February 2011 LSAT Questions and Answers

The February 2011 LSAT is rapidly approaching - only 8 weeks remaining! What would you like to see on the blog between now and then?

Please leave your questions for me (and for each other) in the comments, I'll do my best to answer as many of your questions as possible between now and February 12th.

Also, if you're looking for general advice on improving in Logic Games, Logical Reasoning, or Reading Comprehension, please note that I've already written plenty of blog posts on these topics and have integrated them into LSAT study schedules.

Quick request: please leave a name rather than posting as "Anonymous." It makes it easier for everyone to respond to specific comments. Thanks!

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Also see previous Questions and Answers posts.


Photo by lwr

Logic and Games

* Calvin finds Hobbes' criminal defense technique lacking. [Calvin and Hobbes]

* Not offensive: law firm's holiday e-card (♫) contains lengthy legal disclaimer. [Manatt via ABA Journal]

* Offensive: law firm's holiday invitation tries to poke fun at judge who made racial stereotypes, but their jokes come off as racist. Whoops. [Above The Law]

* Judge considers Festivus a holiday in granting inmate's meal request. [OC Register]

* Quiz determines whether your beliefs about God are logically consistent. [Battleground God]

* This woman claims to own the sun & has legal documents to "prove" it. [Gawker]

* Dog Fort is currently my favorite meme. [Eat Skeet]

December LSAT Score Release Dates

UPDATE: See my prediction for the December 2011 LSAT score release date.


December 2010 LSAT scores were released on Thursday, January 6th, beginning around 5PM Eastern. Scores are released in batches, and it may take several hours for everyone to receive their scores.

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The December LSAT scores / results are scheduled to be released via email by January 10, 2011. However, the scores usually come back a bit earlier.

Let's look at the trend over the past several years:

Given how late the exam is this year, it seems pretty likely that you won't get scores back before Christmas.




"But at what time specifically? I need to know when to constantly refresh my email / LSAC account!"

In batches over the course of several hours. Likely starting late in the day (Eastern Time).

No one knows how the batches are organized, if at all.

The batches do not seem to be organized in any of these ways:

alphabetical/regional/high-to-low scores/low-to-high scores/test center #, etc.

Wish everyone all the best!

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Also see:

February LSAT Score Release Dates
June LSAT Score Release Dates
October LSAT Score Release Dates

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While you're waiting for your score, get busy with my admissions-related blog posts.

Also see, Should You to Cancel Your LSAT Score?

Feel free to leave comments and vent at the injustice of having to wait so long for what is rightfully yours.

Finally, here's Victory Baby, in case you prefer him to the other baby for your Facebook profile photo or something:

December 2010 LSAT Curve: PrepTest 62

UPDATE: The December 2010 LSAT Curve has been added to my raw score conversion charts (it's PrepTest 62).

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Good luck to everyone taking the December 2010 LSAT!

Did you know that December exams historically have the most lenient curves?

The "curve" on last year's December exam was pretty generous. It allowed 14 incorrect answers to get a 170. (The average for December exams in recent years was only 11.375 incorrect answers).

The below chart contains recent data regarding the number of questions you could get wrong on recent exams and still achieve a particular scaled score (out of 180):

(See what it's taken to get an LSAT score of 160 or 170 on all LSAT PrepTests.)

Come back after you take the LSAT and post your curve predictions in the comments!


Photo by blprnt_van

You Know You've Been Studying Too Much For The LSAT When...

I posted this status update on LSAT Blog's Facebook Page last week. Many of you commented with your own jokes and experiences.

Here are some of my favorites:

"EVERYTHING you read or hear turns into a logical reasoning question. :P"

"You are asked to leave a wedding because you insist that Bob can't sit next to Nancy because Nancy can't sit next to Bob's sister. And you'll be damned if that rule is violated."

"You dissect your friend's argument and proceed to tell your friend how you could strengthen or weaken it."

"When you can't seem to separate yourself from it. When you are not doing it you feel weird, empty, like the earth stopped moving...............sike. I really can't wait to be done with it."

"I still wonder what it'll feel like to study too much for it! :D"

"You go through the TSA security line with silver-lined underwear, just to get some human contact with the outside world."

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You know you've been studying too much for the LSAT when...

Leave a comment and let me know!

The Most Common Answer Choice on the LSAT

LSAT Blog reader Brett recently analyzed the LSAT PrepTest Answer Keys to find the best answer choice to guess on the LSAT.

