You’re invited to LSAT Lab’s live online class. We’ve flipped the traditional classroom. At LSAT Lab you learn the fundamentals with video lessons before you take on more advanced concepts in class. Taught by Matt Sherman and Patrick Tyrrell, who together have 35 years of experience in helping students achieve amazing LSAT scores.
No Advanced classes this week. (Patrick is on a family trip)
**No Class**
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Wed Jul 2 5:30 PM (PT)
Role questions ask you to describe the role of a claim in an argument. Learn about premises, conclusions, opposing points, and more.
Role
Instructor: Matt Sherman Thu Jul 3 3:30 PM (PT)
Weaken questions rely heavily on Causal and Comparative reasoning types and frequently reward us for spotting alternate explanations.
Weaken
Instructor: Matt Sherman Thu Jul 3 5:30 PM (PT)
Arguments often involve an author promising that a plan will achieve a goal or making a recommendation that implies the upsides outweigh the downsides. We'll look at common assumptions/objections involved in such arguments.
Plans & Recommendations
Instructor: Matt Sherman Sun Jul 6 3:30 PM (PT)
Strengthen questions ask you to make an argument better. Learn to do that by cementing links between the evidence and conclusion, identifying new info that makes the conclusion more likely, and defending against potential objections.
Strengthen
Instructor: Matt Sherman Sun Jul 6 5:30 PM (PT)
Inference, Opinion, and Attitude questions are testing what's implied by the passage, not necessarily directly stated. It puts us in a murkier neighborhood, where some correct answers feel very provable while others are a stretch from the text but still the best available option.
What’s Implied (advanced)
Instructor: Matt Sherman Mon Jul 7 5:30 PM (PT)
In these passages, the author typically challenges an explanation, solution, assertion, or assumptions in the opposing point.
Challenge Position
Instructor: Matt Sherman Tue Jul 8 3:30 PM (PT)
Learn to read in the way the LSAT rewards! This lesson covers Active Reading and Passage Mapping strategies to find and retain the big ideas in the passage.
Big Picture Reading
Instructor: Matt Sherman Tue Jul 8 5:30 PM (PT)
Learn how to diagram and manipulate conditional statements and you'll conquer this reasoning type that is the backbone of the LSAT.
Conditional Logic (advanced)
Instructor: Matt Sherman Wed Jul 9 5:30 PM (PT)
We'll tackle Parallel and Parallel Flaw questions, each of which asks us to pick which answer best matches the valid/flawed reasoning pattern in the original stimulus.
Parallel Party
Instructor: Matt Sherman Thu Jul 10 3:30 PM (PT)
Necessary Assumption questions ask you to find an answer that the argument can't live without. Learn to recognize both flavors of correct answers: those that correct missing links and those that defend against objections.
Necessary Assumption
Instructor: Matt Sherman Thu Jul 10 5:30 PM (PT)
Strengthen questions ask you to make an argument better. Learn to do that by cementing links between the evidence and conclusion, IDing new info that makes the conclusion more likely, and defending against potential objections.
Strengthen
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Sun Jul 13 3:30 PM (PT)
Flaw questions are the most common Logical Reasoning question type. Almost half exhibit one of the ten Famous Flaws, while the other half frame their flaws in terms of assumptions made or objections overlooked.
Flaw
Instructor: Matt Sherman Sun Jul 13 5:30 PM (PT)
These questions (Main Conclusion, Role, Method, Parallel, and Parallel Flaw) force us to read arguments and identify the roles and relationships of the ingredients within.
Match Family (advanced)
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Mon Jul 14 5:30 PM (PT)
This type of organizing framework is useful for passages with "opponents" and "proponents" or any other time we need to compartmentalize different views on the same subject. Sometimes the author will provide their own point of view; other times they will stay neutral.
Present Debate
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Tue Jul 15 3:30 PM (PT)
While every passage has a unique topic, their organizing structures are remarkably consistent. Learn to spot the seven common organizing Frameworks so you can isolate the most important ideas in the passage.
Find A Framework
Instructor: Matt Sherman Tue Jul 15 5:30 PM (PT)
We'll work on two very different styles of question, the kind that asks "which of these answer choices was in the passage" vs. the kind that asks "which of these brand new ideas would best match or impact something in the passage"?
Stated & Beyond (advanced)
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Wed Jul 16 5:30 PM (PT)
We'll look at problems throughout the Assumption family and consider similarities and differences between these types of problems: Strengthen (+Principle), Weaken, Flaw, Evaluate, Necessary Assumption, and Sufficient Assumption.
