Diagramming Solutions for PrepTest 55

Utilizing methods taught in The LSAT Trainer.

Game 1

Step 1

Per the given scenario, we can write out the six elements to be placed - G, L, M, R, S, and V - and we can lay out the six positions to be filled, two positions each for teams 1, 2, and 3, with the positions split up based on opening or final argument.

Step 2

Per the first rule, we can notate that M must be grouped with G or V.

Step 3

Per the second rule, we can notate that L presents an opening rather than final argument.

Step 4

Per the third rule, we can notate that between G and R, one prepares an opening argument and the other a final argument.

Step 5

We can notate that S is not directly restricted by any of the given rules.

Game 2

Step 1

Per the given scenario, we can write out the three elements to be placed - H, J, and L, and indicate that each element will be used once or twice.

Step 2

Per the first and second rules, we can create two frames, one in which J leaves the first and last message, and another where H leaves the first and last message. In each of these frames, we can indicate that we have a minimum of four messages and up to six total messages.

Step 3

Per the third rule, we can place H immediately before the final J in the first frame, and J immediately behind the first H in the second frame, for, in each frame, those are the only ways to satisfy the given condition.

Step 4

Per the fourth rule, we can notate, in the first frame, that J can’t be in slots 2 or 3 (this notation is unnecessary if you can keep in mind that we’ve already utilized both J’s) and, in the second frame, that J can’t be the third element.

Game 3

Step 1

Per the given scenario, we can write out the six elements to be placed - F, G, H, R, S, and T, and we can lay out the six positions to be filled, in order. We can also notate that 2 of the elements, either G and T or S and H, are part of the night shift, and the rest of the elements (4 total) are part of the day shift.

Step 2

Per the first rule, we can notate that F must be before G.

Step 3

Per the fifth rule, we can notate that G must be before T.

Step 4

Per the third rule, we can notate that R must be before T.

Step 5

Per the second rule, we can notate that R must be before S.

Step 6

Per the fourth rule, we can notate that S must be before H.

Game 4

Step 1

Per the given scenario, we can write out the four elements to be placed - G, J, R, and V, as well as the four subsets - f, l, m, and s, and we can lay out our positions for the elements and subsets, in order.

Step 2

Per the first rule, we can notate that l must go in one of the first two positions.

Step 3

Per the second rule, we can notate that R cannot be before m.

Step 4

Per the third rule, we can notate that V must be before J.

Step 5

Per the fourth rule, we can notate that if J doesn’t get off before f, then G won’t get off before s. Per the fourth rule, we can also notate that if J does get off before f, then G will get off before s. Taken together, these rules create a biconditional.

More Information About The Trainer Logic Games Diagrams

These pages offer diagramming suggestions for every game that has appeared in every Logic Games section from PrepTests 52 through 81. Please keep in mind that there are many different ways to effectively diagram Logic Games, and it’s often a very subjective decision as to which inferences to notate, when to split diagrams, and so on.

One significant advantage of the Trainer diagramming methods is that they provide a universal diagramming system that you can use for any game that appears in the section. This is in contrast to most other LSAT learning systems, which separate games out into distinct categories, each with its own, and often conflicting, notational system.

General Suggestions on How to Diagram Logic Games

Always read through the scenario and rules completely, and pause to mentally consider and visualize the game, before setting pencil to paper.
Think of all games in terms of elements to place and positions to place them into. Nearly every game places these positions into an order, into groups, or both.
Whenever you find it useful, feel free to deal with the rules in an order that makes it most convenient for you to draw an effective diagram.
Always be on the lookout for inferences—things that you can figure out by bringing information, such as rules, together. The purpose of your diagram is to, in fact, help you uncover inferences correctly, and these inferences (more so than the rules as they are given) are what determine right and wrong for the vast majority of problems.
Look for opportunities to split up your game board into multiple frames - which are a set of diagrams that collectively represent all of the possibilities of a game. Most commonly, we can create frames around a very limited set of options for how to fill a certain position or positions (“either F or K must be third,” for example) or where to place an element or elements (“K must go first or last,” for example).
Whenever you have trouble notating a rule clearly, don’t be afraid to write it out or provide as much detail as you feel necessary. Better to be safe than overly clever.
When you are done with your diagram, evaluate your notations carefully and check them back against the scenario and rules as written. Make sure that you understand what your notations mean, and that they represent the given information correctly.

Table of Commonly Used Notations

Here is a downloadable and printable infographic that includes the symbols and notations that we will most commonly utilize to set up games. Please click to open full screen.

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