how i can solve faster

[jennie]

I can solve the problems and my solution seems identical to the explanations provided. but I take way too long. it takes me 20min to even 30min to finish one game... How can i do it in 8min? Do I just need lots of practice???

[Jonathan Evans]

Hi, Jennie,

Great question! Yes, practice and familiarity with the games is a big part of improving your speed.

The good news is you're definitely on the right track. You might be surprised, but if you're able to get every answer right, even if it takes you 20-30 minutes, you've accomplished a critical part of improvement on games.

Consider working through these games a second time, even though you already know the solution. See whether you can observe any opportunities to be more efficient. When you are setting up the game, were there connections/inferences that it took you a while to see? Did you do an appropriate amount of work in the initial setup? Too much? Too little?

When you do the questions are there ways that you could spot the answer more quickly? Do you notice connections between inferences you make and the global questions? Are you using process of elimination aggressively, weeding out incorrect answers and engaging with the answer choices most likely to be correct?

In addition to this practice and review, you will likely find that taking practice tests prompts you to find ways to approach games quickly without sacrificing accuracy.

Making improvement on games is a process that takes time and patience, and I commend you for what you have accomplished thus far.

[jennie]

Thank you Jonathan!! This is encouraging and helpful!

[abrowngirl]

Hi!

I am having a similar problem to Jennie. I am able to work through games and normally get most if not all of the questions correct, but it’s taking me far too long. I’m averaging around 30 minutes per game. I notice that my biggest issue with time is that I either forget an original rule or create a diagram that is missing something like an inference or Not Law. This forces me to use hypotheticals that take up a ton of time.

I am working through the Bibles, Type Training Books, and Workbooks using the 3 month study plan. I’m currently on week 2 - I have Ch 3 in the LGB and completed all of the games there. I’m currently working through CH 2 in the type training book. The detailed answer keys are really helpful for identifying where I missed a step. I’m concerned that I’m about to run out of games with such detailed solutions. What is the best way to continue practicing with this game type after I’ve gone through all of the designated problems? What is the best way to practice making inferences? Do you have any tips for how I can get better at making sure that I’m not missing things like Not Laws or newly inferred rules?

Thank you!
A. Brown

[Zach Foreman]

Hi A,

First, you don't need to do all the games in 8 minutes to get a really good score. The LSAT is not scored like other exams. For example, you can miss about 10% of the questions and still get in the 98th or 99th percentile. Sometimes students aiming for perfection can get so discouraged that they give up. In addition, even if you do all four games, some might tale 6 minutes and some 10 minutes. So, if you are doing a problem set in the homework, especially a "killer games" section, it might take you longer to do it.

Many of my students have had great success with targeting only 3 games out of the four. There is usually one game with only 5 questions. Random guessing will average one correct and four incorrect. Those four wrong answers have only a small effect on your final score. Of course, you have to do very well on the other games, but your issue seems to be that you get everything right, just slower. Targeting only three games gives you 11 minutes and 40 seconds per game, rather than 8 minutes and 45 seconds, which can make a huge difference. I would try it over a few game sections and see if it helps.

Now, of course you still need to get from 30 minutes per game to 11 minutes and 40 seconds per game, which will be a challenge. So, let's break it down a little more. There are an average of 24 questions per game section. If your goal is to answer all of them, you would have about a minute per question, leaving just under 3 minutes to set up each game and make inferences. If you are going for three games, then you will answer between 18-19 questions and do three setups. That means you have the same one minute per question but more than 5 minutes per set up.

The most common reason students are slow at games is that they do not set up efficiently and leave inferences out and brute-force their way through the answer choices, creating lots of mini-setups rather than a master set up. Occasionally, I find a student who is too thorough with their main set up or mini-setups. I fall in that category as I am a teacher and want to know everything about a game. But it is not necessary to know everything in order to get all the answers correct. It is similar to Reading Comp. They can only ask 6-7 questions on a passage, which means they can't ask *everything*.

So, you first need to figure out if your setups are good. I would practice set-ups and time how long it takes, then see if you could set it up better or faster. Some common mistakes in set up are not identifying the type of game, not labeling the set up, leaving out a rule, misinterpreting a rule, not making simple inferences like not-laws or combining rules. Try to set up your game in under 5 minutes and you will be 80% to your goal. The Logic Games Bible and the Course Material do a great job of showing complete diagrams. Don't worry if you don't get it exactly right, but try to get close.

The other 20 percent will be attacking the answers efficiently. The good thing about games is that you usually know for certain if an answer is correct. If there is one thing you learn from PowerScore (and I hope there are many) it is PREPHRASE!! What does that mean here? Well, there is simply not enough time to thoroughly go through each answer choice, no matter how smart or prepared you are. You need to take smart shortcuts and the way you do that is by knowing the answer BEFORE you look at the answer choices. Or at least having a pretty good idea. You should rarely approach the answer choices with a "I'll know it when I see it" or a brute force diagram-every-answer-choice approach. This usually means that you missed a clue in the question that could help you narrow your focus.

Whenever taking a section, I recommend always recording the time it took for you to do your main setup and then each question. I also recommend that you pause after your setup and see if it looks like you made some inferences. Those two things should help you figure out why it is taking too long, then you can address that issue.