Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Foolish Assumptions 2 Icons Used in This Book 2 Beyond the Book 3 Where to Go from Here 3 Part 1: Getting Started with the LSAT 5 Chapter 1: The L Team: The LSAT and Its Administrators 7 Getting to Know the Enemy 8 Taking a Quick Look at the Types of Questions 9 Analytical reasoning -- playing games with your head 9 Logical reasoning -- putting your arguing skills to good use 10 Reading comprehension -- concentrating and remembering what you read 10 The writing sample -- jumping the final hurdle 11 You Gotta Score! 11 Registering for the LSAT 12 Preparing for the LSAT 13 What really helps 13 Practice makes perfect 14 What Have You Done for Me Lately? The LSAC 14 Creating and administering the LSAT 14 Aiding in law school applications 15 Providing other goods and services 15 Chapter 2: Test-Taking Basics: Setting Yourself Up for Success 17 Planning Your LSAT Test-Taking Tactics 17 Maximizing your chances 17 Taking the straight or the winding road 18 Taking the occasional break 19 To Guess or Not to Guess 20 The joy of statistics 20 Is Choice (B) really best? 20 Increase your odds: Eliminate the duds 20 Readying Yourself for Battle 20 What to bring 22 What to leave behind 22 Life after the LSAT: What to Do Now? 22 Yeah, that worked for me 22 Wait, I can do better than that! 23 Chapter 3: The Lowdown on Law School Admissions 25 Choosing a Law School 25 Where to go for information 25 Important considerations 26 Keeping ranking in mind 28 Filling Out All the Forms -- Applying to Law School 29 Pick more than one 30 How admissions work 30 Don''t forget the money 32 Part 2: Analytical Reasoning: Following the Rules of the Logic Game 33 Chapter 4: Gaming the Analytical Reasoning Questions 35 Analyzing the Analytical Reasoning Section 35 Setting Yourself Up for Success Step by Step 36 Get the facts, decide between ordering and grouping, and set up your game board 36 Consider the rules and modify your game board 37 Answer the questions 40 Attending to Some Analytical Reasoning Do''s 44 Take time to develop your game board 44 Pick your battles 44 Remember that four wrongs make a right 44 Stay calm 45 Decide which problem to confront first 45 Maintain your perspective 45 Keep practicing 45 Chapter 5: Proper Placement: Analytical Reasoning Ordering Games 47 Spotting Ordering Games 47 Becoming Chairman of the (Game) Board 48 Putting together the game pieces 49 Drawing the box chart 49 Recording the rules 49 Analyzing the rules 52 Answering Ordering Questions 56 Substitute condition questions 56 Completely determined order questions 58 Ordering the Approach to an Advanced Game 59 Chapter 6: Type Casting: Grouping Games 63 Classifying Grouping Games 63 Following the Rules of Division 65 Target rules 65 Joining rules 66 If/then rules 67 Expanding the Grouping Game Board 68 Mastering Practice Grouping Games 69 An in/out grouping game 69 A more complex grouping game 72 Part 3: Logical Reasoning: Picking Apart an Argument 77 Chapter 7: Analyzing Arguments: The Basics of Logical Reasoning 79 What You Can Expect in the Logical Reasoning Sections 80 Taking a Systematic Approach 80 Reading the question first 81 Reading the argument 81 Formulating an answer 82 Reading the answers and eliminating the wrong ones 83 Making a Case: Essentials of Informal Logic 84 Fighting fair: The elements of an argument 84 Getting from point A to point B: Types of reasoning 84 Chapter 8: Conclusions, Inferences, Assumptions, and Flaws in Logical Reasoning Questions 87 Jumping to Logical Conclusions 88 Using Your Noggin to Make Inferences 89 Making Assumptions 91 Finding Flaws in an Argument 92 Chapter 9: Strengthening and Weakening Arguments 95 Understanding How These Questions Work 95 Affecting cause-and-effect arguments 96 Analyzing analogy arguments 97 Stabbing at statistical arguments 98 Build It Up: Strengthen/Support Questions 99 Tear It Down: Weakening Questions 100 A Twist: EXCEPT Questions 100 Chapter 10: Examining Other Logical Reasoning Question Types 103 Reconciling Discrepancies and