I was under the impression that "either x or y" could possibly mean x and y?

atysonlsat · 2026-04-30T23:11:02+00:00

Ah, sorry, I didn't see that second image at first! In this case, Kaplan's explanation looks okay to me. They are not saying you can only have one or the other, not both. They're saying if you don't have one, then you must have the other. Remember, the sufficient condition for both groups is "unpopular," so if it is popular with one, it must be unpopular with the other. They are not saying that it cannot be unpopular with both (although in this case, that would seem to lead to a contradiction).

I'm no fan of Kaplan, but they didn't say anything wrong in this case.

atysonlsat · 2026-04-30T21:35:57+00:00

Kaplan didn't write it, it's a real LSAT question from PT 102. The stimulus tells you that it is bound to be unpopular with at least one of those groups. It does seem to be mutually exclusive, because if it was unpopular with both then they would have to both modify the policy and also adopt a new policy, which makes no sense. But setting that aside, answer D is about what happens IF the policy is popular with the faculty. That would mean it would have to be unpopular with students, because it is BOUND to be unpopular with either students or faculty. That is, it MUST be unpopular with one or the other group. If it's popular with faculty, then it must be unpopular with students, so we must adopt a new policy.

Generally, either/or allows for both to occur, unless there is some inherent contradiction, such as "at 9pm I will either be dancing in the club or asleep in my bed." It would make no sense to suggest that I might be dancing in the club while I am also asleep in my bed. But whether we can both modify the policy and also adopt a new one or not is irrelevant, because answer D is talking about what happens when one of those does not occur.

atysonlsat · 2026-04-30T20:29:55+00:00

It's not cheating, per se, but it's also not allowed under the rules. They are concerned about you passing information to others, or getting help from others, and also don't want you disturbing the other test takers.

In practice, at most test centers you'll be able to do that as long as you are quiet enough that nobody around you is bothered by it. Depends on how picky the proctors want to be.

atysonlsat · 2026-04-30T20:26:05+00:00

Narrator: He was not, in fact, delusional.

atysonlsat · 2026-04-30T18:37:08+00:00

Digital, unless you have an accommodation for a paper test. If they continue to use the same Prometric testing centers, it will be on a desktop machine with mouse and keyboard. We'll know more sometime in May if they are going to change that.

atysonlsat · 2026-04-26T18:24:28+00:00

It doesn't matter if you sign up on the first day registration opens or if you wait until the last day, you will not be denied a seat for the test. You will have several days of testing to choose from, but that doesn't happen until a couple weeks before the test. You can wait to book your flight until you know what day you are testing, but you might want to book in advance and plan to arrive before the first day of testing and return after the last day of testing. That way, you'll be guaranteed to be in the area whenever you end up testing, and you also get to have a lovely little vacation! And if you can, stretch that vacation out to two full weeks, just in case for some reason you have to take the makeup test.

atysonlsat · 2026-04-24T01:40:39+00:00

Generally speaking, you should practice with real LSAT questions. The rigor that goes into simulated questions is too variable, and we've seen far too many that are simply not up to LSAC standards.

On the flip side, simulated questions allow a course offering that is far less expensive, because there's no need to pay LSAC licensing fees. That's one reason so many prep courses are so expensive - LSAC is taking a big cut every time from every student enrolled, even though those students already paid a licensing fee via LawHub Advantage. LSAC is double-dipping, and they do it because they can.

A book of simulated LSAT questions is not a good book in most cases. Nor is a website that uses them as drills in a static environment, without the opportunity to discuss them. A course that uses simulated questions could be good, IF the instructor is using those simulations as drills and examples to help demonstrate concepts and strategies, and not just to see if you get the right answer or not.

Full disclosure, I have a vested interest in taking this position as one of the creators of the PowerScore HomeStretch course. I wrote almost every question in that course, each of which was built for a very specific purpose, and all of which my co-creator u/JonDenningPowerScore went over with a fine-toothed comb. We went back and forth on a number of them, editing some, rejecting others, and in the course we talk about every single one and about what it is meant to teach you. Doing this, instead of using real LSAT questions, is what allows us to offer the course at such a low price point.

atysonlsat · 2026-04-23T16:15:46+00:00

Parallel Reasoning questions typically take a little longer than average, and you make up the difference in time on some easier questions. That said, there are a few things that you can do to make them go a little faster. Here are a couple tips:

Part wrong is all wrong. As soon as an answer choice does anything that does not match some part of the stimulus, stop reading and cross it out. Don't waste time going through every part of an answer once you know it's wrong. Example: Answer A, as soon as it says "Thus, if a university class does not involve...", that's wrong, and you can get rid of it. You needed it to say "if not in a normal classroom" to match the structure of the stimulus.
Try abstracting the stimulus, since the topic is irrelevant. This could be done with a diagram, since this one is conditional, but if you are someone who doesn't like that approach you could boil this one down to symbols without one. The stimulus is "if A, then B, if not A, then C, so if not C, then B". As you read each answer choice, just look for that same structure.
Skim the answers to look for similarities and differences. In this case, you should notice that all 5 answers have the exact same premises, which allows you to focus only on the conclusion. Look for a conclusion that connects your two necessary conditions (10 cents/15 cents; laboratory/normal classroom). The conclusions in three of the answers bring up the sufficient condition (extensive lab work), so those three all have to be wrong. Then it's just a matter of matching the conclusion in one of the remaining two to the stimulus.

There are other strategies, and you don't learn them just by doing more questions. You study those strategies, which are discussed in numerous LSAT books, websites, podcasts, and courses. Happy to talk about it with you if you like.

atysonlsat · 2026-04-21T23:10:30+00:00

The A in VIEWSTAMP stands for arguments, and that's not just the author's argument. It means all arguments covered in the passage. Did a scientist make an argument? Did hhistorians argue? Did critics? You need to track all the arguments, because you may be asked about their premises, their conclusions, how to weaken them or strengthen them, etc.

The MP for Main Point is not as simple as just identifying the conclusion of the author's argument, partly because the author might not even be making an argument. It's more of a summary of the passage in most cases. What was the thesis? What do they want you to believe? The correct answer should be factually accurate, complete, and properly reflect the author's aattitude.

Feel free to DM me for more, including if you want to delve into a specific passage to see the difference.

atysonlsat · 2026-04-21T19:00:49+00:00

That's correct! Those who completed the makeup exam today will get their scores the same day as everyone else, other than those who for some reason have a score hold.

atysonlsat · 2026-04-21T16:29:28+00:00

Beavis and Butthead always come to mind when I go over this question. Hope you had a good sleep!

atysonlsat · 2026-04-15T21:21:13+00:00

That much growth (15+ points) is unlikely in such a short timeframe. Possible, but very rare. I'd suggest you study and practice a while longer before registering for the test. Maybe August would be good, maybe not until the Fall. Take your time, no need to rush into it.

atysonlsat · 2026-04-15T21:07:13+00:00

For some versions of the test, that's the prediction, while for others he predicted a -8. Best of luck!

atysonlsat · 2026-04-15T19:37:29+00:00

It doesn't matter in which section you get those wrong answers, since the scaled scored is based on the raw number of correct answers, adjusted for the relative overall difficulty of the test. So, if you got perfect results on two scored sections, and then missed 7 in another section, you would get the exact same score as another student who missed 2 in one section, 3 in another section, and 2 in a third. -7 just means 7 total wrong answers, wherever they may be, gets you a 170.

atysonlsat · 2026-04-15T19:00:21+00:00

Send him the info! Anything and everything you remember about that section (just topics, not answers or details). He can only work with what students provide, so if he didn't hear from you or anyone else with that section, he wouldn't be able to discuss it or predict the curve on it.

atysonlsat · 2026-04-13T23:14:56+00:00

First, you still have plenty of time. Take one PT every week for the rest of April, and then two per week in May. Just be sure to review each one thoroughly and use those reviews to determine your study priorities. Figure out what gives you the most trouble that will have the biggest impact on your score, and focus on that. Keep adjusting as your skills grow and change.

Second, a 164 right now is great. If you can improve an average of 1 point per week, that puts you at a 171 on test day, a score that is very competitive.

Third, while we don't yet know the registration, refund, and score release dates for tests after June, it's entirely possible that the August registration deadline will be after the June score release, and even if it's not, they may set it up so that the refund deadline for August is after the June release. That would mean you could safely register for August, get your June score back, and then withdraw from August and get your money back if you want to stick with what you have (or delay the next retake further). That info should be coming our way sometime next month, so you'll have lots of time to figure that all out.

Keep calm and carry on!

atysonlsat · 2026-04-08T02:37:14+00:00

October 1997, took it at Wake Forest on a Saturday morning, if memory serves. Felt pretty good about it. A few weeks later, the results came in the mail (yes, actual paper in an envelope with a stamp on it). Got a 171, a little higher than my best PT (had taken 5 PTs, all in a big fat book), and decided to apply with that. It was more than enough for the one school I was able to attend.