Assumption / Objection Family
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Thu Jul 17 3:30 PM (PT)
Flaw questions are more common than any other type in Logical Reasoning, and nearly half of all answer choices refer to ten Famous Flaws that you need to know.
Famous Flaws
Instructor: Matt Sherman Thu Jul 17 5:30 PM (PT)
Dissecting an argument is a foundational Logical Reasoning skill. Learn about premises, conclusions, opposing points, and more, then put that knowledge to the test with questions that drill this skill.
Dissecting Arguments
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Sun Jul 20 3:30 PM (PT)
Conditional logic is the backbone of the LSAT. Ignore it at your own peril. This lesson introduces conditional logic and how it plays a role in the Logical Reasoning section.
Conditional Logic
Instructor: Matt Sherman Sun Jul 20 5:30 PM (PT)
The Inference Family is all about what we know, based on what we read. Must Be True, Most Supported, Must Be False, and Agree/Disagree questions make up the Inference Family.
Inference Family (advanced)
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Mon Jul 21 5:30 PM (PT)
We'll work on chunking, self-summarizing, using frameworks, and differentiating big ideas from support, so that we can be better at finding and retaining the big ideas in the passage.
Big Picture Reading
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Tue Jul 22 3:30 PM (PT)
Questions about the author's intent are about the purpose of that part of the passage. These questions ask about the purpose of the passage, a paragraph, or a specific claim.
Author’s Intent
Instructor: Matt Sherman Tue Jul 22 5:30 PM (PT)
We'll look at problems throughout the Assumption family and consider similarities and differences between these types of problems: Strengthen (+Principle), Weaken, Flaw, Evaluate, Necessary Assumption, and Sufficient Assumption.
Assumption Family (advanced)
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Wed Jul 23 5:30 PM (PT)
Paradox questions ask you to resolve an apparent conflict or to explain something strange. Learn to articulate exactly what's so paradoxical, predict the most common resolutions, and avoid the standard traps.
Paradox
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Thu Jul 24 3:30 PM (PT)
Must Be True questions have a right answer you can prove. Learn how they rely heavily on conditional logic and comparative reasoning.
Must Be True
Instructor: Matt Sherman Thu Jul 24 5:30 PM (PT)
Weaken questions rely heavily on Causal and Comparative reasoning types and frequently reward us for spotting alternate explanations.
Weaken
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Sun Jul 27 3:30 PM (PT)
Sufficient Assumption questions are a challenging question type driven by conditional logic that ask us to supply the missing link in an argument.
Sufficient Assumption
Instructor: Matt Sherman Sun Jul 27 5:30 PM (PT)
These passages have a very straightforward, descriptive feel, making it harder sometimes to figure out which of the many details we hear about should count as the Main Point.
Highlight Noteworthy (advanced)
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Mon Jul 28 5:30 PM (PT)
Big Picture Questions such as Main Point, Primary Purpose, and Organization questions reward our ability to mentally map the passage, identify a framework, and distill the author's biggest ideas.
Big Picture Questions
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Tue Jul 29 3:30 PM (PT)
For Opinion questions in Reading Comprehension, you need to keep track of who believes what and to what degree they believe it.
Opinion
Instructor: Matt Sherman Tue Jul 29 5:30 PM (PT)
LSAT authors frequently present a Curious Fact and then pose/assume some Causal Explanation for that idea, leading us to ponder the plausibility of that explanation and the possibility of other explanations.
Causation (advanced)
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Wed Jul 30 5:30 PM (PT)
Learn how to diagram and manipulate conditional statements and you'll conquer this reasoning type that is the backbone of the LSAT.
Conditional Logic
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Thu Jul 31 3:30 PM (PT)
Parallel questions give you an argument and ask you to find the answer that has the same logical structure. Because you have to evaluate six different arguments (the argument presented and each of the five answers), these questions have a reputation for being long and arduous. Still most are easily conquered with the right approach.
Parallel
Instructor: Matt Sherman Thu Jul 31 5:30 PM (PT)
Principle questions come in two main flavors. Learn how to support an argument with a general rule, and how to spot an argument that conforms to a given rule.
Principle
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Sun Aug 3 3:30 PM (PT)
In Parallel Flaw questions, your task is twofold. First, you must identify an error of reasoning. Second, you must find an answer that commits the same error. Success on these questions starts with a focus on structure and finishes with validity.
Parallel Flaw
Instructor: Matt Sherman Sun Aug 3 5:30 PM (PT)
A final review of the most important LR concepts before the upcoming test.
