When to split game boards [grouping games]

Barack Obama 2.0

I'm having trouble determining when to split game boards. For some games splitting the game boards is extremely advantageous and if I do so then I am able to get the game done very quickly well under the target time as was the case with PT26.S1.G3. However other times if I split the game board, I find myself taking too much time with setting up/splitting the game boards and I end up going way over the target time, as was the case with PT19.S1.G.4. What do you guys look for in games to decide whether you will split your master diagram into sub game boards?
J.Y has said in some of his videos that if you have more game boards then questions then not to split them, however for PT.26.S1.G3, I had just as much game boards as questions and I was able to fly through the questions.

rick.berumen

I'd be interested in the answer to this questions as well.

jspence316

This was a huge issue for me as well. When I learned about and started applying split boards, I thought they were this clever little back-door to getting answers fast and on the cheap. But that is far from the case.

There are multiple factors to consider (Powerscore lists 15) when deciding if you should diagram out multiple game boards. Much of it is based on feel and intuition, something that only comes from doing and re-doing lots of games. What it comes down to is that you want to split game boards when you have a hunch that there are only a handful of ways to solve the game. Here are some of things that I find the most useful (these are mine, not Powerscore's, but you should look up Powerscore's as well, they call it "How to Recognize Limited Solution Set Games"):

1. By game type:
grouping game with multiple groups, splitting is likely a good option.
straight in/out game, it's unlikely.
straight in/out game with sub-groups, it's unlikely.
straight sequencing, almost never
single layer sequencing, toss up.
multi-layer sequencing, toss up.

2. If you have a hunch that the game might be best approached by splitting, and you see a good rule/variable to base the split on then split it! But don't do it until you've read all the rules. when you do do it, do it the right way so in the event you shouldn't have split, you don't lose any time. Here's how: Take the most limited rule/variable, ie, the variable you think will have the most influence on the game, and use it to determine your split game boards. Make them clear, organized by progression, and equally sized. if, after you've split the game board, you decide that the game isn't all that limited, then all is not lost! use the split boards as clean, well-organized places to refer to and work in during the questions. Since they're built around the most limited variable, they're sure to reveal some insights as you move through the questions. And that means you haven't wasted any time in your failed attempt to split the game. You've just front-loaded.

3. This is probably my most important insight. Don't worry about solving splt boards to completion. I'm on PT 69 (working my way up) and over the past 10 or so tests I've noticed a sharp decrease in the amount of games that can be solved to completion or near completion by split game boards. It seems more important lately to use split game boards as open ended guides, from which you can base your visualizations when you're going through the questions. This trend may have reversed in the more recent LSATs, but it's still a good rule to live by.

4. If a game is straight-forward, don't bother with splitting out all of the possibilities. If you do see a benefit in splitting, split it partially. You should be able to easily visualize whatever else is needed.

5. Lastly, a lot of my over reliance (and time wasted) on splitting game boards was due lack of self confidence when dealing with games that weren't very limited. I wanted games to be more limited than they were because I hadn't developed other strategies to deal with the more open ended games. Best thing for me was watching the live commentary JY does for the games in PT41,42,43,44,45,51,59,61,71,76. Watch them all, and try out different strategies. It's a huge boost to get out of your own head and see how others are approaching the questions.

So all in all, identifying a definite split will never be a sure thing. Best thing to do is hedge against time wasting by using the boards you drew as you go through the questions, being ok with partially completed split boards and moving on to the questions, and developing your other skills so that you aren't itching to split when you just shouldn't.

Good Luck!

desire2learn

There is a 7sage webinar you should check out on when to split

steve-10

Here is the webinar mentioned by @desire2learn:
https://7sage.com/webinar/splitting-boards/

steve-10

@jspence316 mentions "grouping games with multiple groups" as good splitting candidates. There are no grouping games with a single group, right? So I believe this is shorthand for something, but I'm not sure what. Does it mean grouping games in which elements can have multiple memberships?

J.Y. Ping

A very general rule of thumb for splitting is a balancing test: you balance how many sub-game-boards you will end up with on the one hand against how many questions are left (not counting the acceptable situation question) on the other hand. The fewer SBGs, the more you want to split. The more SBGs, the less you want to split. The more questions, the more you want to split. The fewer questions, the less you want to split.

Say if there is going to be 2 SBGs and there are still 4 questions left, then it's probably more efficient to split.

Say if there is going to be 5 SBGs and there are only 4 questions left, then it's probably NOT more efficient to split. Though you almost certainly can solve the game with splitting.

This general rule of thumb is further complicated by the caveat that not all questions are equal. Naked questions, i.e., questions without additional rules attached to them, are generally harder and so weigh more heavily for splitting. Questions with additional rules are generally easier and so weigh more heavily for NOT splitting.