Tips on Approaching the Hardest LSAT Questions

One of the most impressive aspects of the LSAT as a standardized test is its ability to consistently measure meaningful differences in scores at the very top end of the grading scale. In other words, the LSAT writers are great at writing very hard questions.

In this week's post, we'll look at how to identify the hardest LSAT questions in each section, where in each section you should expect to see them and how to approach these questions.

Before we look at the specific questions, though, keep time management in mind. Although it seems quite simple, the fact that all questions are worth exactly one raw score point is a powerful time-management tool.

Know [how to manage your time for each section of the LSAT.]

This means that you don't receive bonus points for answering the hardest questions correctly. As such, you shouldn't devote extra time to them. In fact, if you find a question difficult, it's better to spend less time on it so that you can focus on the questions you can answer more quickly and with a higher rate of accuracy.

Now let's dive into a section-by-section analysis of the hardest questions on the LSAT.

Logical Reasoning Questions

-- Identification: Unlike the hardest questions in the other sections, the difficulty of questions in the logical reasoning section tends to differ for each test-taker. Identifying the difficulty level goes beyond determing the question type.

I recommend a three-factor analysis. Ask yourself:

1. Is this a type of question I tend to have trouble with? As you prepare for the LSAT, pay attention to the kind of questions you consistently find more difficult than others. Memorize that list of question types so that you can readily identify them both during practice tests and on the real test.

2. Do I understand the argument? If you have to read the argument more than twice or you have trouble identifying its conclusion, then you will likely have difficulty answering the question.

3. Can I confidently eliminate at least two answer choices? If you can't, this is another indication that you will struggle with the question.

If you identify at least two of the three factors, then you should consider the LSAT question one of the hardest in the logical reasoning section.

Train to [recognize LSAT logical reasoning arguments.]

-- Location: The hardest logical reasoning questions can be anywhere, but questions tend to get increasingly difficult as you get deeper into the section, plateauing around questions 18-22. The final three questions or so tend to be a bit easier.

-- The approach: Don't bang your head against a wall trying to fully understand the argument. Instead, try to understand the gist of it and move quickly to the answer choices. Eliminate any answer choices you think are clearly wrong and quickly make an educated guess among the remaining choices.

Reading Comprehension Questions

-- Identification: Two types of questions that tend to cause the most difficulty in the reading comprehension section. The first are analogy questions that ask you to identify an answer choice that is somehow comparable to something you've seen in the text. Answer choices to these questions are often very similar, and sometimes the analogy is questionable.

The second difficult question type is any inference question that require you to know specific information with content or location that you don't remember. Like the hardest logical reasoning questions, these questions are different for each test-taker.

-- Location: Analogy questions tend to be among the last few questions in a passage, but the hardest inference questions can crop up anywhere in the section.

-- The approach: For analogy questions, first identify the one or two key elements of the part of the passage you're asked to analogize to. Quickly eliminate any answer choices that don't contain those elements and make an educated guess from the remaining choices.

Learn how to [improve your LSAT logic games and reading comprehension prep.]

Logic Games Questions

-- Identification: The two types of logic games questions that are generally the most difficult are "fully determined" and "changed rule" questions.

Fully determined questions ask you to identify an answer choice that, if true, would force there to be only one legal outcome for the game. Changed rule questions ask you to identify an answer choice that, if it replaced a specified rule, would have the same effect on the game as the specified rule.

-- Location: Both question types tend to be the last questions in a game. The last question of the third game is often the hardest, so that those test-takers who aren't focused on time management will spend a lot of time on them and will be rushed on the final game.

-- The approach: For fully determined questions, you will have to test answer choices. The key is to test strategically.

Look for answer choices that contain characters that are connected to many other characters. If the answer choices contain two characters, then look for one that is connected to many others and one that has no constraints associated with it.

For changed rule questions, eliminate any answer choices that preclude outcomes that you know are legal. Then make an educated guess as to which answer choice to test first.

Overall, keep in mind that time management is a key skill on the LSAT and that the hardest questions will test that skill. Once you see that you're struggling on a question, make a quick educated guess and move on to greener pastures.