BEST BOOK FOR LR HELP Forum

[jrthor10]

Hi Ladies & Gentlemen,

I am an LSAT tutor. Have been for almost a year now. I have set resources that I usually use to work with students--usually a game focused on logic games and a whole bunch of practice tests. My students usually come to me with a basic understanding of arguments, and from there using practice tests, I can usually work with them to develop a more advanced understanding.

However, one of my current students comes to be with a much lower level of basic understanding of arguments, how they are structured, etc. While I am working with her, it is clear she is going to need an add'l supplement to be successful.

Can anyone recommend a book or books that are great for students trying to just start having a basic understanding of arguments found in the LR section. Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks!

[red52]

for more basic understanding of LR, Manhattan and/or powerscore.

[bobbypin]

Having read both Powerscore LR Bible and the ManhattanLSAT LR book, I greatly prefer Manhattan.

[scottyc66]

Having read both Powerscore LR Bible and the ManhattanLSAT LR book, I greatly prefer Manhattan.

Can't even remember how many people have said this and haven't seen a single person who preferred Powerscore over Manhattan.

[Br3v]

Powerscore

[annet]

Having read both Powerscore LR Bible and the ManhattanLSAT LR book, I greatly prefer Manhattan.

This x 1000. I had a really hard time with a few key LR concepts, just some weird mental block and it took the Manhattan book to finally get my brain around them (and reading a few chapters more than once).

[SumStalwart]

Doing a combination of power score and manhattan.

If you have to choose one, I would say manhattan-- it's easy to read and it teaches the reader to analyze the core of argument, rather than simple fact sheets.

[BrokerPete]

Okay...let's cut to the chase about all of the different types of crash courses, prep books, etc. - I didn't like any of them for whatever reason.
In order to succeed as a good attorney you have be a critical thinker and what do you have to do for the LSAT? Critically think.
I spent countless days trying to find a book or something that would help me actually think about the questions and understand them rather than
try to find a particular technique that worked to get the answer right. I found it! The best book by far that I have found and in fact the only book that I used
to study for the LSAT (besides the actual LSAT exams) is a book called 'Critical Thinking - An Appeal To Reason' by Peg Tittle, published by Routledge.
The book is fantastic and it has actually helped me think differently in my own personal life about decisions. After reading the first two chapters I attempted my first exam
and scored a 169. If you want to be better then the others buy this book!

[willwash]

I will qualify this with the following caveat: I never looked at Powerscore's LR book...but I swear by Manhattan LSAT. First of all, from a general standpoint, that company does more to help people score well on the LSAT than any I've seen. They put up so much material for free, and it's the only place (IIRC) where you can get on the forums and discuss specific details of specific LSAT questions. They have a 24 page chapter on rule substitution questions on their website that you can download and read for free. For free...what is probably the hardest question type in LG that trips up the most people is broken down and analyzed and made available to you at no charge or obligation.

As to the MLSAT LR book. It breaks the arguments down into less than idiot terms. And in case you are an idiot, it attacks each argument from several different angles. It spares no expense in time, energy, effort or paper to make sure it has explained why each right answer is right and why each wrong answer is wrong. Seriously. A single argument can occupy several pages of the (very large) book as it deconstructs the argument, exposes the argument core and analyzes all 5 answer choices. It's virtually impossible to walk away not understanding the question being analyzed. And that's not just for the first argument in the book or in each chapter...they do this for virtually every argument in the book. Then they give you drills to do of concepts like contrapositives and identifying assumptions. The book has the best, most in-depth discussion of necessary versus sufficient assumptions I have ever seen, and it's the only one that really makes sense of the whole "if, only if, if and only if" shenanigans that cloud so many of the toughest questions on the exam.

The only drawback (if you can call it that) is that they use only real LR questions from real preptest. So when you then go and take preptests and encounter the harder LR questions, chances are you will recognize some and remember the breakdown of it from MLSAT's book, and will instantly know the right answer. This can skew your PT results...I scored a 180 and 2 177s on preptests in part because of that, and I don't think I'm really a 175+ test taker. But whatever...

I will close by saying that I have been given neither money nor free T-shirt nor anything that they don't give away to anyone from MLSAT. This is just the unsolicited opinion of a very satisfied customer.

[hockey96]

I defiently suggest the logical reasoning and logic games bible. For reading comprehension, I'd suggest snippets from the economist.