Formal Logic Forum

[eli2015]

How did you guys get better at formal logic, and intersection logic? Also how did you get better at translating Regular English into formal logic? I am struggling with MBT, and Parallel Method of Reasoning questions due to the fact that they contain heavy formal, and intersection logic, which I have not perfected yet.

Any advice on either question will be of great help, thank you.

[eli2015]

anyone? could really use some help because I am honestly stuck.

[Oskosh]

Practice. Seriously.

Get yourself a copy of the Logical Reasoning Bible or Manhattan Logical Reasoning Prep Book. They have a list of common symbolic logic terms on the LSAT (you do NOT need to take a full course on logic), such as "all, every, each," etc. Then PRACTICE diagramming until you get it down. Seriously. Take it slow. You won't master it in a day (I mean, you can if you want).

[eli2015]

Hey,

Thanks for the reply. I have both the LRB, and the MP bible, so I guess I will get cracking. Any other tips you can give me, or anyone for that matter besides just practice? or is practicing really all it comes down to? Because if that is the case then I will for sure master it, because all I do is practice lol, I have no life anymore.

[Oskosh]

Practice is key for anybody who is studying for the LSAT. Some may be preternaturally intelligent and do well without preparing for the LSAT (I'm talking people who scored high 160, low 170 on a cold take), but that is not the case for the LSAT. For the most part, the LSAT is learnable. I have found that the structure of the LSAT doesn't change very much, but that its content does. So the test may be changing content (talking about schools, hospitals, etc), but the structure would be the same: it's a question that can be solved if you understand how the LSAT approaches causality.

So practice question types for logical reasoning until you get them down, learn strategies for the logic games (diagramming, logic game types, templates), and learn how to read for structure with reading comprehension first. Then you can move on to timed practice (whether those are timed sections eventually leading up to full tests that simulate testing conditions). After timed practice, you go through the process of correctly reviewing a test (e.g., looking at why all 4 answers choices that were incorrect were incorrect, as opposed to reading the correct answer and saying, "Oh, I understand why it's right.").