Will removing Logic Games from the LSAT in 2024 make the test easier or harder?

Answer 1

Several of my students have asked this question, and here is what I tell them: while the change will make the test easier for a minority of LSAT-takers who are naturally gifted at LR, removing LG from the exam will make it a harder exam for the majority of students. I'll explain why this is the case and then tell you the solution. (Spoiler: I'm going to suggest applying LG strategies to LR.)

The problem. The test will become harder without LG, because LG is the one section that any LSAT-taker can master through sheer hard work--if you take every game on every practice test and do it over and over, under timed conditions, until you get all the answers correct, I guarantee you will have a close-to-perfect LG section on test day. LG tests a discrete skill set which you can learn while studying for the LSAT. Years of teaching experience have shown me that students can master LG regardless of whether or not they have Ivy League degrees, humanities or STEM backgrounds, etc. All you need is time and grit.

By contrast, LR and RC require subtle verbal comprehension skills that take most students longer to develop, especially if they are not working with a tutor. Some students have spent much of their lives developing high-level verbal comprehension (take for example the student who went to prep schools since she was 4 and read the Odyssey and Iliad in second grade). Such students will have a head start in LR and RC relative to students who spent their time developing other skills (like STEM students who are stronger quantitatively). Let me be clear: anyone can master the verbal skills tested on LR and RC. But to guarantee a strong test day performance, a student must be able to consistently and confidently apply those LR and RC skills, which means not only mastery but intuitive mastery. Developing intuitive mastery of LR and RC skills from scratch (like the STEM student might require) is hard to do during the timeframe most students allocate to studying for LSAT, especially without a skilled tutor.

The solution. The way around this problem is to view LR like a more quantitative exercise. Memorize the four groups of conditional logic operators (group 1: "if," "always," etc., group 2: "only if," "requires," etc., group 3: "unless," "without," etc., and group 4: "never," "cannot," etc.), using flash cards or whatever is necessary.

Next, memorize argument part indicators (background: "although," "but," etc., premise: "for," "because," etc., conclusion: "accordingly," "so," etc.).

Finally, memorize the list of classic argument flaws. Go beyond memorizing them by making your own example arguments that commit the flaw.

When you read a stimulus, ask yourself these questions in this order:

1. Which of the four kinds of stimulus is it? (argument, debate, paradox, premise set)
2. Build immaculate reading retention by then covering up the stimulus and writing out in bullet points all the key content of the stimulus -- uncover the stimulus -- correct your mistakes. Do this for a dozen LR stimuli every day. When you're taking the test under timed conditions, obviously don't take the time to write bullets of stimulus, but DO pause at the end of each sentence and the end of the stimulus as a whole, look away from the stimulus, and go over it in your head to make sure you're tracking the content.

The most common LR stimulus type is argument, and here is the basic protocol once you've completed the steps above.

1. Use the indicators you memorized to identify the argument parts. Highlight the conclusion.
2. Next, if it's an argument, as yourself what is the gap between stimulus and premise - once you find it, try very hard to fit it into one of the classic argument flaw buckets so you can see patterns.
3. At this point, you understand the argument. Now move to reading the question stem. Determine what information the question is asking for, make a prediction, and then find the right answer choice.

There is more subtlety here that focused practice or a tutor will help you master, but the point is there is a protocol for you to follow, a foolproof workflow for mastering LR. STEM students can catch up to their fellow test-takers by focusing on LR in this way.

In conclusion, if you haven't been grooming your verbal comprehension skills since a young age, I am very very sorry to inform you that the LSAT will become harder as a result of LSAC's decision to replace LG with more LR. However, by approaching LR with an intelligent protocol, effectively treating LR more like LG, you can catch up relatively quickly. Still, I encourage students who will be disadvantaged by this change to plan to spend plenty of time in focused preparation for the LSAT. As long as the LSAT remains the single most important determining factor for law school admissions, your time spent on the LSAT will be the single most important investment you make in your legal career.

Happy to talk more about this with any test-takers.

Zach