I've done similar analysis in the past.

However, Brett has a better understanding of statistics than I do, and his results are summed-up and organized much more nicely than mine. He also included answer key data from the June 2010 LSAT (PrepTest 60).

Here's what he found (click to enlarge):






















Basically, "D" is the best answer to choose when guessing randomly, and "B," "C,"and "D" come up more often than either "A" or "E."

Please thank Brett in the comments for sharing his analysis!

Photo by cwhatuc

Logic and Games

* If your grandmother's funeral were this Saturday, would you skip it to take the LSAT? [Above The Law]

* Get pumped for Saturday's LSAT with 40 inspirational speeches in 2 minutes. [YouTube]

* Also, some dude's bro made him an LSAT-themed remix of "I Gotta Feeling." [YouTube]

* I love pizza, but it's still not good for keeping time on Test Day. [Why Did You Buy Me That]

* "Polar bears are white. I am white. I am a polar bear." [imgur / reddit]

* Kentucky governor promises he's backing Noah's Ark theme park because it'll create jobs, not because he believes in creationism. [NYTimes]

* Linking to defamatory statements online clearly isn't the same as publishing them, but the Canadian Supreme Court's still going to think it over. [Canada.com]

LSAT Logic: The TSA's Body Scans and Pat-downs

If you traveled by plane for Thanksgiving, I hope you didn't get patted down too much (unless you wanted to be, of course).

I'm against the TSA's pat-downs at airports nationwide. Not because they're invasive, but because they deny lonely people their once-yearly groping as they travel during the holiday season.

There's been a lot of controversy over the pat-downs and body scans lately, and the holiday travel season's coming up. Let's take a quick look at a few flawed arguments on both sides of the debate from the LSAT perspective.

False Analogy

In favor of body scans:

"What's the big deal? If you don't complain when a doctor X-rays you, you shouldn't be complaining now."

The difference, of course, is that a doctor is someone you implicitly trust (I hope). A doctor is well-trained in operating X-ray equipment and usually X-rays only a specific portion of your body (placing a lead apron around other parts of your body to protect them from the radiation). Further, the X-ray is taken for the purpose of learning information that may help you.

In contrast, body scanners may expose your entire body to potentially-harmful doses of radiation and are operated by people who may be poorly-trained. Further, you've never met them and little reason to trust any of them over a random stranger. Additionally, you don't really stand to gain from having your own body screened in the first place. It's the screening of others screened that you stand to benefit from (since, dear reader, I presume you're not a terrorist).


In opposition to body scans:

"These scanners are like allowing strangers to see you completely naked."









Sadly, they don't seem to be quite that exciting, judging from the above photo supplied by the TSA.

In both examples above, the speakers are treating different situations as if they're similar.

In LSAT language:
"treats as similar two cases that are different in a critical respect."

Examples of the same flaw in actual LSAT questions:
PrepTest 29 (October 1999 LSAT), S4, Q25 (p43)
PrepTest 31 (June 2000 LSAT), S3, Q5 (p97)
PrepTest 33 (December 2000 LSAT), S3, Q15 (p172)




Ad Hominem Attack (Personal Attack)

In favor of body scans and pat-downs:

"These body scans and pat-downs can only make us more safe. All of you who are against it must just be ashamed of your own bodies."

There are plenty of reasons to be against the body scans and pat-downs aside from being shame of one's body.

Even if some opponents are ashamed of their own bodies, maybe they are also modest, have religious reasons for not having strangers touch them or look at them almost-naked, or simply don't want random people touching them or looking at them in intimate areas.

(Additionally, maybe the new security measures can make us less safe by directing attention and money away from more effective security measures.)


In opposition to body scans and pat-downs:

"I just saw a TSA employee leafing through Playboy, so there's no real security reason for these pat-downs and body scans. The TSA employees just want to grab our junk and see us all almost naked."

First of all, leafing through Playboy doesn't necessarily make one a pervert. After all, it has great articles.

Further, even if it makes that employee a pervert, that doesn't necessarily mean all TSA employees are perverts. (This is a different flaw - the fallacy of composition.)

The major flaw in the above argument that I want to address here is simply that even if the TSA is filled with perverts, that doesn't guarantee that there aren't sufficient reasons for the pat-downs and body scans. It probably just means that, if they are perverts, and there are sufficient reasons for the pat-downs and body scans, you probably want someone else conducting them.

