LSAT Logical Reasoning Bible

True to the subject matter, the explanations are set out in a very logical and coherent manner and point out the pitfalls to avoid and the way into which to tackle these types of questions. Lots of test questions and examples to practice along the way. Very useful.

Helped me get into law school

Very helpful

Preparing for the LSAT is a journey. Crushing it on test day requires dedication and effective study techniques. No one tool will fully prepare you to do well. That said, the PowerScore system was the main tool I used in my journey toward the 99th percentile.The PowerScore system essentially consists of 6 books: 3 bibles and 3 workbooks (one of each per LSAT section). The bibles take you through PowerScore's strategies and methods of attacking each section, while the workbooks give you practice questions and sections to hone your skills. For simplicity, I am writing two reviews: 1 that encompasses the 3 bibles and 1 for the workbooks.I began using these books approximately 3 months ahead of test day. I read all 3 bibles cover to cover. The bibles do a nice job of easing you into their system for attacking various question types. You learn strategies for marking up long passages quickly and effectively, picking apart logical reasoning question stems, identifying incorrect answers, and most importantly, drawing logic game (analytical reasoning) diagrams. This last one is crucial; of all the logic games methods I encountered, I believe PowerScore has the best one. Learn their method and you'll be on your way to 0 wrong on the logic games section (which is so important since Reading Comp will always get you).Another nice feature of the bibles is that they provide several quick exercises along the way that help to reinforce the methods they're teaching you. These exercises were a nice alternative to regular LSAT questions.Although I recommend getting all three bibles, I would rank them in the following order from most to least crucial: Logic Games, Logical Reasoning, Reading Comp. Here's why:1) Logic Games: As I mentioned, I'm a big fan of their approach for drawing game diagrams. Since the logic games section is the most abstract, you'll want to give yourself ample time to learn and practice your approach. Start with this book.2) Logical Reasoning: They do a great job addressing all the different question types that can appear in the LR section. This book is really important as well. It just falls behind Logic Games because it's not as abstract.3) Reading Comp: In my opinion, practice practice practice is a much more effective method of preparing for reading comp (as opposed to spending a lot of time learning a specific method). You'll want to practice reading really quickly while still retaining key points. That being said, this bible will help you with strategies for how to mark up the text to quickly go back to those key points. However, if you're strapped for cash, your money might be better spent toward a subscription to the Economist (their articles provide good practice for the types of passages you'll encounter on the LSAT, and this will help when you run out of real LSAT passages).

The Powerscore Bibles are the best LSAT prep books out there. If you don't believe me, do a little more research. I read this over and over again before deciding to purchase all three Bibles myself, and after taking the LSAT, I agree that they are excellent. Using nothing but Prep Tests and Powerscore books, I scored in the top 1% on the LSAT. LSAT prep classes are not designed to help you score above 170, and all of the ones that I looked at did not leave sufficient time between the beginning of class and the LSAT. If you can develop your own rigid study schedule and stick to it religiously, then the Powerscore LSAT Bibles are for you. I was able to locate a sample study schedule on the Powerscore website and adapt it to my needs. I also recommend the Powerscore training books, a couple of Powerscore LSAT Deconstructed Series, and lots of official Prep Tests including the most recent ones from LSAC. I purchased the Powerscore Workbooks but did not use them. They may help you if you feel you need additional practice on the concepts covered in the Bibles. My advice is study a minimum 20 hours per week for 3 months, more if you can stand it. You will save a lot of money over taking a class too.

This was a good resource that really let me get a handle on what the test makers were looking for when they were designing questions. You do get a different perspective than if you were to just take the tests on your own. I didn't use any other products to study for the test except for the PowerScore books (and actual tests), so I can't comment on it's effectiveness compared to other methods. I do believe that I wouldn't have scored as high had I not read the set of PowerScore books.The practice tests were by far the most helpful part of my LSAT prep. There was no substitute for practicing on real tests, where you can time yourself, practice the endurance of a complete test, etc. If you are serious about getting a good score on the LSAT, you are going to need to take at least 20 of these bad boys. Definitely focus on the latest tests for the best idea of what to expect on your test day.

I used these book's along with the lsat practice test (actual lsat tests) I didn't study very much and was able to score a 171..I attribute my success to these book's...The trick is drilling weak area's at the end of each week and ensuring you take a practice test at least once weekly. I would recommend about 15 practice tests to take in complete sittings and 15 for drilling weak areas.

