Articles published in May 2016

IKEA Furniture and the Difference Between Necessary and Sufficient Assumptions on the LSAT

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - IKEA Furniture and the Difference Between Necessary and Sufficient Assumptions by Allison BellLearning science has come a long way in recent years, and we’ve been learning with it. We incorporate the latest discoveries in learning science into our LSAT course to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of your prep. Want to see? Try the first session of any of our upcoming courses for free.


Two of the most difficult question types in the Logical Reasoning section of the LSAT are necessary and sufficient assumption questions. Both of these questions ask you to analyze what an argument leaves out, or the gap between its premise and conclusion. But each of them requires a very different response from the other, and the LSAT will try to trick you into confusing the two. To understand the crucial difference between necessary and sufficient assumptions, let’s imagine them in the context of an experience even more challenging than the LSAT: assembling IKEA furniture. Read more

Closer Reading: The Stories Behind RC Passages and LR Questions – PrepTest 59, Section 4, Passage 3

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - Closer Reading: The Stories Behind RC Passages and LR Questions - PrepTest59, Section 4, Passage 3 by Matt ShinnersLearning science has come a long way in recent years, and we’ve been learning with it. We incorporate the latest discoveries in learning science into our LSAT course to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of your prep. Want to see? Try the first session of any of our upcoming courses for free.


There’s some really interesting reading content on the LSAT that you won’t have the time to appreciate while dissecting logic. In this behind-the-scenes series, we’re taking the time to examine the stories behind RC passages and LR questions. Ever wonder what that art you’ve been reading looks like? What that science was really all about? We’ve got you covered.

This article is based on PrepTest 59, Section 4, Passage 3. Read more

I’m in Love with the June 2007 LSAT and I Need to Tell You All About It! – Part 3

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - I'm in Love with the June 2007 LSAT and I Need to Tell You All About It! - Part 3 by Chris GentryThis is a continuation of a series of posts exploring the June 2007 LSAT in detail. My goal is to demonstrate where hidden opportunities lie; then, using these analyses as a template, you can find those hidden opportunities in other practice tests. And, of course, find them on test day! Why the June 2007 LSAT? Because this is the LSAT all potential test takers can freely access; this is where most test takers probably begin their prep. And I want to give you some help from the ground up, so to speak!


If you haven’t seen part 1 or part 2, you may want to take some time to go back and read those.

Today we take a step away from Logical Reasoning, the focus of the previous two posts, and begin an exploration of Reading Comprehension (RC).

There are several aspects of RC that make it an intriguing component of the LSAT. One aspect that may be commonly overlooked is very basic: the number of questions! In terms of questions per section, no single section has as many questions as RC. And in terms of questions per source material, no question type has as many questions that focus on the same source.

This post will be broken into two separate components: analysis of the passage, and analysis of the questions and answers. There are two basic reasons for

So RC is unique in one unfortunate way: it’s possible you may be looking at 8 questions that completely freeze you, and that you have no idea how to efficiently answer, if you’re missing a core process to effectively read the passage. In the next post, we will look at some common challenging aspects to RC passages, but today, I’d like to consider RC from a different point of view: Read more

The Growing LSAT vs. GRE Debate in Law School Admissions

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Manhattan Prep LSAT Blog - Law School Admissions: The Rising LSAT vs. GRE Debate Q&A With Expert on Both, Mary RichterWe incorporate the latest discoveries in learning science into our LSAT course to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of your prep. Want to see? Try the first session of any of our upcoming courses for free.


Here’s the situation: The University of Arizona College of Law recently started accepting GRE scores in addition to LSAT scores from applicants for admission. Last week, The Wall Street Journal covered the move and the LSAC’s subsequent threat to ban the school from membership. Then, just yesterday, news broke that 148 deans of LSAC member law schools sent a letter to the LSAC’s president in support of Arizona Law. The issue has raised many pertinent questions about the merits of each test relative to the other as barometers for law school fitness. We wanted answers, so we turned to Mary Richter, LSAT (175) and GRE (166Q/168V) instructor and graduate of Yale Law School. Here’s what she had to say: Read more