On the LSAT you will often encounter the terms “either, or” in both logical reasoning and analytical reasoning (logic games) questions.
What exactly does “either, or” mean?
When you’re mother asks if you would like cake or pie for dessert she probably means one or the other, but not both. Well the LSAT is not your mother, and in this rare instance the LSAT actually gives you more. You get to have either cake or pie OR BOTH!
Whenever you see “either A or B” on the LSAT it means you have have A or B or both A & B.
What about just OR?
Or works the same as either or. So A or B means A or B or both.
The exception!
Sometimes an LSAT question will specify that you have “either A or B, but not both.” Obviously in this case you cannot have both. This just gives you either A or B.
Learn more in our LSAT Prep Course.
Greg Smith
Greg took the LSAT in 2002 receiving a high score that got him into the law school of his choice. This led him to teach LSAT classes while attending law school at the University of British Columbia and continued teaching while practicing law with top international law firms Borden Ladner Gervais LLP and later Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP, in the area of Securities and Capital Markets. Read more