It didn't really help my score on the Logical Reasoning portion of the exam much. However, if you really need a guide to help you on this portion of the exam, then I don't see there being much better guides out there. If you are struggling even after studying this, I would suggest taking lots of practice tests, and going through your wrong answers and understanding exactly why you made your mistakes. I found practice exams to probably be more useful than this. I did good but not great on the LSAT.

This book does take a while to get through, but it is a huge help on the LR sections. When I first started studying for the LSAT I took a practice test and scored a 160. The logical reasoning section seemed like such a slog to get through and didn't make a lot of sense. I bought this book and it took me about two weeks of concentrated effort to work through. Afterward, the LR sections on the practice tests felt easy. I didn't always get every question right, but it was much easier to figure out what I did wrong and it took much less time working through the sections. I had to force myself to slow down on the LR sections and was still finishing them in under 30 min. I just took the October LSAT and haven't received my score yet, but I was regularly getting 170s on the practice tests with the help of Powerscore. I would recommend this and the Powerscore Logic Games book for anyone thinking about taking the LSAT. I bought the Reading Comprehension Bible also, but didn't feel like I got the same benefit out of it.

my order arrived in 5 days and i was glad to get started on the LSAT, i have all 3 books from PowerScore and im learning the basics first. i highly recommend to get the all 3 prep books and learn the basics and then start timing yourself with actual LSAT Prep test. Well since i work full time i can only dedicate about 10 hours a week for my preparation for the June 2011 exam. This book will help you learn how to answer the different types of questions, but in order to do well on the LSAT you must practice, practice and practice. I also advise you when you are working on the sample test from powerscore books not to rush and take your time to really understand what the questions are asking and try to answer them with the best of your abilities. As you master the basics then time yourself. In addition if you can start from chapter one again on this book to the end will give you more confidence. This logical section of the LSAT is 50 questions, so if you can get as much of logical reasoning questions right, and not kill yourself to learn the logic games. Also i dont have the time and money to spend on expensive prep classes when i can learn the simple basics from powerscore books and take it from there. So dont waste your money on those prep courses unless you think you cant do better after completing these books.

The "LSAT Logical Reasoning Bible" offers an excellent explanation of the logical reasoning portion of the LSAT. This book offers detailed instructions on how to address each major type of LR question. The rules from this book are essential to answering the questions correctly and in a timely manner.Reading the book is not enough. You must know it by heart. I made an outline of the book two weeks before the test to make sure I memorized all of the rules. Starting with the LR Bible, and continuing to use it throughout my LSAT prep, notably improved my LSAT score.

The LR bible gave me a great introduction to the LR section, and more importantly, the book taught me how to think logically, which I realized later is *necessary* for doing well on the LSAT. The book gives great introductions to CRUCIAL argument structures, like conditional reasoning and cause and effect. You NEED to diagram the "if then" structure to do well on the LSAT. By showing the reader how to strengthen and weaken a cause and effect argument.The book made cause and effect questions (which I feel makes up a quarter of the LR section) easier to answer.When I first began studying for the LSAT, I averaged -7 per LR section - sometimes I couldn't finish on time and had even more wrong. But thanks in large part to the LR Bible and to extensive studying, I improved and scored -2 and -1 on the LR sections of my real test.Because of the book, I changed my mindset, diagramming "conditional reasoning" (if .. then) in my head whenever I saw it and actively attempting to spot flaws or draw inferences. These habits were very valuable for me.Still some parts of the LR Bible may need to be read with a critical eye. For example, the strategy "parallel the reasoning" strategy was time consuming for me. For parallel the reasoning questions, I ended up looking for key structures in the stimulus and finding those key parts in an answer.Nonetheless, the LR Bible is worth buying. Doing well on the LSAT increases your scholarship money (or the likelihood that you'll get scholarship) or admission to a better law school, which may mean better earning potential. Thus, the investment for the LR Bible is worth it.

