LSAT Practice Test
This is a free 15-question LSAT sampler, written by the StudyPDF team. It follows the current test, which has no logic games: 12 Logical Reasoning questions covering conclusions, assumptions, strengthen, weaken, flaws, inferences and paradoxes, plus one Reading Comprehension passage with 3 questions. Answer all 15, then check your score and read why each wrong choice fails.
City planner: "Adding lanes to the highway will not reduce rush-hour traffic for long. When a road gets faster, people who used to drive at other times or on other routes start using it at rush hour, and within a few years traffic returns to its old level. So the city should spend the highway budget on public transit instead." Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main conclusion of the planner's argument?
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All 15 questions at a glance
Prefer to read before you play? Every question in the sampler is listed below. Answers and explanations stay collapsed until you open them.
1. City planner: "Adding lanes to the highway will not reduce rush-hour traffic for long. When a road gets faster, people who used to drive at other times or on other routes start using it at rush hour, and within a few years traffic returns to its old level. So the city should spend the highway budget on public transit instead." Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main conclusion of the planner's argument?
- A. Adding lanes to the highway will not reduce rush-hour traffic for long.
- B. The city should spend the highway budget on public transit.
- C. A faster road draws drivers who used to travel at other times or on other routes.
- D. Traffic on a widened road returns to its old level within a few years.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. The city should spend the highway budget on public transit.
The last sentence is what everything else supports, so it is the main conclusion. The first sentence is a tempting trap: it is a conclusion too, but an intermediate one, because it is supported by the claim about new drivers and in turn supports the transit recommendation. Ask of each claim: is it there to prove something else? If yes, it is not the main conclusion.
2. "Nora will finish the report by Friday. The report needs about twelve hours of work, and Nora has fifteen free hours between now and Friday." The argument depends on which one of the following assumptions?
- A. Nora has finished reports of this length before.
- B. The report is the most important task Nora has this week.
- C. No one else could finish the report faster than Nora.
- D. Nora will spend at least twelve of her free hours working on the report.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Nora will spend at least twelve of her free hours working on the report.
Use the negation test. If Nora will not spend at least twelve of those hours on the report, having fifteen free hours proves nothing and the argument falls apart, so the assumption is required. Negating the other choices leaves the argument standing: she may never have written such a report, it may not be her top priority, and someone else being faster does not matter.
3. A café owner found that sales rose 15 percent in the month after she replaced the café's chalk menu boards with bright digital screens. She concluded that the new screens caused the increase. Which one of the following, if true, most seriously weakens her conclusion?
- A. Customers had often said the old chalk boards were hard to read.
- B. The digital screens cost more to install than the old boards.
- C. In the same month, a large office building across the street opened and filled with new workers.
- D. Other cafés that installed digital screens also reported higher sales.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. In the same month, a large office building across the street opened and filled with new workers.
The owner assumes nothing else changed. A wave of new office workers next door is another cause that could explain the jump, which weakens the claim that the screens did it. The first and last choices actually support her, and the cost of the screens has nothing to do with what caused the sales.
4. Ecologist: "The decline of a certain frog species in our valley is due mainly to a fungal infection, not to pesticide runoff, as some have claimed." Which one of the following, if true, most strongly supports the ecologist's claim?
- A. In a nearby valley where no pesticides are used, the same species has declined just as fast, and the fungus is found there too.
- B. Pesticide use in the valley has increased steadily over the last decade.
- C. Some frog species are more resistant to pesticides than others.
- D. The fungal infection was first identified in a laboratory far from the valley.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. In a nearby valley where no pesticides are used, the same species has declined just as fast, and the fungus is found there too.
The nearby valley works like a control group: no pesticides, same fungus, same decline. That points to the fungus and away from pesticides, which is exactly what the ecologist claims. Rising pesticide use weakens the claim, and the other two choices do not bear on the cause of this decline.
5. A survey of the members of a city's cycling club found that 90 percent support building more bike lanes. "So most residents of the city support building more bike lanes." The reasoning above is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it:
- A. assumes that what is true of a group as a whole is true of each of its members
- B. confuses a condition that is necessary with one that is sufficient
- C. draws a conclusion about all residents from a group unlikely to be representative of them
- D. relies on the opinion of an authority outside the relevant field
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. draws a conclusion about all residents from a group unlikely to be representative of them
Members of a cycling club are far more likely than the average resident to want bike lanes, so the sample is biased. That is an unrepresentative sample flaw. The first choice describes a different flaw (whole to part), and nothing in the argument involves conditions or an authority.
