What to do when templates don't work

[lafayette1]

Some games have too many possibilities for templates to be a good strategy. I have thought of some possible tips for handling those types of games. Do you agree with my suggestions, and do you have anything additional to add? I am taking the LSAT this weekend.

-Don't be alarmed if you don't have a lot of information on your diagram (i.e. your diagram seems spare)
-There may be a lot of local questions, so perhaps do them first
-Identify strongly with the rules and apply them to the questions
-Use mini-diagrams for the questions, as needed
-Reuse prior work
-Try some hypotheticals, if needed
-Hurdle the uncertainties, if needed
-Use other strategies that work well for games in general, such as noting which variables are floaters, thinking about the numerical distribution, paying attention to group size and what could fill groups/the outgroup, etc.

Thanks.

[Dave Killoran]

Hi Lafayette,

A few thoughts and clarifications:

Some games have too many possibilities for templates to be a good strategy.

Yes, in fact it's not some games, but most games. While templating is great for many games, your standard setup will likely not require the use of templates. We try to make this crystal clear in our books and courses, so it's worth restating here.

I have thought of some possible tips for handling those types of games. Do you agree with my suggestions, and do you have anything additional to add? I am taking the LSAT this weekend.

-Don't be alarmed if you don't have a lot of information on your diagram (i.e. your diagram seems spare)
-There may be a lot of local questions, so perhaps do them first
-Identify strongly with the rules and apply them to the questions
-Use mini-diagrams for the questions, as needed
-Reuse prior work
-Try some hypotheticals, if needed
-Hurdle the uncertainties, if needed
-Use other strategies that work well for games in general, such as noting which variables are floaters, thinking about the numerical distribution, paying attention to group size and what could fill groups/the outgroup, etc.

Thanks.

Generally yes, this outlines the strategy we use as a regular part of approaching LG, although the Local question point isn't something that's necessarily true.

So, overall, looks good

Thanks!