June 2007 LSAT, Game 2 Setup, Film Club

Game Setup

Time on second attempt: 4:38

See “repeating games” at bottom of section

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This is a mixed linear/grouping game. It’s also fairly unique. I don’t think I’ve come across a game exactly like this one.

All three rules limit who can go last. So, you should draw those:

Diagram Style

This diagram may be confusing, as I have horizontal lines in two places.

1. The first line is the column, for thursday, friday, saturday
2. The second line indicates the end of the column. E.g. H is last on thursday.

I’ve also drawn smaller letters at the top to show who else can go on that day.

Feel free to draw this diagram another way. What I want you to understand is why each element is there. But there’s nothing wrong with rearranging it and finding your own style.

Why the details make you efficient

The details I listed above might seem trivial, but I’ve found they really help. You can glance at the diagram and instantly see that G and L can go Thursday. You don’t have to think about it while doing the questions, and this makes all the difference on logic games.

That’s all there is to this setup! Except you should note that each movie has to be shown at least once.

It’s also important to note that this game is very flexible. For instance, this is a valid scenario:

It obeys rules 1, 2 and 3. You don’t have to place any other films. You merely have the option to show other films.

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Repeating Games

I’ve written elsewhere about the benefits of repeating games, to solidify your intuition for deductions. Note that the purpose of repeating games is to prove the answers right, so it doesn’t matter if you remember the right answer.

I repeated this game about three days after I first saw it, by which time I had forgotten the answers. I’ve written how long it took me on the second attempt. That time, or a couple minutes above it, is roughly the standard you should be aspiring to – a lot of people take 8-9 minutes on a repeat attempt, get everything right, and pat themselves on the back. But that’s too slow. The faster you go when repeating, the faster you’ll learn to go the first time you see a game.

(I say “a couple minutes above” my time because, after years of teaching the LSAT, I’m really, really fast. You should be almost as fast as me, but you don’t exactly need to match my pace to score -0.)

Time on second attempt: 4:38

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