LG Books Compatible with 7Sage?

tmgomez2

Hey All,
The short question is: are any LG books compatible with the 7Sage LG method and/or categories?

The longer question is: I'm an imbecile at LG's. Like really, really bad. I have always tested low on any spatial reasoning stuff and I feel like LGs are kicking my butt. I can logic myself to the right answers most of the time, I've gotten straight 100% on some drill sets I've done, but one game can easily take me half an hour so I know I'm not doing it "right." I'm not seeing all the inferences I should be at the outset, or not setting up the diagram efficiently.

I'm probably going to purchase the 7Sage Starter, because I simply can't afford more than that, but since I'm likely (barring a miracle) testing in September I probably will not buy the curriculum just yet. I work as a substitute during the day, so I can read books easily, but can't easily watch videos or read explanations online, so I'm saving buying the curriculum until I leave school in late June and can use it all day everyday : )

What books can I study now that are compatible with the methods I'll eventually learn through 7Sage? I own the PowerScore LGB and am working my way through that, but every time I've watched video explanations for the questions, it seems like they make it a lot more difficult than J.Y. does, and sometimes even categorize their games differently. Are any other LG books out there closer to his methods?

Thanks!

Colin1485

LG is tricky! Grouping games are kicking my butt at the moment.
Use the 7sage fool proof method of learning games and you will see a significant improvement after a couple months. Many of the games are the same situation, just mixed around but you start to recognize inferences more - also recognize game types more. I'd recommend also checking out The lsat trainer from mike kim. The book seems to flow well with the 7sage course. Also purchase the "10 actual, official lsat prep test" books - buy 3 of them (from 42 to 71); eventually you are going to have to work through all the exams and fool proof them all. After that, some of the newer prep tests.

Currently in the process of doing that - Have seen tremendous gain. (avg. high 150s/low 160s) Still a couple months out from my test date but I hope to be in the mid 160s for the test.. Started with a 145. Been at it since late November of last year.. Learning strengths and weaknesses, using good skipping strategy has helped me too.

Good luck!

BinghamtonDave

There are several broad aspects necessary for success on LG. I will outline what I see as a few of those aspects in this post and then offer my recommendations at the bottom of where I think you should go from here.

1. You are going to want to look at some games and try to get a sense of what it is you are supposed to do. Are you putting things into groups? Are you ordering elements in some way? Are you deciding what element is in a certain group and what element is not in that group? The way we begin to recognize what it is we are supposed to be doing on a very general level is by relating the game in front of us to a game we have previously done. My first recommendation would be to start working slowly through some very easy games. This step is broadly called drilling and most people find success by drilling games from the first 35 PrepTests available. Because I started not having any clue whatsoever about games myself: I drilled games from Preptests 1-49. The only caveat I would recommend here is not to expand this drilling list too far, because you are going to want to save fresh tests for a later phase in your development. If you need a list of some really really easy games, don't hesitate to reach out.

2.Next you are going to want to get proficient in conditional logic as well as how rules repeat themselves. You are not going to want to leave any stone unturned in this regard. Fluency in the language of logic the rules of a game are written in is our Rosetta Stone to eventual success on games. You can obtain a great understanding of logic in which games are written through the starter package's access to the core curriculum. Again, drilling games and experience with previous games builds up your skills in this regard. You might also want to check out Mike Kim's The LSAT Trainer.

3.Next you are going to want to make sure you can understand what it is you are being asked to do on each game generally and how to read and translate the rules. This is because this stage is where you want to begin building a recognition of reoccurring inferences: the things games do over and over again. These can be small things that make your job of answering a single question easier to an inference that can basically crack a whole game. I will give you an example that might be helpful. Say we are putting race cars in the order in which they finished a race: 1st through 5th. And we know from our rules that two drivers finished after Kevin Harvick Give that information, can Kevin Harvick be in 4th place? Can he be in 5th place?
No, he can't, because that would force the people after him off the board of 5 and we can't do that. The point of this example is to build an understanding of these reoccurring inferences: rules often tell you something both explicitly and implicitly. Feel free to reach out if you have any trouble with a possible inference.