LR Review (advanced)
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Mon Aug 4 5:30 PM (PT)
Questions about the author's intent are about the purpose of that part of the passage. These questions ask about the purpose of the passage, a paragraph, or a specific claim.
Author’s Intent
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Tue Aug 5 3:30 PM (PT)
Locate Detail questions ask for something the passage explicitly stated. Make your passage research efficient by using the question's Target to tailor your approach.
Locate Detail
Instructor: Matt Sherman Tue Aug 5 5:30 PM (PT)
Sufficient Assumption questions are a challenging question type driven by conditional logic that ask us to supply the missing link in an argument.
Sufficient Assumption
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Thu Aug 7 3:30 PM (PT)
Method questions ask you to describe the reasoning in the argument. The problem with these questions is the abstract language that can be difficult to process.
Method
Instructor: Matt Sherman Thu Aug 7 5:30 PM (PT)
Flaw questions are more common than any other type in Logical Reasoning, and nearly half of all answer choices refer to ten Famous Flaws that you need to know.
Famous Flaws
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Sun Aug 10 3:30 PM (PT)
Principle questions come in two main flavors. Learn how to support an argument with a general rule, and how to spot an argument that conforms to a given rule.
Principle
Instructor: Matt Sherman Sun Aug 10 5:30 PM (PT)
Locate Detail questions ask for something the passage explicitly stated. Make your passage research efficient by using the question's Target to tailor your approach.
Locate Detail
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Tue Aug 12 3:30 PM (PT)
Inference questions in Reading Comprehension are about what the author says, what the author implies, and what can be indirectly inferred from the author's statements.
Inference
Instructor: Matt Sherman Tue Aug 12 5:30 PM (PT)
LSAT authors frequently present a Curious Fact and then pose/assume some Causal Explanation for that idea, leading us to ponder the plausibility of that explanation and the possibility of other explanations.
Causation
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Thu Aug 14 3:30 PM (PT)
Most Supported questions are one of the five most common question types. We read facts, not arguments, and derive an answer that is most likely to be true based on those facts.
Most Supported
Instructor: Matt Sherman Thu Aug 14 5:30 PM (PT)
Most Supported questions are one of the five most common question types. We read facts, not arguments, and derive an answer that is most likely to be true based on those facts.
Most Supported
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Sun Aug 17 3:30 PM (PT)
Agree/Disagree
Instructor: Matt Sherman Sun Aug 17 5:30 PM (PT)
RC Inference questions are among the toughest and most important. Correct answers run the gamut from being derived from a single claim in the passage, to being implied by the gist of a whole region + some common sense. Learn how to do effective research and pick the best available answer.
Inference
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Tue Aug 19 3:30 PM (PT)
Analogy and Application questions ask you to find an answer choice that applies a principle or exemplifies a relationship. Conquering these tough questions requires targeted research, thoughtful predictions, and strong process of elimination skills.
Analogy/Application
Instructor: Matt Sherman Tue Aug 19 5:30 PM (PT)
Necessary Assumption questions ask you to find an answer that the argument can't live without. Learn to recognize both flavors of correct answers: those that correct missing links and those that defend against objections.
Necessary Assumption
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Thu Aug 21 3:30 PM (PT)
Main Conclusion questions are a good place to test your ability to find the conclusion of an argument. It’s the first step in most Logical Reasoning questions, so be sure to learn these strategies to find the argument's main conclusion.
Main Conclusion
Instructor: Matt Sherman Thu Aug 21 5:30 PM (PT)
Flaw questions are the most common Logical Reasoning question type. Almost half exhibit one of the ten Famous Flaws, while the other half frame their flaws in terms of assumptions made or objections overlooked.
Flaw
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Sun Aug 24 3:30 PM (PT)
Role questions ask you to describe the role of a claim in an argument. Learn about premises, conclusions, opposing points, and more.
Role
Instructor: Matt Sherman Sun Aug 24 5:30 PM (PT)
Opinion and Attitude questions hinge on who believes what, and to what degree they believe it.
Opinion & Attitude
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Tue Aug 26 3:30 PM (PT)
Most questions in comparative passage sets require that you understand how the two passages are similar and how they are different. This lesson covers how to adjust your reading process for this type of passage.
Comparative Passages
Instructor: Matt Sherman Tue Aug 26 5:30 PM (PT)
These questions (Main Conclusion, Role, Method, Parallel, and Parallel Flaw) force us to read arguments and identify the roles and relationships of the ingredients within.