6. "Every apartment in the Linden building that faces the river has a balcony. Some of the building's apartments with a balcony were renovated last year. None of the apartments renovated last year rents for less than $2,000 a month." If these statements are true, which one of the following must also be true?
- A. Every apartment that faces the river was renovated last year.
- B. Some apartments that face the river rent for at least $2,000 a month.
- C. No apartment without a balcony was renovated last year.
- D. Some apartments in the building with a balcony rent for at least $2,000 a month.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Some apartments in the building with a balcony rent for at least $2,000 a month.
Some balcony apartments were renovated, and every renovated apartment rents for at least $2,000, so those balcony apartments rent for at least $2,000. The river choice is the trap: river apartments have balconies, but the renovated balcony apartments might all be on the other side of the building. Nothing says only balcony apartments were renovated, either.
7. After the town of Mill Creek lowered the speed limit on its main road from 40 to 30 miles per hour, the number of reported accidents on that road went up, even though average driving speeds fell. Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy?
- A. When the limit changed, the town also installed cameras that automatically record collisions drivers used to leave unreported.
- B. Lower speeds generally make accidents less severe.
- C. Most drivers on the road live in Mill Creek.
- D. Some drivers still exceed the new speed limit.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. When the limit changed, the town also installed cameras that automatically record collisions drivers used to leave unreported.
The puzzle is more reported accidents despite slower driving. If cameras now catch collisions that used to go unreported, the count can rise even if real accidents did not, so both facts fit. Some drivers speeding does not explain a rise when average speeds fell, and the other two choices do not touch the number of reports.
8. Complete the sentence.
"A coach who benches a star player for skipping practice is like a manager who suspends a top salesperson for skipping meetings. Since the manager's decision is fair, so is the coach's." This argument proceeds by _____.
Options for blank 1: appealing to an authority, drawing an analogy, citing statistical evidence, attacking the character of an opponent
Show answer and explanation
Answer: drawing an analogy
The argument says two cases are alike and concludes that what holds for one holds for the other, which is reasoning by analogy. To attack an analogy, look for a relevant difference between the cases, for example that a sports team depends on practice in a way an office does not depend on meetings.
9. "If the museum receives the grant, it will open its new wing in the spring. The new wing will open in the spring only if construction is finished by March. Construction will not be finished by March." If these statements are true, which of the following must be true? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
- A. The new wing will not open in the spring.
- B. The museum will receive the grant but open the wing later.
- C. The museum will not receive the grant.
- D. Construction will be finished by June.
- E. The new wing will never open.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. The new wing will not open in the spring., C. The museum will not receive the grant.
Chain the rules: grant leads to a spring opening, and a spring opening requires construction by March. Construction will not be done by March, so there is no spring opening, and with no spring opening there can be no grant (the contrapositive). Nothing tells us about June or about the wing ever opening, and receiving the grant is ruled out.
10. A college found that students in its online statistics course earned the same average final exam score as students in its in-person course. The dean concluded that online teaching is just as effective as in-person teaching for statistics. Which of the following, if true, would weaken the dean's conclusion? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
- A. Both courses used the same textbook and the same final exam.
- B. Students chose their format, and the online course drew mostly students who had already passed statistics in high school.
- C. The online course has been offered for five years.
- D. Online students took the final at home without supervision, while in-person students took it in a proctored room.
- E. Many students in both courses said they enjoyed statistics.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Students chose their format, and the online course drew mostly students who had already passed statistics in high school., D. Online students took the final at home without supervision, while in-person students took it in a proctored room.
Equal scores show equal teaching only if the groups and the testing were comparable. If online students started out better prepared, equal scores suggest online teaching did less for them. If they took the exam unsupervised, their scores may be inflated. The shared textbook and exam make the comparison fairer, which supports the dean, and the other two choices are irrelevant.
11. Complete the sentence.
"Some critics say the new stadium will hurt local businesses. But on game days the stadium brings thousands of visitors, and many of them eat and shop nearby. So the stadium will most likely help local businesses." In this argument, the first sentence presents _____, and the last sentence is _____.
