{"id":127,"date":"2016-01-22T13:10:49","date_gmt":"2016-01-22T21:10:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/?p=127"},"modified":"2021-07-28T13:39:56","modified_gmt":"2021-07-28T20:39:56","slug":"lsat-logic-games-basics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/lsat-logic-games-basics\/","title":{"rendered":"LSAT Logic Games Basics"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Analytical Reasoning section, also known as Logic Games<\/a>, is a unique section on the LSAT. Keep reading to get the Logic Games basics, including what to expect and strategies to approach this section.<\/p>\n

What is the LSAT Logic Games section?<\/h2>\n

As far as LSAT Logic Games basics go, you should know this: This LSAT section contains four \u201cgames,” each with three main components: a central setup<\/strong> describing some task that must be completed, a set of rules<\/strong> to follow when completing that task, and 5-7 accompanying questions<\/strong>. The setup, rules, and questions vary in complexity and difficulty, but there are typically one or two easier games and one or two harder games on each exam. Below is an example of a game setup and a question, borrowed from LSAC\u2019s free, official online practice test<\/a>.
\n\"LSAT<\/a>
\nThere are 23 questions in an LSAT Logic Games section, and there is only one scored Logic Games section per test<\/strong>. Therefore, Logic Games will account for about 23% of your total LSAT score. Here are some tips to help you cope with the LSAT Logic Games section.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Set a goal for your LSAT Logic Games score<\/h2>\n

Read Setting LSAT Prep Goals<\/em><\/a> for a detailed explanation of how to set reasonable goals for your LSAT prep. In short, an excellent goal for the LSAT Logic Games section is to decrease your number of incorrect answers by half<\/strong>. In other words, if you\u2019re currently missing about 6 questions in the Logic Games section, aim to bring that number down to only 3.
\n <\/p>\n

Determine how many games and\/or questions you need to attempt<\/h2>\n

If your goal is to answer 20 questions correctly, you\u2019ll need to allot time to all four of the games in the section. However, if you are only trying to answer 16 questions correctly, you might only need to devote significant time to three of the games. You can guess on one of the games and hope to get lucky once or twice.
\n <\/p>\n

Determine how much time you have per game<\/h2>\n

Once you\u2019ve figured out how many questions you need to attempt, you can design a pacing strategy. If you\u2019re attempting all four games, you\u2019ll have an average of 8 minutes and 45 seconds per game. If you\u2019re only attempting three games, you\u2019ll have an average of about 11 minutes and 30 seconds per game, plus 30 seconds at the end to guess randomly on the remaining game.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind that your strategy might involve leaving enough time to complete only part<\/em> of a game<\/strong>. In other words, you might give yourself 30 minutes to complete three games, and then spend the final 5 minutes trying to answer a few easy questions from the final game.
\n <\/p>\n

Diagram the game<\/h2>\n

There are a few common game types that appear over and over again: Sequencing games, Grouping games, and to a lesser extent, Matching games<\/strong>. Each of these game types has a standard diagram that will allow you to keep track of rules and possible solutions. Any LSAT prep book, course, or tutor will introduce you to some version of these diagrams. Find diagrams that you\u2019re comfortable with, and memorize them<\/strong>. As soon as you understand what a game is asking you to do, start drawing the appropriate diagram clearly and neatly on the page beneath the game setup.
\n <\/p>\n

Separate your master diagram from your question diagrams<\/h2>\n

Your master diagram should be built exclusively from information provided in the game setup and the rules<\/strong>. Label it clearly as \u201cMaster Diagram\u201d and keep it far away from the individual questions.<\/p>\n

Many questions will then provide additional information that can be drawn into a question-specific diagram<\/strong>. Question-specific diagrams are simply master diagrams with new information added. Label them clearly with the question number they represent, and try to draw them as close to the applicable question as possible.<\/p>\n

Separating your diagrams and labeling them clearly is helpful for two reasons<\/strong>. First, it prevents you from accidentally applying information from one question to another question where it doesn\u2019t belong. Second, it allows you keep track of deductions you\u2019ve made in previous questions, and then use those deductions to answer later questions more quickly.
\n <\/p>\n

Know your formal logic<\/h2>\n

Here’s another Logic Games basic fact: Formal logic appears in most Logic Games, most often in the form of if\/then, only if, if and only if<\/em>, or unless<\/em> statements. Knowing the nuanced differences between these types of statements will help you interpret rules and draw diagrams more accurately. In fact, familiarity with these formal logic statements is probably the single most valuable tool to bring to the LSAT Logic Games section<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Magoosh LSAT blog<\/a> has a handful of posts on the formal logic terms that appear most frequently on the test. That\u2019s a great place to start learning the basics.
\n <\/p>\n

