I voted yes - but there is a catch....4 times is kind of a lot. I reread it twice. Once while I diagram and the second time to make sure I didn't mess up a rule/miss something.
The thing I've noticed is that if you are efficient at LG, and have done them a lot, the game itself will eventually tell you if you snubbed a rule. There have been times I get to question 3-4 and eliminate all the AC and say to myself "WTF?" This is almost a guaranteed sign that I messed a rule up.
Reading it 4 times, and trying to memorize every individual rule seems like a burden. Especially for 4 games during a section.
@LSATcantwin said:
Reading it 4 times, and trying to memorize every individual rule seems like a burden. Especially for 4 games during a section.
I agree with @LSATcantwin . Reading the rules that many times does seem like a lot, maybe do it for a harder game, but for something like an easy one layer sequencing game I would save my time. It may be worth reading them all before writing anything down, and then reread/write down the rules. After you've written them down, I would say try to memorize your visual representation of the rule as opposed to the convoluted/poorly written/trap/stupid English the LSAT uses.
I don't know if I'd phrase my approach like Graeme did but in general his approach seems fine. I definitely force myself to read the stimulus and rules before writing anything down. I find it helpful to get a picture or visualization in my head of what the game is and how I'm going to organize it. Beyond that how many times I go back to the rules/stimulus, if at all, can vary depending on the game. I think after being solid on the set up the next most important thing is pushing the rules together to make inferences. Inferences are really what help you crack open games in my opinion. So "memorize the rules" seems like rigid advice that doesn't address the true importance of the rules which is to push out these inferences. But if what he means by memorization is a solid understanding of how the rules work and what their possible chain of reaction, then yes.
Like most Lsat advice this might be helpful for some people, but I think that this would be an inefficient and overwhelming method for most people. My opinion is that you read the actual written rules twice. Once to diagram them (diagram rule by rule- don't try to read all the rules and then diagram from memory), and a second time for acceptable situation questions. HOWEVER, although you're not reading the written rules four times, you should be diagramming and thinking about the rules as you are diagramming as well as going through your diagrammed rules after you're finished diagramming while looking for deductions. If you diagram properly, I don't believe it efficient to read the rules again. Remember, time is of the essence and if you can shave off an extra 30 second to a minute off of each game by not reading the written rules extra times (2-4 minutes total) I believe that it's an absolute game changer (no pun intended). Good luck to you all!
Comments
I voted yes - but there is a catch....4 times is kind of a lot. I reread it twice. Once while I diagram and the second time to make sure I didn't mess up a rule/miss something.
The thing I've noticed is that if you are efficient at LG, and have done them a lot, the game itself will eventually tell you if you snubbed a rule. There have been times I get to question 3-4 and eliminate all the AC and say to myself "WTF?" This is almost a guaranteed sign that I messed a rule up.
Reading it 4 times, and trying to memorize every individual rule seems like a burden. Especially for 4 games during a section.
I agree with @LSATcantwin . Reading the rules that many times does seem like a lot, maybe do it for a harder game, but for something like an easy one layer sequencing game I would save my time. It may be worth reading them all before writing anything down, and then reread/write down the rules. After you've written them down, I would say try to memorize your visual representation of the rule as opposed to the convoluted/poorly written/trap/stupid English the LSAT uses.
I don't know if I'd phrase my approach like Graeme did but in general his approach seems fine. I definitely force myself to read the stimulus and rules before writing anything down. I find it helpful to get a picture or visualization in my head of what the game is and how I'm going to organize it. Beyond that how many times I go back to the rules/stimulus, if at all, can vary depending on the game. I think after being solid on the set up the next most important thing is pushing the rules together to make inferences. Inferences are really what help you crack open games in my opinion. So "memorize the rules" seems like rigid advice that doesn't address the true importance of the rules which is to push out these inferences. But if what he means by memorization is a solid understanding of how the rules work and what their possible chain of reaction, then yes.
Like most Lsat advice this might be helpful for some people, but I think that this would be an inefficient and overwhelming method for most people. My opinion is that you read the actual written rules twice. Once to diagram them (diagram rule by rule- don't try to read all the rules and then diagram from memory), and a second time for acceptable situation questions. HOWEVER, although you're not reading the written rules four times, you should be diagramming and thinking about the rules as you are diagramming as well as going through your diagrammed rules after you're finished diagramming while looking for deductions. If you diagram properly, I don't believe it efficient to read the rules again. Remember, time is of the essence and if you can shave off an extra 30 second to a minute off of each game by not reading the written rules extra times (2-4 minutes total) I believe that it's an absolute game changer (no pun intended). Good luck to you all!