Logic Games really are learnable... Forum

[JurisDoctorate]

One week ago, today, my highest score on a Logic Game section was a 16/24. I was consistently getting between 50%-60% correct. Most of the time, there'd be one game that would elude me; I'd make tons of mistakes on the easy games and I had a dickens of a time trying to set games up. I decided to put my pride down and look for a tutor. This woman on Craigslist said she offered LSAT tutoring and that she, herself, had studied for several months and went from a 161 to a 170. She also said that she had struggled with LG, at first, but ended up with a -0. Well, I figured that I could benefit from the fact that she had already made that journey; I thought she could be my sherpa and I could master LG in a fraction of the time.

So, I haven't really mastered it - in a week's time - but I have made huge strides. My last couple sections were 18/22 and 18/23. No game is beyond me, now; I don't get thrown by games because I'm familiar with all of the types. I'm also making far less careless errors and have been speeding through games; however, the points I miss are still from careless errors.

I may not get a -0 on Saturday, but I feel I made tremendous strides in one week's time and it was definitely worth it.

Now, if only I can start knocking out the RC

[theavrock]

can you confirm that water is wet as well?

[ly2010]

That's really good to know because I really struggle with them. When I am taking it timed, I get super nervous and get too caught up. You obviously got lucky with your tutor! I can't believe that you gained all that in just a week. Any tips you want to share?

[youknowryan]

I agree. When I first tried a section I got 3/23 right. I had not idea how to set them up or how to manipulate the rules. Now I can do any section out there in 35-40 minutes and get 20+ every time and 22+ most of the time. I had to grind through it over and over and over. In truth my best trick was doing certain games 5, 6, 7, or maybe even 8 times. Once one sees how the rules are constructed and interact with the questions, the games all begin to look the same: if you can do linear games, sequencing and grouping, you're pretty much good to go since the basic application of the rules is always the same. 90% of all questions ask: "If one variable does this, then what is the effect elsewhere?" or "What constraint does the set up allow/disallow?" Just recognize the main themes and not get too stuck on the small variations and you'll be ahead of the game. Start with the single tier linear and sequencing games, master them, and then move onto the multi-tier linear and grouping. The trick is to do the games over and over and not move on until you have a firm grasp of each type.

Now if LR were as easy.

[JurisDoctorate]

theavrock, I know that is common knowledge on the board, but it's easy to lose that perspective when you've done 30+ games without improving. It was only recently, with focused preparation, that I was starting to improve. It's easy to handicap yourself and say, "Well, I've never really done puzzles or other games so I might not have the necessary base", etc. Do you know how many people I talk to who have learned helplessness when it comes to Logic Games?

ly2010, at least for me, the biggest thing is properly diagramming the problem. There are a ton of inefficient ways of diagramming and they only hurt you. Then, once you get proper diagramming down, I'd say that you need to utilize the contrapositives of conditional statements. Lastly, practice as much as possible so you can see all of the holes in your "game" - in order to eliminate them.

youknowryan, I completely agree. That "sense" of logic games develops and can help you avoid mistakes.