LSAT Glossary

Plain-English definitions of every term you'll meet on the LSAT — each Logical Reasoning question type, the Reading Comprehension question types, the scoring vocabulary, and the current test format. The question-type list is a common teaching framework (roughly 14 recurring patterns), not an official LSAC classification, but it maps cleanly onto how the questions behave on test day.

Logical Reasoning question types

LR makes up two of the three scored sections — about two-thirds of your scored questions. Linked terms have a full guide.

Necessary Assumption: An answer the argument must rely on to hold up — negate it and the argument falls apart.Typical stem: “the argument depends on assuming,” “which is required by the argument”
Sufficient Assumption: An answer that, if added to the premises, guarantees the conclusion follows.Typical stem: “if assumed, allows the conclusion to be properly drawn”
Strengthen: New information that makes the conclusion more likely to be true.Typical stem: “most strengthens,” “most supports the argument”
Weaken: New information that undermines the conclusion or calls it into question.Typical stem: “most weakens,” “most calls the argument into question”
Flaw: Names the specific reasoning error the argument commits.Typical stem: “the reasoning is flawed because,” “is vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that”
Method of Reasoning: Describes how the argument is built — its structure or technique, not its content.Typical stem: “the argument proceeds by,” “which describes the method”
Role in Argument: Identifies the function a specific quoted claim plays in the argument (conclusion, evidence, counter-point, background).Typical stem: “the claim plays which role,” “the statement functions to”
Must Be True / Inference: An answer the stated facts support or guarantee, even if not stated outright.Typical stem: “which must also be true,” “most strongly supported by”
Paradox / Resolve: Reconciles two facts that seem to conflict.Typical stem: “most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy,” “explains the surprising result”
Principle: Matches a general rule to a specific case, or extracts the rule a case illustrates.Typical stem: “conforms to which principle,” “which principle, if valid, justifies”
Parallel Reasoning: Finds the answer whose argument structure mirrors the stimulus, regardless of topic.Typical stem: “most similar in its reasoning”
Parallel Flaw: Finds the answer that repeats the same reasoning error as the stimulus.Typical stem: “exhibits a flaw most similar to”
Point at Issue: Two speakers; identifies precisely what they disagree about.Typical stem: “disagree over whether”
Most Strongly Supported: Like Must Be True, but the answer only needs to be best supported by the passage — not strictly guaranteed.Typical stem: “most strongly supported by the information above”

Reading Comprehension question types

One scored section of long passages — including one comparative pair.

Main Idea / Primary Purpose: The central point of the passage, or the author's overall reason for writing it.
Detail / Explicit: A fact stated directly in the text.
Inference: A conclusion the passage supports without stating it outright.
Structure & Function: The role a sentence, paragraph, or example plays in how the passage is organized.
Tone / Attitude: The author's stance or feeling toward the subject.
Comparative Passages: A paired set of two shorter passages with questions that compare, contrast, or synthesize them.

Scoring terms

Scaled Score: Your reported LSAT score, on the 120 to 180 scale.
Raw Score: The number of questions you answered correctly — roughly 75 to 78 scored questions across the three scored sections (varies by form). There is no penalty for wrong answers.
Equating / Conversion Curve: The form-specific process that converts your raw score to the 120 to 180 scale, adjusting for slight difficulty differences between test forms.
Percentile Rank: The share of recent test-takers you scored at or above. Approximate and varies by reporting year — for example, a 160 is roughly the 75th percentile.

Test-format terms

Section Structure: The current LSAT has three scored sections — two Logical Reasoning and one Reading Comprehension — plus one unscored experimental section.
Experimental / Unscored Section: An unidentified extra section (LR or RC) LSAC uses to pretest new questions. It looks identical to the scored sections, but your performance on it does not affect your score.
Logic Games / Analytical Reasoning: Removed from the LSAT in August 2024. It is no longer part of the test.
LSAT Writing: A separate, unscored writing sample completed online. You can take it starting 8 days before your test date and for up to a year after.

See these question types in action

Argfluent drills every type above with per-choice explanations. Take a free 30-question diagnostic scored on the 120 to 180 scale — no credit card.

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