Draw out limited options<\/h2>\n

If you ever notice that a particular rule, combination of rules, or piece of information introduced in a question restricts the number of possible solutions to only 2 or 3, draw each one out completely<\/strong>. For example, if your task is to arrange guests around a table, and a rule tells you that Bob must sit next to Francine, that leaves only two possibilities. In the first, Bob sits immediately to the left of Francine. In the second, Bob sits immediately to the right of Francine. Rather than trying to remember that, or making a note of it somewhere, just draw two tables and place Bob and Francine at each according to the two possibilities.<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve drawn out these limited options, make sure to incorporate all the other rules into each option<\/strong>. Oftentimes, you\u2019ll find that you now have enough information to fill in most–if not all–of at least one of your options. That can make answering questions related to that possibility very, very easy.
\n <\/p>\n

Don\u2019t let difficult questions drag you down<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve drawn a clear, accurate master diagram, and you incorporate question-specific rules into new diagrams, you\u2019ll probably find many fairly easy LSAT Logic Games questions. However, there will always be a few very difficult problems thrown in the mix<\/strong>. If your goal is to score more than 20 points in the section, you\u2019ll have to confront these questions eventually. Choosing when to do so can be the difference between the 22 you\u2019re shooting for, and an 18 or 19.<\/p>\n

First of all, leave tough questions to the end of the game<\/strong>. Sometimes, you can use information you\u2019ve learned in later questions to determine the answer to a difficult question more quickly.<\/p>\n

Second, use process of elimination<\/strong>. Even if your answers to other questions don\u2019t provide a definitive solution to a difficult question, they might tell you which answer choices are wrong. Eliminate as many answer choices as you can, and then if you\u2019re running out of time, make an educated guess between the remaining options.<\/p>\n

Finally, if you can\u2019t rule anything out and the clock is ticking, circle the question and move on to the next game<\/strong>. The worst thing you can do in LSAT Logic Games is stealing time from easier games or questions. Make sure you leave enough time to answer every easy and medium question in the section. Once that\u2019s done, you can go back and use any remaining time to tackle a couple of the most difficult questions in the section.<\/p>\n

