Time Management and Guessing Strategy Help Area

The Answer Choices and Answer Transferring Theories

LSAT Guessing Strategy and Probability Tables

The Importance of Using a Timer

Guessing Strategy and Probability Tables

Do not guess randomly!

Because the LSAT does not assess a scoring penalty for incorrect answer choices, you should always guess on every question that you cannot complete during the allotted time. However, because some answer choices are more likely to occur than others, you should not guess randomly. The following tables summarize which answer choices have occurred most frequently over the years.

LSAT Answer Choice Probabilities
		A#	A%		B#	B%		C#	C%		D#	D%		E#	E%		Total #
LR		526	18.3%		598	20.8%		587	20.4%		619	21.5%		543	18.9%		2873
RC		301	19.6%		310	20.2%		303	19.8%		336	21.9%		283	18.5%		1533
LG		261	19.5%		270	20.2%		263	19.7%		271	20.3%		273	20.4%		1338
Total		1088	18.9%		1178	20.5%		1153	20.1%		1226	21.3%		1099	19.1%		5744
All Answer Choices June 1991 - September 2007*

The table above documents the percentage each answer choice appeared as a percentage of all LSAT answer choices between June 1991 and September 2007 inclusive. If history holds, when guessing on the LSAT, in all sections you would be best served by always guessing answer choice (D). Do not choose random answer choices; do not put in a pattern such as A-B-C-D-E etcetera. Although guessing answer choice (D) does not guarantee you will get the questions correct, if history is an indicator then guessing answer choice (D) gives you a better chance than guessing randomly.

Last Five Answer Choices Per Section June 1991 - September 2007*
		A#	A%		B#	B%		C#	C%		D#	D%		E#	E%		T#
LR		85	14.9%		104	18.2%		111	19.5%		133	23.3%		137	24.0%		570
RC		52	18.2%		60	21.1%		55	19.3%		64	22.5%		54	18.9%		285
LG		69	24.2%		55	19.3%		52	18.2%		56	19.6%		53	18.6%		285
Total		206	18.1%		219	19.2%		218	19.1%		253	22.2%		244	21.4%		1140
*These statistics do not include the unreleased February 1998, February 2001, February 2002, February 2003, February 2004, February 2005, February 2006, and February 2007 LSAT administrations.

As the second table indicates, if you cannot finish the final questions in a section, in the Logical Reasoning section you should always guess answer choice (E). In the Reading Comprehension section you should always guess answer choice (D), and in the Logic Games section you should guess (A).

Please keep in mind that the strategies discussed above hold only for pure guessing. If you are attempting to choose between two answer choices, do not choose on the basis of statistics alone!

On a related note, if you are a strong test taker who correctly answers most questions but occasionally does not finish a section, quickly review the answer choices you have previously selected and use the answer that appears least as your guessing answer choice. For example, if you have completed twenty questions in a section, and your answer sheet contains a majority of (A)’s, (B)’s, (C)’s, and (E)’s, guess answer choice (D) for all of the remaining questions.