LSAT — Law School Admission Test practice questions and exam guide

Passage: Behavioral economists have long noted that people are disproportionately affected by the choices set as defaults in a decision. When automatic enrollment in retirement plans became legal for U.S. employers, participation rose sharply — not because employees suddenly valued saving more, but because they no longer had to opt in. Similar effects appear in organ-donation registration, energy-plan selection, and even end-of-life care documentation. Critics argue that default-based nudges bypass genuine deliberation and blur the line between influence and coercion. Defenders respond that any decision environment must set defaults somewhere; refusing to set them intentionally simply hides the influence within the design chosen by whoever built the environment. Q: The passage most strongly suggests that a decision environment without deliberately chosen defaults:

1. Would necessarily produce more thoughtful decisions than any environment with default settings.
2. Would consistently outperform environments in which defaults have been designed intentionally so.
3. Still contains defaults, though the influence is hidden by the design decisions of the environment.
4. Would eliminate the influence that behavioral economists have documented in many policy contexts.
5. Would be prohibitively expensive to build in any large-scale decision context in current use today.

Answer: C — Still contains defaults, though the influence is hidden by the design decisions of the environment.

A/B/D) Contradict the defenders' argument summarized in the passage. C) Correct — the defenders' point exactly: 'refusing to set them intentionally simply hides the influence'. E) Off-scope.

An 'ABA-accredited' law school is one that:

1. Has been approved by the American Bar Association to grant the Juris Doctor degree under its standards.
2. Has been ranked in the top fifty by the American Bar Association's most recent published law-school ranking.
3. Has been granted a temporary license by the American Bar Association to operate for a fixed period only.
4. Has been recognized by the American Bar Association solely for graduate legal-studies programs, not the JD.
5. Has been certified by the American Bar Association as a nonprofit institution regardless of the JD program.

Answer: A — Has been approved by the American Bar Association to grant the Juris Doctor degree under its standards.

A) Correct — ABA-accredited means approved by the ABA to confer the JD. B) The ABA does not publish an official ranking. C) Not a temporary license. D) Not limited to graduate legal studies. E) Not about nonprofit status.

Data from the district shows that classrooms with fewer than 20 students have lower average test scores than classrooms with 25-30 students. But educational research consistently finds that smaller classes support learning. Which best explains this apparent inconsistency?

1. Test-score averages depend on the way district-level testing has been designed to work.
2. The district's scoring system may have been slightly recalibrated during the year of the study.
3. Educational research often draws on data from schools in urban districts rather than rural districts.
4. Small classes require certain classroom design features that few schools currently offer widely.
5. Small classes in the district are often created specifically to serve students needing extra support.

Answer: E — Small classes in the district are often created specifically to serve students needing extra support.

A/B) Don't explain the specific pattern. C) Doesn't fit. D) Off-scope. E) Correct — selection: struggling students are placed in small classes, so the comparison isn't like-for-like, resolving the paradox.

Doctor: 'Patients who took drug X reported less back pain than those who took a placebo. So drug X reduces back pain.' Which finding would most STRENGTHEN this conclusion?

1. Drug X is easier for pharmacies to stock than the older leading medication for back pain.
2. A follow-up survey showed that patients preferred drug X to over-the-counter alternatives.
3. The drug-X and placebo groups were carefully matched on age, activity level, and diagnosis.
4. Some patients in the placebo group reported that their pain returned once the trial ended.
5. Drug X has been approved by the national regulator for use in short-term pain regimens.

Answer: C — The drug-X and placebo groups were carefully matched on age, activity level, and diagnosis.

A) Off-scope. B) Preference isn't outcome. C) Correct — matched groups rule out confounds, strengthening the inference that drug X drove the difference. D) Doesn't add support. E) Approval isn't causal evidence.

Trees planted along the north side of the office building have grown taller than trees planted along the south side, even though the north side receives less direct sunlight. Which best explains this apparent inconsistency?

