Solving Logic Games Visualization

[mford]

Hello,
I have taken all of the advanced logic games course and thought it offered awesome insight into seeing past uncertainty and advanced strategies. One thing that I wish I could see is someone like Dave actually solving a game in real time, like with the camera over his shoulder so I can get advanced timing down--like there were multiple times that Dave stressed in the tutorials that this is not something to spend time on and that isn't something he'd waste time on figuring out etc. Would it be possible to see something like this?
Thank You

[Dave Killoran]

Hey Mford,

Thanks for the message. I've actually tried this a few times in the past while tutoring, and for the most part, it doesn't give as much benefit as you would want (I'm not knocking myself by saying that, I blame the format ) Typically what happens is that as soon as the student sees something that isn't clear to them, the student would ask a question and naturally we would stop and discuss the point in detail. That more or less defeats the idea behind what you are asking about. This would be the case even if there were complete explanations afterwards, because then if someone missed something they would be forced to go back and forth and figure out what was going on. That's frustrating for most people, I think.

Another consideration is that, in many respects, the game explanations I give in the ALR are often slow-motion replays of how I would do a game, with the added benefit of having me explain the steps as I take them, and discuss various aspects of the decision in question. The notations in those games are drawn directly from the notes I make when I first take a game, so you might be surprised at how similar they look (although I'll admit my handwriting on the actual game is considerably more messy than the typed graphics we use in the ALR).

So, I think it is something that sounds pretty cool at first, but after you watched the first one, you might find it somewhat annoying to not have a running commentary on what you were seeing.

I hope that makes sense. Thanks!

[mford]

I have taken 8 tests in the last week and I have discovered my main issue in the LSAT; Timing on the Logic Games. I read through your timing strategy as it related to logical reasoning, and have discovered that it has worked wonders. I finish the first 10 questions in the first 10 minutes (with 25 minutes left, more or less), and try to get as close as possible to question 20 with 10 minutes left, so that I can have more than two minutes left for each of the questions which average 4 on LSAC's difficulty scale. As a result I have increased my score from an average of 158 into the 164 region (with a top score so far of 167, twice). One thing that holds me back, though, are the logic games. I average 23/26 on reading, 23 or 24/26 on the logical reasoning and 13-18/22-24 on the logic games, and I have noticed that the lower scores are definately the ones where I haven't even attempted multiple games i.e. my best scores (around 18 points) occur when I get at least partially through the 4th game. I have yet to discover my own formula though--a point of variance between this section and the LR section; the LR section I've gotten down to a science/military precision. I just know that if I break through this barrier, I can finally achieve elite status (170+)...the full course book was less specific about the LG section in that it didn't really make many positive reccomendations aside from the amount of games attempted scale relative to the skill of the test-taker--which I'm not sure is helpful to me at this stage. Do you have any advice?

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hey Mford,

let me jump in real quick and give you my take on timing in the Games section. Optimal timing is, in many ways, a function of (1) making inferences quickly and efficiently; and (2) knowing when to move onto the questions. The failure to make enough inferences may save you time in the beginning, but will almost always cost you more in the long run. On the flip-side, it's possible that you are spending way too much time making inferences, some of which are superfluous or redundant. Either way, try to limit the amount of time it takes to do the set-up to 2-4 min (if you're making templates, 4+ is usually the norm).

It is also entirely possible that you are spending a lot of time on specific, above-average difficulty questions: we have seen a number of games in which a single question may take as long as all other questions combined. For instance, many of the rule substitution questions on recent exams require significantly more work on your part than most other questions. You may even want to skip them and return to them later if/when you have the time to. You are better off skipping one question/game than missing an entire game.

Also, keep in mind that as far as specific test taking style recommendations, the books can't go too far in one direction because everyone is different, and each person needs personalized feedback. That's one reason we offer multiple points of personal interaction to get further feedback (this forum for one, the LSAT Hotline, your instructor, etc).

Hope this helps