Those are all the Logic Games basics you need to know! For more information on Logic Games, check out our post on how to diagram common logic game types<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Analytical Reasoning section, also known as Logic Games, is a unique section on the LSAT. Keep reading to get the Logic Games basics, including what to expect and strategies to approach this section. What is the LSAT Logic Games section? As far as LSAT Logic Games basics go, you should know this: This LSAT […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[3856],"class_list":["post-127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-logic-games"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLSAT Logic Games Basics - Magoosh LSAT Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This post covers all the Logic Games basics, including strategies for pacing, goal setting, diagramming, and attacking the questions.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"LSAT Logic Games Basics\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Analytical Reasoning section, also known as Logic Games, is a unique section on the LSAT. Keep reading to get the Logic Games basics, including what\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/lsat-logic-games-basics\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Magoosh LSAT Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-01-22T21:10:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-07-28T20:39:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/files\/2016\/01\/LG-Sample-Question-page-001.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Travis Coleman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Travis Coleman\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/lsat-logic-games-basics\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/lsat-logic-games-basics\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Travis Coleman\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/#\/schema\/person\/2b0d4d89a6af649558a6201c09bd4254\"},\"headline\":\"LSAT Logic Games Basics\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-01-22T21:10:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/lsat-logic-games-basics\/\"},\"wordCount\":1274,\"commentCount\":2,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Logic Games (Analytical Reasoning)\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/lsat-logic-games-basics\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/lsat-logic-games-basics\/\",\"name\":\"LSAT Logic Games Basics - Magoosh LSAT Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-01-22T21:10:49+00:00\",\"description\":\"This post covers all the Logic Games basics, including strategies for pacing, goal setting, diagramming, and attacking the questions.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/lsat-logic-games-basics\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/lsat-logic-games-basics\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/lsat-logic-games-basics\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"LSAT Logic Games Basics\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/\",\"name\":\"Magoosh LSAT Blog\",\"description\":\"Free Study Resources\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Magoosh\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/files\/2019\/08\/Magoosh-logo-purple-60h.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/files\/2019\/08\/Magoosh-logo-purple-60h.png\",\"width\":265,\"height\":60,\"caption\":\"Magoosh\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/#\/schema\/person\/2b0d4d89a6af649558a6201c09bd4254\",\"name\":\"Travis Coleman\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/bb48de7e3f4fcbce44c900f1be9e3eec\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bb41577b3ff13e68b090cc8fc881c3595171b630d81eb41d5e2911416566e0d2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bb41577b3ff13e68b090cc8fc881c3595171b630d81eb41d5e2911416566e0d2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Travis Coleman\"},\"description\":\"Travis is in charge of helping students turn LSAT prep into an afternoon with this guy. With a JD from NYU and an English degree from Boston College, he's dedicated his career to fighting the forces of unnecessary legal jargon and faulty logic. When not geeking out on the LSAT, he can probably be found on skis, in water, or in the vicinity of a roller coaster.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/author\/travis\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"LSAT Logic Games Basics - Magoosh LSAT Blog","description":"This post covers all the Logic Games basics, including strategies for pacing, goal setting, diagramming, and attacking the questions.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"LSAT Logic Games Basics","og_description":"The Analytical Reasoning section, also known as Logic Games, is a unique section on the LSAT. Keep reading to get the Logic Games basics, including what","og_url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/lsat-logic-games-basics\/","og_site_name":"Magoosh LSAT Blog","article_published_time":"2016-01-22T21:10:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-07-28T20:39:56+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/files\/2016\/01\/LG-Sample-Question-page-001.jpg"}],"author":"Travis Coleman","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Travis Coleman","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/lsat-logic-games-basics\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/lsat-logic-games-basics\/"},"author":{"name":"Travis Coleman","@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/#\/schema\/person\/2b0d4d89a6af649558a6201c09bd4254"},"headline":"LSAT Logic Games Basics","datePublished":"2016-01-22T21:10:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/lsat-logic-games-basics\/"},"wordCount":1274,"commentCount":2,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Logic Games (Analytical Reasoning)"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/lsat-logic-games-basics\/","url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/lsat-logic-games-basics\/","name":"LSAT Logic Games Basics - Magoosh LSAT Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-01-22T21:10:49+00:00","description":"This post covers all the Logic Games basics, including strategies for pacing, goal setting, diagramming, and attacking the questions.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/lsat-logic-games-basics\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/lsat-logic-games-basics\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/lsat-logic-games-basics\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"LSAT Logic Games Basics"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/#website","url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/","name":"Magoosh LSAT Blog","description":"Free Study Resources","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/#organization","name":"Magoosh","url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/files\/2019\/08\/Magoosh-logo-purple-60h.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/files\/2019\/08\/Magoosh-logo-purple-60h.png","width":265,"height":60,"caption":"Magoosh"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/#\/schema\/person\/2b0d4d89a6af649558a6201c09bd4254","name":"Travis Coleman","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/bb48de7e3f4fcbce44c900f1be9e3eec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bb41577b3ff13e68b090cc8fc881c3595171b630d81eb41d5e2911416566e0d2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bb41577b3ff13e68b090cc8fc881c3595171b630d81eb41d5e2911416566e0d2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Travis Coleman"},"description":"Travis is in charge of helping students turn LSAT prep into an afternoon with this guy. With a JD from NYU and an English degree from Boston College, he's dedicated his career to fighting the forces of unnecessary legal jargon and faulty logic. When not geeking out on the LSAT, he can probably be found on skis, in water, or in the vicinity of a roller coaster.","url":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/author\/travis\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":3856,"user_id":123,"is_guest":0,"slug":"travis","display_name":"Travis Coleman","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/bb41577b3ff13e68b090cc8fc881c3595171b630d81eb41d5e2911416566e0d2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","user_url":"","last_name":"Coleman","first_name":"Travis","description":"Travis is in charge of helping students turn <a href=\"http:\/\/i.imgur.com\/5wS378R.jpg\">LSAT prep<\/a> into an afternoon with <a href=\"http:\/\/media.tumblr.com\/e1d7ee244427c371aab703630cd9f6a4\/tumblr_inline_ncf9xfqVJx1riqfqx.jpg\">this guy<\/a>. With a JD from NYU and an English degree from Boston College, he's dedicated his career to fighting the forces of unnecessary legal jargon and faulty logic. When not geeking out on the LSAT, he can probably be found on skis, in water, or in the vicinity of a roller coaster."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/123"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/lsat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}