The LSAT Logic Games section is going away in August. But that may be irrelevant to your situation if you plan on taking the LSAT soon.
A common issue people run into is they learned the curriculum and some basic strategies, but they have no idea how to study. They lack structure and as a result, they are frantically doing games, watching videos, and reading books without really being able to track their progress or improve. Each time they start a game, they feel like they are playing a slot machine, hoping they will stumble across an easy one.
If you are one of these people, this post is for you. I will break down step by step how you can beat LG once and for all. I will break down all the concepts you will need to learn, the order in which you should learn them, how to practice them, and more.
Step 1: Master the Fundamentals
If you are learning a new sport, you need to learn the fundamentals before tying everything together. The same applies to all LSAT sections, not just Logic Games.
The fundamentals require you to understand four primary components of a game. You should learn each component in the order listed below:
1. The opening passage
2. Diagramming techniques
3. Inferences
4. Question strategies
Notice how I said 'master' the fundamentals, not just 'get familiar' with them. Too often, people will just go through a chapter of a book, do a drill and move on. I cannot stress this enough--this is the incorrect way to use a book or course to get the full benefits from it. Here's why...
Every single micro-skill matters, and they all relate to each other. If you struggle with understanding the opening passage, you will make false inferences because you had misconceptions about the parameters of the game. If you mis-diagram a rule you will also make false inferences, which will lead to incorrect answers. Not to mention that any mistakes with these components will lead to a ton of time wasted in the section.
So, instead of just passively working through drills, here is what you should do:
1. Read a chapter or watch a video on one component of the game.
2. Complete the drills provided, but here's the key part--read the ENTIRE explanation, regardless of whether you got the question correct or not. This is because sometimes you may get the question correct, but for the wrong reasons.
3. REPEAT the questions individually before moving onto the next. It's not just about knowing the answer and being accurate. It's about being able to do it smoothly and methodically. Try verbally explaining the process to someone else or to yourself. If you can explain every step of the way fluidly without any hesitation, you are ready to move onto the next question.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for each question until you completed the drill.
5. The next day, redo the same drill to make sure you have mastered it. Sometimes a question that was easy the day before is challenging the next day. This is because you are approaching the question from a different vantage point each time. In other words, you are using an inconsistent approach. Continue reviewing each day until the question consistently makes perfect sense consistently. Quality is FAR more important than quantity.
Once you have completed a drill using this approach, you are ready to move onto the next component of the game and repeat this process for the next drill, and so on.
Step 2: Drill Games by Type
At this stage, you have the fundamentals down and are ready to start attempting full games. Rather than immediately jumping into full timed games and sections from day one, focus on drilling individual game types.
Here are the game types that most curricula will teach (in the recommended order)
Sequencing / Linear / Ordering
Grouping
In/Out / Selection
Hybrid
Rare
People often feel like they should focus on the more advanced games, such as Hybrid games, because they cost them the most time. However, they often struggle with the advanced games precisely because they don't have a good grasp of the more basic ones. If you are not consistently completing games types 1-4 with 100% accuracy within 8 minutes, you need more time to address these games before moving onto the more advanced games. Here's how to do it...
Start with Sequencing games. Do games completely untimed, and take as long as you need to get through each step. Drill these games in order of difficulty. Don't worry about time at all during this phase.
Take a single game and do just the setup and deductions untimed
Check the explanations for this step. If you made a mistake, missed a deduction, or took a long time to figure something out, immediately repeat that part of the process at least 3 times. The goal is to not only understand why these deductions are true. It is also to ask yourself how you could identify that same deduction in a brand new game. Repeat this phase back-to-back until all deductions are fluid before moving onto the next step
Attempt a single question and immediately check the explanations. If you got the question correct, it does not matter. Make sure you used the most efficient process to get there
Repeat the question, using the process provided in the explanations. You should be able to replicate the process without any issues before moving on
Move on to the next question and repeat steps 3-4. Continue this process until you have completed the game
Now it's time to put everything together. Redo the entire game untimed. If there is any part of the game that gave you trouble, repeat it immediately
Do the entire game again untimed the next day. If there is any part of the game that gave you trouble, repeat it immediately and repeat it again the next day. Sometimes, it can take several days to fully master a game
Make sure to be a perfectionist when it comes to this. Don't write little errors off as careless mistakes. If you have already seen the game before and you made a careless mistake, you are much more likely to make the same mistake in brand new games. Be honest with regards to how well you understand the game, regardless of how tedious this process becomes.
After you have mastered the first 3-4 games untimed, it is time to incorporate the timed process. Here is how that works:
Do a game and see how long it takes--don't give yourself a time limit. The goal is to not rush. You should see how long it takes you when you are going through the game at a normal pace
Review the game by doing steps 1-6 in the untimed process
Move on to the next game and repeat steps 1-2
The next day, repeat steps 1-3 for each of the games from the previous day. This means the first attempt each day is timed, and the review is untimed.
Aim to do this for about 3 games per day. But this does not necessarily mean you should be doing NEW games each day. If all 3 games from the previous day have not yet been mastered, you should solely review those 3 games. If some games have been mastered, you can then replace those with new ones.
You have mastered a game when you hit your target time implementing the correct processes with 100% accuracy and you hit your target time. Here is the target time for each game:
Sequencing / Linear / Ordering (4-6 minutes)
Grouping (5-7 minutes)
In/Out / Selection (5-7 minutes)
Hybrid (7-8 minutes)
Rare (7-8 minutes)
Keep in mind these target times are for repeated attempts. They are very short to account for the fact that you have seen the games before. Overtime, you should see your initial timed attempts go by faster using this approach. Once you are consistently hitting the target times on your first attempt for each game type, you are ready to move onto the next game type.
It's also important to order the practice tests wisely so that you can save the more recent ones for full practice tests. Use PT 1-30 for untimed practice and 31-50 for timed drilling
Step 3: Incorporate Timed Sections/Practice Tests
After you have learned the first three game types, you have the foundations down and you are ready to start occasionally doing timed sections while drilling the remaining game types. These foundational games comprise the bulk of the LG section and your skills will translate into other game types.
I recommend doing 1 section per week and review each game within the section using the untimed process. Once your accuracy improves, you can increase the number of sections you take each week. When you're consistently scoring when you want, you can start incorporating more full length practice tests as well.
Use PT 41-60 for timed sections, and the remaining for full practice tests.
Step 4: Drill Weak Areas
As you have more data from sections you have taken, keep track of any game types that are still giving you issues. If there are any, prioritize those for drilling. It can be beneficial to spend an entire week drilling that specific game, and then you can resume doing the timed sections again.
Use this process and watch your score go up! Stay motivated! If you feel like you would benefit from help that is structured with day-to-day plans and specific strategies for every single component of the game, feel free to sign up for Logic Games private tutoring. There are specific methods you can use for finding deductions and how to even predict what the correct answer will say for certain question types.
Stay motivated!
Sincerely,
Cho from Impetus LSAT
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