Options for blank 1: the main conclusion, a view the argument opposes, evidence for the conclusion, an unstated assumption
Options for blank 2: the main conclusion, a premise, a counterexample, a view the argument opposes
Show answer and explanation
Answer: a view the argument opposes, the main conclusion
The word But signals that the author is turning against the critics' view in the first sentence. The middle sentence is the evidence, and So introduces the main conclusion. Role questions reward reading the signal words: but, however and yet often mark a shift away from an opposing view, while so, thus and therefore mark a conclusion.
12. Complete the sentence.
"Passing the bar exam is necessary for practicing law in this state." It follows that anyone who practices law in this state _____ passed the bar exam.
Options for blank 1: must have, might not have, will eventually have, did not need to have
Show answer and explanation
Answer: must have
A necessary condition has to be in place for the outcome to happen, so anyone practicing law here must have passed. The common trap is reversing it: passing is not sufficient, so someone who passed is not guaranteed to be practicing. Necessary means practicing leads to passed, not passed leads to practicing.
13. Read the passage: "For decades, city planners treated street trees mainly as decoration, chosen for their looks and planted wherever space allowed. A growing body of research suggests that this view badly undervalues them. Trees shade pavement that would otherwise soak up and give off heat, and blocks with dense canopy can be noticeably cooler on summer afternoons than nearby blocks without it. Some cities have responded by setting citywide targets for canopy cover. Yet a single citywide number can hide a great deal. A city may meet its target while most new trees go to neighborhoods that already have plenty, leaving the hottest blocks, often the poorest ones, as bare as before. The more useful measure, then, is not how much canopy a city has but where it is. Planners who track canopy block by block, and who plant first where heat is worst, will get far more cooling from each tree." Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?
- A. Street trees are valued by planners mainly for their appearance.
- B. Planting trees where heat is worst, tracked block by block, cools a city more than meeting a citywide canopy target.
- C. The poorest neighborhoods in a city are always its hottest.
- D. Cities should stop setting targets for tree canopy.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Planting trees where heat is worst, tracked block by block, cools a city more than meeting a citywide canopy target.
The passage builds to the claim that where canopy is matters more than how much there is, and that block-by-block planting where heat is worst gets the most cooling. The first choice is the old view the author rejects. The third is too extreme, since the passage says the hottest blocks are often the poorest, not always. The fourth goes further than the author, who criticizes a single number but never says to drop targets.
14. Read the passage: "For decades, city planners treated street trees mainly as decoration, chosen for their looks and planted wherever space allowed. A growing body of research suggests that this view badly undervalues them. Trees shade pavement that would otherwise soak up and give off heat, and blocks with dense canopy can be noticeably cooler on summer afternoons than nearby blocks without it. Some cities have responded by setting citywide targets for canopy cover. Yet a single citywide number can hide a great deal. A city may meet its target while most new trees go to neighborhoods that already have plenty, leaving the hottest blocks, often the poorest ones, as bare as before. The more useful measure, then, is not how much canopy a city has but where it is. Planners who track canopy block by block, and who plant first where heat is worst, will get far more cooling from each tree." The sentence "Yet a single citywide number can hide a great deal" functions in the passage primarily to:
- A. introduce a limitation of the approach described just before it
- B. offer evidence that trees make neighborhoods cooler
- C. restate the view of planners that the author defends
- D. concede that the research on street trees is unreliable
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. introduce a limitation of the approach described just before it
The sentence right before it describes cities setting citywide canopy targets. Yet signals a turn, and the sentence opens the author's criticism of that approach, which the next sentence explains. It offers no evidence about cooling, and the author never questions the research.
15. Read the passage: "For decades, city planners treated street trees mainly as decoration, chosen for their looks and planted wherever space allowed. A growing body of research suggests that this view badly undervalues them. Trees shade pavement that would otherwise soak up and give off heat, and blocks with dense canopy can be noticeably cooler on summer afternoons than nearby blocks without it. Some cities have responded by setting citywide targets for canopy cover. Yet a single citywide number can hide a great deal. A city may meet its target while most new trees go to neighborhoods that already have plenty, leaving the hottest blocks, often the poorest ones, as bare as before. The more useful measure, then, is not how much canopy a city has but where it is. Planners who track canopy block by block, and who plant first where heat is worst, will get far more cooling from each tree." Which of the following statements are supported by the passage? Select all that apply.
