LSAT Inference (Must Be True) Questions, Explained
Must-be-true questions don't give you an argument — they give you facts, and ask what has to follow. The right answer isn't a good guess or a reasonable conclusion. It's the one thing that cannot be false if the stimulus is true.
How to approach them
- Read for what's stated, not what's suggested. Combine the facts like puzzle pieces.
- The right answer usually feels anticlimactic — a modest restatement or a small logical combination of two facts.
- Eliminate anything that goes beyond the facts, even slightly. "Must be true" is absolute.
- Watch for conditional chains: if A then B, if B then C — the inference is if A then C.
The trap to watch for
"Could be true" is the trap. An answer that's plausible, likely, or consistent with the facts — but not forced by them — is wrong. Demand certainty.
Know your starting point
Take the free diagnostic — you'll see exactly which question types are costing you points, including must be true.