Ishani Moulik

Logical Reasoning Faculty, CLATapult

This section of your paper comprises of 40 marks and therefore has the potential of boosting your overall score. It is only sufficient practice that can help you attain a good score in the exam. It goes without saying that this section cannot be taken lightly and you must put some amount of hard work in it and leave some to your luck (maybe!).

Here are some things you should know while preparing for the logical reasoning section as well as during the examination –

Know your basics well: It is imperative that you know your basics well. The core rules that govern each topic should be known and applied to the questions. All the major topics like directions, blood relations, syllogisms, statement-assumption, statement-conclusions are oft-repeated in the question paper. You must be well acquainted with these topics. You must have practiced all the topics before appearing for the actual test. This can be done by solving varied types of questions from different sources- books, online materials, past question papers. Try to solve each and every question you lay your hand on. This helps save some time in registering the question, while you solve the question paper in the actual exam.

Learning the techniques to solve questions quicker: Questions can also be tackled by using techniques to solve them efficiently and correctly. In the examination, every second become important and if you know the short-cuts, they come handy. Due to the limited time availability and varying difficulty levels, the easier questions can be quickly solved using techniques leaving room for trying to figure out the difficult questions.

 Using Elimination Method: Analyse all your options after reading the question. In case of confusion between them, eliminate the ones that are absolutely unnecessary and can be outrightly rejected and narrow down to the closest answers and make your choice amongst them. This is particularly useful for solving critical reasoning questions where you are supposed to make a choice between very similar options. Using this method in LSAT exams where you have to make a choice between close options that are confusing, is a good way to decide. You might also want to analyse the question and try to infer the correct answer before reading the given options. This can help you identify what you are looking for while discarding the other options. Lastly, read all the options carefully before eliminating them.

Do not assume what questions do not tell: You should never assume any information that the question does not provide. This is an assessment of how well you can work with a limited set of information and therefore, it does NOT test your general knowledge. This is also true for ‘Statement-Assumption’ questions, where you only have to consider the statement/((s) given in the question and any assumption outside that is going to lead you to the wrong answers.

Pay special attention to some words: Some words like ‘all’, ‘some’, or ‘none’ should be carefully read when you read the factual information each question gives you. Other qualifying words such as ‘other than’, ‘only’ or ‘unless’ are important, too. These words can play a critical part in precisely specifying the facts to be used in your reasoning. Be careful if any of the response choices contain the quantifiers like ‘all’ or ‘none’. These words can completely change the meaning or the understanding of any fact or option, where they are used. You must have an ‘eagle eye’ for the details.

Practice using sources, don’t absolutely rely on them: While making use of various sources, you may come across some questions that are repeated along with the given options, the answers for which vary. This shouldn’t confuse you. You should trust your abilities and try not to rely on the specified answers. Provided that you have practiced all the topics well, you will get most of the questions right. This is a feeling and it is REAL. Don’t confuse this with overconfidence, which impels you to make mistakes in your exam.

Know your weaknesses & work on it: It is not necessary that everyone will be good at all the topics but it is very important to know the topics you are good at and those you are not. Once you identify them, work to improve your weaknesses more by spending more time practicing those topics. Don’t get bogged down by questions that you can’t solve or take a lot of time to solve. It is only now (before exam) when you can spend time on demystifying a difficult question.

Tackling easy questions first: During the exam, read a question twice at most and move ahead in case you struggle with it. It is a good idea to complete the questions you find easy first and then come back (given, you have time) to those you find difficult or complicated. Remember, if a question or more is difficult for you, it is difficult for everyone so don’t give up till the end of your exam time and TRY. You can do wonders in stress (you will know this after getting into law school).

Mocks for the win! : Solve mocks during the last leg of your preparation religiously. Practice this during your timed practice sections. You want the process of moving on when you’re stuck in such practices. Always be ready to go after your next point! Don’t diagram every question. In case you are sure about a question after reading it, do not waste time in diagramming it. Sometimes this substitutes your thinking process. Learn from your mistakes and be confident about yourself.

Hard work is a combination of diligent and smart work towards what you want to achieve- a seat in a top NLU. Don’t lose sight of that and you shall be there. 

Break a Leg!