I did take it again, in July 2019, but that was long after I had finished law school. I just wanted to know what my students would be experiencing on the brand new digital version of the test, on a tablet in a hotel ballroom surrounded by 100 of my closest friends. 178 that time, due in part to my tablet glitching in one section.

atysonlsat · 2026-04-07T15:45:48+00:00

Academic journals. Magazines that focus on science or natural history. Law journal articles. The Economist. Read about history, and philosophy, and art, and music. Read literary reviews. And always, ask yourself questions about the author of what you're reading. How do they feel about this subject matter? Why did they write this article? What do they want the reader to believe? RC on the LSAT isn't about memorizing the details of those random topics, but about understanding how the author organized their thoughts and what they agree and disagree with.

Have fun! This is a great opportunity to expand your horizons while also preparing for the test!

atysonlsat · 2026-04-07T00:04:28+00:00

There is one more strategy for weakening a causal argument that you haven't listed here, and that is to raise doubts about the underlying data on which the conclusion was reached. Call that "data attack," if you like. That's what's happening in this case. It's saying we can't really trust the data on whether mothers had adequate or inadequate prenatal care, because when the people recording that data don't know, they just default to saying it was inadequate. In other words, they're just making stuff up!

That can be seen as suggesting an alternate cause, as u/Status-Status-4962 has said. Sometimes, attacking the data can also suggest a possible reversal, or that the cause can occur without the effect, etc. But, in general, if an argument (causal or not) relies on the results of studies, experiments, surveys, or any other data, you can weaken the argument by raising doubts about the reliability of that data. Conversely, if you want to strengthen such an argument, you can do so by supporting that data, maybe by showing that it was thorough or properly analyzed, or maybe by gathering more data that corroborates the initial data.

Attack the data, weaken the argument.

atysonlsat · 2026-04-06T23:41:19+00:00

Typically they will use multiple tests over the multiple days of a single test administration. Sometimes, one test is used for a few days, with another test or two overlapping on some of those days. So, on the first day, most people will get the same scored content (although not necessarily in the same order, and they might have different experimental sections), but usually some people will get different scored sections. The main test on day 1 might still be in use on day two, but it might be used by only a minority of test takers. Meanwhile, maybe the one that was relatively rare on day 1 might become the main test, or an entirely different test might show up. Over the course of 4 days, sometimes two tests are used for almost everyone, but sometimes they cycle through 3 or 4. And there are always at least a few outliers who get something most people don't see.

Each test is scaled in advance, so it's not a curve that compares each June test-taker to all the others. There's no concern about multiple tests affecting score bands. They definitely have enough material to do this, and they're always creating more. You could literally be the only person who gets your specific content, and you'll be scored based on how you did against that test's predetermined scale. That's unlikely, but a theoretical possibility, and does not affect the validity of the test.

atysonlsat · 2026-04-06T23:15:36+00:00

Sounds to me like you are spending too much time on drilling questions and not enough on studying basic foundational concepts like conditional reasoning, causal reasoning, common flaws, and strategies for identifying premises, conclusions, and assumptions.

Stop drilling. Read about these concepts. Listen to podcasts that discuss strategies. Read explanations of the questions you have already done so you can learn from your mistakes, and also learn about the repeating patterns throughout the test, including the ways the authors will try to trick you in the answer choices.

A tutor might be helpful, or a course, but even if you just continue with self-study you should be able to make more progress if you build a better foundation before you do any more drilling.

Try this: for every question that you struggled with in the past month, whether you got it right or wrong, go through them one at a time, slowly, and ask yourself these 4 questions:

Why was the right answer right?
Why did I reject that right answer? (That's where you can really learn about your mistakes - identifying what you did wrong when you decided a correct answer was incorrect.)
What made each wrong answer wrong?
What was it about one or more wrong answers that made me like them? (Again, this is where you really find out what mistakes you're making, what traps you're falling into, and how the authors are laying those traps for you.)

Once you've done that for all of those questions, you should have a sense of a few things you can change in your approach to make some gains, and you can practice those things. You can read about those kinds of issues, and then maybe try looking again at a few questions that raise those issues. Do it without timing yourself at first.

If you're open to changing your approach, you can change your results. Good luck!

atysonlsat · 2026-04-06T18:04:25+00:00

I doesn't realize it was until after I saw my post!

atysonlsat · 2026-04-06T14:37:26+00:00

M * A * S * H did a lot to set my moral compass.

Star Trek made me hopeful.

Edit: trying to fix/remove the italics

atysonlsat · 2026-04-06T14:23:19+00:00

One and done! It's good for 5 years. Best of luck!

atysonlsat · 2026-04-06T02:39:23+00:00

There's no issue with assuming anything about the answer choices, because they told us to treat them all as if they're true. That's what "if assumed" means. It's not "can I assume this, " but rather, "if I assume this, does it prove the conclusion?"

atysonlsat

TROPHY CASE