In a conditional statement P → Q, the necessary condition is the requirement (Q) — the term that must be true whenever the sufficient condition is met. A necessary condition must be true for the result to occur, but its presence alone does not guarantee the result; other necessary conditions may also need to be satisfied. Denying a necessary condition validly forces the denial of the sufficient (Modus Tollens, the contrapositive). Mistaking a necessary condition for a sufficient one ("a 3.5 GPA is required for honors admission, so Jennifer's 3.8 guarantees admission") is a classic LSAT flaw.