LSAT vocabulary, plainly defined
Thirty LSAT terms explained in plain language: the test itself, the scoring, the study methods, and the reasoning words that show up everywhere. No jargon, no fluff.
What is the lsat?
The LSAT is the standardized test used in admissions by most law schools accredited by the American Bar Association.
What is score report?
Your official LSAT score report shows your 120–180 scaled score and your percentile rank.
What is guessing penalty?
There is no guessing penalty on the LSAT.
What is percentile rank?
Your percentile rank tells you what percentage of recent test-takers scored below you.
What is test form?
A test form is the specific set of questions given at one LSAT administration.
What is section order?
Sections can appear in any order on test day, and the unscored section can land anywhere in the sequence.
What is logic games?
"Logic Games" was the nickname for the LSAT's Analytical Reasoning section: puzzle setups with ordering and grouping rules.
What is logical reasoning?
Logical Reasoning makes up two of the three scored sections of the LSAT.
What is reading comprehension?
Reading Comprehension is one scored section of the LSAT: four passage sets with about 26–28 questions total.
What is lsat argumentative writing?
LSAT Argumentative Writing is the unscored writing sample you complete separately from the multiple-choice test.
What is wrong-answer journal?
A wrong-answer journal is a log of every question you miss: what you picked, the right answer, and one line on what you will do differently.
What is argument?
In LSAT terms, an argument is a set of statements where some (the premises) are offered as support for another (the conclusion).
What is causation?
Causation means one thing actually produces another.
What is correlation?
Correlation means two things tend to occur together.
What is alternative explanation?
An alternative explanation is a different cause that accounts for the same evidence.
What is representative sample?
A representative sample looks like the whole population on the traits that matter.
What is control group?
A control group is the baseline a study compares its treatment group against.
What is survey?
A survey collects self-reported answers from a group of people.
What is analogy?
An analogy argues that because two things are alike in some ways, they will be alike in another.
What is phenomenon?
A phenomenon is an observed fact or event that needs explaining: birds migrating earlier, a town's rising rents, a sudden drop in accidents.
What is prediction?
A prediction is a claim about what will happen.
What is evaluation?
An evaluate question asks which additional fact would help you judge the argument: the answer that, depending on how it turns out, would strengthen or weaken the conclusion.
What is rebuttal?
A rebuttal is an answer to an objection: you acknowledge the other side's point and show why it does not defeat your claim.
What is qualifier?
A qualifier is a word that limits how strong a claim is: some, most, many, often, usually.
What is criterion?
A criterion is the standard used to judge whether something counts: what makes an action ethical, a policy successful, a sample adequate.
What is threshold?
A threshold is a cutoff point where something changes: enough votes to win, enough study hours to matter, a score high enough for a scholarship.
What is trade-off?
A trade-off is what you give up to get something else.
What is average?
An average (usually the mean) can hide the distribution behind it: a town with nine poor families and one billionaire has a high average income.
What is median?
The median is the middle value when everything is lined up in order: half above, half below.
What is normative claim?
A normative claim says what should be: what is right, fair, or best. It differs from a factual claim, which says what is.
What is strengthen question?
A strengthen question asks you to pick the answer that makes the argument stronger.
What is weaken question?
A weaken question asks for the answer that makes the argument weaker.
What is flaw in the reasoning question?
A flaw question asks you to name what went wrong in the argument.
What is necessary assumption question?
A necessary assumption is a claim the argument cannot do without. The question asks you to find it.
What is sufficient assumption question?
A sufficient assumption question asks for the claim that, if true, would guarantee the conclusion.
What is inference question?
An inference question asks what must be true given the stimulus.
What is main point question?
A main-point question asks you to identify the argument's conclusion.
What is method of reasoning question?
A method-of-reasoning question asks you to describe how the argument works.
What is parallel reasoning question?
A parallel-reasoning question asks for the argument with the same structure as the original.
What is point at issue question?
A point-at-issue question asks what the two speakers disagree about.
What is principle question?
A principle question asks for the general rule that justifies the argument, or asks you to apply a given principle to a case.
What is resolve the paradox question?
