Which Boards to Use During Logic Games

Comments

• MrSamIam Inactive ⭐

  July 2016 2086 karma

  Figuring out which board to use can be a daunting task. Typically, i'll read the stimulus and try to draw a board in my mind's eye. If it looks like something that would work, I put it on paper. You also have to note that the same game can be done with different boards.
  For instance, on multiple occasions J.Y. has used an In/Out set-up and labeled the game as such. However, for many of those same games, I used a grouping set-up. Both worked.
  
  Sequencing games are easy. If they say something like "7 slots" and they give you 7 pieces, then ask you to use all pieces and sequence them, it's probably a one-layer sequencing game.
  
  Grouping games can be tough. Go with your gut and use a board that would best represent all of the rules.
  
  In/Out - again, simple. If they tell you to select among the pieces, it's probably an in-out game. If they tell you to select among the pieces and sequence them, it's probably an in-out sequencing game (you can also use a grouping board for these)
• Ron Swanson Alum Member Inactive ⭐

  July 2016 1650 karma

  How long have you been training on LG? Generally this skill develops in time and you instinctively visualize a game board set up while you're reading the stimulus. When it comes to LG there are only a handful of different "templates" that game boards get set up in.
  
  I say keep practicing but make sure you're not focusing on games by type. You want to practice all different types of games at once to force yourself to learn to adapt. Be prepared to struggle with it at first, it takes time to develop these skills!
• AutonomousBarnacles Member

  July 2016 90 karma

  Thank you both for the comments.
  
  
  @MrSamIam - That's good insight into how you approach the games. Sequencing ones and in/out games (After going through the curriculum) are clear for me. Honestly after looking at my analytics it looks like the real issue is grouping games, grouping games w/ a chart, and grouping games with sequencing games.
  
  @RonSwanson -
  I'm at the 2 month mark. Some of the inferences and especially in/out games have clicked for me but board setups make me freeze during PTs. How should I practice the games? If I've already done the games and can remember the setup how can I account for this?
  
  Cheers to you both.
• Ron Swanson Alum Member Inactive ⭐

  July 2016 1650 karma

  @ClarKent
  
  I'd recommend timing yourself on individual games and then working your way into full section LG drills. As far as games that you remember..I'd say put those aside and practice others until some time passes and you don't remember them as well.
  
  I'd suggest buying the 10 Actuals series books if you haven't already. Those include PTs from a whole bunch of tests. There are also a bunch of books available on Amazon containing LGs.
  
  Also, if you haven't already seen @Pacifico's LG attack strategy you should definitely check it out. https://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/2737/logic-games-attack-strategy
  
  It's a pretty awesome guide to help you get organized and develop a method to crush LG
• 2 Likes

  BinghamtonDave Alum Member ⭐ 🍌🍌

  July 2016 8694 karma

  The truth in my experience is that games can be broadly divided into two categories: 1. Games you come across that you can set up in a way that mirrors previous games you have done before. These games come in a variety of difficulty levels: from games you absolutely must get by with confidence in 5-7 minutes to games that require 10 to sometimes 15 minutes of work. 7Sage is a great community and any questions you have about these games, feel free to ask, there are a ton of dedicated people here to help and a comment section of all games in which people trade ideas! You should have an almost mechanical and cold methodology to set up these games with confidence whether they are a 5 minute ordering game or a 10 minute grouping game. Your set up/boards should be almost automatic.
  
  Certain things should trigger a board when you are reading the stimulus. If you read "there are 6 people taking piano lessons Monday through Saturday" it should instantly trigger 6 slots. To confirm your board, I find it useful to then go hunting for things that wold eliminate variations or "twists" on the games (or confirm them.) Things like "1 max person per day" tells us there won't be a grouping element. Things like "all people have to have exactly one lesson" tells us that there won't be empty days or repeat lessons. These are things that believe me: if you do enough games, will become automatic!
  
  The other broad category of games in my experience are unique games that don't easily lend themselves to boards from our previous experience. These are often a difficult hurdle for people. My experience has been that the key to these games is twofold: 1.Read the stimulus and the rules like for the next few minutes, it is the most important thing in the world. Unique games are difficult, but one thing we can't say is that they are unfair. A careful reading can go a long way to mitigate the difficulty of unique games. 2.Have enough time saved up to properly tackle these games during timed sections. The difficulty here is that we never really know what will come up next in the section, that is why (to paraphrase CS Lewis) "The schoolboy does not know what part of his Virgil lesson he will be made to translate. That is why he must be ready to translate any passage."
  
  TL;DR: get great at games where a recognition of a familiar board or setup is rewarded, so you will have time to carefully, carefully read the games in which a board or setup might initially be difficult to ascertain or might not fit any pattern whatsoever. This comes with practice!
  
  
  
  
• blah170blah Alum Inactive ⭐

  July 2016 3545 karma

  You should use your memory to your advantage. If you can remember games well enough that you remember how they need to be set up and the key deduction(s) that need to be made to crack the game, you can create an arsenal of reference points when you see fresh games such that you can encounter a new game and say, "Hey, this reminds me of the circular game" or "Oh, this is like the mauve dinosaur game -- I just need to go straight to the answer choices."