Every administration of the LSAT features one scored Logic Games section. There are always four games with a total of 22\u201324 questions. If you\u2019ve taken an LSAT, you may well have considered Logic Games to be the hardest or most confusing section on the test, as do a majority of test takers the first time they see the exam. Each game has a number of \u201cmoving parts\u201d that can, in theory, be arranged in dozens or even hundreds of ways. While that may seem daunting, the method and strategies you\u2019ll learn in this chapter will allow you to treat games as concrete, solvable puzzles. In fact, once you have internalized the strategies introduced here, you may find yourself making a greater improvement in Logic Games than in any other section of the test. By Test Day, it\u2019s not uncommon for students to describe games and the thinking they entail as fun, or for students to identify this as their favorite LSAT section.<\/p>\n
LSAC has announced the removal of the Logic Games section starting in August 2024. As of this date, a second Logical Reasoning section will replace the Logic Games section on the LSAT. Those taking the LSAT by June 2024 must still complete a scored Logic Games section. Starting August 2024, the LSAT will feature two scored Logical Reasoning sections, one scored Reading Comprehension section, plus one unscored Logical Reasoning or Reading Comprehension section.<\/p>\n
Replacing the current Logic Games section with a second Logical Reasoning section enables the LSAT to focus on assessing reasoning skills critical to practicing law. The replacement also helps eliminate concerns about the perceived need for diagramming on the LSAT. LSAC completed extensive research across the years and concluded that any shift in scoring based on a replacement for the Logic Games was within the test’s margin of error.<\/p>\n
Step 1: Overview<\/p>\n
Step 2: Sketch<\/p>\n
Step 3: Rules<\/p>\n
Step 4: Deductions<\/p>\n
Step 5: Questions<\/p>\n
\n<\/div><\/div>\n
Let\u2019s not be shy about saying that logic games are challenging and some are downright hard. On Test Day, you have about 8 1\/2 minutes to process each game\u2019s task, sketch it out and account for all of its rules and restrictions, and then answer anywhere from five to seven questions. At Kaplan, we apply an efficient method for approaching any game you encounter on the LSAT. Learning and practicing this method will make you efficient with your time as you manage all of the game\u2019s information and effective at applying that information to correctly answer the questions.<\/p>\n
Before you can accomplish anything in an LSAT logic game, you have to understand your task. Fortunately, the testmaker describes game scenarios as small, well-defined, real-world jobs; you may have to make a schedule of appointments, assign athletes to teams, match different costume elements to different actors in a play, or choose some items from a catering menu while rejecting others. In any event, invest the first few seconds of tackling any logic game in clearly understanding your task. Doing so will allow you to make a useful, accurate sketch in which to record the specific details of the rules and restrictions set out.<\/p>\n\t
Strict Sequencing:<\/strong>\u00a0Ordering entities with respect to defined positions<\/span> \n<\/div><\/div>\n Just as important as your internal visualization of a game\u2019s task is the actual physical picture of the game you draw on your scratch paper: the sketch. Logic games are almost impossible if you try to keep all of the information in your head. By depicting the game\u2019s setup and rules, an LSAT expert is able to quickly and confidently understand a game\u2019s parameters. The ideal sketch provides a framework that captures the scenario in a clear, simple way and provides spaces in which to record the more specific and detailed rules of the game.<\/p>\n Once you have the basic framework for your sketch, you\u2019re ready to record the game\u2019s rules. The rules are always listed under the game\u2019s opening paragraph, and they\u2019re indented so that they\u2019re easy to distinguish from the overall setup.<\/p>\n Whenever possible, build a rule directly into the framework of your sketch. When a rule is not specific enough to designate the precise spaces or boxes in which to place the entities, write the rule in shorthand just below or to the side of the sketch. Try to make your shorthand clear and comprehensible, using the same vocabulary of symbols you used to create the sketch framework.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n This is the step that the majority of untrained or poorly trained LSAT test takers miss. Even students who instinctively appreciate the value of creating a sketch and of symbolizing the rules often don\u2019t take the time to determine what must be true or must be false beyond what the rules explicitly state. In most games, however, it is possible to combine the rules with each other or to combine rules with the game\u2019s overall limitations in a way that produces a lot more certainty when you go to tackle the questions. It is always highly advantageous\u2014in terms of both speed and accuracy\u2014to make all of the available deductions before moving on to the questions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The purpose of the first four steps is to answer the game\u2019s questions quickly and accurately. You\u2019ll have about 8 1\/2 minutes per game on Test Day. To get to all of the questions in that short amount of time, the LSAT expert leverages her Master Sketch to save time. Don\u2019t be surprised if you spend three or four minutes setting up the game. You\u2019ll find that answering the questions can be a quick and confident exercise once you have an adequate Master Sketch.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Below are some strategies for figuring out different types of questions that test-takers can encounter on the logic games section of the LSAT.<\/p>\n <\/i>Go rule by rule to eliminate each answer choice that violates a rule.<\/p>\n [Continue learning about Acceptability questions<\/a>]<\/p>\n <\/i>Consult the Master Sketch to see if the question can be answered immediately. If not, use sketches from New- \u201cIf\u201ds, as well as the Acceptability question correct answer, to eliminate answers. The sketch from a New-“If” could also help pick a Could Be True answer. If multiple answer choices still remain use trial and error.<\/p>\n [Continue learning about Must Be\/Could Be questions<\/a>]<\/p>\n <\/i>Draw a new sketch that incorporates the new information.<\/p>\n [Continue learning about “New-If” questions<\/a>]<\/p>\n [Previous:<\/strong> Advanced Formal Logic<\/a>]<\/p>\n
\nLoose Sequencing:<\/strong>\u00a0Ordering entities with respect to each other<\/span>
\nSelection:<\/strong>\u00a0Choosing a small group out of a large group<\/span>
\nMatching:<\/strong>\u00a0Matching two kinds of entities to each other<\/span>
\nDistribution:<\/strong>\u00a0Forming several small groups out of a large group<\/span>
\nHybrid:<\/strong>\u00a0Performing two or more of the other actions<\/span><\/p>\nStep Two: Sketch<\/h3>\n
Step Three: Rules<\/h3>\n
Step Four: Deductions<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
Step Five: Questions<\/h3>\n
LSAT Logic Games: Question Types<\/h2>\n
What is the strategy for Acceptability questions?<\/h3>\n
What is the strategy for Must Be\/Could Be questions?<\/h3>\n
What are the strategy for New-\u201cIf\u201d questions?<\/h3>\n