It’s spooky season, and what’s more spooky than the October LSAT? We are now in full swing with the new test format, which consists of two scored Logical Reasoning sections, one scored Reading Comprehension section, and an experimental section. Here are some tips and predictions to help turn the October LSAT from trick to treat.
What Will Be on the 2024 October LSAT?
Logical Reasoning
While the LSAT has shaken things up this year by getting rid of the Logic Games Section, each individual Logical Reasoning Section will likely be similar to previous sections. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few more conditional or principle questions than normal, as these incorporate similar logic to what Logic Games used to test.
For these questions, fight the temptation to dive right into diagramming. Start with the big picture for that given question and use diagramming as a tool to help break down the pieces of that picture. For example, if you are trying to fix the flaws in a conditional argument, start with identifying an argument’s conclusions and premises before diagramming out the logic of those individual parts.
Logical Reasoning sections tend to increase in difficulty as they go. However, I would expect at least one curveball question in the first 10-12 that is tougher than the rest of those questions. Be careful not to spend too much time on those early tough questions up front. This can lead to you feeling behind the curve on timing and rushing through the rest of the section.
Each question is worth the same amount of points, so making an educated guess on those tough questions and giving yourself enough time to get points on easier questions will probably lead to a better score than spending the extra 2-3 minutes on that one question.
It’s also worth noting that the LSAT is scored on a curve. If there are more tough questions, you’ll probably get a more generous curve, so try not to get in your own head on those tough questions.
More LSAT Help
🧠 An Introduction to the LSAT Logical Reasoning Section
❓ The Best LSAT Guessing Strategies
Reading Comprehension
Reading Comprehension Sections tend to be somewhat formulaic in the passage subject matters you can expect. The LSAT wants to offer a mix of subjects for students of different educational backgrounds. You can expect one legal, one arts, one social science/history, and one science passage on test day.
This means that unless you are Leonardo DaVinci, you’re probably going to have at least one passage that is a bit out of your comfort zone on test day. So, be prepared for how you want to deal with the section and those individual passages. As a general rule, the less comfortable you are with the material of a given passage, the more important it is to focus on the big-picture takeaways and viewpoints expressed in that passage.
As threshold issues, focus on answering what the issue or subject of the passage is as a whole. What does the author seem to care about? Where does the author stand on those issues? Fully understanding the details is less important if you understand the role and purpose of those details.
More LSAT Help
📖 How To Approach Reading Comp on the LSAT
📖 Nailing the Author’s Attitude on RC
Final Thoughts
While the LSAT is a difficult test, it is designed to be objective and beatable. Therefore, if you encounter two answers that seem similar in certain respects, there’s probably something else going on with one of those answers that makes it wrong. Focus on identifying the differences and those objectively unsupported or wrong elements in answers.
Perfectionism is a trait that many future lawyers have and can be helpful in some respects. However, on test day, you want to avoid the tendency to double or triple-check answers. Timing doesn’t always permit that 100% certainty on tougher questions. It’s important to learn how to be okay with educated guesses or calculated risks, particularly if spending that extra time on those tougher questions will take away points from others. Stay active and keep moving. Avoid that dead time where you are stuck or re-reading stimuli and passages. Stay focused on your goals at hand, and you’ll be able to efficiently and effectively navigate test day!
P.S. Decided to reschedule your October 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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