A resolve-the-paradox question gives you two facts that seem to conflict and asks for the answer that explains both.
What is role of a statement question?
A role question asks what job a specific sentence does in the argument.
What is except question?
An EXCEPT question asks for the one answer that does not fit: four strengthen and one does not, or four are mentioned and one is not.
What is evaluate the argument question?
An evaluate-the-argument question asks what information would help you judge whether the argument is good.
What is identify the conclusion question?
An identify-the-conclusion question asks you to pick out the argument's main claim from the answer choices.
What is premise?
A premise is a stated reason offered in support of a conclusion.
What is conclusion?
The conclusion is the claim the argument is trying to prove.
What is intermediate conclusion?
An intermediate conclusion is a claim that is both supported by premises and used to support the main conclusion.
What is assumption?
An assumption is an unstated claim the argument needs to be true.
What is conditional statement?
A conditional statement is an if-then claim: if the sufficient condition holds, the necessary condition follows.
What is contrapositive?
The contrapositive is the logically equivalent restatement of a conditional: if A then B becomes if not B then not A.
What is only if?
Only if introduces a necessary condition. A only if B means: if A happens, B must hold.
What is unless?
Unless introduces a necessary condition with a negation built in. A unless B means: if not B, then A.
What is if and only if?
If and only if states a two-way conditional: A if and only if B means A guarantees B and B guarantees A.
What is conditional chain?
A conditional chain links conditionals together: if A then B, and if B then C, so if A then C.
What is necessary vs. sufficient conditions?
A sufficient condition guarantees the outcome. A necessary condition is required for the outcome.
What is some and most statements?
Some and most statements describe quantities without conditionals. Some means at least one; most means more than half.
What is valid argument?
A valid argument is one where the conclusion must follow if the premises are true.
What is sound argument?
A sound argument is a valid argument with true premises.
What is deductive reasoning?
Deductive reasoning moves from general rules to guaranteed conclusions.
What is inductive reasoning?
Inductive reasoning moves from specific evidence to probable conclusions.
What is counterexample?
A counterexample is a case that disproves a general claim.
What is formal logic?
Formal logic is reasoning with conditionals, chains, and quantifiers using strict rules.
What is scope shift?
A scope shift is when the conclusion talks about something the premises never established.
What is percentages vs. numbers?
This is the flaw of confusing percentages with raw numbers.
What is appeal to ignorance?
An appeal to ignorance argues that a claim is true because it has not been proven false, or false because it has not been proven true.
What is background information?
Background information is context in the stimulus that no conclusion is drawn from.
What is counter-premise?
A counter-premise is evidence that points against the conclusion, which the argument then overcomes.
What is causal argument?
A causal argument claims that one thing causes another.
What is equivocation?
Equivocation is using one word in two different senses within the same argument.
What is ad hominem?
An ad hominem attacks the person making the claim instead of the claim itself.
What is straw man?
A straw man misrepresents the opponent's position, then attacks the misrepresentation.
What is circular reasoning?
Circular reasoning assumes the conclusion in the premises.
What is false dilemma?
A false dilemma presents two options as the only options when more exist.
What is slippery slope?
A slippery slope claims one step will inevitably trigger a chain of worse steps, without evidence for the chain.
What is hasty generalization?
A hasty generalization draws a broad conclusion from too small or unrepresentative a sample.
What is part to whole?
A part-to-whole flaw assumes what is true of a part is true of the whole.
What is whole to part?
A whole-to-part flaw assumes what is true of a group is true of each member.
What is appeal to authority?
An appeal to authority treats an expert's say-so as proof, without examining the reasoning.
What is main idea?
The main idea is the central claim of the passage.
What is primary purpose?
A primary-purpose question asks why the author wrote the passage.
What is author attitude?
Author attitude is the author's evaluative stance toward the subject: positive, negative, or neutral.
What is passage organization?
Passage organization is the structural plan of the passage: how the paragraphs fit together.
What is comparative reading?
Comparative reading is the paired-passage set: two shorter passages on one topic, with questions about each and about both.
What is paragraph function?
