LSAT Logic Games Types
The LSAT Logic Games section gives you a predictable assortment of game types. We give you an overview of the most common types in this article. Other articles will give you more practice with each type and also expose you to some of the less common types of LSAT Logic Games.
This is the second in a series of articles that discusses the basics of the LSAT Logic Games section. The series includes the following articles:
- LSAT Analytical Reasoning: an introduction
- LSAT Logic Games Types
- LSAT Tips for Logic Games
The LSAT typically offers you the following types of puzzles. That is not to say you won’t get an occasional hybrid or unusual puzzle, but at least three of the four games usually contain the following skills: sequencing (putting things in order), grouping (putting things into groups) or matching (matching attributes to components of the game, e.g., which cars are what color).
Sequencing Logic Games
This is the most common skill used in Analytical Reasoning. This involves putting things in order. The majority of the puzzles in this section ask you to sequence items. Some puzzles are exclusively based on a sequence or order. Other puzzles may ask you to combine you sequencing skills with other skills.
The example we used in the previous lesson article — Clarence has to put files in order — is an example of a sequencing game.
Clarence is organizing his file drawers. He wants to put all of his notes from five economics classes–A, B, C, D, and E–in the chronological order in which he took the classes.
B was the last class he took.
He took class A either immediately before, or immediately after class E.
He did not take class A immediately before or immediately after class C.
He took class C before class E.
Here is another example you will see in the first sequencing lesson:
Alvin, Bea, Cathy, Dave, Ed, Flo, and Gary compete in a local swim meet. The swimmers placed according to their finishing times, from 1 being to fastest, to 7 being the slowest. The fastest three swimmers received medals. We know the following about the finishing order of the swimmers:
Flo finished just before or after Gary
Cathy and Dave did not finish consecutively
Ed finished fifth
Two swimmers finished between Bea and Flo
Cathy received a medal
Grouping Logic Games
This type of game asks you to put items into groups. You might have to put toys in boxes, or athletes into divisions, or cars in parking lots. What makes grouping unique from matching (described below) is that several items or entities can share an attribute. That is to say, several toys could go in the same box. This is also a very common skill.
Here is a sample game you will see in the TestSherpa lesson on grouping:
A clerk at a hardware store has to sort ten items into three boxed customer orders —Atkins, Brower, and Carter. The items are four yardsticks, two hammers, one screwdriver, and three wrenches.
Each customer ordered at least one yardstick
No customer ordered more than one hammer
The customer who ordered the screwdriver ordered at least on wrench
Carter did not order the screwdriver
Matching Logic Games
A Matching game asks you to match certain items to certain attributes. Most matching is two-dimensional (one item to one attribute). For example, you might have to assign colors to bicycles, or sweaters to students. Matching is different from grouping in that the entities do not share attributes. In a grouping game, several toys could go in the same box. In a matching game, only one toy can be red, one toy blue, and so on.
Occasionally you may be faced with a multi-dimensional matching puzzle. This is where you must match entities with several attributes. For example, you might have to decide what color and what size each bicycle is. This is obviously a harder game than a two-dimensional matching game.
Here is a sample of a matching game you will see in the lesson on matching:
Three advertising agencies – A-Plus, Brenner Designs and Coverdale, Inc. – are making proposals for three different types of marketing campaigns to the same client. Each agency will present only one type of campaign during each presentation – Targeted, Universal and Vertical. Each company will be given an opportunity to present at 8 AM, 9 AM and 10 AM and may propose the same campaign more than once, but only one campaign per time slot. The following is known about the agencies and their campaigns:
Brenner does not present a Universal campaign in any of their presentations.
Coverdale presents a Vertical campaign in at least on of their three presentations, but not at 9 AM
A-Plus presents the same campaign at 9 AM and at 10 AM
Coverdale does not present a Universal campaign at 8 AM
No agency presents the same campaign in the same time slot
Other LSAT Logic Games Types
Don’t be surprised if the LSAT throws you a curve in one of the games. Sometimes the test makers present you with a game that doesn’t exactly match the usual categories. These games might be a combination (sometimes referred to as a “hybrid”) game. For example, you might need to match bicycle riders to colors of bicycles, then sequence them in a single file line. Or you might be asked to combine lists of students into three classes (grouping) and then rank them by test score (sequencing).
Some games are so off the wall that there isn’t a clear skill that threads through the entire game. Each question may ask you to do something different. You may want to skip this game for last, but don’t feel intimidated.
Now that you’ve seen the most common LSAT logic games types, we’ll take a look at some LSAT Tips for Logic Games.