"Progress" but no score improvement

[capncook]

Hi,

When I first started doing logic games (i.e. before learning any LG techniques from books etc.), I would read all the rules and think "OH MY GOD WHAT IS HAPPENING," and then I would frantically use brute force and intuition to answer the questions as best I could. On a given average to difficult game, I would get ~75% of questions right, and the game would usually take me 12-15 minutes rather than the suggested 8:30 to complete.

Now, after extensive prep, I have a much more systematic approach to logic games. I make my initial diagram, draw deductions, and generally feel much more confident as I approach the questions. For example, I just now did a game (about a truck carrying stone and mulch that has to be cleaned--unsure which test it's from), and I was very proud of myself for intuitively breaking it into scenarios and drawing quite a few powerful deductions that made many of the questions a piece of cake. In general, I feel like I am able to discern the overall structure, approach, and "tricks" required of most games I attempt.

However, and it's a BIG HOWEVER, for this game and many like it, despite how much better I feel like I understand what's going on, I still tend to 1) only get about 75% of questions right and 2) go way over the ideal time (this truck one took me 13 minutes). It's very frustrating and confusing to have what I believe to be a vastly improved knowledge and intuition of how logic games work, yet not see that translating into any clear score improvements. Logic Games--and LSAT in general--feel almost second-nature to me at this point in my prep, but my scoring and time management have really not improved nearly as much as my abstract understanding of the test and how to solve various question types.

So my question is, what gives? Why do I feel like the LSAT is so much easier than it used to be, but my scores don't reflect that? Especially in LG, I've barely improved since my initial diagnostic despite feeling as if I've basically mastered the concepts. Any advice on how to proceed would be much appreciated!

[Adam Tyson]

Thanks for the question, capncook! First, let me congratulate you on your progress with understanding the strategies and concepts of logic games. That's a huge step forward, and you've laid the groundwork for further improvements in both timing and accuracy (with accuracy being the more important of the two).

Continued improvement will come with practice, and also with solid post-test review and analysis of what went well and what didn't. Your post leads me to ask a few follow up questions. First, are you doing sections of games from past tests, or are you doing games in isolation? That mulch and stone game is, for many people, a so-called "killer game", and it's reasonable for it to take longer than the average game (which is actually 8:45, not 8:30 - big deal, right?) Doing that one in 13 minutes and another game from that same test in, say, 6 minutes would put you a lot closer to that average time. Don't worry about how long a single game takes you, because it is the combination of four games on a test that matters, and they often vary in difficulty so much that none of the games ends up taking anything really close to that average. A game in 6 minutes, another in 7:30, a third in 12 minutes, and the fourth in 9:30 comes out to...35 minutes!

Also, consider this - you are taking the time now to make those deductions and draw better diagrams instead of using brute force with every question, and you've managed to make that change without losing either speed or accuracy. That's fantastic! Most students who make this shift end up taking much longer or else they end up rushing and losing accuracy, so you're doing great! Keep at it, and try re-doing games that you did before to see where you can be more efficient, improving speed while maintaining and even increasing your score in the section.

Finally, consider whether you are making the best use of your diagrams once they are completed. It's great to make those inferences up front, but are you returning to the main diagram, and to prior local diagrams, to help you answer questions, or are you falling back into old habits and doing too much work on each question? That's a common problem when students start to make the change in games - they do the work, but then don't use it. Pay attention to how you are approaching each question, and how you are using the work you have done up to that point, and I expect you will start to see gains.