LSAT Point at Issue Questions, Explained
Point-at-issue questions give you two speakers who disagree, and ask: what exactly are they disagreeing about? Not what they each believe in general — the specific claim one affirms and the other denies.
How to approach them
- Find each speaker's conclusion separately. Ignore everything they agree on.
- The point at issue is the claim where they split: one says yes (or it's true/good), the other says no.
- Test each answer: does Speaker A clearly take one side and Speaker B the other? If you can't tell what one of them thinks, it's not the point at issue.
- Watch out for statements only one speaker addresses — disagreement needs both sides.
The trap to watch for
The trap is something one speaker cares about and the other never mentions. Disagreement requires two positions. If a speaker is silent on it, it can't be the point at issue.
Know your starting point
Take the free diagnostic — you'll see exactly which question types are costing you points, including point at issue.