Welcome To LSAT Logic Games Dot Calm
The LSAT is a test of reading and reasoning in three different contexts. One of the contexts is called “Analytical Reasoning” or “Logic Games” (LSAT Logical Reasoning and LSAT Reading Comprehension are the other two contexts).
Many LSAT test takers experience a high degree of anxiety with the LSAT Logic Games. The good news is that Logic Games is quite susceptible to short term improvement.
Reading and Reasoning – The Two Fundamental Aspects
Reading – Understanding the conditions in Logic Games
Reasoning – Making inferences with the reasoning that you understand
More people have trouble with the reading and understanding of the conditions than with making inferences from the conditions.
LSAT Reality – Time Is A Wasting – You Need to Get Started
Any LSAT teacher or book can explain the answers to Logic Games questions after the fact. Although this has some value, it is irrelevant. The real problem is that people either don’t know how to get started or take so long getting started that they run out of time. You must learn to proceed without the confidence even when you are uncomfortable.
Logic Games – The LSAT Perspective
In April of 2010, Lori Davis, a senior test designer at LSAT, offered a webinar on LSAT Analytical Reasoning. It was very interesting – I wrote a summary of of it. Read about the Logic Games Webinar here.
Some Basic LSAT Logic Games Skills
Skill 1 – How To Accurately Understand The ConditionsIf you don’t understand the conditions, you will be unable to make accurate inferences from them. Every Logic Games condition or rule is a “built in” test of reading comprehension.
LSAT designers are very skilled in obscuring important information. As a general principle you must understand:
– positioning issues (where do things go)
– numbering issues (how many objects are you working with? Are there too few, too many, or is it one-to-one correspondence?)
– How does the order of the conditions influence the way that you must understand them?
– LSAT Quantifiers: all, some, many, exactly, only, etc.
Skill 2 – How To Make Inferences From The Conditions, How Many Inferences to make and when to make those inferences
The “National Anthem” of LSAT preparation is that you should read the conditions, understand them, draw diagrams and answer the questions. In theory this is great. In practice, you won’t know whether you have made the inferences accurately and whether you have made all of them. In most cases you must start before having made all possible inferences.
Skill 3 – The Skill of Positioning – If you don’t start you can’t finish!
To put it simply – you need to know how to get started. You can’t “spin your wheels” forever.
You must learn:
– when to draw a diagram (drawing a diagram before starting the questions may actually hurt you)
– the difference between a diagram and shorthand
– how drawing a diagram first can hurt you
– the order to do the questions (it may not be what it seems)
Skill 4 – Diagramming – The Four Aspects
– when?
– how?
– how much?
– how to use them?
Skill 5 – Logic Games Questions Require You To Identify Three Modalities
In the context of these three modalities you must understand:
– the relationship between the right and wrong answers
– the “call of the questions” must be false, EXCEPT, etc.
Skill 6 – Specific Logic Games Questions
– numbers: minimum, maximum, exact number
– complete and accurate list
– variable information
– lists
– changing initial conditions
– must be false, EXCEPT
Skill 7 – The Answer Choices – How LSAT Makes Wrong Answers Seem Attractive
– how LSAT disguises the right answer
– accurate content, but incomplete
– accurate content, but problematic order
– compound thought answer choices
Skill 8 – LSAT Logical Reasoning Skills
– conditional reasoning
– syllogisms
All of these skills must be learned in the context of actual LSAT questions.
Copyright © 2009, 2011 John Richardson
. All Rights Reserved.