Setup and Rule Diagrams

[crispycrispr]

With these types of games (conditionals), I usually have most trouble with questions that don't have the sufficient conditions. I never know where else things could go. For example, in Question 4, when it says that if H is 2, that doesn't really tell me the definitive placements about other elements. What's the best way to deal with these situations?

Additionally, i'm not really sure if I'm wasting time trying the older games, but I have found them to be harder than the more recent ones.

[KelseyWoods]

Hi crispycrispr!

H being 2nd may not be a sufficient condition in the conditional rule, but H is in another rule--that last one that tells us that G has to be on the day right after H! So if H is on day 2, that means G is on day 3. Do we have any other rules with G? No. Do we have any other rules about slot 3? Yes! F can only go in 3 or 5. So if G is in 3, that means F is in 5. We don't have any other rules with F, but we do have another rule with slot 5: If K is in 4, then L is in 5. The contrapositive of that rule is that if L is NOT in 5, then K is NOT in 4. Sine F is in 5, L is NOT in 5, which means K is NOT in 4. At that point we can eliminate (A), (D), and (E). The only difference between (B) and (C) is J so I might do a quick check to make sure J can be 4th. The order M H G J F K L works, which means I could have J 4th. So (C) is the answer.

Older games are great for practice. You never know what the LSAT is going to throw at you!

Best,
Kelsey

[lsatstudy2023]

Hi,

Timing is something I have been struggling with on the LSAT, especially with LG. I noticed all the explanations here draw out templates too.

I'm worried if I try drawing out all of these templates for each question, I'll spend too much time obsessing over inferences and run out of time.

I would appreciate any advice on this.
As always, you guys are the real MVPs; thanks for all your help!

[Adam Tyson]

Just to clarify some terminology here, when we talk about "templates," we are talking about multiple diagrams drawn out at the opening stages of the game, before answering any of the questions. We do this in those cases where the initial set of rules and inferences restricts the game in such a way that there are only a few ways to set up the initial diagram, and those options all have at least some additional consequences.

This game is not necessary a good templates game, as there are many things that could happen. However, the conditional rule about J and H, when combined with the HG block, is pretty powerful, and I chose to flesh that out right away, before looking at the first question. That work up front allowed me to answer Question 2 in about 3 seconds!

When faced with "local" questions, where you are given a new restriction that applies only to that question, the best approach is to draw out that new restriction and see what else must happen. It may feel slow, but in the long run it's faster than trying to do it all in your head, and also less prone to error. As you get further into a game, you may encounter questions where you don't need to draw a new diagram, because you've already drawn one out previously that helps you to answer that question.

Don't worry about obsessing over inferences in these cases! Just draw what they tell you and apply the rules. The resulting local diagram will provide the answer you need, and you'll move through the game quickly and confidently. In a game like this one, where you probably wouldn't do a lot of work up front, it's only natural that you should expect to spend a little more time on the questions than you would on a game where your initial diagram was more fleshed out.