1. Both sides of the building receive some indirect ambient light throughout each day of the year.
2. The trees on both sides were planted by the same landscaping company over the same brief period.
3. The trees on the north and south sides are of the same species and were planted at the same age.
4. The south side is subject to reflected heat from a paved plaza, drying its soil more than the north.
5. Some employees who work in the office have noted the trees themselves during their lunch breaks.

Answer: D — The south side is subject to reflected heat from a paved plaza, drying its soil more than the north.

A) Doesn't resolve the size gap. B/C) Rule out obvious confounds but don't explain the gap. D) Correct — an offsetting factor (soil drying from reflected heat) can outweigh sunlight, resolving the paradox. E) Off-scope.

Passage: The right of publicity, a legal doctrine protecting an individual's control over the commercial use of their identity, developed initially as a means of protecting celebrities from unauthorized endorsements. Modern courts have expanded the doctrine well beyond that original context. Some jurisdictions now recognize a right of publicity for private individuals, allowing lawsuits over the use of any distinctive vocal or visual features. Critics argue that this expansion has begun to conflict with First Amendment protections for commentary, satire, and news. Defenders counter that the doctrine still permits meaningful expression by carving out fair-use-like exceptions. The scope of the doctrine remains contested in nearly every jurisdiction that has adopted it. Q: The author's attitude toward the current state of the right of publicity is best described as:

1. Firmly convinced that no expansion of the doctrine has produced any legitimate legal conflicts.
2. Aggressively hostile to any court that has recognized publicity rights for private figures at large.
3. Enthusiastic about the doctrine's ability to protect commentary, satire, and journalism today.
4. Confident that the fair-use-like exceptions will fully resolve the doctrine's conflicts very soon.
5. Descriptive and measured, noting expansion, critique, and defense without endorsing any side of it.

Answer: E — Descriptive and measured, noting expansion, critique, and defense without endorsing any side of it.

A/B/C/D) All misread the passage's balanced tone. E) Correct — the author reports 'critics argue... defenders counter... remains contested' without endorsing any position.

The standard timing for each scored section of the LSAT is:

1. Twenty-five minutes, giving test takers a total of one hour and forty minutes across the four sections.
2. Forty-five minutes, giving test takers three hours across the four scored and unscored sections combined.
3. Thirty-five minutes, giving test takers about two hours and twenty minutes of testing across four sections.
4. Sixty minutes, giving test takers a total of four hours across the four scored and unscored sections combined.
5. Thirty minutes, giving test takers a total of two hours across the four scored and unscored LSAT sections.

Answer: C — Thirty-five minutes, giving test takers about two hours and twenty minutes of testing across four sections.

A/B/D/E) Wrong duration. C) Correct — each scored LSAT section runs 35 minutes.

Argument: 'Vitamin K reduces bruise size in lab mice. Therefore, taking vitamin K supplements will help reduce bruising in humans.' Which is a NECESSARY assumption of this argument?

1. Vitamin K supplements are inexpensive and easy to find in most local pharmacies today.
2. No other vitamin reduces bruise size in lab mice under the same experimental conditions.
3. The mechanism that reduces bruising in mice would operate similarly enough in human bodies.
4. Every person who tries vitamin K supplements will notice a visible reduction in their bruises.
5. The lab mice studied were of a strain used in most published bruising-mechanism research.

Answer: C — The mechanism that reduces bruising in mice would operate similarly enough in human bodies.

A) True-but-irrelevant. B) Uniqueness isn't needed for the claim. C) Correct — without cross-species mechanism transfer the mouse result implies nothing about humans; negate this and the argument collapses. D) Too strong (universal). E) Detail about the sample, not required.

Every book on the shelf is either a hardcover or a paperback. Every hardcover on the shelf costs at least twenty dollars. Every paperback on the shelf costs at most twelve dollars. Some books on the shelf are marked as bestsellers. Which one MUST be true?

