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Breaking Down LSAT Questions: the Three Sections

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If you’re reading this blog, congrats on deciding to take the official LSAT exam! Say goodbye to your peace of mind and social life, and prepare to spend a few months gaming the LSAT format to squeeze every available second out of your actual LSAT test questions.

For the uninitiated, here’s a complete LSAT sections breakdown:

How Many Questions Is the LSAT?

On test day, you can expect to answer about 100 graded questions on the LSAT (Law School Admission Test). The actual number of multiple-choice questions is about 125 when you take the experimental section into account, but for your LSAT score test preparation, let’s stick with the 100. 

These are broken down into four multiple-choice sections of 24 to 28 questions each. Each LSAT multiple-choice section must be completed in 35 minutes or less, barring special accommodation. There is a 10-minute break between the second and third sections. 

Your LSAT test questions include:

  • Two Logical Reasoning Sections: 50% of your score
  • One Analytical Reasoning (Logic Games) Section: 25% of your score
  • One Reading Comprehension Section: 25% of your score

LSAT writing section is administered separately at a time of your choosing. 

How Is the LSAT Scored?

Great question! The total amount of questions you answered correctly is recorded as your “raw score,” and this number is then converted into a median LSAT score, AKA your “scaled score,” falling somewhere between 120 (deplorable) to 180 (perfect).

Logical Reasoning

Let’s look at the LSAT exam questions for each section. The Logical Reasoning section is the most important section of the LSAT (Law School Admission Test) simply because there are two graded sections, compared to just one for the other sections. Each question type on the LSAT Logical Reasoning section contains a brief paragraph that usually is an argument. Each Logical Reasoning question will ask you to identify the conclusion, find the supporting assumptions, and locate logical flaws that weaken the argument.

Read our blogs on Logical Reasoning to learn methods of identifying common logic flaws faster and diagramming your way to success on your test date.

Analytical Reasoning (Logic Games)

Learning how the LSAT exam works will help boost your score tremendously. The LSAT Logic Games section presents the greatest opportunity for you to increase your LSAT score because all the logic game question types follow a specific structure.

Each LSAT Analytical Reasoning section contains four logic games with five to seven questions per logic game. This means you should spend five to eight minutes per logic game.

Each logic game presents a scenario along with a list of rules to follow. You might have to determine the order that runners finish a race or the kennels in which various dogs are kept.

Scoring well on the LSAT logic games necessitates learning the main types of logic games and perfecting your diagramming abilities to make the best use of your time.

Try a practice logic game question to get a handle on what this LSAT section entails.

Reading Comprehension

The Reading Comprehension section is similar to Reading Comprehension sections on college entrance exams like the ACT and SAT, only more difficult. Each Reading Comprehension section contains four reading passages of 400 to 500 words followed by five to eight questions per passage.

There will be one reading passage for each of the following categories: Law, Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences.

As a test taker, the most important factor for improving your LSAT Reading Comprehension score is efficiency. Being able to read a standardized test passage quickly and identify the hypothesis or main point, author’s attitude, and the purpose of the passage will help you answer questions in a timely manner.

We read an Economist article as a Reading Comprehension passage because we are obsessed with LSAT preparation.

Take a LSAT Practice Test

To get a full understanding of the test format, attempt one today. Take our real, full-length, free practice LSAT. The LSAT practice test is formatted exactly like the official LSAT and is even customizable for accommodated test-takers.

Accommodated Tests for Test Takers with Disabilities

Accommodated tests are administered on Tuesdays following LSAT weekends to ensure accessibility. Each delivery is adjusted via special accommodation according to the unique needs of the test-taker. Available accommodations are outlined in LSAC’s “Policy on Accommodations for Test Takers with Disabilities.” The accommodations include:

  • Extended time
  • Additional Breaks Between Sections
  • Stop/Start Breaks
  • Ability to Sit or Stand
  • Ability to Read or Speak Aloud
  • Use of Magnification Tools
  • Use of Tactile Tools
  • Use of Braille
  • Paper-and-Pencil-Based Testing
  • Use of a Test Reader
  • Use of a Scribe

LSAC does not release definitive lists of the circumstances that warrant accommodations or of which accommodations will be approved for which circumstances. They take an “each situation is different” approach. You must make applications for test accommodations directly to LSAC at least six weeks prior to a given test date.

The Spanish-Language LSAT Test 

Besides the traditional LSAT, once per year, LSAC administers a Spanish-language adaptation called el LSAT en Español or El LSAT. Unfortunately for most Spanish-speaking ESL preppers, this LSAT is appropriate for only one, very specific set of test-takers: those who are Spanish-speaking and who will attend law school in Puerto Rico. The reason is fairly straightforward: only three ABA-accredited law schools accept El LSAT for entrance purposes and each of the three is situated on the island of Puerto Rico.

El LSAT is delivered yearly, on a Saturday, in a tropical paradise (read: Puerto Rico). It is delivered in paper-and-pencil format, in-person, at a single location (in the past, it has been housed at the Puerto Rican Governor’s Convention Center in Puerto Rico’s capital city of San Juan). 

Rather than a 120-180 scoring scale, El LSAT is scored on a 320-380 scale. This is not due to distinct differences in the testing format (El LSAT consists of 35-minute sections and approximately 100 questions — just like its English-language cousin). The alternate scoring is used primarily to dissuade a one-to-one comparison of English-language test scores to Spanish-language test scores. LSAC advises that the scoring is similar but, much like the material housed in the test, does not translate exactly. 

If you are interested in taking the Spanish-language LSAT in Puerto Rico but are also considering applying to any other ABA-accredited law schools outside of Puerto Rico, we strongly encourage you to take the English-language LSAT instead.

Unfortunately for English-as-a-foreign-language test-takers, whether their first language is Spanish or any of the other 7000+ languages spoken the world over, only the English-language LSAT is accepted in the nearly 200 ABA-accredited law schools housed outside of Puerto Rico. 

For El LSAT test-takers, LSAC is the primary source of practice material. If you plan to take this Puerto Rico-specific LSAT adaptation, visit LSAC’s website for more information.

Blueprint Prep Is As Unique As Your Test

Whether you’re planning to take the accommodated or non-accommodated English-language LSAT or the Spanish-language LSAT adaptation El LSAT, you must prepare in an environment that offers you realistic test-day experiences and advice as unique as the test you’ll be taking. 

Blueprint Prep understands that LSAT test-takers are unique. At Blueprint, you will find an LSAT family filled with LSAT enthusiasts, including those who are para-abled and ESL knowledgeable. We are committed to providing you not only the best LSAT advice but directions to (and through) the best materials for you. We have all the know-how necessary to enable your success on test day.

Now that you know what to expect on the official LSAT, it’s time to get some practice in to help you reach a LSAT score needed for scholarships. Sign up to receive a practice LSAT question or drill in your inbox every day to sneak in a little test prep as often as you can or take a full practice exam!

If you need a little extra help, enroll in an LSAT prep program and focus on all three LSAT sections to increase your test score to the fabled 180 — read how two students did just that.

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