Paradoxes 103 Looking for paradox questions 103 Perusing a paradox example 104 Finding Points of Agreement and Disagreement 105 Assessing points that intersect and divide 105 Analyzing an agreement/disagreement example 106 Reasoning by Pattern 107 Finding pattern-of-reasoning questions 107 Patterning a reasonable example 108 Exploring Arguments Based on Principles 110 Pinpointing principles questions 110 Parsing a principles example 110 Figuring Out an Argument''s Structure 111 Spotting structure questions 112 Tackling a structure-of-argument example 112 Knowing the Role Played by a Claim 113 Determining a claim''s purpose 113 Trying out the role of a claim example 114 Part 4: Reading Comprehension: Read ''Em but Don''t Weep 115 Chapter 11: Rites of Passage(s): Types of Reading Passages and Questions 117 Presenting Reading Passages 118 Experimenting with natural science passages 118 Observing social science passages 119 Entertaining a humanities passage 119 Laying down the law-related passages 120 Approaching Reading Questions 120 Identifying the question type 121 Eliminating answer choices 124 Dealing with exception questions 125 Chapter 12: Safe Landing: Mastering the Approach to Reading Comprehension 127 Reading Comprehension Strategy 127 Skimming the questions 128 To read or not to read 128 Pacing Yourself through the Passages 129 What to read for 129 Getting the main point 129 Absorbing the author''s tone 129 Forming the framework: The passage''s outline 130 Using the digital tools 130 Deciding whether to work in or out of order 131 Starting with the Questions 131 Giving Sample Passage 1 a Shot: Influenza Vaccination 133 Reading and highlighting or underlining 133 Thinking about the passage 134 Knocking down the questions 134 Conquering Sample Passage 2: Manifest Destiny 138 Answering questions and highlighting or underlining 138 Answering the questions -- full speed ahead 139 Part 5: The Writing Sample: Penning a Persuasive Argument 143 Chapter 13: Pick a Side, Any Side: Responding to the Writing Sample Prompt 145 Picking a Side -- No Ridin'' the Fence 146 Walking through a Practice Essay 146 Organizing your argument 146 One topic, two different essays 148 Chapter 14: Practice Writing Samples 151 Topic 1: Choosing a Law School 151 Sample answer: Choosing Law School A 152 Sample answer: Fighting for Law School B 152 Topic 2: The Sporting Goods Store 153 Sample answer: Use state funds 154 Sample answer: Don''t use state funds 154 Part 6: The Real Deal: Full-Length Practice LSATs 155 Chapter 15: Some Rainy-Day "Fun": LSAT Practice Exam 1 157 Answer Sheet for Practice Exam 1 159 Section I: Analytical Reasoning 161 Section II: Logical Reasoning 166 Section III: Reading Comprehension 175 Section IV: Logical Reasoning 184 Writing Sample 193 Chapter 16: Practice Exam 1: Answers and Explanations 195 Section I: Analytical Reasoning 195 Section II: Logical Reasoning 208 Section III: Reading Comprehension 215 Section IV: Logical Reasoning 222 Answer Key for Practice Exam 1 230 Computing Your Score 231 Chapter 17: Perfecting with Practice: LSAT Practice Exam 2 233 Answer Sheet for Practice Exam 2 235 Section I: Logical Reasoning 237 Section II: Reading Comprehension 246 Section III: Logical Reasoning 256 Section IV: Analytical Reasoning 266 Writing Sample 270 Chapter 18: Practice Exam 2: Answers and Explanations 273 Section I: Logical Reasoning 273 Section II: Reading Comprehension 280 Section III: Logical Reasoning 287 Section IV: Analytical Reasoning 293 Answer Key for Practice Exam 2 306 Chapter 19: Even More "Fun": LSAT Practice Exam 3 307 Answer Sheet for Practice Exam 3 309 Section I: Logical Reasoning 311 Section II: Reading Comprehension 320 Section III: Analytical Reasoning 329 Section IV: Logical Reasoning 333 Writing Sample 342 Chapter 20: Practice Exam 3: Answers and Explanations 345 Section I: Logical Reasoning 345 Section II: Reading Comprehension 354 Section III: Analytical Reasoning 362 Section IV: Logical Reasoning 374 Answer Key for Practice Exam 3 383 Part 7: The Part of Tens 385 Chapter 21:.