A paragraph-function question asks what job a paragraph does in the passage.
What is detail question?
A detail question asks about a fact stated in the passage.
What is rc inference question?
An RC inference question asks what follows from the passage without being stated outright.
What is scaled score?
The scaled score is your LSAT score on the 120 to 180 scale.
What is raw score?
Your raw score is the number of scored questions you answered correctly.
What is experimental section?
The experimental section is the unscored section LSAC uses to test questions for future exams.
What is blind review?
Blind review is re-attempting circled questions untimed, before checking the answers.
What is drill?
A drill is a focused practice set on one question type or skill, worked untimed.
What is score preview?
Score Preview is LSAC's paid option that lets you see your score before deciding to keep or cancel it.
What is score cancellation?
Score cancellation lets you void your LSAT score so no school ever sees the number.
What is score band?
A score band is a range of scores around your practice results that reflects measurement error.
What is testing year?
The LSAT testing year runs from June 1 to May 31.
What is retake limit?
LSAC limits how often you can take the LSAT: three times in a single testing year, five times in the current and five past testing years, seven times over a lifetime.
What is law school report?
A Law School Report is the document LSAC sends to each school you apply to.
What is cas (credential assembly service)?
CAS is LSAC's Credential Assembly Service: it collects your transcripts, letters, and scores into one file for law schools.
What is lawhub advantage?
LawHub Advantage is LSAC's paid subscription for official digital practice tests.
What is diagnostic?
A diagnostic is a full or quick practice test taken before you start studying, to find your baseline.
What is timed section?
A timed section is a full LSAT section worked under the real 35-minute clock.
What is full practice test?
A full practice test copies the official structure: four 35-minute sections with a break in the middle.
What is personal statement?
The personal statement is the main essay in your law school application.
What is letters of recommendation?
Letters of recommendation are written endorsements from professors or employers in your application file.
What is addendum?
An addendum is a short optional essay explaining something specific in your application.
What is character and fitness?
Character and fitness is the bar admission review of your honesty and conduct.
What is early decision?
Early decision is a binding application: if admitted, you commit to attend.
What is rolling admissions?
Rolling admissions means schools review applications as they arrive and decide over the season.
What is waitlist?
The waitlist is the pool of applicants a school may admit if seats open up.
What is deferral?
A deferral lets an admitted student postpone enrollment, usually by one year.
What is merit aid?
Merit aid is scholarship money awarded for your numbers and achievements, not your finances.
What is need-based aid?
Need-based aid is financial help awarded on your financial situation.
What is cost of attendance?
Cost of attendance is the school's official estimate of one year: tuition plus living expenses, books, and fees.
What is bar passage rate?
The bar passage rate is the share of a school's graduates who pass the bar exam.
What is employment outcomes?
Employment outcomes are what graduates actually do: bar-required jobs, salaries, and unemployment rates.
What is aba accreditation?
ABA accreditation is the American Bar Association's approval of a law school.
What is splitter?
A splitter is an applicant with a high LSAT and a low GPA, relative to a school's medians.
What is reverse splitter?
A reverse splitter is an applicant with a high GPA and a low LSAT, relative to a school's medians.
What is k-jd?
K-JD means kindergarten through JD: going straight from undergrad to law school with no gap.
What is nontraditional applicant?
A nontraditional applicant comes to law school after years of work or a different career.
What is application deadline?
The application deadline is the last date a school accepts applications for the cycle.
What is law school rankings?
Law school rankings order schools by factors like selectivity, employment, and reputation.
What is stimulus?
The stimulus is the paragraph or argument that an LR question is about.
What is question stem?
The question stem is the sentence that tells you what the question asks.
What is answer choices?
The answer choices are the five options labeled A through E.
What is trap answer?
A trap answer is a wrong choice designed to look right to a specific mistake.
What is study plan?
A study plan is a week-by-week schedule that turns your test date into daily work.
What is tutoring?
Tutoring is one-on-one instruction tailored to your misses.
For the deeper reasoning terms (premise, assumption, contrapositive, and the rest), see the full LSAT glossary.
Last updated October 12, 2026