LSAT Key Terms 🌟🔓

lsat key terms for 2025

Solving “Role” Question Types:

Ask yourself: What is the statement in the stimulus doing? What is its purpose?

Solving “Main Point” Question Types:

Eliminate answer choices that are too narrow and look for author opinion

5 Premise Indicators

1. as

2. because

3. for

4. given

5. since

4 Conclusion Indicators

1. hence

2. therefore

3. thus

4. so

Assumption definition

something the author takes for granted — it has to be true for the argument to work, but they don’t actually say it

Solving “Describe” Question Types (“the argument proceeds by…”):

How can I paraphrase this in my own words?

2 Main things to look at for Reading Comprehension:

1. How many viewpoints there are

2. Author role

What is logical force?

how strong a statement is

the conclusion cannot be stronger than the ____

premises

Solving “Principle” Question Types (“which of the following principles…”):

put the underlying rule in your own words

Solving “Must be False” Question Types (“all of the following could be true except…”):

diagram and try to prove false the choice you select

definition of a sufficient condition

a condition that guarantees an outcome

definition of a necessary condition

a condition that must be present for an outcome to happen

Words that introduce a sufficient condition

1. If

2. when

3. all

Words that introduce a necessary condition

1. only if

2. only

Solving “Must be True” Question Types (“what follows logically…”):

Ask yourself: Could the answer choice I picked possibly be false?

Solving “SOFT Must be True” Question Types (“most strongly supported…”):

look for answer choices with weak cognitive force

If you have no idea how to solve a question, do these 3 things

1. identify premises + conclusion

2. look for conditional statements + logical force

3. reword it in your own words

What are the 4 types of sufficient conditions that can be combined?

1. All + All

2. Most + Most

3. All + Some

4. All + Most

(it has to have an all basically)

Solving “Disagree” Question Types (always has 2 speakers):

Ask these 2 questions:

1. Do I know what both speakers think about this answer choice?

2. Do they actually disagree?

Solving “Agree” Question Types (always has 2 speakers):

find where the arguments overlap

In RC, what should you do before moving to the answer choices?

1. determine type of passage

2. put main topic in your own words

3. ask yourself: is the author present?

Solving “Necessary Assumption” Question Types (“the argument assumes…”):

Ask Yourself: What needs to be true for this argument to make sense?

• use the negate test

Solving “Sufficient Assumption” Question Types (“if assumed, conclusion can be inferred…”):

identify the gap in the argument

Solving “Resolve” Question Types (“apparent conflict…”):

don’t invalidate the facts in the stimulus, just try to solve the paradox!

Solving “Explain” Question Types (“helps to explain…”):

Your goal: add a fact that makes the surprising fact less surprising

3 Types of Science Passage Patterns:

1. Here’s the problem and how to solve it

2. Here’s something new and why it’s important

3. Here’s a theory and why someone else thinks it’s wrong

3 Types of Art Passage Patterns:

1. Celebrate the achievements of one author

2. Critics disagreeing with artists

3. Artists who changed the art world

3 Types of Law Passage Patterns:

1. Legal definitions

2. How law should be practiced

3. case-analysis

3 Common Ways to Strengthen a “strengthen” question:

1. eliminate an alternative explanation

2. provide an example of same cause, same effect

3. provide an example of without the cause, no effect

How to solve strengthen questions

1. identify assumptions in the argument

2. anticipate what will help the assumptions

it is nearly impossible for one thing to ___ another in the conclusion

cause

What is one of the best ways to weaken an argument?

provide an alternate explanation

3 Common Ways to Weaken a “weaken” question:

1. provide an alternate explanation

2. show an example of same cause, no effect

3. show an example of no cause, same effect

What should you do if you cannot understand what is happening in a reading comp passage?

Reword each paragraph as you go

When is it okay to use strong language in reading comprehension?

strengthen/weaken and EXCEPT questions

what is the why or so approach?

why shows a statement is a conclusion, so shows a statement is a premise

____ beats strong and ____ beat specific in reading comp

weak, general

What does “or” mean?

at least one has to be true

What is the conclusion in an argument typically look like? (esp for role questions)

an opinion, prediction, or recommendation

what does “purports to show” mean?

main conclusion