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Averages, Percentages, and Math!!(no offense to math majors)

GraceloverGracelover Alum Member
edited May 2014 in General 440 karma
Non-math major here. So I found out that one of my biggest weaknesses in LR questions is the question type which deals with percentages and averages. I always sucked at math and thinking in terms of percentages and averages does not come naturally to me. Should I break out a math book and review? What do you guys do?
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  • JohnDenverJohnDenver Alum Member
    34 karma
    Computer Science major here. No. I have not come across a problem yet where math is an important skill. If you know what numbers are bigger than others you should be fine. Just make sure that you are familiar with major terms, like what an average is.

    So far I have realized that the LSAT does not rely on a lot of external knowledge. They make the test like that on purpose.
  • AlenaLSATAlenaLSAT Alum Member
    edited May 2014 182 karma
    Those type of questions are usually directed at testing if you understand that numbers and % need to be viewed in a bigger context to qualify as adequate evidence for a conclusion. For instance, profit from sales of product A increased 25% and from sales of product B it increased 50%, so more profit was made on product B was then on product A. Those numbers sort of trap your mind to buy the argument. However, as it is the evidence is not sufficient, since you need to know much more than that to make the conclusion. So, on these type of questions, you really don't need to know math that much, just to understand the concept that % and numbers need to be put in a bigger context to be reliable.
  • Llaima01Llaima01 Free Trial Member
    230 karma
    Dukeag,
    If you would like an excellent resource that puts all of these issues into real context, I recommend reading "How to Lie with Statistics". It is a very short read (will take you an afternoon to complete it, if that). It was written in 1954 but it is very relevant to the LSAT ( and current news reporting). Some of the examples the author presents are exactly what you see in LR. I downloaded it to my tablet for $7.99. Not all chapters are relevant (there is one about graphs) but some are right on: built-in bias, how an average is chosen but does not mean anything or is misused, how data stating that driving during off-peak hours do not really point to safer driving conditions, etc, etc. Easy read, cool old-fashioned illustrations, and it makes you a lot more confident about those stats-related LSAT questions!
  • -deactivated--deactivated- Alum Member
    10 karma
    Llaima01, thanks a lot, great read! The text notes a lot of examples of flaws, causation, resolve-reconcile and numbers and percentages. Offers a different perspective on catching flaws surrounding stats. If you know of any other resources, please post!
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