LSAT 78, Game 4 Setup, Auditions, LSATHacks

Game Setup

Time on second attempt: 5:45

See “repeating games” at bottom of section

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This is a sequencing game with a small added factor: two singers are recorded. Overall, I found this game was much easier than game 3, which was also a sequencing game. 

There are a few upfront deductions you can make on this game. Note that I didn’t make all of these deductions the first time through the game. In fact, some of them I only figured out partway through my second time doing the game.

If that’s the case, why bother to learn about these deductions? Because on some games, you will spot all the deductions up front, and you’ll go faster. Or you might get some of them, which helps you go faster. You’re also more likely to make the deductions mid game if you’re aware of the patterns – mid-game deductions happen to me frequently. The deductions I’m going to describe are similar to those seen on other games.

I’ll point out which parts I figured out on my first attempt, and which I only figured out while doing the game a second time. Now, for the rules

First, you should draw a diagram and place some of the rules on it. Rules 1 and 2 say that five must be recorded, and that four can’t be:

Now, only two singers are recorded: Kammer and Lugo. That means that there are only two options for spot 5: K or L.

Whenever there are only two options, you should split that into two diagrams. Often this will lead to new deductions, and it will always makes the game easier to visualize. 

Next, let’s look at the other rules. Rule 3 says that W is before K and L (the recorded auditions). Rule 4 says that K is earlier than T. We can combine these two rules:

Rule 5 says that Z is before Y:

Right away, we can make one addition to our diagram. In scenario 1, T is in spot 6:

This was as far as I got with deductions on my first attempt. But I figured out more while doing the game a second time. Let’s see what else we can deduce.

“Not” rules are useful. That’s where we write the places that variables can’t go. K and L are particularly restrictive, so let’s add some not rules for them.

• They can’t go fourth, because the fourth session isn’t recorded.
• In scenario 2, K can’t go last, because K must be before T.

These are fairly obvious deductions. But drawing them on the diagram frees your mind to look for further deductions. 

Note that I’ve only drawn “not L” on the top diagram, rather than “not L and not K”. That’s because K is already placed, so it would just add clutter to put “not K” under slot 4. I did the same with the second diagram. You have to be careful not to add too much “not rule” clutter, or it becomes hard to read the diagram.

Now, what else can we deduce? Well, W has to be before both K and L. And since K/L can’t go fourth, that means W – K/L has to go 2 and 3rd at latest. You can draw it like this:

The vertical line is just a visual aid: it shows the division between spots 1-3 and 4-6, and that W – L/K must go in the first half.

It’s also possible to have made this deduction all in one step, and leave off the not rules. This is what I ended up drawing on my own page. I prefer it, because it’s simpler and conveys the same information:

So, with those diagrams, a fair amount of the game is determined. It turns out this game is quite restrictive. W can only go second or first. This upfront diagram actually solves question 23 entirely! Diagrams like this can pay off.

The only rules left to remember are:

• Z is before Y (both diagrams) 
• T is after K (scenario 2)

You can add those variables to the scenarios to make them even clearer. I’ll do each scenario separately, since they’re somewhat different.

Scenario 1

Only the Z before Y rules applies. Let’s think about where we can place them. W – L are already taking up two places in spots 1 – 3. That means there is no space to put both Z and Y in spots 1 – 3. So it turns out Y must go fourth in scenario 1!

I’ve placed Z with a comma alongside W – L to indicate that it can go anywhere amongst them, but is also in slots 1 – 3.

Scenario 2

I couldn’t find any further deductions for scenario 2. Instead, I just drew the remaining variables to the right of the diagram: Z – Y and T.

The only other thing to remember is that K is before T. This is the only thing that can’t be cleanly put on the diagram. So I just put it below the diagram and numbered it to visually indicate it’s a rule, and now part of the diagram.

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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: 5:45

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