# 🐝 LSAT Logical Reasoning Cheat Sheet

The Burton Method Quick Reference

## 📦 Every LR Question Has Two Parts

Part | What It Is | Your Job
--- | --- | ---
Stimulus | The short paragraph | Find the conclusion + premises
Question Stem | The actual task | Know what they’re asking

## 🎯 Question Type Quick Guide

### MUST-KNOW QUESTION TYPES

Type | What They Ask | Your Move
--- | --- | ---
Main Conclusion | “What’s the main point?” | Find the claim everything supports
Weaken | “What hurts this argument?” | Attack the assumption
Strengthen | “What helps this argument?” | Support the assumption
Flaw | “What’s wrong with this logic?” | Name the reasoning error
Assumption | “What must be true for this to work?” | Find the hidden link
Inference | “What must be true based on this?” | Stay close to the text
Parallel | “Which argument uses similar logic?” | Match the structure

## 🧠 The “Just Because… Doesn’t Mean…” Test

Use this for EVERY argument:

> “Just because [PREMISE]… doesn’t mean [CONCLUSION].”

If that sounds like a fair criticism → you’ve found the assumption.

Example: - Premise: “Coffee drinkers perform better on tests” - Conclusion: “Law students should drink more coffee” - Test: “Just because coffee helps test performance… doesn’t mean it’ll help law students specifically.”

## 🔍 Conclusion Indicator Words

These usually signal the main point:

Word | Example
--- | ---
Therefore | “Therefore, we should invest.”
Thus | “Thus, the plan will fail.”
So | “So it follows that…”
Hence | “Hence the conclusion.”
Consequently | “Consequently, action is needed.”
It follows that | “It follows that X is true.”

## 🔍 Premise Indicator Words

These usually signal support:

Word | Example
--- | ---
Because | “Because sales dropped…”
Since | “Since the data shows…”
Given that | “Given that X occurred…”
For | “For the study revealed…”
Due to | “Due to budget cuts…”
As | “As the evidence indicates…”

## ⚠️ Common Flaw Types

Flaw | Plain English
--- | ---
Causation ≠ Correlation | “They happened together, so one caused the other” (nope)
Overgeneralization | “It worked once, so it always will” (nope)
Necessary vs Sufficient | “It’s required, so it’s enough” (nope)
Ad Hominem | “You’re wrong because you’re biased” (attacks person, not argument)
Circular Reasoning | “It’s true because it’s true” (no real support)
Sampling Error | “This small group did X, so everyone does” (unrepresentative)
Equivocation | “This word means one thing here, another there” (slippery terms)

## ⏱️ Timing Strategy

Phase | Time | Goal
--- | --- | ---
Questions 1-10 | ~12 min | Bank time (these are easier)
Questions 11-20 | ~15 min | Stay steady
Questions 21-26 | ~8 min | Don’t panic, make educated guesses

Rule: Never spend more than 2 minutes on one question. Flag and move.

## 🎯 Burton Power Moves

### For Weaken Questions:

1. Find the conclusion
2. Identify the assumption
3. Predict: “What could make this less likely?”
4. Match your prediction

### For Strengthen Questions:

1. Find the conclusion
2. Identify the assumption
3. Predict: “What could make this MORE likely?”
4. Match your prediction

### For Flaw Questions:

1. Find the conclusion
2. Spot the logical leap
3. Name it in plain English
4. Match your description (even if wording is abstract)

### For Inference Questions:

1. NO conclusion to find — just facts
2. Stay CLOSE to the text
3. Avoid extreme answers (“always”, “never”, “all”)
4. The right answer MUST be true

## 🚫 Wrong Answer Traps

Trap | What It Looks Like
--- | ---
Too Extreme | “All,” “never,” “always,” “impossible”
Out of Scope | Introduces new concepts not in stimulus
Reverses Logic | Gets the direction backwards
Irrelevant | True statement, but doesn’t answer the question
Half Right | Starts good, ends bad

## 💡 When You’re Stuck

1. Re-read the question stem — make sure you know the TASK
2. Re-identify the conclusion — are you sure?
3. Eliminate obviously wrong answers
4. Between two answers? Pick the one closer to the stimulus
5. Flag and move — don’t waste time

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