{"id":149,"date":"2016-01-27T10:00:15","date_gmt":"2016-01-27T18:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/?p=149"},"modified":"2016-01-27T10:00:15","modified_gmt":"2016-01-27T18:00:15","slug":"what-makes-an-lsat-question-difficult","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/what-makes-an-lsat-question-difficult\/","title":{"rendered":"What makes an LSAT question difficult?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s a fun math problem!<\/p>\n

\"Sample<\/a><\/p>\n

I am not a mathematician. In fact, I have only taken one math course since high school Calculus, and it was Statistics. Therefore, I consider the problem above to be a bit difficult.<\/p>\n

The thing is, I consider that math problem difficult because solving it requires a large amount of knowledge<\/em><\/strong>. You need to know what integrals and exponents are. You need to understand how to solve nested integrals, and you need to know some basics of trigonometric functions. In other words, the problem pulls on information you would have learned in at least 3 different math courses (Calculus, Trigonometry, and Algebra), all of which would have been preceded by at least half a dozen years of learning the basics of arithmetic and geometry.<\/p>\n

However, once you\u2019ve learned all of those concepts, the actual math required for the problem isn\u2019t that difficult<\/strong>. It\u2019s mostly just plugging in numbers and that can be done on a calculator. There are many concepts involved, but the application of those concepts is not very advanced. This is exactly the opposite of what makes an LSAT question difficult<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

LSAT Easy<\/h2>\n

Here\u2019s a fun LSAT question! This one comes from the free practice test<\/a> offered on the LSAC website<\/a>.
\n 
\n“All Labrador retrievers bark a great deal. All Saint Bernards bark infrequently. Each of Rosa’s dogs is a cross between a Labrador retriever and a Saint Bernard. Therefore, Rosa’s dogs are moderate barkers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Which one of the following uses flawed reasoning that most closely resembles the flawed reasoning used in the argument above?”<\/strong>
\n 
\nTo answer this question, you need to be able to understand the English language in general and terms like all<\/em> and each<\/em> specifically. I suppose knowing a bit about genetics might inform your answer as well, but common sense will also do the trick.<\/p>\n

Successfully answering this question depends on your ability to think about<\/em> the argument being made<\/strong>. Does mixing one thing (Labradors) with another thing (Saint Bernards) always mean that you\u2019ll end up with something halfway between the two? If a billionaire marries someone from the working class, do you end up with a middle class family? No, you end up with two billionaires.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

LSAT Hard<\/h2>\n

Here\u2019s another fun LSAT question from LSAC.org\u2019s free practice test<\/a>.
\n 
\n“We should accept the proposal to demolish the old train station, because the local historical society, which vehemently opposes this, is dominated by people who have no commitment to long-term economic well-being. Preserving old buildings creates an impediment to new development, which is critical to economic health.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The flawed reasoning exhibited by the argument above is most similar to that exhibited by which one of the following arguments?”<\/strong>
\n 
\nTo answer this question, you need to be able to understand the English language generally and the role of the word because<\/em> specifically. More importantly, a successful answer depends on your ability to think about the argument and its structure<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The central argument is that a group of people should act one way because another group of people with an ulterior motive wants them to act the opposite way. The word because<\/em> signifies the real reason for the decision. Even though the second sentence might sound slightly more rational, it\u2019s effectively just fluff to support the main justification, that the historical society\u2019s stance is self-motivated.<\/p>\n

So, the LSAT makes a question difficult by concealing arguments and introducing qualifiers to convolute simple concepts<\/strong>. They may include tougher vocabulary, double negatives, or extraneous sentences to distract you. Nevertheless, the concepts remain fairly simple: understanding non-technical language, tracing the structure of arguments, and thinking critically.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Cerebral Olympics<\/h2>\n

You can rest assured that you won\u2019t be asked to do Calculus, define technical terms, or write computer programs on the LSAT. There is little to no prior knowledge of anything outside of the English language that is needed for the exam. Instead, the difficulty of the LSAT lies in testing your mastery of the few, simple concepts it does cover.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why regular, guided practice is the key to improving your LSAT score<\/strong> as much as possible. If you just had to memorize a bunch of new concepts, you could cram at the last minute and be relatively successful. That\u2019s not the case here. Preparing for the LSAT is much more like training for a sport. You can learn the rules and memorize the techniques pretty quickly, but it takes time to teach your muscles to perform the actions precisely.
\n 
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s a fun math problem! I am not a mathematician. In fact, I have only taken one math course since high school Calculus, and it was Statistics. Therefore, I consider the problem above to be a bit difficult. The thing is, I consider that math problem difficult because solving it requires a large amount of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[3856],"class_list":["post-149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-about-lsat"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat makes an LSAT question difficult? - Magoosh LSAT Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What makes an LSAT question difficult?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Here\u2019s a fun math problem! I am not a mathematician. 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With a JD from NYU and an English degree from Boston College, he's dedicated his career to fighting the forces of unnecessary legal jargon and faulty logic. When not geeking out on the LSAT, he can probably be found on skis, in water, or in the vicinity of a roller coaster.","url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/author\/travis\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":3856,"user_id":123,"is_guest":0,"slug":"travis","display_name":"Travis Coleman","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bb41577b3ff13e68b090cc8fc881c3595171b630d81eb41d5e2911416566e0d2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","user_url":"","last_name":"Coleman","first_name":"Travis","description":"Travis is in charge of helping students turn <a href=\"http:\/\/i.imgur.com\/5wS378R.jpg\">LSAT prep<\/a> into an afternoon with <a href=\"http:\/\/media.tumblr.com\/e1d7ee244427c371aab703630cd9f6a4\/tumblr_inline_ncf9xfqVJx1riqfqx.jpg\">this guy<\/a>. 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