1st question of each game Forum

[cocoandcoconuts]

Hi,

Sometimes the 1st question of each game took the longest time for me to get to the correct answer...either because the way they wrote the answer choices is difficult to understand or because answer choices are too long and it's easy to mis-read...
Any tips for the 1st question? There is no other way to solve it except applying each rule for every answer choices?

Thanks in advance,

[Mikey]

Eliminating the answer choices to the first question by simply following your rules is the best way to go. If you're having trouble with eliminating answer choices by applying the rules then you must be starting out with logic games, and you just need to give it time. To get these right, just read each rule, jot it down with your conditional logic, and before you move onto the next rule, look at the answer choices because you can usually always eliminate 1 or even 2 answer choices with just 1 rule. After you do this, move onto your next rule.

If a rule says that M is before S, then you should quickly be able to eliminate an answer choice that shows S before M.

BTW, the first question of a game isn't always the kind of question you're talking about, but the majority of the time it is. There's other ways of doing these questions, I guess by actually writing down each A/C and seeing if it works, but that's too time consuming. Later on in your prep, the method of eliminating based on each rule is what will save you some time on the games.

[Deardevil]

Your rules will be of utmost importance for the possible ordering question, as each often eliminates one choice.

For example, the following rules are given:

1. X is before Y
2. Y is immediately before Z
3. P goes in the first or last spot
4. Q cannot be fifth

The choices are as follows:

A) YZQXP (this is wrong since it does not pass the first test)
B) PQYXZ (this fails the second; eliminate)
C) XYZPQ (but P is limited to only two spaces!)
D) XYZQP (Q fifth? NOPE)
E) PXYZQ (X-Y, YZ, P1/P6, ~Q5? CHECK, CHECK, CHECK, CHECK)

[Barack O'Drama]

Eliminating the answer choices to the first question by simply following your rules is the best way to go. If you're having trouble with eliminating answer choices by applying the rules then you must be starting out with logic games, and you just need to give it time. To get these right, just read each rule, jot it down with your conditional logic, and before you move onto the next rule, look at the answer choices because you can usually always eliminate 1 or even 2 answer choices with just 1 rule. After you do this, move onto your next rule.

If a rule says that M is before S, then you should quickly be able to eliminate an answer choice that shows S before M.

BTW, the first question of a game isn't always the kind of question you're talking about, but the majority of the time it is. There's other ways of doing these questions, I guess by actually writing down each A/C and seeing if it works, but that's too time consuming. Later on in your prep, the method of eliminating based on each rule is what will save you some time on the games.

What Mikey said couldn't be more true. Give it time, diagram the rules/conditionals, eliminate.

A tip that helped me save time was realizing that a rule usually only eliminates one choice.

So if a rule says X cannot be first, and answer choice (a) has X first. Eliminate it and check another rule.

[Elbble]

Maybe this is obvious already, but go through rule by rule, not answer choice by answer choice.

In other words, if your first rule is "x before y," scan through ALL the choices and eliminate the ones you can. Then go to your next rule, say "y after q," and scan through to see what you can eliminate from you newly shortened list of remaining choices.

This method is WAY faster and more efficient than comparing each answer choice in turn against every rule to see if it's eliminable.

[cocoandcoconuts]

Thanks guys
It seems there is no trick but just need to eliminate one answer choice by one rule...etc.
Good to know/confirm that.

[KiltedKicker]

The one thing I would add is that you're not looking for the correct answer, you're looking to eliminate the 4 wrong answers. So if you get a rule like X is before Y you just quickly scan looking for the one or possibly two answers that have X after Y. Over time you will get more comfortable with the fastest ways to check different types of rules. Lastly, my advice would be to very clearly cross out an answer as soon as you eliminate it. You don't want to keep checking it with other answers, and I found crossing it out was the best way to be sure I would skip over it and would only look at the answers still in play