4.Next, you are going to want to get really good at figuring out what questions are actually asking you. What exactly does a MBT except mean? What are the 4 answers going to be and what will our 1 (correct) answer going to be? Get really, really good at what questions are asking you. If the question asks for a MBT, then you should be able to see the CBT answer choices and the MBF answer choices.

5.Once you have gotten comfortable with the above, via a process of study and fool proofing, you will be ready to move into the timed portion of your studies.

I would absolutely purchase the starter, I would review the core lessons daily, I would do the drills and I would focus on games at least once per day. I would also consider The LSAT Trainer book. and don't forget the 7Sage videos for precise games. Feel free to reach out with any additional questions.

I hope this helps
David

BinghamtonDave

I should add that I started not being able to really answer a single question on LG correctly. I started somewhere at about -22/-21. Through a process that largely mirrors what 7Sages teaches and how I have adapted those lessons to fit my needs, I am now at an honest -0/-1 and never beyond a -2. There are many, many more steps that are foundational to reach the level of a -0/-1, but the above is where I personally would start.

I should also note that the above strategy is not a panacea, as you shall see there are games that might allude a traditional set up etc. We must build our foundations before we develop a plan of attack for these games in my estimation.

David

rafaelito

I see great advice above so I will just tell you my experience. I also started totally clueless on the games section before 7sage and eventually the Trainer. I would draw random insane (and ugly) diagrams and get maybe 10 right. I answered all the questions by creating a new world for each answer choice. Now that is a strategy I hardly if ever employ and I recently went -0 for the first time on a PT. My average is -3 I think. Some of the atypical games still give me a hard time.

Anyway, I did the 7sage course and then I read the Trainer which I highly recommend. Lots of people who use 7sage recommend it. I found the Trainer particularly helpful with logic games even though it's most typically praised for its RC section. I found it helpful for two main reasons. First, I learn really well by reading and unlike 7sage it is a book. Since you mentioned being able to read that might be something worth considering. Secondly, it allowed me to develop generic symbols, setups, and strategies that I use over and over again. It talks about the two most frequent different types of questions and how to approach them. MBT/MBF and CBT/CBF. The first ones you hunt for the right answer. The second type you have to eliminate but you learn ways to be quicker about elimination. It has little drills that you can use to habitualize your usage of certain symbols. I also became more strategic about where I draw my rules (very close to the gameboard). I also learned that for me it is better to be sparse with what I have on the gameboard. So I don't write 1-2-3-4-5-6 under the slots for sequencing games for example. I also don't list the rules. I just diagram them. It also taught me to read the whole game and the rules before starting to diagram (it explains the benefits of that).

I'll stop right there so I don't get into too many specifics but basically the 7sage course introduced me to games and the way to think about how to answer the questions. The Trainer honed my skills, developed further my broad conceptual understanding, and taught me some strategies.

I also have the Manhattan bundles of games that I used to use a lot more before I moved to the later PTs. Those are really good for practice without burning too much material.

One disclaimer. I am not sure how much I would have gained from the Trainer had I not completed the 7sage course first. It could have been better, worse, or had zero effect. Together, they complemented each other well for me. I know you don't have that much time and doing both probably wouldn't work unless you postpone a year. If you learn from reading then maybe the Trainer would be good.

tmgomez2

You all are SO helpful! I was feeling discouraged and now have actually been excited again to attack LG. Thank you so much.

Due to the wonderful advice I ordered the Trainer and am soon going to dive into it. Since I have Powerscore's LGB and I'm already more than halfway through, I'm going to finish that out quickly in a skimming sort of way----taking notes and doing the exercises but not beating myself up too much if an approach they suggest doesn't feel intuitive.

I have the earliest PT books (7-39 with those random exceptions) and I've made some lists using the 7Sage question bank by type/difficulty so I can do some practice drills, which I'm planning on doing daily, while I work through reading the content.

I will probably purchase the starter a bit earlier than I originally planned--I noticed now that the access can be extended beyond 3 months with little extra cost--but it probably still won't be until after I get through the Trainer just because logistically it is a lot easier for me to read than to watch video right now.