Drilling Logic Games

Comments

• Alex Alum Member ⭐

  October 2016 23929 karma

  @SherryS1 said:
  I see LG as a major area of opportunity as I consistently do not get to 1-2 games. I saw on the boards that many people recommend full proofing games 1-34
  

  Absolutely foolproof PTs 1-34 and continue to foolproof every game you come across during your PT phase. It is time consuming, but if you commit to doing it now, there will be little the LSAT can throw at you come December, or whenever you decide to take it.

  @SherryS1 said:
  Should I still be printing the games from the recent sections out 10 times if I'm able to move through them with confidence on R2? During the CC I full proofed any games that I struggled with but those generally did not come to me in R2 and I did not hit the recommended timing. I'm taking the December test and want to use my time as wisely as possible (I can't believe how close it is!).
  
  

  I would just for good measure. Try doing them again in 5-7 days and make sure you are remembering the inferences and not just memorizing everything short term. Maybe you won't need all ten though. I actually just keep clean copies and use printer paper to re-do games on. Saves ink and time.

  @SherryS1 said:
  Separately, I'm considering taking a video of myself doing the sections. I suspect that I spend a lot of time understanding the game layout. For more complex games, I often have to re-read the set up that comes before the rules several times to understand what is being asked of me and how the game pieces interact. Unfortunately, I already know these things when I re-take the sections so I can't push myself further here. How have others overcome this?
  

  Well there was a few ways I overcame these issues.
  
  1) I just kept doing games, watching the explanations, and fool proofing. Still fool proofing everyday as in my opinion, it is a process with no true end. Honestly, I think practice and repetition are what helps most.
  
  2) I just made sure to read more carefully. I just take a deep breath, take a pause, and carefully read. It also helps me to write down everything I can as a rule so I can have something visual to work off of. Before I hit the questions I also take a "big pause" to make sure I understand the rules, the layout, inferences and everything. It makes a big difference!
  
  You'll get there though. For now, I would suggest focusing your energy on fool proofing the games. December test is exactly 2 months away, so you might even want to consider postponing and taking once you know you got everything down.
  
  If that just isn't a possibility then I would still try to get games down. It is the most learnable section so you'll want to get all the points you can here. Even a couple weeks of games-intensive prep will pay dividends.
  
  Good luck!
• SherryS1 Member

  October 2016 edited October 2016 477 karma

  Thanks so much @"Alex Divine". I really appreciate your advice. My initial instinct was to put those sections aside and move on so I'm glad I reached out . I'll see where I'm at in 5-7 days and have my copies ready.
  
  I wish I could opt to take the test in Feb instead of Dec but I'm an older applicant and don't want to push my application to next year. The upside is that I've taken time off to study so I have a great deal of flexibility. I also figured if the December test did not go my way, I would take the Feb test as well.
  
  Good luck to you as well
  
  Editing to ask one more quick question - is it ok that I am doing the drills as timed sections or is it strongly recommended to full proof the games individually?
• Alex Alum Member ⭐

  October 2016 23929 karma

  @SherryS1 said:
  Thanks so much @"Alex Divine". I really appreciate your advice. My initial instinct was to put those sections aside and move on so I'm glad I reached out . I'll see where I'm at in 5-7 days and have my copies ready.
  

  No problem

  @SherryS1 said:
  I wish I could opt to take the test in Feb instead of Dec but I'm an older applicant and don't want to push my application to next year. The upside is that I've taken time off to study so I have a great deal of flexibility. I also figured if the December test did not go my way, I would take the Feb test as well.
  

  I hear you on that! I've decided to ultimately sit this cycle out and part of my heart breaks....But you gotta do what you gotta do!
  

  @SherryS1 said:
  Editing to ask one more quick question - is it ok that I am doing the drills as timed sections or is it strongly recommended to full proof the games individually?
  

  I guess it depend on where you are in your prep. If you know how to diagram and are decent at most LG's doing them timed is probably ok. If you are missing 2-3 questions and missing inferences, I would try it untimed first and then watch the video explanations if you are still having trouble. I've learned a lot comparing my mistakes to the video explanations. I'm a big chess player and I learned to get good by watching video explanations of my games from my instructor. I kind of apply the same techniques with LG.
  
  Good luck!
• SherryS1 Member

  October 2016 477 karma

  Thanks again @"Alex Divine"! You've been such a big help. I don't have issues with the inferences at the moment just speed so I'll keep doing them timed unless there's a change there.
  
  And I completely agree with you, the videos have been such a huge help. I couldn't make heads or tails of the logic games section before I came to 7-sage.
  
  Lastly, I know it's a tough call to push the test but I'm excited for you as I'm sure you'll nail it when you do take it. And that's going to feel absolutely awesome
• Alex Alum Member ⭐

  October 2016 23929 karma

  @SherryS1 said:
  You've been such a big help. I don't have issues with the inferences at the moment just speed so I'll keep doing them timed unless there's a change there.
  

  Glad to be of assistance. LG was my weakest section, so I understand how hard it can be to get fast. But speed will come with practice; I promise. Perhaps try using a timer to count up instead of down so you can time yourself and push the pace, but not be running out of time. For some of these games there is really a recommended range.
  

  @SherryS1 said:
  Lastly, I know it's a tough call to push the test but I'm excited for you as I'm sure you'll nail it when you do take it. And that's going to feel absolutely awesome
  

  
  Yeah! Very tough call. I am sort of developing golden handcuffs at my job now so I would like to get my butt into law school ASAP. But I think you're right that I'll nail it when I finally take it. I think the same for you too
  
• Cant Get Right Yearly + Live Member Sage ⭐ 🍌 7Sage Tutor

  October 2016 27900 karma

  For drilling, I really like untimed. I think it's maybe a personal preference, but I found untimed drills to be much more productive for working on pacing. With timed drills, you are forced to manipulate your pace for the appropriate amount of time. I was never quite sure what to do with that if I failed to finish in time. With untimed drills, you can see, okay, my natural pace for an LR section is 38 minutes. I feel like that is information I can use. I can then look at my footage (if you're not recording, I highly recommend that) and know exactly how much time I'm looking for. This approach allowed me to train my pace instead of just nebulously being aware that I needed to improve. I always just felt like I was trying to cram 10 lbs of potatoes into a 5 lb bag when I was doing timed drills. Untimed drills felt like I was knitting a bigger bag, or some shit- however that's supposed to work within this weak, overly folksy metaphor.
• 1 Like

  SherryS1 Member

  October 2016 477 karma

  @"Alex Divine" ahh yes, the golden handcuffs. That made me smile As for LG, I honestly have no where to go but up - I left the section almost completely blank on my diagnostic. The more I do them, the more I find them fun. I suppose I can thank 7sage for that.
  
  @"Cant Get Right" thanks so much for your help! I too feel like I am cramming 10 lbs of LG potatoes into a 5lb bag with my timed drills 'll definitely try and alternate between the timed and non-timed drills and see what works for me. I can see how doing them untimed would likely build deeper understanding of the material.
  
  Right now I'm not finishing the sections. Once I hit time, I just go ahead and finish the remaining questions in a BR-ish mode. I'm also not recording my timed struggle I'm glad you brought that up. I have been intimidated by the set up but I think you're absolutely right that it will give me a lot of key insights.