Select all that apply.
- A. A city can meet a canopy target while its hottest blocks gain few new trees.
- B. Researchers disagree about whether trees lower street temperatures.
- C. Trees chosen for decoration provide no shade.
- D. Where a tree is planted affects how much cooling the city gets from it.
- E. Trees should be removed from wealthier neighborhoods and replanted in poorer ones.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. A city can meet a canopy target while its hottest blocks gain few new trees., D. Where a tree is planted affects how much cooling the city gets from it.
The passage says a city may meet its target while new trees go to neighborhoods that already have plenty, and that planting first where heat is worst gets more cooling from each tree. It presents the research as pointing one way, never says decorative trees give no shade, and talks about where to plant new trees, not about removing any.
What's on the LSAT in 2026
The multiple-choice LSAT has four 35-minute sections. Three are scored: two Logical Reasoning sections and one Reading Comprehension section. The fourth is an unscored variable section of either Logical Reasoning or Reading Comprehension, which LSAC uses to try out new questions, and you cannot tell which one it is. There is a 10-minute intermission between the second and third sections, and LSAC puts the whole test at about three hours for standard test takers.
The logic games are gone. Since the August 2024 test, the scored sections have been two Logical Reasoning and one Reading Comprehension, so the Analytical Reasoning section no longer appears. Older prep books and many free tests still include it, so check the date on anything you practice with.
Scores run from 120 to 180. Your raw score is the number of questions you answer correctly, and there is no deduction for wrong answers, so never leave a question blank. LSAT Argumentative Writing is separate: an online, proctored essay you take on your own computer, with 15 minutes of prewriting analysis (you can move on after 5) and 35 minutes to write. It is not scored, but it is required, and LSAC does not release your score to schools until an approved writing sample is on file. Since the August 2026 test, most people take the multiple-choice portion at a Prometric test center, and remote testing is limited to a few exceptions, so check the current rules for your test date at lsac.org.
How to use this sampler
These 15 questions mirror the scored mix in miniature: mostly Logical Reasoning, because it is two of the three scored sections, and one Reading Comprehension passage. Every stimulus and passage was written by the StudyPDF team. None is a real LSAT question or taken from an LSAC PrepTest. On the real test every question has five answer choices and exactly one right answer. Here the multiple choice questions have four, and a few items are select all that apply or fill in the blank, because those formats force you to name a skill directly: spotting the conclusion, following a conditional chain, telling a weakener from an irrelevant fact.
Take it in one sitting without notes. Before you check the answers, mark every question you were unsure about, even the ones you got right. Then do a blind review: redo the marked questions untimed and write one sentence on why your answer is right and why the strongest wrong choice is wrong. Only then read the explanations. Most LSAT progress comes from this review, not from doing more questions.
Then sort your misses by question type. Two misses on assumption and flaw questions point at the same gap, reading what an argument takes for granted. As of October 2026, LSAC offers four full official PrepTests free on LawHub, which is where your timed practice should happen once you know your weak types.
How StudyPDF builds LSAT practice from your own notes
Fifteen questions can show you which question types trip you up. They cannot replace official PrepTests for timing, and they will not keep working once you know the answers.
StudyPDF works from material you bring. Upload your notes on Logical Reasoning question types, your mistake log, slides from a prep class or photos of handwritten notes, and build quizzes and practice exams from those exact pages with the New material form. You pick the scope, the number of questions and the difficulty, for example only flaw questions or only conditional reasoning. Every question cites where it comes from. Bo, the study agent, explains any answer you got wrong, and your results feed a per-concept picture of what you know, so the next quiz aims at your weakest skills.
You do not need a document to start. If you have nothing to upload, name a topic instead, for example necessary versus sufficient conditions or weaken questions, and StudyPDF sets up the key concepts so you can quiz yourself on them. Starting is free, and the free plan covers about four new materials a week. Every question on this page was written by the StudyPDF team, none is taken from an LSAC PrepTest, and StudyPDF is not affiliated with LSAC.
Written by the StudyPDF team. Last updated 2026-08-19.