Designers of the Law School Admissions Test are responding to requests to make the exam more relevant to our current times. As such, we are spending the summer revising questions to incorporate this feedback. Changes will be seen in exams administered as early as fall of this year, given that many schools still require the test despite studies that demonstrate its relative insignificance to the practice of law.
Below are samples of the kinds of logical reasoning questions test-takers can expect.
1. Multiple law enforcement agencies united and used tactics to disperse a crowd, including tear gas. When asked about the tactics — which only caused some minor injuries — an official stated that the tactics were justified and necessary because the crowd was causing a substantial disruption even though they did not demonstrate violence.
Which of the following statements, if accurate, most supports the official’s position?
A. The crowd was causing noise that approached the maximum number of decibels allowed before being considered a public nuisance under a 19th-century city ordinance.
B. An elected official could not take a photo in front of a church but for the absence of the crowd.
C. The crowd drew attention from local and national media during a time slot reserved for an important person who enjoys the spotlight.
D. There were some members of the crowd who were not following health and safety recommendations like the official’s boss.
2. During a protest, an elderly man sustains a critical head injury after falling to the ground. Law enforcement officers present reported that the man tripped. A video released later shows that the man was forcefully shoved and then stumbled backward hitting the ground.
Which statement, if accurate, most supports the claim that the man’s fall was not the fault of the officers involved?
A. As evidenced by late-night infomercials, older people trip and fall on their own all the time.
B. The officers involved were doing the Macarena while the man was doing the Cupid Shuffle, and they collided.
C. The action that most immediately precedes a consequence is the source of the consequence itself regardless of what may have triggered the action.
D. People do not land on the ground; the ground lands on them.
3. After condoning violence and excessive force to prove his strength and commitment to law and order, a politician decides to take action to reform practices that create the conditions for violence and excessive force. When asked about the change in his stance, the leader states that his position has been consistent.
The leader’s claim of consistency on his position is most vulnerable to which of the following criticisms?
A. The leader consistently changes his mind depending on what is most convenient.
B. The leader assumed law and order was just a show where at least one of the actors is pretty and at least one is an entertaining thug.
C. The leader changed his mind when an adviser told him that he might have to go into a secret bunker again.
D. Previous reforms have led to little or no change.
We value your feedback, so if you have additional suggestions, we encourage you to send us your $190 fee to register for an upcoming test. If you score in the 98th percentile, you can fill out the eight-page application to offer feedback and send it to our P.O. box address.
Sincerely,
LSAT Question Design Committee