For LG, where do you draw your diagram and note rules? Forum

[pkraft1]

On PT66+, I've noticed that it's actually a bit odd to have all of that room. I've considered placing my diagram(s), rules, and items just on the right page. I've also considered flushing it right on the left page. What do you do, and why?

[Jon McCarty]

I would recommend doing the rules and diagram on the right page. This way your main diagram is closer to the majority of the questions and the first question is usually just an acceptable list question that is easily answered using the rules to eliminate incorrect answer choices. I've heard of a lot of students getting put on small desks during the actual LSAT where they had to fold their test in half (so only one page was visible) which would mean that you definitely want your diagram on the page with the most questions.

[vracovino]

I would recommend doing the rules and diagram on the right page. This way your main diagram is closer to the majority of the questions and the first question is usually just an acceptable list question that is easily answered using the rules to eliminate incorrect answer choices. I've heard of a lot of students getting put on small desks during the actual LSAT where they had to fold their test in half (so only one page was visible) which would mean that you definitely want your diagram on the page with the most questions.

This scares me...

[Gray]

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[Jon McCarty]

I would recommend doing the rules and diagram on the right page. This way your main diagram is closer to the majority of the questions and the first question is usually just an acceptable list question that is easily answered using the rules to eliminate incorrect answer choices. I've heard of a lot of students getting put on small desks during the actual LSAT where they had to fold their test in half (so only one page was visible) which would mean that you definitely want your diagram on the page with the most questions.

This scares me...

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[LSAT Hacks (Graeme)]

I diagram only on the right page, just under the questions. Eye tracking is a serious issue on LG. Games tax your short term working memory to the max. You want your diagrams nearby, and easy to find.

I draw local diagrams beside the questions themselves. That way there's no tracking distance. I leave the main diagram pristine and isolated, so I can find it instantly.

This may sound like overkill, but I routinely finish games in 25 mins or so. I've found it to be the most efficient method.

[Nonconsecutive]

I did most of mine on the right page. I actually tend to draw very little, so mine were up close to the questions and answers to my eyes barely even needed to move.

[Jeffort]

I diagram only on the right page, just under the questions. Eye tracking is a serious issue on LG. Games tax your short term working memory to the max. You want your diagrams nearby, and easy to find.

I draw local diagrams beside the questions themselves. That way there's no tracking distance. I leave the main diagram pristine and isolated, so I can find it instantly.

This may sound like overkill, but I routinely finish games in 25 mins or so. I've found it to be the most efficient method.

100% this^ and it's not at all overkill.

Quick eye tracking to be able to find/verify the relevant info in your set-up with just a quick short downward glance instead of having to look way to the left to find it plus having a solid short term working memory are both critical for solving LG questions quickly without making careless errors under test conditions.

In short, for speed and accuracy under timed conditions it's important to create your set-up and diagrammed list of rules + deductions for the game that you'll be using to solve the questions in a good clear organized visual form and location so that it all can be quickly and easily taken in at a glance on the fly without requiring any extra 'searching the pages' time/effort to make sure you're not overlooking anything and so you can quickly lock onto the relevant rule(s)/deduction(s) that are key for each question.

With the set-up and rules diagrammed on the second page instead of the first, it's all within your field of vision for the majority of the Qs so that you can see/look at the questions and set-up simultaneously with minor eye movement instead of having to change your field of vision away from the questions to look at the other page while trying to remember what the question and answer choices say. Having to constantly look back and forth from left page to right page requires better and more short term memory use and is very taxing on your short term memory. It also slows down verification steps when you want to double check your work on a hypo/question to make sure you didn't make any mistakes or oversights.

If your short term memory isn't super awesome, having to keep bouncing back and forth from left page to right page can slow you down a lot and also opens up many more opportunities for costly careless errors to happen under timed conditions.

Personally, I hate the change to two page LGs and find it inconvenient since it forces you to have to bounce back and forth at least somewhat rather that being able to organize everything you need to use to attack the questions nice and tight in one spot within your field of view short glance range for all the questions.

As a tutor I've noticed a tendency since the two page format began for students to be much less organized and concise with their set-ups/diagrams and diagramming methods and much less concerned about it due to the large amount of scratch paper space now available and more students having trouble under timed conditions due to their messy, stuff scattered all over the page(s) set-ups/diagrams and having trouble figuring out what's what quickly on the fly.

Getting good at creating nice tight clear and concise easy to read and understand set-ups/diagrams is an important skill for mastering LGs to get to -1/-0 range timed. Having lots of extra blank space for diagramming everything and for writing out a lot of brute force hypos no longer encourages or requires students to try and be as clear, organized and concise as possible when building set-ups, diagramming rules, figuring out and noting deductions, etc. for efficient use under timed conditions. People get slowed down and lost in messy disorganized set-ups and due to having lots of trial and error hypo work and other stuff floating all over the pages in a disorganized manner every test to the detriment of their LG section scores. You don't want to be one of those people on test day.