This year has been flying by. August is now upon us, and with that comes some sweeping changes for the August LSAT, including the removal of Logic Games and some tweaks to the Writing Section. Let’s get into it.
What Will Be on the 2024 August LSAT?
What’s Different
There are two big changes to the LSAT that are going into effect for the August LSAT test date.
No More LSAT Logic Games
First, there are no more Logic Games! In its place, the LSAT added a second scored Logical Reasoning section. This means your LSAT score will now be comprised of:
- Two scored Logical Reasoning Sections
- One scored Reading Comprehension Section
- One unscored Experimental Section (could be either Reading Comprehension or Logical Reasoning)
- One unscored LSAT Argumentative Writing Section
The Experimental Section could show up anywhere on your test. So, don’t assume that the second Reading Comprehension Section or the third Logical Reasoning Section is experimental. The Experimental Section very well could have been the first (or second) section you encountered. Treat each section like it’s scored, because each of them could be!
With the added emphasis on Logical Reasoning, your score is going to be much more heavily weighted in the direction of LR now. You can still expect similar amounts of total LSAT questions and roughly the same difficulty curves as on prior tests.
The New LSAT Writing Section
Second, the LSAT writing section has gotten a makeover as well! If you took the writing section before July 30, 2024, you were tasked with a 35-minute section where you had to pick sides on an issue based on a certain set of criteria.
Now, it’s going to be a 50-minute section where you will evaluate four different perspectives on an issue and take a position within that debate. You need to address at least one of the arguments and ideas presented within those four perspectives. The way you engage with the issue and respond to those perspectives is up to you!
The prior writing sample was limited to the facts they provided you. For this version, you can incorporate knowledge and examples from the real world, as well as your own values and perspectives, to help flesh out your thesis and your evaluation of the other perspectives.
It’s still going to be unscored (at least until next year). If you already have an older writing sample from before the changes on file, that is enough. You don’t have to retake the writing sample.
You can take the LSAT Argumentative Writing Section as early as a week before your test date. However, since it’s unscored, we recommend holding off on taking or prepping for this section until after you finish the scored sections. Three to five days after completing the LSAT is the sweet spot.
If you want to practice with the new format, LawHub does have a sample of the new writing section. You can also read our guide to the new LSAT Writing Section, with a sample outline and step-by-step direction for how to complete it.
August LSAT Predictions
Logical Reasoning
As discussed above, you’ll now get two scored (and potentially one additional unscored experimental) Logical Reasoning Sections on test day. That said, what to expect on any given LR section should stay the same.
The difficulty of these sections will ramp up as they go, with the first 10 questions generally being lowest through medium difficulty. Questions 11-16 will be medium or high difficulty. Question 17 through the end will be mostly high or highest difficulty.
If you’ve found trends or tendencies in how you approach different difficulty questions, use that information to your advantage. For example, if you find that you generally make more mistakes in evaluating answer choices on tougher questions, overlooking right answers that are a bit harder to analyze, take your time when going through these answers. Precision of language is key in these tougher questions. Looking for those slight equivocations or shifts in meaning will be more important on tougher questions than easier questions.
Still, the flip side of this is the answer that seems like an obvious fit for your anticipation on easier questions will generally be correct. You still want to double-check those answers—remember, answers are only as good as their worst elements—but it’s much less likely they will try to trick you with an answer that seems like a good fit for what you’re looking for.
On individual questions, knowing what you’re looking for going into the answers is key to efficiently working through those answer choices. Depending on the question type, certain elements will be needed in answer choices and others will be reasons to quickly eliminate choices. So, keep the task of each question in mind when working towards your anticipations and eliminating answer choices.
More LSAT Help
Reading Comprehension
The Reading Comprehension Section hasn’t changed. You’ll see one scored section, consisting of four passages and 26-28 questions, with the possibility of getting a second unscored experimental Reading Comprehension section.
As with Logical Reasoning, the difficulty will generally increase the further you get into the section. However, difficulty in Reading Comp is much more subjective than Logical Reasoning due to familiarity or comfort with the subject matter.
Unlike the SAT or ACT, the LSAT doesn’t generally care about the details. The LSAT is much more concerned about your understanding of three big things:
- Structure: How the paragraphs relate to each other and the passage as a whole, as well as what function the individual elements within a paragraph play to the overall function of the paragraph.
- Scope: What is the specific focus or subject matter the passage centers on?
- Viewpoints: The overall viewpoints being expressed in the passage.
You might get one or two detail-oriented questions on a given passage, but even then those are mostly about the broader points the details relate to or support than they are about the details themselves. To the extent they ask about details, be on the lookout for strong statements that get at broader points, such as comparisons, causal statements or explanations, and examples.
More LSAT Help
🎨 Getting Through Brutally Difficult Reading Comp Passages About the Arts
⚖️ Getting Through Brutally Difficult Reading Comp PassagesAbout the Law
🧬 Getting Through Brutally Difficult Reading Comp Passages About Science
Final Thoughts
While there are some big changes with this August LSAT, most of it is staying the same. I wouldn’t expect a huge shift in focus or distribution of question types and difficulty within any of the sections.
I would treat your approach to time management within individual sections the same as you would with past tests. I’d recommend going into the test assuming you’ll get whichever experimental section you don’t want to get. So, if you get that distribution, it was expected and if you get the distribution you prefer, it’s an added bonus.
As far as staying focused while taking the test? Start with the fundamental tasks for each question and try to make your life easier where you can while working through the answer choices. If you can find elements in answer choices that are wrong no matter how much you try to make them work, you don’t really have to consider the rest of the answers. Eliminate it and focus on the answers that don’t have obvious errors or mischaracterizations.
While the LSAT can be daunting, each individual question or passage isn’t so bad. Stay focused and efficient on the tasks in front of you for each question and the score will follow.
Now, go dominate the LSAT!
P.S. Decided to reschedule your August LSAT? Or simply getting familiar with the test before your test date later this year? We can help maximize your prep time!
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