LSAT Point at Issue

What It Is

Point at Issue questions present a dialogue between two speakers and ask you to identify what they actually disagree about. The correct answer must be something that one speaker would affirm and the other would deny.

How to Identify the Question Type

• The dialogue above provides the most support for the claim that the two speakers disagree about...
• The speakers disagree over whether...
• The point at issue between the two speakers is...

The Two-Speaker Test

For each answer choice, ask: (1) Does speaker A have a clear position on this? (2) Does speaker B have a clear position on this? (3) Are their positions opposed? If any one of these is no, eliminate the answer. The correct answer requires a yes to all three.

Example Problem

Speaker A: 'Remote work increases productivity -- our team's output rose 20% after going remote.' Speaker B: 'The output increase happened because we hired three experienced engineers that month, not because of remote work.' Point at Issue: Whether the output increase was caused by remote work. A says yes; B says no.

Common Wrong Answer Traps

• Answers about topics only one speaker addresses -- the other speaker must also have a position
• Answers where both speakers actually agree (a common misdirection)
• Answers that are related to the topic but not the actual point of disagreement

Top Tips

• Always apply the two-speaker test to every answer choice
• The speakers' actual positions must be identifiable from the text -- do not infer beyond what they state
• Wrong answers often involve topics adjacent to the disagreement but not the disagreement itself