The short story is that this book is absolutely incredible, worth every penny, and increased my LR performance from getting 15 wrong every time to getting only four wrong every time. BUY IT, especially before you do any other kind of prep. Give yourself a month to get through it. It gives you concrete methods for how to attack every problem type.The long story:I had a roundabout way of getting to the point where I ordered this book. I took a Kaplan course and hated it. I did all of the homework and dedicated my life to the course for a month straight. It wasn't working. My score went from a 160 on the diagnostic to a 152, then a 154. The 160 diagnostic enabled me to enroll in their advanced course, but the course was completely unhelpful. Kaplan's methods aren't methods; they just say things like "oh, that is out of the scope, so it's wrong". Well, how do I know it's out of the scope? You don't. Or, you could probably figure it out, but that takes tons of time and on the LSAT you don't have tons of time. Kaplan does not give concrete reasons that can be applied to every question of the same type for determining why something is or isn't correct. The course wasn't working for me or improving my score, so after three weeks (the course was five weeks total), I dropped it. What a waste of over $1000.I decided to get private tutoring. The tutoring company I used was brilliant for games, but also very expensive and I had already dropped a ton of money on the Kaplan course. I decided I'd look into using a book for LR instead. And I am saying this now to everyone who has not yet started prepping for the LSAT: BUY THIS BOOK BEFORE YOU TAKE A CLASS OR GET TUTORING OF ANY KIND. GIVE YOURSELF A MONTH WITH THIS BOOK BEFORE YOU DO ANY KIND OF LR PREP WHATSOEVER. This will save you a ton of money - the book is a HUGE bargain and worth every penny. It will also give you an excellent foundation for learning how to do every single kind of problem, and it is likely that you will not have to do any other kind of prep (ie tutoring or a class) once you read this book. You will obviously have to do a lot of practice problems and tests, but you won't need any other kind of instruction as to how to do the problems.The main reason I like this book is it gives you an actual method as to how to do each problem type. My problem wasn't that I didn't understand why the right answer was right, it was that I couldn't finish in time, so I a) had to guess on the last five problems and b) sped up and my accuracy went out the window. By using the methods in this book, I was able to cut down on time for these problems so that I now always finish with at least three minutes to spare. The methods tell you how to look at a problem, what to look for, what is a likely incorrect answer (so that when you see it you can eliminate it very quickly without being tempted), and what a correct answer looks like. The most helpful piece of advice they give is that there is an identifiable and clear correct answer out of each of the choices. By using these methods, I was able to figure out what that answer was quickly, or at least figure out what the wrong answers were quickly.The other thing to be said about this is that it is a long book. It's over 500 pages. GIVE YOURSELF ENOUGH TIME TO GET THROUGH IT. Skimming it, or just reading the methods, will not help you. You have to practice them until they become second nature. And you also have to give yourself enough time to actually get through all of the pages. I worked full time while getting through this, and I spent my lunch hour every day working through it, and was able to get through it in just over a month.You can't expect this to work miracles overnight. But if you put in the time, it will help you increase your speed and accuracy without ever having to pay for a course or tutoring. Or, it will at least give you a sense of what kinds of problems you have trouble with, and then you can get the most out of tutoring by being efficient about it and targeting your weak areas. Or even if you don't get tutoring, you will know what kinds to practice.I wasted $1000 before I picked this wonderful book up. Don't repeat my mistake. Use this as a first line of defense, and see just how far it will get you in your quest for a great LSAT score.Note: I have not gotten my official LSAT score back yet. However, I did finish both LR sections with time to spare, and in practice exams, I had consistently gotten no more than four wrong on the LR sections in the past five tests i'd taken.

The LR bible provides some great tips and can get you to where you need to be. Definitely recommend all three bibles for anyone seriously considering LSAT Prep. Make sure you don't buy the tests though that the bibles use in the practice. You want to make sure the LSAT Tests you use are authentic, and that you've never seen any of them before!

Don't expect this book to help you in any other area of the LSAT but the logic reasoning sections. ALSO, be sure to complete the whole thing and don't operate on the assumption that the first few chapters cover all possibilities. That being said, completing this book is an almost guaranteed way to improve your score in these sections (which make up half the test). This, coupled with the actual LSAT PrepTests improved my score by 15 points.

The explanations in the book are detailed and effective. So in that regard, this book is definately one I'd recommend. However, it's severely lacking in the number of problems per section. For example, in the Assumption questions section, there are a total of 6 problems at the end of the section. Unlike logic games, where you (or at least I) can work many of the same puzzles again after about a day or so, this isn't really true with the logical reasoning section; once I've done a question and gotten the answer right or wrong, that question is pretty much dead to me (if that makes sense). Adding several pages of questions would make the book bigger, but anyone concerned about the physical size of a book when taking the LSAT probably shouldn't be taking the LSAT anyway.I'd recommend also purchasing Kaplan's Mastery & Timing Practice for the LR portion of the test because it has tons of questions to practice on in each section. The explanations for the questions in the Kaplan book I just mentioned are horrible, which in turn necessitates a book like the LSAT Logical Reasoning Bible. Together they're great.Using the Powerscore Bible and Kaplan's Mastery together, I went from getting about 25% of the assumption questions right to 70%+ in about 5 hours. So buy the book; just make sure it's not the only one you buy.