Chapter 2: Week 1 - Foundation Building
Your first week determines everything. This isn't hyperbole—students who establish solid fundamentals in Week 1 consistently outperform those who rush through basic concepts. The difference between a 152 and a 165 often comes down to how thoroughly you master argument structure during these initial seven days.
Think of this week as building the foundation of a house. You can't see the foundation once construction finishes, but everything depends on it. Skip or rush these fundamentals, and your score will crumble under pressure. Master them now, and you'll have the tools to tackle any question the LSAT throws at you.
Days 1-3: Mastering Logical Reasoning Fundamentals
Logical Reasoning questions follow predictable patterns. Every stimulus presents an argument with premises leading to a conclusion. Your job is identifying these components and understanding how they relate. This sounds simple until you encounter your first conditional reasoning question or causal argument.
Understanding Argument Anatomy
Every LSAT argument contains specific elements that you must identify automatically. The conclusion states what the author wants you to believe. The premises provide evidence supporting that conclusion. Background information sets context but doesn't support the conclusion. Counter-premises acknowledge opposing viewpoints.
Consider this argument: "Most law students struggle with the LSAT. Sarah is a law student. Additionally, recent studies show that test anxiety affects 70% of test-takers. Therefore, Sarah will probably struggle with the LSAT."
The conclusion is "Sarah will probably struggle with the LSAT." The premises are "Most law students struggle with the LSAT" and "Sarah is a law student." The statement about test anxiety provides background information but doesn't directly support the conclusion about Sarah.
Practice identifying these components until recognition becomes automatic. You should spend no more than 10-15 seconds on this step during actual testing.
The Six Core Question Types
Logical Reasoning questions fall into six primary categories, each requiring specific approaches:
- Strengthen Questions ask you to find evidence that makes the argument more convincing
- Weaken Questions seek evidence that undermines the argument's logic
- Assumption Questions identify unstated premises the argument requires
- Inference Questions find what must be true based on the stimulus
- Explain Questions resolve apparent contradictions in the stimulus
- Evaluate Questions identify what information would help assess the argument
Case Study: Michael's Transformation
Michael, a marketing executive, started his preparation with fundamental confusion about argument structure. He consistently missed strengthen questions because he selected answers that repeated the conclusion rather than supporting it. His diagnostic score of 149 reflected this misunderstanding.
During Days 1-3, Michael worked exclusively on argument identification. He practiced with 50 stimulus passages, writing out the conclusion and premises for each. Initially, this took him 2-3 minutes per passage. By Day 3, he could identify argument components in 30 seconds.
The breakthrough came when he realized that strengthen questions don't ask for more evidence of the same type—they ask for different evidence that supports the same conclusion. A strengthen answer might provide missing data, rule out alternative explanations, or establish the credibility of sources cited in the premises.
By the end of Week 1, Michael's accuracy on strengthen questions improved from 40% to 75%. This single improvement raised his overall Logical Reasoning performance significantly.
Case Study: Jennifer's Pattern Recognition
Jennifer, a recent college graduate, struggled with assumption questions during her diagnostic test. She scored 144 overall, with particular weakness in questions asking for necessary assumptions. Her error pattern showed she consistently chose assumptions that were helpful but not required.
Days 1-3 focused on distinguishing between sufficient and necessary assumptions. A necessary assumption is one the argument cannot work without—remove it, and the argument falls apart. A sufficient assumption would guarantee the conclusion but isn't required for the argument to work.
Jennifer learned the denial test: negate the assumption and see if the argument still makes sense. If negating the assumption destroys the argument, it's necessary. If the argument can survive without it, it's not necessary.
Practice with 30 assumption questions over three days transformed Jennifer's approach. She stopped looking for assumptions that strengthened arguments and started looking for assumptions the arguments couldn't survive without. Her accuracy on assumption questions jumped from 35% to 70% by Day 3.
Case Study: David's Speed Development
David, a software engineer, understood argument structure intellectually but moved too slowly through questions. His diagnostic timing showed 45-50 seconds per Logical Reasoning question, leaving him unable to finish sections. His accuracy on attempted questions was 80%, but he only completed 20 of 25 questions per section.
Days 1-3 emphasized developing automatic recognition patterns. David practiced identifying argument conclusions within 10 seconds, then spent an additional 15 seconds mapping premises and background information. He used a timer for every practice question, forcing himself to work within strict time constraints.
The key insight was realizing that perfect understanding isn't necessary for correct answers. David had been trying to understand every nuance of every argument. Instead, he learned to identify the essential structure and move forward. His timing improved to 30-35 seconds per question while maintaining 75% accuracy.
Days 4-5: Building Reading Comprehension Foundations
Reading Comprehension passages intimidate many students because they appear to test general reading ability. In reality, RC questions follow specific patterns just like Logical Reasoning. You don't need to understand everything in the passage—you need to understand the author's structure and main points.
Active Reading Strategies
Passive reading kills RC performance. You can't simply read the passage and hope to absorb everything. Instead, engage actively with the text from the first sentence. Ask yourself: What is the author trying to prove? How does each paragraph relate to that main goal?
Read the first paragraph carefully to identify the passage's main topic and the author's perspective. For subsequent paragraphs, focus on their function rather than their details. Is this paragraph providing background information? Introducing a competing theory? Offering evidence for the main argument?
Passage Mapping Techniques
Create a simple map as you read each passage. This isn't a detailed outline—it's a navigation tool for finding information quickly during questions. Your map should include:
- Main point or thesis
- Function of each paragraph in 3-5 words
- Location of key details, examples, or studies
- Author's attitude or tone
A typical passage map might look like: P1: Introduces problem with current theory P2: Presents new theory as solution
P3: Evidence supporting new theory P4: Addresses potential objections Main point: New theory better explains phenomenon than current theory Author attitude: Cautiously optimistic about new theory
Strategic Question Approach
RC questions fall into predictable categories: Main Point, Author's Attitude, Function, Detail, and Inference questions. Each type requires different strategies for finding correct answers.
Main Point questions ask for the passage's central thesis. This appears most clearly in the first and last paragraphs. Wrong answers often focus on details rather than the overarching argument.
Detail questions send you back to specific passage locations. Use your passage map to find the relevant paragraph, then read carefully around that area. Correct answers often paraphrase rather than quote directly from the passage.
Inference questions require you to identify what must be true based on passage information. Like Logical Reasoning inference questions, correct answers follow logically from stated information without adding outside knowledge.
Days 6-7: Timing Awareness and First Practice Test
Your first week culminates with establishing timing awareness and completing a full practice test. This isn't about achieving your target score—it's about understanding how time pressure affects your performance and identifying specific areas needing attention.
Developing Section Timing
Each LSAT section allows 35 minutes for completion. Logical Reasoning sections contain 25-26 questions, giving you approximately 1 minute and 20 seconds per question. Reading Comprehension sections contain 26-28 questions across four passages, requiring strategic time allocation.
For Reading Comprehension, spend 3-4 minutes reading and mapping each passage, then 30-45 seconds per question. This front-loaded approach pays dividends because thorough passage understanding makes questions faster and more...
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