Switches in LG

DumbHollywoodActor

I am finding that it's the cunning use if switches (or rather, the lack thereof) that is killing my score on the LG sections. I'm hoping that the act of putting this issue on the discussion board (and maybe having a nice discussion about it) will help me from forgetting to use them in the future. Please feel free to discuss.

blah170blah

Can you elaborate on what you mean by switches? For some reason, I'm imagining those really cartoonish watches getting in the way of your LG studies lol

brna0714

@blah170blah I *believe* he means marking when two elements can "switch up" between two positions (curved line connecting the two). I've also been trying to utilize these more since it really is a way to represent two scenarios/splits in one diagram. It's sometimes hard for me to spot these if they are not stated explicitly in the rules.

I totally find the Powerscore elimination technique (essentially marking each and every place an element cannot go) to be a big waste of time but maybe consciously thinking through these would help illuminate more elements that can "switch up." If not switches, it can definitely help determine when there are a limited number of options for a particular spot (L/H type situation).

Just a thought!

DumbHollywoodActor

@brna0714 is right. I always waste all this great work in LG because I forget to put a switch in (why? I have no idea) and inevitably get at least 1 or 2 questions wrong. It all comes down to mindfulness (which is the fundamental truth for every section).

blah170blah

@brna0714 said:
I've also been trying to utilize these more since it really is a way to represent two scenarios/splits in one diagram.

Can you elaborate on this? I always thought switches were usually given in the rules (F/G has to go in spot 1 or FG have to be near each other)

brna0714

So I don't know how often this occurs generally as it's game specific but switches could potentially come about by way of an inference. If you determine that L and G are the only two elements that could occupy spaces 1 and 2, for example, and nothing else restricts their position, then... switch. You're represented two possible outcomes without having to draw a second diagram.

blah170blah

Oh, that's interesting. When I make that kind of concrete deduction, I always make a second diagram instead of writing L/G because it forces me to "make" the switch instead of having to remember it. @DumbHollywoodActor, have you tried creating two separate diagrams instead of just marking the switch?

DumbHollywoodActor

No, I'm usually too worried about time and a switch, when properly executed, certainly saves time. I suppose the better long term strategy is to write it all out and to keep practicing writing "small, fast and neat."

DumbHollywoodActor

I’ll give you an example: LG game 4 of PT 29, #23. In this sequencing game, you re-write the board putting P and O in different places. Most people put the O in 5 and the P (with 2 others) in 6, and then put a switch on them to illustrate that O could be in 6 and P(with the 2 others) could be in 5. @blah170blah would you write out 2 game boards instead?

ddakjiking

For me, I just used one game board with spot 5 and 6 switching like JY has done in the explanation video.

DumbHollywoodActor

Me too. But sometimes, I forget the switch and it’s so frustrating.

blah170blah

@DumbHollywoodActor So I just did this game and it took me 10 minutes (probably would have been sooner but this is my first LSAT question of the day so my brain is definitely warming up -- I would ball park this at around 8 minutes if I had been doing practice problems) to get all of these right. Before I start a LG, I look at the questions. For this game, I noticed that almost all of the questions were "which" rather than "if," which tells me that this game requires a lot of up front inferences. Since I know that, I know that the bulk of my time should be spent doing the deductions up front, including splitting this game up into two diagrams. I think this is a game that really rewards you for splitting it up because pretty much every single piece falls into place if you do.

The first scenario, where O is with P looks like:
N/S - K - [I L] - G - [O P X] where X can be H, N, or S (I also have to remember that K - H, which is written down in my rules)

The second scenario, where O is with P makes the game even cleaner
N/S - K - [I L] - G - O
- G - [P H N/S] (where either O or P can occupy the 5th or 6th spot).

Once you have the diagrams, the answer to each question lights up, allowing you to speedily make your way through the problem.

blah170blah

I uploaded the picture onto my instagram and tagged "7sage" to give you a better idea of what diagrams I drew out since it's hard to replicate it on the computer

DumbHollywoodActor

Well, I’ve never heard about this “which” vs. “if” idea. I always suspected there were clues in the questions as to approach.

That being said, I understand the problem fairly well; I split the master game board along the G node (4 or 5). I just forgot to put the switch for question 23. I guess I didn’t need to rewrite the board next to question 23 since all the information was on my master game board. I just had to cover up the board where G is on 5. And then I could easily see that D is the only one that could be true. Would probably save time too. Interesting. Couldn’t find the instagram pic.

blah170blah

Ahhh dang it, well I hope my explanation was helpful regardless! Since I have a terrible short term memory, I try to minimize the amount of "remembering" I have to do and, if I can, I make boards because it's easier for me to visualize. Obviously though, what might work for me won't work for you but splitting it up, IMO, is easier/faster in the long run -- that's my $0.02 :]

DumbHollywoodActor

I think it has more to do with my lack of Instagram skills.

Me too. Visual representation all the way; My short term memory is also a mess. I just never thought to write 2 separate boards for that question. But it's the best way to stay accurate. I just need to keep working on "small,fast and neat" or I'll never get to the fourth game in most instances.

emli1000

So I'm assuming that you forget to switch because you only use one game board? And then sometimes you forget that P can go in either 5/6?