Challenging Vocabulary on the LSAT
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No matter who you are and what kind of spelling bees you’ve won, you’re likely to encounter some new, challenging vocabulary on the LSAT. The test encompasses such a broad range of topics, from the feeding habits of dung beetles to Greek philosophy, that you’re bound to encounter a passage where it feels like you’re reading a foreign language. As a result, students often ask me what type of vocabulary they should study to prepare for the LSAT.
I answer by telling them there are two types of vocabulary on the LSAT: content vocab and academic vocabulary. Content vocabulary words are the dung beetle words. They have to do with the topic of the passage or question, and are likely to vary greatly from question to question. It’s not worthwhile to keep a running vocabulary list of all the new species of insect you’ve learned while studying for the LSAT. However, if you find that a certain content area (like science or economics) tends to bog you down, you can definitely make that topic feel more comfortable by reading more of it. For example, if science passages on the LSAT are tough for you, read more of them, but also find a scientific journal that you can read on the side for “fun.” Doing so will help you see the way scientific writers to tend to lay out their ideas and the common vocabulary that tends to come up across scientific texts.
Academic vocabulary, on the other hand, is something that you can study through old-fashioned lists and flashcards. Academic vocabulary includes words like “phenomenon”—they tend to represent abstract concepts and could be used to discuss any topic, from chameleons to literature. Many of these words recur on the LSAT, so if you encounter one that’s new for you, it can be helpful to look up its meaning, find an example, and write it down for future use.
To help you get started, I’ve compiled a list of some common academic vocabulary that tends to appear on the Logical Reasoning section of the test.
- Necessary/sufficient/insufficient: Necessary means that a statement is required for an argument to be valid. Sufficient means that a statement is enough for an argument to be true. The LSAT often tests whether you know the difference, both in question stems and in answer choices.
- Generalization/principle: These words indicate a broader, more abstract statement. For example, let’s take the statement that my dog, Hunter, is high energy and therefore he needs to exercise. A generalization from that might be that high energy animals need exercise; a principle might be that if an animal is high energy, it needs exercise.
- Example, counterexample, and analogy: An example is a specific instance of a more general idea or argument. If I am trying to argue that dogs are the best pets, an example would be that my dog is a great pet because he listens well. A counterexample would be that my neighbor’s dog is a terrible pet because he bites. An analogy, though, would bring in a comparison to something unrelated to the topic at hand. For example, someone might say that the best pets are like great movies because they distract you from life’s problems.
- Validity, representative sample, unreliable: These words all describe statistical or scientific studies or conclusions. If something is valid, on the LSAT that means it follows from the evidence or logic given. If something is a representative sample, it is a smaller group that reflects the characteristics of the broader group it was drawn from. And if something is reliable, it holds up in repeated tests over time.
- Phenomenon, development, occurrences: These are all generic terms that the LSAT uses to describe something that happens. There’s not a huge difference between them. Don’t let them intimidate you.
- Ambiguous: This means that something could have more than one meaning or is unclear. It’s often used for words in an argument that could have more than one meaning.
- Spurious/fallacy: Both of these words refer to arguments or conclusions that are invalid or untrue.
Hopefully, these words give you an idea of the type of vocabulary on the LSAT that’s worth learning in order to prepare for the test. The best way to figure out what words to learn is to hone in on words that seem to crop up frequently in question stems or answer choices, and that hold you back from selecting the correct answer because you’re not confident about what they mean. Keep that list handy so the next time you encounter the word, you can refer to it if needed. ?
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Allison Bell is a Manhattan Prep Instructor who lives in the Washington, DC metro area. Allison first encountered the LSAT while getting her Bachelor of Arts in English and history at Duke University. In college, she scored a 178 and very nearly applied to law school. In the end, she followed her true passion, teaching. Allison currently has the pleasure of being an eighth grade English teacher in Northern Virginia. As an LSAT teacher, she has the opportunity to blend her love for teaching with her passion for logical argument. Check out Allison’s upcoming LSAT Complete Courses here.