In LSAT language:
"rejects a claim by attacking the proponents of the claim rather than addressing the claim itself"
"attack employers' motives instead of addressing their arguments"
"criticizing the source of a claim rather than examining the claim itself"

Examples of the same flaw in actual LSAT questions:
PrepTest 19 (June 1996 LSAT), S2, Q14 (p24)
PrepTest 26 (June 1998 LSAT), S4, Q4 (p241)
PrepTest 32 (October 2000 LSAT), S2, Q6 (p139)
PrepTest 34 (June 2001 LSAT), S2, Q1 (p194)



Appeal to Popular Opinion

In favor of body scans and pat-downs:

"The public has demonstrated its willingness to subject itself to these security measures. Therefore, it's fine to go ahead with them."

In opposition to body scans and pat-downs:

"Everyone hates these new TSA security measures. The TSA must stop them immediately."

Whether the public is in favor of, or in opposition to, the security measures has no bearing on whether they are effective or necessary for airport security.


In LSAT language:
"taking evidence that a claim is believed to be true to constitute evidence that the claim is in fact true"

Examples of the same flaw in actual LSAT questions:
PrepTest 28 (June 1999 LSAT), S1, Q9 (p324)
PrepTest 32 (October 2000 LSAT), S4, Q13 (p141)

LSAT Test Day: Breakfast and Snack Recommendations

An LSAT distance tutoring student of mine recently emailed me:

"Any tips on what to eat for breakfast the morning of the LSAT? I know you say to have a big breakfast, but what? And what do you suggest for the break and to drink?"

At least one of the items pictured above is not part of a healthy LSAT breakfast.

If you guessed FourLoko, you're on your way to a top LSAT score. Congrats!

(McDonald's probably isn't part of any healthy breakfast, but there's a reason I didn't go to medical school.)

More about food in a bit, but first, coffee and cigarettes (breakfast of champions?).

I've already gone over whether coffee, cigarettes, and gum are allowed on Test Day. Now, the question remains, should you drink coffee or have cigarettes in the morning before the exam?

Answer: Do whatever you normally do. If you normally have coffee or cigarettes in the morning, don't try to go cold turkey now or you'll almost certainly find yourself with a pounding headache.

I don't know why you'd suddenly take up smoking, but now's not the time to start (if there ever was). Coffee will probably empty your intestines in the middle of the exam if you haven't had it in a while, so it's probably not a good idea for folks new to it.

You want to be fully alert, so a pre-test wake and bake isn't a good idea. What you do after the test is up to you (assuming it's for medicinal purposes, of course). Maybe California will vote to legalize next time, folks.


Oatmeal with bananas, raisins, or cranberries is probably about as healthy as it gets, while mild enough that it shouldn't give you any stomach issues. Eat it well before the exam starts so that you'll have time to go to the bathroom (oatmeal has lots of fiber).



Perhaps I misspoke - yogurt and granola might top oatmeal and fruit for "healthiest breakfast of the year." Again, it's mild and has carbs, but unlike oatmeal, yogurt has lots of protein as well. (Perhaps the nutritionists can chime in with their recommendations.)


Eggs have a lot of protein. However, depending upon how you cook them, you might also end up with lots of fat. Fat can make you sleepy. For this reason, lay off the butter and oil. Consider eating them hard-boiled, perhaps with a little salt for flavor. Alternatively, you can go the Rocky route and drink them raw, but don't blame me if you get salmonella.



Pancakes, waffles, muffins, bagels, cold cereal, etc. are also all good, just make sure you have also some protein.

Cold (or warm) pizza is probably good too (cheese has protein), but this is coming from a guy who sometimes eats leftover burritos for breakfast, so you may not want to listen to me on this one.

The bottom line is that you'll want to eat some carbs to give you energy, and some protein to improve your mental performance.

(This site appears to have some simple, yet comprehensive, nutrition advice. This link on it is also good.)

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LSAT Snacks For During The Break:

Try not to be the guy who brings this:










Here are some more practical alternatives that the proctors will probably allow:

Granola bars: quick to unwrap, easy to eat, sugar

Bananas: quick to peel, easy to eat, sugar

Water: reduces thirst

Juice: reduces thirst, sugar

Coffee will likely be cold by now, but I suppose it's ok if you don't care about that sort of thing.

With all beverages, don't drink too much in order to avoid bathroom breaks. Your test center may have a water fountain, which would eliminate the need to bring a water bottle. Or maybe you're one of those people who's paranoid about tap water or lives in a part of the U.S. / world where the water's unsafe to drink.

