How Logic Games Have Changed Over Time

This post includes some brief thoughts on ways Logic Games have changed over the years and what this means for your preparation.

Broad changes in Logic Games over time
Older Logic Games such as those in The Next 10 Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests are more likely to contain major inferences. Once you make these inferences, you've split open the game like a coconut. (The oldest games - the ones in the original book of 10 tend to be a bit weirder, but I won't get into that right now.)

Newer games (the ones in the individual LSAT PrepTests numbered in the 50s) more often require you to make these inferences throughout the game based on the limitations of each "if" question. This means the inferences apply to fewer scenarios.


How to Become a Logic Games Jedi
The key is adaptability.

Newer games are noticeably different than older ones, but this doesn't mean you should skip the older ones. Expose yourself to as many games as possible because LSAC will occasionally include a game on a new PrepTest that's similar to one from an older PrepTest. It's also important to note Logic Games repeat (in disguise).

Some students memorize "tricks" and think in terms of rigid categories. They tend to freeze when they see a game they're unable to categorize.

Other students familiarize themselves with the different types of games and diagramming strategies, but they recognize these strategies don't include every possible type of game. The flexibility these students possess allows them to adjust to new or unusual types of games.

No technique is perfect. Taking any technique as gospel would make you a fundamentalist. Books (or blogs) with techniques won't have to take the LSAT in future months - you will. Feel free to modify any techniques according to what works best for you.

Additionally, no book can offer a roadmap or blueprint for what future Logic Games will look like. They only give you a limited set of tools - it's your job to be creative when you apply those tools to new and unfamiliar situations.

Also, keep in mind: the LSAT isn't actually meant to be learnable. (I know, I know, what was LSAC thinking, right? Of course it's learnable.)

The LSAT has to test the skills it's intended to test. This means LSAC must separate those who naturally have "LSAT skills" from those who try to "game" the Logic Games. In order to effectively distinguish between these groups, the LSAT constantly throws twists into the Logic Games to confuse anyone who didn't spend their summers at math camp.

In this arms race between you (the test-takers) and LSAC, you'll need to adapt and adjust to what LSAC's been throwing your way in the past few years.

The good news is that with over 60 PrepTests, you have the potential to be better-prepared than any test-takers before you.

Photo by evaekblad