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Air Date
Length 01:17:49

LSAT Podcast Episode 26: Flaw in the Reasoning Questions: Common Flaws (Part II)

In Episode 26, Jon and Dave continue their exploration of common flaws, focusing on Straw Man attacks, Appeal Fallacies, and the ever-present Survey Errors that so often beguile test takers.


Episode Timestamps:

0:00 – Intro. Jon and Dave pour their drinks of the week: for Dave, a delicious Melon Ball, and for Jon a thoroughly pedestrian Tequila and soda. The guys also take a cue from “Sabotage” by Beastie Boys for this week’s theme song.

4:02 – This week in the LSAT world. A quick rundown of fall LSAT registration timelines and test center capacity information. Space is variable and some centers are at capacity so register now for the LSAT you plan on taking!

Logical Reasoning Flaws

6:48 – A quick note about Part I (episode available here), and a reminder that this episode is a continuation of the reason flaws often seen in the Logical Reasoning section.

8:18 – Straw Man. One of the more visually appealing flaw names, a Straw Man error typically occurs when one speaker remakes the argument of another, making it weaker and easier to attack in the process. It’s a tactic often used by children and politicians’, and occasionally LSAT speakers. The most famous example? PT7, LR2, #9.

23:21 – Appeal Fallacies. Jon and Dave talk about the three most commonly applied appeal fallacies on the LSAT: Appeal to Authority, Appeal to Popular Opinion/Numbers, and Appeal to Emotion. Is it an appealing discussion? We’ll let you decide.

49:00 – Survey Errors. How to react to three different types of Survey Errors found on the LSAT: the survey uses a biased sample, the survey questions are improperly constructed, and respondents to the survey give inaccurate responses. And Dave wants to remind everyone that the appearance of a survey in a problem doesn’t mean the question is flawed; the results of surveys that are conducted in a proper and valid manner are considered acceptable by the makers of the LSAT.

1:16:29 – Outro. Email any feedback or requests for future topics to lsatpodcast@powerscore.com. See you next week for part 3 of our Flaw discussion!