How to Find the Main Conclusion in LR (Ep. 408)

Ben Olson's headshot.
Ben

To succeed in LSAT Logical Reasoning, you must learn to identify conclusions. On this week’s podcast, Ben and Nathan respond to Ask Button questions from students who struggled to distinguish conclusions from premises. The guys suggest three ways to find the main conclusion of an argument. Later, Ben and Nathan discuss how to apply Reading Comprehension skills to Logical Reasoning. They evaluate some dubious strategies for comparative passages in RC. And they answer a grab bag of admissions-related questions.

LSAT Demon

LSAT Demon iOS App

LSAT Demon Daily

Watch Episode 408 on YouTube

Thinking LSAT YouTube

LSAT Demon YouTube

0:56 - Identifying Conclusions and Premises


Nathan and Ben demonstrate how to identify argument parts on two practice questions:

The guys discuss why it’s dangerous to rely on keywords alone and suggest three ways to spot conclusions in Logical Reasoning.


41:16 - Good at RC, Bad at LR


Reading Comprehension has always come naturally to listener Zachary, but he struggles with Logical Reasoning. Ben and Nathan suspect that Zachary isn’t reading arguments carefully enough. They encourage Zachary to find ways to treat LR like RC.


48:23 - Comparative Passages


The guys shoot down some bad strategies for comparative passages in Reading Comprehension.


55:50 - Make Time for the LSAT


Listener Chance asks for study tips for students whose busy schedules allow them to listen to lessons only while driving. Nathan and Ben remind Chance that some of his competitors find time to study consistently despite keeping even busier schedules. One high-quality hour a day is all you need.


1:01:59 - LSAC GPA vs. Transcript GPA


Ben and Nathan explain the difference between the GPA on your transcript and the GPA that LSAC reports to law schools.


1:04:10 - Legal Woes in Personal Statements


Nathan and Ben discourage an anonymous listener from writing about their past arrest in their personal statement. They advise Anonymous to relegate the topic to a character and fitness addendum and to treat their personal statement as their sales pitch.

1:11:14 - LOR Access Waiver

The guys advise listener Christian to waive his right to access his letters of recommendation. They warn Christian that if he feels the need to review his LORs, then he’s requesting them from the wrong people.

1:13:20 - From Lassos to Law School

Listener Jake asks whether law schools will appreciate his work history as a professional cowboy. Ben and Nathan discuss how Jake can make the most of his personal brand on his applications, but they remind him that soft factors are ultimately less important than LSAT and GPA.