logical reasoning is a either a hit or miss. It’s frustrating because I feel my score would increase significantly if I could just do better on LR but for some fucking reason I never improve… my score has remained the same on the section for months. So now I’m shifting my strategy to improve on RE.

[guest]

Awesome! Love electrical engineering, law and people that speak similar.

[indobalkanizer]

I'm on a roller coaster ride in Logic Games, it's my best performing section tho, but still my scores in that section is fluctuating quite a lot, gotta drill more ig

[slashnagy]

No more logic games! ABA finally realized that those types of questions are not a sufficient way of measuring the required skills for this field.

[Moisty-oohx]

Damn logic games and LR are my best sections 😅 suck at reading the blocks of texts tho.

[parkerlevinthal]

I don’t understand logic games has always been my best section yet the RC section is my worst section, any advice on what I can do to help my RC score?