science

LSAT logic games

LSAT logic games is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand LSAT logic games rather than just read about it. In short: LSAT logic games, abbreviated LG, and officially referred to as analytical reasoning, was historically one of three types of sections that appeared on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) before August 2024. A logic games section contained four 5–8 question "games", totaling 22–25 questions.

Key takeaways

LSAT logic games belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect LSAT logic games to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of LSAT logic games from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

LSAT logic games, abbreviated LG, and officially referred to as analytical reasoning, was historically one of three types of sections that appeared on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) before August 2024. A logic games section contained four 5–8 question "games", totaling 22–25 questions. Each game contained a scenario and a set of rules that govern the scenario, followed by questions that tested the test-taker's ability to understand and apply the rules, to draw inferences based on them. In the words of the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), which administers the test, it "measure[d] the ability to understand a structure of relationships and to draw logical conclusions about that structure". What made the games challenging was that the rules were never fully complete, meaning that an examinee could never identify a single "correct" set of relationships among all elements of a game. Rather, the point was to test the examinee on their ability to analyze the range of possibilities arising from an incomplete set of rules. Individual questions often added rules or modified existing rules, requiring quick reorganization of known information. Like all other sections on the LSAT, the time allowed for the section was 35 minutes. Most students found the logic games section to be the most difficult and intimidating portion of the LSAT. For example, the For Dummies series published a book specifically devoted to LSAT logic games, in addition to its more general book about the entire LSAT. What made the logic games so hard was that they were designed as tests of pure deductive reasoning, a skill which few people specifically study or develop in school. However, the section was widely considered the easiest and fastest to improve at once the right strategies were learned and employed. The dominant pedagogical method in American law schools is the combination of the Socratic method with the casebook method. As part of this method, a law professor will often call upon a law student and ask them to identify the specific legal rules articulated by the court in a particular reported case. The law professor will then describe various hypothetical scenarios, adding or changing various facts, and ask if the same rules apply or if the outcome of the case may be different under different facts. The logic games section was supposed to test this ability to rapidly analyze hypothetical scenarios or "hypotheticals", and to do so in a way that was independent of students' substantive knowledge and undergraduate major. In 2019 the LSAC reached a legal settlement with two blind LSAT test takers who claimed that it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act because they were unfairly penalized for not being able to draw the diagrams commonly used to solve the questions in the section. As part of the settlement, the LSAC agreed to review and overhaul the section within four years. In October 2023, it announced that the section would be replaced by a second logical reasoning section in August 2024.

Common game types

Basic linear In a basic linear game, two sets of variables are provided. The first set of variables, sometimes referred to as the 'base variables,' is often days of the week, an order of arrival, or some other order. The second variable set is then matched to the first set according to a set of rules. For example:

After setting the scenario, the game challenges the test-taker with questions such as:

Advanced linear Advanced linear games are similar to basic linear games, but three or more sets of variables are presented. For example:

The game can then provide rules and pose questions relating to the order of arrival of a runner, the color of a specific runner's shirt, sequences of color that must or must not be present, the shirt color of the runner that comes first etc.

Grouping Grouping games provide variables that must be assigned to groups, but not in a specific order or sequence. For example:

Grouping linear combinations Combination games follow a similar structure but include both linear and grouping elements.

Less common game types In addition to the common games, the LSAT sometimes included other types of games that appeared less frequently. Examples of less common games were:

Mapping – Distribution of marks or landmarks on a map. Pure sequencing – A variation on the basic linear games, but no placement rules are given, only sequencing rules. Circular linearity – Similar to linear games, but the variables are placed in a circle rather than a straight line, thus allowing spatial relationships in addition to the neighboring relationships. Pattern – A variation on the advanced linear games, but no placement rules are given, only pattern rules.

Method To solve games quickly and efficiently, test-takers usually drew a master diagram at the bottom of the page. The rules and key inferences were written down in short symbols next to the diagram, and, where possible, marked on the diagram itself. A smaller diagram could also be drawn next to a specific question if that question posed any additional rules. On some games, it was helpful to create separate diagrams of all the possibilities and then use that to tackle questions.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with LSAT logic games

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what LSAT logic games claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to LSAT logic games before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about LSAT logic games ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of LSAT logic games

In research: LSAT logic games appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses LSAT logic games in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: LSAT logic games is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Legal education in the United States, Legal profession exams, Logic, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for LSAT logic games outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study LSAT logic games in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what LSAT logic games means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain LSAT logic games out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is LSAT logic games in simple terms?

Why does LSAT logic games matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study LSAT logic games?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on LSAT logic games.