Working on Conditionals - Weakness

[leslie7]

Hi there! I just finished doing a grouping game in chapter five p 352 (game 2 june 1997 lsat q 1-7)

I finished this game much quicker than I have previous games and I have just noticed that this game did not have any conditionals in it. There were just three tables and the seating of people - not only did I get through this quicker but I also got them all correct.

I guess with this I just realized that my true weakness is conditionals.

Do you guys have tips on how to practice these or exercises you can think of to get better at them/help me understand them better/?

Thanks a million (finally feeling a little good that I was able to do one question so far that I felt like I understood)

[Dave Killoran]

Hi Leslie,

If you are seeking true mastery of conditionals, then I'd suggest working on not only the conditional reasoning of the Logical Reasoning Bible (yes, different section!) but also the Formal Logic chapter in the LRB. Anyone who can master Formal Logic has to be a master of conditional reasoning, since that's the base of it all. And, it helps to think about conditionality beyond just variables (as in LG) and onto the higher plane of reasoning in general.

I'd also suggest looking at posts I've made here about conditionals, the many posts on our blog, as well as our podcast episodes about conditional reasoning. We talk about it a lot, anywhere LSAT questions come up for discussion!

Thanks!

[leslie7]

Hi Dave,

Thank you so much for this reply I really appreciate it. I'm on chapter five of LGB and I've been going in the order of suggested schedule for my readings/studying. Since I know I'm having a hard time with this would you suggest that I just jump to those sections instead?

[KelseyWoods]

Hi Leslie!

The chapters on conditional reasoning and formal logic that Dave is referring to are in the Logical Reasoning Bible. If you haven't covered the conditional reasoning chapter in the LRB yet, I would definitely recommend that you cover it soon. If you've already covered it, review it and then look at the formal logic chapter. Getting a good handle on conditional reasoning is something you want to make happen sooner rather than later as it comes up in several question types and games!

Hope this helps!

Best,
Kelsey