There are two Logical Reasoning sections on the LSAT, each consisting of short passages and 24 to 26 multiple-choice questions. There is no difference between the two Logical Reasoning sections, other than the questions, of course. Each section lasts for 35 minutes, which means you’ll have roughly a minute and a quarter per question. Most of the passages that make up these sections contain some kind of argument—that is, a conclusion backed up by evidence. Logical Reasoning questions test your ability to assess the validity, recognize the strengths and weaknesses, mimic the logic, and grasp the structure of these arguments. Some passages do not contain arguments but rather a set of facts from which you are to derive inferences or draw conclusions. There are 11 kinds of Logical Reasoning questions, and in this chapter you’ll learn how to handle each one.

Why not? Seriously, the kinds of thought processes tested in this section represent the skills that law students and lawyers employ all the time. Law is empowered by logic and language, and lawyers must be able to rigorously apply standards of logic to the facts of the cases they handle, be it in a courtroom or corporate boardroom. As we go along, we’ll comment more specifically on the relevance of various elements of this section to the study and practice of law.

Logical Reasoning accounts for half of your total LSAT score. If that doesn’t motivate you, we don’t know what will.