LG Game 4 Setup, by LSATHacks
This is an explanation of the fourth logic game from Section IV of LSAT Preptest 72, the June 2014 LSAT.
Four company employees (J, K, L, M) work from Monday to Thursday (1, 2, 3, 4). Each of them starts to work on a raw workpiece on Monday and then transfer it to another employee each day for the next three days. You need to determine the possible transfers based on the given conditions.
Game Setup
This is an unusual game. I’ve never seen one quite like this.
However, the principles underlying this game are not different from other logic games. I was able to finish it quite quickly.
If you had trouble with this game, I recommend two steps:
- Try some older games. They’re different, but the principles are similar. That means they’re good practice for testing your ability to handle unfamiliar games.
- Repeat games. You want an intuition for the patterns in games. That’s what will let you solve unique games like this.
What are the principles underlying this game? Two main ones:
- Knowing the rules.
- Seeing the most restricted point.
The most restricted point is J. L and K can’t transfer to J. So only M can, and therefore M must transfer to J every turn.
It turns out the four rounds don’t matter. This game is all about seeing what’s possible within a single round.
Here’s the diagram I made. I did draw the four rounds, but they’re not important.
Here’s the main diagram with the rules added. The arrows with a cross indicate a transfer is impossible between those two variables:
I just looked at this diagram for every question. There’s not really much more to this game, as long as you notice that M has to transfer to J every round.
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I know this is a super old thread, so I’m unlikely to get a response. But just how likely are questions like this on the Lsat? They can seem absolutely confusing and unfair.
Exactly like this? Not likely.
But, an unusual game, unlike any other you’ve seen before: increasingly likely. LSAC has started making “unusual” logic games to trip up people who have trained very thoroughly on the typical games, but have mostly used memorization to do so.
So, how to prepare for a game like this? Repeat the games on your own, and do so first without using explanations. (Ironic, since I write explanations). This will train your ability to innovate within a logic game and handle curveballs.
A few years back I started making a course on these unusual logic games. It isn’t finished, but you can find the lessons in LSATHacks Plus or Pro in case that’s of interest. Your question has also prompted me to work on a list of the games considered to be “unusual” in recent years, keep an eye out for that!
Hi!
Very unusual game however once I saw your diagram, everything became easy. Even the hardest question number 23.
Four a lot of games I am able to picture the set up. However once like these, I get completely lost.
Above you recommend:
“ Try some older games. They’re different, but the principles are similar. That means they’re good practice for testing your ability to handle unfamiliar games.”
Which ones would you recommend that can help with this one?
Regina
By older I mean games from 1-28. Hope that helps, very glad the diagram was useful!
I know of no game like this one. But the older games will have setups unfamiliar, like this one was unfamiliar.
Much easier setup to ignore the days of the week (since none of the questions deal with days really), and just chart out which letters each one can transfer to. There are only two possibilities! [JKLM]-> [KLMJ] or [LMKJ]. I had these in 3 columns, and this simple chart answers all the questions correctly in about 2 minutes
Hello,
I know this is an older email chain, but could you help me with finding other logical games similar to this game?
There are none. This is unique. Recent LSATs has been adding unique games to trip up people that overprep by memorizing past game forms.
I had a challenging LG on my actual test and would like to prepare for unusual setups like these. I went back to try my LG section which was published as one of the recent exams. For that fourth LG itself, I got 3 wrong which I expect happened on the real deal. [Fun fact: If I had just guessed C for the whole fourth LG, I would have gotten the same amount incorrect for that particular LG. Yikes.] I generally feel like that one LG really caught me off guard. Regardless, I am studying for a retake so I wanted to know if you recommend any techniques this time around to improve my ability to make inferences. Is there a type of Review system you recommend for LG or are there other more challenging materials you recommend that can help me tackle more challenging LG puzzles like these? Thank you so much for your help.
I’m having a hard time seeing the “There’s not really much more to this game, as long as you notice that M has to transfer to J every round.” inference. Couldn’t you transfer
L>K
J>L
K>M
M>J?
That transfer sequence looks right. But you’ve transferred from M to J.
My point was, the M to J transfer has to happen every round. Once you notice that, the game is a lot simpler, as only three transfers remain to sort out.
And, I’m an idiot. Thank you.