Match Family
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Thu Aug 28 3:30 PM (PT)
When an author is rebutting another person's position, it's important to go from referential language to specific language to clarify the author's conclusion.
Rebuttals
Instructor: Matt Sherman Thu Aug 28 5:30 PM (PT)
A huge subset of LSAT thinking revolves around being able to complete the comparison when two things are meant to be similar cases, or being able to object to comparative arguments by pointing out meaningful differences.
Comparison
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Sun Aug 31 3:30 PM (PT)
No class for Labor Day Weekend.
No Class – Labor Day Weekend
Instructor: Matt Sherman Sun Aug 31 5:30 PM (PT)
Most questions in comparative passage sets require that you understand how the two passages are similar and how they are different. This lesson covers how to adjust your reading process for this type of passage.
Comparative Passages
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Tue Sep 2 3:30 PM (PT)
Learn to conquer what are often considered to be the most challenging passages on the LSAT by Parsing dense text, Picturing the physical phenomena described, and Paraphrasing the jargon.
Science
Instructor: Matt Sherman Tue Sep 2 5:30 PM (PT)
Must Be True questions rely heavily on conditional logic, comparisons and mathy quantifier reasoning. Learn to harness the power of diagramming to tackle these tricky questions!
Must Be True
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Thu Sep 4 3:30 PM (PT)
The LSAT Writing section is the only required section you don't take on the same day as the scored sections of the LSAT. It's designed to measure how clearly you can articulate an argument.
LSAT Argumentative Writing
Instructor: Matt Sherman Thu Sep 4 5:30 PM (PT)
Arguments often involve an author promising that a plan will achieve a goal or making a recommendation that implies the upsides outweigh the downsides. We'll look at common assumptions/objections involved in such arguments.
Plans & Recs
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Sun Sep 7 3:30 PM (PT)
Some of the hardest and most time-consuming questions in RC can be the ones that go beyond the passage: Analogy, Application, Strengthen/Weaken, Last Sentence, and Title/Audience.
Beyond the Passage
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Tue Sep 9 3:30 PM (PT)
Strengthen questions ask you to make an argument better. Learn to do that by cementing links between the evidence and conclusion, identifying new info that makes the conclusion more likely, and defending against potential objections.
Strengthen
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Thu Sep 11 3:30 PM (PT)
Parallel questions give you an argument and ask you to find the answer that has the same logical structure. Because you have to evaluate six different arguments (the argument presented and each of the five answers), these questions have a reputation for being long and arduous, so it's important to learn the potential shortcuts we can take.
Parallel Party
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Sun Sep 14 3:30 PM (PT)
Some of the hardest and most time-consuming questions in RC are imported from LR: Strengthen, Weaken, Evaluate, Must Be False, and Logical Completion.
LR in RC
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Tue Sep 16 3:30 PM (PT)
When an author is rebutting another person's position, it's important to go from referential language to specific language to clarify the author's conclusion.
Rebuttals
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Thu Sep 18 3:30 PM (PT)
Agree/Disagree questions in Logical Reasoning ask you to identify the answer that both speakers address. This lesson covers important differences in the task set forth in the question stem and the common trap answers to look out for.
Agree/Disagree
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Sun Sep 21 3:30 PM (PT)
Science passages most commonly lend themselves to an Old vs. New organizing framework, with the author's implications coming at the end.
Old / New
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Tue Sep 23 3:30 PM (PT)
Evaluate questions live between Strengthen and Weaken questions. Learn the process on Evaluate questions and the only trap answer you need to know to eliminate wrong answers. Must Be False questions are very similar to Must Be True questions in Logical Reasoning. The right answer to these is the logical opposite of a stated claim or an inference of the claims.
Evaluate + Must Be False
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Thu Sep 25 3:30 PM (PT)
The Inference Family is all about what we know, based on what we read. Must Be True, Most Supported, Must Be False, and Agree/Disagree questions make up the Inference Family.
Inference Family
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Sun Sep 28 3:30 PM (PT)
This type of organizing framework is useful for passages with "opponents" and "proponents" or any other time we need to compartmentalize different views on the same subject. Sometimes the author will provide their own point of view; other times they will stay neutral.
Present Debate
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Tue Sep 30 3:30 PM (PT)
We'll look at problems throughout the Assumption family and consider similarities and differences between these types of problems: Strengthen (+Principle), Weaken, Flaw, Evaluate, Necessary Assumption, and Sufficient Assumption.
Assumption Family
Instructor: Patrick Tyrrell Thu Oct 2 3:30 PM (PT)
