How to get better (faster) at decision making during LG??

10bird__

I'm taking the Sept exam and was wondering how I can get better at deciding whether to split the game board, solve by brute force or just make a basic diagram and move on to the questions. I usually rush towards the end because I spend too much time trying to split the game board or too little time making inferences. How do you guys approach different problem sets? I kind of have to get -0 in order to get the score I need...

LSATcantwin

The answer that's most accurate but probably the least useful to you right now; practice.

This is just something that comes with time, and experience. It's also different per person. I for one almost never split a game board. Unless the rules are so restrictive that only two possible outcomes are left I don't even bother. I also don't spend a TON of time up front on inferences. I give it a quick glance - see how the rules interact a bit - and then dive straight into the questions.

There are two instances that I don't rush in. If the game has multiple layers (cars/colors/drivers) and I can see it will be complicated I spend more time up front really internalizing the rules. I even try and mentally picture what is going on. I only do this for one of the four games usually. The rest I've had so much practice with I just go into it knowing what to expect.

The second is on weird games - ones that seem abnormal - like the virus game on PT79. I spend the time trying to figure out the mechanics of the game up front. Since I don't have a lot of exposure and am not use to the type of game I need to take the time to internalize what is happening.