LSAT Logic Games
Game Examples and Explanations
Many first-time and repeat test-takers tend to find the LSAT logic games on the Analytical Reasoning section of the exam challenging. In this guide, we'll go over the style and structure of each of the five LSAT logic game question types to give you a better understanding of what to expect on this portion of the exam.
Sequencing Games
Ordering Items Correctly
As the name suggests, sequencing games offer a set of entities (i.e., items, people, or places) that you must put in sequential order on a spatial, temporal, or other metric level. For example, these questions could involve organizing:
- A list of cities to visit on a trip (temporal order)
- A group of friends to seat around a table (spatial order)
- A list of television shows to rank according to popularity (non-spatial/non-temporal metric)
The Rules of Sequencing Games
Sequencing games also give a set of rules or conditions that you must follow to get the correct answer. When arranging the list of cities, the game might require you to create an order where City A comes after City C, and City B is the second stop. It might further stipulate that City D can't be last on the list if City C comes after City B.
Distribution Games
Creating Categories Using Different Criteria
A distribution game provides a group of items that you must categorize into two or more subgroups. So you might need to classify a set of eight movies by genre, place ten books onto three different shelves according to their physical characteristics, or divide a classroom of students into three groups based on certain criteria.
Conditions for Grouping Items
Rules for distribution or "grouping" games include guidelines for how you can and cannot split up various items. Perhaps Student 1 must be in Group 1 or Group 3, while Student 2 must be in Group 2, and Students 1 and 3 cannot be in the same group.
Grouping games are similar to selection-style questions, so get some LSAT logic games practice to learn the difference.
Selection Games
Using If/Then Rules to Sort
In a selection game, you must examine a group of entities and select items, people, or places with certain shared characteristics. Again, the rules often indicate how the selection can or can't occur.
A selection game prompt may require you to pick from a list of lectures that a student must choose to attend. Their choices must fit their schedule and fall under the following conditions:
- The student must attend Lecture 1
- If the student attends Lecture 2 they cannot attend Lecture 3
- Lectures 3 and 4 meet at the same time
How to Make the Right Choices
The key to this game is to consider all the entities in the larger group before placing them into a smaller subgroup. In that regard, they're quite similar to distribution logic games. Once you distribute each entity into an "in" subgroup or an "out" subgroup, you can finalize your decision.
Matching Games
Pairing Items by Characteristics
Matching games are less about placing entities in a particular order but rather focus on pairing items from two sets of variables. For instance, you may have to match a league of soccer teams with an assigned color jersey. Or, the prompt could involve assigning supermarket clerks to checkout aisles based on their schedules, experience, or other criteria.
Hybrid Games
Questions Requiring Multiple Approaches
Some of the logic games on the Analytical Reasoning section of the LSAT will feature a combination of two or more different game types. For example, you may need to seat a group of people in two rows (distribution) while sticking to a particular order of numbered seats in each row (sequence) and ensuring that certain people sit next to or adjacent to one another.
Answering Hybrid Questions Correctly
Since these games merge multiple aspects, they are often the most difficult. When approaching a hybrid question, start by determining what the prompt is asking you to do and which type of LSAT logic games question it is. From there, you can begin the process of sequencing, distributing, selecting, and matching based on the conditions and information.