LSAT Logic Games Method
As with all sections of the LSAT, TestSherpa gives you a simple approach to Analytical Reasoning. By examining each puzzle systematically with the TestSherpa method, you will develop the familiarity and confidence you need to earn a high score.
This is the first in a series of articles that discusses the TestSherpa LSAT Method for Logic Games. The series includes the following articles:
- LSAT Logic Games Method: an introduction
- Logic Games Sketches
- Logic Games Questions
The TestSherpa method for Logic Games (Analytical Reasoning) has five steps:
- Read the setup
- Make a sketch
- Paraphrase the rules
- Make deductions
- Attack the questions
This lesson series will explain each of these steps in detail, while taking you through a basic sequencing game.
Pick a Game, Any Game
Of course, the very first step you should take in Analytical Reasoning is to pick which puzzle you want to start with. The puzzles are not offered in any sort of order, so quickly preview the entire section to decide which game you should start with. You want to get off on the right foot by getting some easy points as well as building your confidence.
Here are some considerations to make:
Type of game. Start with the type of game you are the best at solving. If you like to sequence, start with sequencing. If you like to group, start with grouping.
Type of rules. If a game is easy to understand and contains several concrete rules (which are easier to paraphrase and combine than ambiguous rules), it should be easier to solve.
Type and number of questions. In general, the more questions the better. More questions mean you get more points for a single setup. Do the questions contain simple hypotheticals that you can plug in and go? Or, are the questions worded difficultly and contain hypotheticals in the answer choices? Hypotheticals in the answer choices are harder to answer, because you must plug in each answer choice just to evaluate it.
Reading the Setup
Once you decide which puzzle to start with, read the setup. This sounds obvious, but as you read the setup you are looking for specific information. Consider the following setup:
A team of researchers releases eight homing pigeons–A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H–from various locations at the same time on the same day. Each pigeon is expected to return to the same location on different days.
When considering this or any other setup, look for the following information:
- What entities are involved? In this case, pigeons A through H.
- What situation are they in? They’re going to return home at different times.
- What action are we supposed to do?
Without reading the rules or the questions, you’re going to have to make a guess here. But it looks like we’re to put the pigeons in the order they arrive. So, this is a sequencing game.
Are there any limits or rules in the setup? The pigeons arrive on different days. You should also think about what to expect in your rules and deductions.
What would the LSAT typically ask you about this type of game?
- Which pigeons arrive first and last?
- In what order do the others arrive?
- How can I make chains of arrival times to deduce other arrival times?
Since there are four puzzles in this section, and 35 minutes to do the puzzles, you should give yourself about 8 minutes per puzzle. A trained TestSherpa student only has to spend 30-60 seconds getting this much valuable information out of the introduction to a puzzle.
Next we’ll take a look at Logic Games Sketches.