Struggling with basic logic games...any tips?

lizpil

Hi everyone,

I just started the logic games curriculum and I'm so confused. I under stand the basic principles of diagramming and the rules, but I look at the questions and I just don't know what the first step it, or any step is. Any help would be great!

Thanks!

NotMyName

Hi lizpil! You're not alone. LG has always been my weakest area. When I first started studying, I was missing around -16 under timed conditions. Now I miss between 4-6 after having foolproofed a nice chunk of PTs 1-35. I think my experience is fairly common.

LG is the most learnable section but I've found the progress to be grueling. It really takes time to internalize the habits needed to perform when the clock is ticking. It's sounds like you understand the basic fundamentals -- great! Keep working the games over and over again to shift your understanding from "basic" to "mastery". That is the only way to increase speed.

I suggest continuing to work through the curriculum but dedicate 1 day per week to foolproofing a game. Check out this method for foolproofing (it has become the standard in this community) https://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/2737/logic-games-attack-strategy

When you repeat games, focus on the correct approach more than getting the correct answer. Keep track of inferences you missed or mistakes made while in the questions. Check out my list here: https://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/11453/sharing-my-personal-lg-best-practices

It is interesting that you problem seems to lie with the questions and not the setup. My issue has usually been the reverse and if I got my setup then the questions breezed by. In your case, I am inclined to think it is truly just gaining some comfort in games and the only way to do that is by repetition and studying your shortcomings.

Good luck!

goingfor99th

mreehh

LSATcantwin

The single biggest thing for me was learning to see how rules interact. There are "hidden" rules so to speak, within most games. Also keep in mind where each piece of the game stands. Has it already been used? What variables are left to be used? Some tips from my standpoint,

• Try and find the variable that is most restricted. Many times an entire game will depend on that one hinge variable.
  Example: 1.) X goes before Y.
  2.) X can only go on the first or last day.
  3.) X is right before or right after B.
  From this we see that X has to go first and B has to go second. (X can't go last because it goes before Y. X has to go first and B has to be right next to it)

• Look at both the positive AND the negative side of the interactions. By this, especially in In/Out type games, if a variable has been placed into the game by a question what now CANNOT happen because of it?
  Example: 1.) A can only go if B goes.
  2.) B can not go with C.
  Q: If A goes which of the following can be true?
  Obviously here if A goes, then B is in also. What we also need to keep track of is that C is no longer allowed in because of the combination of the first two rules.

Learning to see how rules connect and interact is extremely important for games. Think of logic games as dominoes. Each rule is stacked up, and by plugging one thing in, they all fall into place.

• Also get use to the different questions they ask. I can predict almost every question that is coming my way on a logic game. During my set up, I design it to be accessible for these kinds of questions. That way the rule is already on the board for me to play with.
  Example: 1.) A or B goes on day 2
  2.) A can not go on day 3

       - On day 2 write: A/B
       - Under day 3 write: /A
  

Obviously there are a lot more tricks and tips. These are some of the important ones I feel help me attack the questions more efficiently. Of course the BIGGEST tip I can give you is repetition.

Right now I have done so many games, I can't even tell them apart any more. They blend in and the inferences, rules, questions, and answers REPEAT ALL THE TIME!

lizpil

This is is go great. Thank you so much everyone!

Alex

I think a big thing is that you just started. Having a bit of trouble now as you're learning seems very common.

I really like what every poster above wrote. It seems like @jkatz1488 and I have a similar LG background.

Many LG questions are cookie cutter. They're just asking you to make inferences.
Really work on and practice your deductive reasoning (inference making skills), each game has a game breaking inference that you will need to make in order to finish the games quickly and do well on the section. This generally will come with more time and practice.

fmihalic2

I won't add any advice because you've gotten a ton of great advice above. If it helps, when I first started doing basic one layer sequencing games they would take me like 15 minutes (on a good day) and I'd still get some wrong! My problem was that I wasn't really MEMORIZING the rules and thinking about how they interact with one another. I think that's a skill and it takes time. Rome was not built in a day and neither will your -0 games score be built in a day, but months.

I used to be so scared of games, all of them! I remember sitting in the library thinking that I may have some sort of intelligence deficiency...it's all part of the journey.

goingfor99th

Don't worry about timing yourself for a while, either. When I started on logic games, I didn't time myself until I started to gain confidence in my approach. I found the timer, even if it was just running time and not a countdown, was counterproductive to my thought process. I'd often focus on how much time had elapsed, which would naturally distract me from my game. Timing is best treated as a late-stage development for most people, as it was for me. Of the 10 months I've put into the LSAT so far, I've only focused heavily on timing for about 2 to 3.