Formal logic class next semester worth it? Forum

Binghamton1018 · Post by **Binghamton1018** » Thu Jul 30, 2015 3:08 pm

So I have finished school and have dedicated the summer to studying for the LSAT 3-4 hours per day 5 days per week. I plan on taking the test in December. My problem so far has been this: on the LR sections I consistently spend an incredible amount of time on questions that can be very easy with a bit of diagraming (mainly "inference" questions) and whenI do diagram: my diagrams contain very rudimentary and silly mistakes. I can get them right 7/8 times out of 10 but am lagging in my understanding. Would an elementary logic class in the fall at my university be worth it to become comfortable with formal logic or would this serve as an impediment because of either overkill or a difficulty with applicability to the test? Anyone take this route during prep? Any input would be fantastic! Thank you!

Companion Cube · Post by **Companion Cube** » Thu Jul 30, 2015 3:10 pm

Is this a logic class where they teach you your P's and Q's? If so, then 1000x yes it's worth it! Made ALL of LG and some LR questions much easier to learn and understand.

benwyatt · Post by **benwyatt** » Thu Jul 30, 2015 3:15 pm

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somethingElse · Post by **somethingElse** » Thu Jul 30, 2015 3:20 pm

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Alex93 · Post by **Alex93** » Thu Jul 30, 2015 10:03 pm

On an unrelated note: do you go to Binghamton University?!

dwyf · Post by **dwyf** » Thu Jul 30, 2015 11:24 pm

benwyatt wrote:I took a formal logic class because it was required for my major, but I don't feel like it adds that much to your LSAT ability.
If your class is anything like mine, the stuff you'll be learning is about 1000x more advanced than anything you'll actually need on test day which I think is more likely to hurt than help.

Exact opposite experience for me. Yes, more complicated. But super helpful. Wrote a 175+, give lots of credit to logic class.

LifeGoals · Post by **LifeGoals** » Thu Jul 30, 2015 11:43 pm

It depends, kind of. Intro to Logic or Propositional Logic (typically a 100, 200, or 300 level class at most US universities) is the most relevant to the LSAT. Formal Logic can either be the same thing, sometimes in a series, or can be a potentially extremely advanced 400-600 level course where you're mainly focused on mathematical proofs, axiomatic foundations of mathemtics, set theory, et cetera. This would probably still be marginally beneficial, but it's less immediately relevant. And depending on who you are and your professor, it can be one of the most challenging classes at your school.

You could link or PM me the course description and I could maybe help you more.

Mack.Hambleton · Post by **Mack.Hambleton** » Fri Jul 31, 2015 12:19 am

Took one in undergrad, didn't really help at all but it was a really fun class.

LSAT logic is very simple

fredfred · Post by **fredfred** » Fri Jul 31, 2015 12:22 am

It helped me.

TylerJonesMPLS · Post by **TylerJonesMPLS** » Wed Aug 05, 2015 11:50 pm

"Formal Logic" means something different in universities than in means in LSAT discussions. A "Formal Logic" course at a university is very much like a math course. 95% of the course is doing proofs. Don't take a Formal Logic course just to prepare for the LSAT. It won't help much. Take a course in Critical Reasoning. Pretty much every Philosophy Department offers Critical Reasoning courses, although different departments have different names for that sort of course. The main thing is that a Critical Reasoning course is a course in what Philosophy Departments call *informal logic*. A course like this will give you the basics of reasoning with conditionals, and this is all the logic you need for the LSAT. And a Critical Reasoning course will help you with the rest of the LR and RC questions on the LSAT because it teaches you to reason about stuff without putting it into logical symbolism. Be sure to tell your advisor that you want the kind of course that will prepare you for the LSAT and that you don't want a course that is mostly doing logic proofs. I used to teach Critical Reasoning before I took an early retirement from teaching in a university Philosophy Department, and one of my aims was to help students do well on the LSAT. The two majors whose students do best on the LSAT are Math and Philosophy majors. This is because logic courses are required in both majors. Don't get me wrong. Talented people can get very high scores without ever taking a logic course. But if you have trouble with LR questions, a good course in Critical Reasoning should help you a lot. (Of course, a crappy course won't help. Check student reviews of the course before you sign up.)

TylerJonesMPLS · Post by **TylerJonesMPLS** » Thu Aug 06, 2015 12:30 am

A good Critical Reasoning course will also spend a lot of time on fallacies, which is the best preparation for LR flaw questions.

Binghamton1018 · Post by **Binghamton1018** » Thu Aug 06, 2015 9:33 am

TylerJonesMPLS wrote:"Formal Logic" means something different in universities than in means in LSAT discussions. A "Formal Logic" course at a university is very much like a math course. 95% of the course is doing proofs. Don't take a Formal Logic course just to prepare for the LSAT. It won't help much. Take a course in Critical Reasoning. Pretty much every Philosophy Department offers Critical Reasoning courses, although different departments have different names for that sort of course. The main thing is that a Critical Reasoning course is a course in what Philosophy Departments call *informal logic*. A course like this will give you the basics of reasoning with conditionals, and this is all the logic you need for the LSAT. And a Critical Reasoning course will help you with the rest of the LR and RC questions on the LSAT because it teaches you to reason about stuff without putting it into logical symbolism. Be sure to tell your advisor that you want the kind of course that will prepare you for the LSAT and that you don't want a course that is mostly doing logic proofs. I used to teach Critical Reasoning before I took an early retirement from teaching in a university Philosophy Department, and one of my aims was to help students do well on the LSAT. The two majors whose students do best on the LSAT are Math and Philosophy majors. This is because logic courses are required in both majors. Don't get me wrong. Talented people can get very high scores without ever taking a logic course. But if you have trouble with LR questions, a good course in Critical Reasoning should help you a lot. (Of course, a crappy course won't help. Check student reviews of the course before you sign up.)

Thank you so much for your insight and detail!