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See all LSAT Test Day tips.

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Discuss the best breakfast foods and snacks in the comments. I'm sure that most of you know more about nutrition than I do. If you know something, please comment!

LSAT Diary: Prep in the Final Week Before Test Day

If you want to be in LSAT Diaries, please email me at LSATUnplugged@gmail.com. (You can be in LSAT Diaries whether you've taken the exam already or not.)

Please leave Kerri some encouragement and advice below in the comments!

Kerri's LSAT Diary:

A little more than one week until I take the LSAT. It's unreal to me. I took a practice test (under distracting conditions) and had only improved my score by two points. This week was so outrageously busy with an exam, a paper, a group project, work meetings, and on top of that I seem to have contracted bronchitis so I have a coughing fit that can last up to like 2 minutes like twice an hour - it's awful. Finally got to the doctor today and got some steroids to clear me up, but I was so adamant about getting better that I demanded she give me a back up plan.

So, in case the steroids don't work by Monday, I have a prescription already written that I can fill and get Monday to be better by Wednesday. I seriously stressed how important the LSAT was to the doctor and I told her that if I coughed that much during the LSAT that they'd tie me up and shove me in a closet because the test is that important to everyone.

I've only taken one practice test this week (yikes, I know) but I am about to take one now. Here's the thing that I learned, and it is so simple, but I bet a lot of you would make the same mistake. I have taken ~7 practice tests and graded them. I have scored in an 8 point range (and my highest is 4 points below my ideal score boo). I thought all I have to do is take timed practice tests to be ready for the LSAT. WRONG!

Taking practice test after practice test isn't how you learn (though it is so important to do!) When you take a practice test and look at the answers (and if the reasoning for the answers is there -that too), you don't necessarily get smarter. You need to look at what you've been doing and focus on your weaknesses.

For example, my first 6 practice tests were all weak in one area- Logical Reasoning. But it's more than realizing that. You need to go back to each question and see: am I missing all of the "Necessary Assumption Questions?" And explore those. An assumption is something that is pretty much required for the conclusion to exist. That's not all I learned-- Did you know that if "Jack or John goes to a party" this could entail *Jack go John no go" "Jack no go John no go" AND "Jack go John go" --?? There are some words on this exam that you have seen before but they have different meanings. LOOK AT THAT. Know the LSAT vocabulary.

Other than those fun tips all I can really say (if I haven't said it before) is get used to using regular pencils again. I know it's weird and awful and mechanical pencils are so much more fun. I went out tonight and bought pencils and a pencil sharpener. My life is thrilling. I am just ready to relax though I probably will not do until I get my test results.

I am on day 15 with no Facebook (if I can do it you can do it) and I haven't been to a bar in~50 days. Take away distractions in your life. I feel focused and it feels good. I don't even mind studying for this test. Its not bad material and its nice to have a routine.

PS I checked out my testing center the other day- just the general location. I need to check out parking soon. My LSAT Registration ticket is printed and I am trying to prep for my week of "taking it easy" LSAT wise. Time to wind down and have faith in my studying to get me through this!!

Thinking positive thoughts :)

Photo by bdorfman

LSAT PDFs of GROUPED by Type Books Available

I've linked to my reviews of each of the GROUPED books of LSAT questions below:

GROUPED By Game Type (PrepTests 1-20)

GROUPED By Question Type (PrepTests 1-20)

GROUPED By Passage Type (PrepTests 1-20)

More GROUPED By Game Type (PrepTests 21-40)

More GROUPED By Question Type (PrepTests 21-40)

More GROUPED By Passage Type (PrepTests 21-40)

Logic and Games

"Logic and Games" is something new here on LSAT Blog.

It'll be a weekly post with random, mostly law-related, things of interest to you as the classy future law students you are.

* The worst-ever lesson on freedom of speech. [FAIL Blog]

* Traveler sues airline, claiming her on-flight meal contained lizard. Hilarity ensues. [Gawker]

* NYC kids get a comic book on what to do when arrested. Remember when comic books used to be fun? [Above The Law]

* Amazon kicks WikiLeaks off of its servers. WikiLeaks remains unharmed. [Washington Post]

* Kim Jong-the-Illest pops in unexpectedly. [Kim Jong-Il Looking At Things]

* Kaplan's non-ABA-accredited online law school may get an actual campus. [Washington Examiner]

* Facebook close to trademarking the word "face." Scared yet? [NYTimes]