1. Some bestsellers on the shelf are hardcovers costing at least twenty dollars each.
2. No paperback on the shelf is marked as a bestseller by the store's rankings.
3. At least one book on the shelf costs somewhere between twelve and twenty dollars.
4. Every bestseller on the shelf costs at least twenty dollars, matching hardcover prices.
5. No book on the shelf costs strictly more than twelve dollars and less than twenty.

Answer: E — No book on the shelf costs strictly more than twelve dollars and less than twenty.

A) Not required — bestsellers could all be paperbacks. B) Not required. C) Contradicts the premises. D) Not required. E) Correct — every book is HC (≥$20) or PB (≤$12), so no book falls in the ($12, $20) range.

Speaker: 'The town council voted unanimously to widen the road. Since the vote was unanimous, the widening must be a good idea.' The reasoning is most flawed because it:

1. Fails to consider that widening projects are sometimes strongly opposed by nearby residents.
2. Assumes that any measure passed unanimously has been debated at very substantial length.
3. Treats unanimity as a substitute for evidence about the merits of the proposal itself.
4. Presumes that council members always vote in ways that reflect their constituents' preferences.
5. Draws a broad conclusion about all road projects from a single vote of the town council alone.

Answer: C — Treats unanimity as a substitute for evidence about the merits of the proposal itself.

A) Off-target. B) Wrong assumption. C) Correct — the vote count reflects legislator alignment, not policy merit; conflating them is the central flaw. D) Off-target. E) Wrong scope.

Every plant in the greenhouse either flowers in spring or flowers in autumn. No plant that flowers in autumn is a member of the rose family. Every plant that flowers in spring requires ample sunlight. Which one MUST be true?

1. Every plant in the greenhouse is a member of the rose family and flowers in spring only.
2. Every plant in the greenhouse that requires sunlight is a member of the rose family fully.
3. No member of the rose family in the greenhouse flowers during both spring and autumn.
4. Every member of the rose family in the greenhouse requires ample sunlight to survive.
5. No plant in the greenhouse is currently receiving less sunlight than it strictly requires.

Answer: D — Every member of the rose family in the greenhouse requires ample sunlight to survive.

A) Not required. B) Direction reversal. C) Not what follows. D) Correct — roses aren't autumn-flowering (contrapositive) → roses flower spring → roses need sunlight. E) Not required.

A recent survey found that people who eat cheese daily are less likely to develop bone fractures than those who eat cheese only occasionally. However, the daily cheese-eaters also have higher rates of osteoporosis diagnoses than the occasional group. Which best resolves this apparent discrepancy?

1. Daily cheese-eaters may be more likely to see a doctor and be screened for bone problems.
2. Cheese contains calcium, which is well known to support strong and dense bones over time.
3. Osteoporosis diagnoses have risen slightly across nearly every demographic over the last decade.
4. People who eat cheese daily may prefer certain aged cheeses over younger unaged cheeses.
5. Cheese consumption has grown modestly in most industrialized nations over the past decade.

Answer: A — Daily cheese-eaters may be more likely to see a doctor and be screened for bone problems.

A) Correct — detection bias: daily eaters see doctors more, so they're diagnosed AND managed, explaining higher diagnoses with lower fractures. B) Would predict both lower diagnoses AND lower fractures. C/D/E) Off-scope.

Main idea strategy?

Capture passage's overall point. Avoid answers too narrow (one paragraph) or too broad (general topic).

Strategy: process of elimination?

Find why each wrong answer is wrong. Often easier than identifying right one.

What is the LSAT?

Law School Admission Test. Required for J.D. programs at most ABA-accredited US law schools.

Recommended LSAT prep duration?

3-6 months of focused study. 200-400+ hours for high scores.

Time per LR question?

About 1 min 25 sec (35 min / 25 questions).

'Either A or B' — does it allow both?

Inclusive OR. Yes, both possible. (Though context can make exclusive.)