Practicing speed for logic Games

Comments

• ENTJ Alum Inactive ⭐

  May 2014 3658 karma

  What's dragging your time? Are you a slow reader? Do you have trouble getting to the inferences? Is there a disconnect between what you graph out and what the questions ask?
• 1 Like

  km.edelson Alum Member

  May 2014 edited May 2014 31 karma

  I was having the same issue. This worked really well for me: take some games, and instead of doing the whole games under timed conditions, drill the setups - diagramming and making inferences. Do it in the most detailed way you can. Draw out all of the possible setups based on the rules. Once you're done, test your knowledge on the questions. I found that with that sort of understanding, it was possible in most games, to my surprise, to just tick off the questions quickly and accurately. My ability make and read diagrams improved a lot. I would repeat this over and over again, write out commentary on each rule and inference, and then make notes again on how the questions drew on different rules and inferences. Articulate to yourself why the correct answers are correct, why the incorrect ones are incorrect. What I realized was that I had been just pushing forward on doing timed sections without understanding the games any better. I thought I knew them really well, since I could drill them successfully most of the time. This method helped me actually learn more about the games, and under timed conditions do them much more accurately and with less stress. Go for the difficult games that would scare you if you found them on a practice test.
  
  I also started skipping one game mid-section if necessary. I might finish the first two in fifteen minutes, and then get stuck on a tough one for 13 or 14 minutes - I would not only do poorly on the game, I would not have enough time to finish the last one and be frustrated knowing that with just two more minutes I could've done it well. Switching up the approach and then coming back to a tough game with 10 or so minutes was really helpful. If I get to the setup and realize I'm not thinking about it clearly or having trouble seeing what's going on, I move on. Usually when I come back its way less complicated than I thought and I make it through just fine.
  
  Between these two methods I went from a typical range of between -8 and -10 to between -4 and -1. Good luck!
  
  I would add: don't get bogged down in excessive diagramming when you're doing timed sections. Doing this should improve your understanding of the games and facility with rules and inferences. It doesn't mean you have to spend tons of time on the setup - it should just make that process more reliable and clear.
  
  
• sgndaw Alum Member

  May 2014 45 karma

  Thanks AL and Km.Edelson. To answer your question Al I would say I am bad at diagramming quickly, I think it's due to second guessing myself
• ENTJ Alum Inactive ⭐

  May 2014 3658 karma

  If that's the case, you want to review your translation lessons. You have to nail that stuff down cold.
• km.edelson Alum Member

  May 2014 31 karma

  Agreed - It also helped a lot to review all of the foundational lessons on logic and each type of game.