Couple of questions Forum

[*Ari*]

Hi,

First time posting. I was planning on taking the LSAT December 11th, but I am pretty sure I won't be able to get the score that I want (158-160), so I will probably end up delaying. My score on my last two prep tests was 158 (prep #27) and 156 (prep #28). If I can manage somehow within the next week to get my score to at least 158 twice more, then I may give it a shot.

Anywho, onto my questions.

1) What is the logical negation of the word 'most'?

2) Any tips for flaw in the reasoning and parallel / parallel flaw questions? I'm especially struggling on parallel questions and ALWAYS skip them. I have read the LR Bible, but locating the conclusion when it isn't presented by a word such as 'Therefore' seems to necessitate me reading the whole answer choice / passage.

3) Is one of the logical reasoning sections always harder than the other? For instance, on prep test 27 & 28, I got 13/26 on both of the first LR sections. However, on the second section, I got 19/25 and 19/26.

Cheers!

[calvmpv]

1) Most:
- Synonyms: more than half; could be all
- Opposite: half or less than half

2) No idea...it's been too long since I studied for the LSAT. But if I remember correctly, when it comes to "parallel flawed reasoning" questions, it's not just the conclusion that you should be paying attention to, but also the premises. Naturally, if the question stem tells you that the argument is flawed, then the correct answer would also be a flawed argument. Unfortunately, if I also remember correctly, there was no particularly slow way of getting through these - especially on these types of questions, you should always read the whole question/all the answer choices. If you don't (and especially if you're having a hard time locating the conclusions), then it's a waste of your time to even bother attempting the question anyways because it's 1-2 minutes wasted on a question you may very well answer incorrectly.

3) In a word, no (though it may seem that way).

Hope this helps somewhat. Good luck!

[The Gentleman]

First of all, how long have you been prepping OP?

1) The logical opposite of most (50%+1) is anything other than most. So 50% or less. But negating "most" statements can get tricky - take this example.

Statement: "Most logic games are easy."

INCORRECT negation: "Most logic games are not easy."
CORRECT negation: "It is not the case that most logic games are easy."

Notice the difference between the correct and incorrect negations. The incorrect negation does not take into account the possibility that exactly 50% of all logic games could be easy. When in doubt, add "It is not the case that..." to the beginning of the statement.

2) If you end up taking the Dec. LSAT, then skip parallel/parallel flaw questions. Spend your time on the questions you can answer with a high degree of accuracy.

But if you decide to postpone, then go back to the basics of LR. Not being able to identify the conclusion of a parallel reasoning stimulus suggests that you lack some fundamental LR skills. (no offense)

Once you feel confident with those skills, then purchase the "Grouped by Question Type" book. As the name suggests, it organizes LR questions by type so you can drill, drill, drill.

3) No, but sometimes one section will be noticeably harder than the other.

Good luck with your decision OP!

[*Ari*]

1) Most:
- Synonyms: more than half; could be all
- Opposite: half or less than half

2) No idea...it's been too long since I studied for the LSAT. But if I remember correctly, when it comes to "parallel flawed reasoning" questions, it's not just the conclusion that you should be paying attention to, but also the premises. Naturally, if the question stem tells you that the argument is flawed, then the correct answer would also be a flawed argument. Unfortunately, if I also remember correctly, there was no particularly slow way of getting through these - especially on these types of questions, you should always read the whole question/all the answer choices. If you don't (and especially if you're having a hard time locating the conclusions), then it's a waste of your time to even bother attempting the question anyways because it's 1-2 minutes wasted on a question you may very well answer incorrectly.

3) In a word, no (though it may seem that way).

Hope this helps somewhat. Good luck!

I do pay attention to the premises, but once I have used the conclusion as a way to reduce the amount of answers that I have to go through. I do go through every answer choice for other question types, just not the parallel arguments, as it's what PowerScore suggested.

Thanks for the tips & good wishes.

[*Ari*]

First of all, how long have you been prepping OP?

1) The logical opposite of most (50%+1) is anything other than most. So 50% or less. But negating "most" statements can get tricky - take this example.

Statement: "Most logic games are easy."

INCORRECT negation: "Most logic games are not easy."
CORRECT negation: "It is not the case that most logic games are easy."

Notice the difference between the correct and incorrect negations. The incorrect negation does not take into account the possibility that exactly 50% of all logic games could be easy. When in doubt, add "It is not the case that..." to the beginning of the statement.

2) If you end up taking the Dec. LSAT, then skip parallel/parallel flaw questions. Spend your time on the questions you can answer with a high degree of accuracy.

But if you decide to postpone, then go back to the basics of LR. Not being able to identify the conclusion of a parallel reasoning stimulus suggests that you lack some fundamental LR skills. (no offense)

Once you feel confident with those skills, then purchase the "Grouped by Question Type" book. As the name suggests, it organizes LR questions by type so you can drill, drill, drill.

3) No, but sometimes one section will be noticeably harder than the other.

Good luck with your decision OP!

I have been preparing too long, but incorrectly. I started preparing in the middle of July and went through McGraw-Hill LSAT (waste of time), and Master the LSAT (pretty useful for games, but not so much for LR). I then came across PowerScore and grabbed their LR bible and LG bible and went through both of those. I spent way too much time on non-timed questions and methodology of answering questions. It's a shame I didn't come across this board earlier. I have also taken an LSAT prep course by Renert. It wasn't really until roughly early October that I started going through tests under timed conditions. My initial diagnostic was 144 and now up until the past two tests where I scored 158 and 156, I averaged 153.

1) What happens if the most occurs within the middle of the statement?

2) I didn't mean it so much that I couldn't locate the conclusion of an argument. I meant to inquire whether there was an easy way to visibly grab the conclusion to compare the conclusions of parallel arguments without an indicator such as Therefore, etc...I suppose my best bet is to just skip these in general unless time permits, as these questions don't seem to be for me.

3) Ugh. I was hoping it was a random case of inconsistency that would be patched up over time.