Diagramming Solutions for PrepTest 60

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 - J, K, N, Q, R, and S - and we can lay out the six positions to be filled - morning and afternoon for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Step 2

Per the first rule, we can notate that we must have either J and K together in a group or J and Q together in a group, with J in the morning position for both options.

Step 3

Per the second rule, we can notate that we must have either N and R together in a group or S and R together in a group, with R in the afternoon position for both options.

Step 4

Per the third rule, we can notate that Q must come before both K and N.

Game 2

Step 1

Per the given scenario, we can write out the six elements to be placed - G, H, J, L, M, and P - and we can lay out the six positions to be filled, in order.

Step 2

Per the first rule, we can notate that L and M must both be before H.

Step 3

Per the second rule, we can notate that both L and P must be before J. We can connect this to our notation for the first rule.

Step 4

Per the third rule, we can notate that if we have M - P, then we must have H - G, as well as the contrapositive.

Step 5

Per the fourth rule, we can notate that G can’t be last. We can infer at this point that, per this rule and the ordering relationships given in rules 1 and 2, J and H are our only options for the final position.

Game 3

Step 1

Per the given scenario, we can write out the seven elements to be placed - the three M’s and the four S’s, and we can lay out seven positions to be filled, in order.

Step 2

Per the first rule, we can notate that we cannot have more than 4 total “letter blocks,” with a letter block being defined as a set of consecutive M’s or S’s (of course, you could use any other terminology you’d like). Alternatively, we could have notated that we have 3 or fewer switch overs.

Step 3

Per the second rule, we can place M into the fifth position.

(Note: This is a game for which there is very little setup, but it can be very helpful to think about our options and mentally play around with the elements before going into the questions. For example, if we try separating out all of the M’s from one another we’d have too many switch overs, so we know that at least two of the M’s have to be grouped together. There are many other ways to think about the limitations as well, and, again, it’s worth our while to get comfortable with that before going into the problems.)

Game 4

Step 1

Per the given scenario, we can write out the six elements to be placed - F, G, H, J, K, and L, and we can lay out the six positions to be filled, separated out into three groups - R, S, and T, and by job within each group - photographer’s assistant or writer’s assistant.

Step 2

Per the third rule, we can notate that H will be in the photo row.

Step 3

Per the fourth rule, we can notate that J must be assigned to T.

Step 4

Per the fifth rule, we can notate that K is not assigned to S.

Step 5

Per the second rule, we can notate that F will be in one field and K will be in the other.

Step 6

Per the first rule, we can now infer that G and L must be writers assistants, because we don’t have enough space for them both to be photographer’s assistants.

Step 7

We can now infer that J must be a photographer’s assistant (no more space to be a writer’s assistant) and place J into the photo position for T.

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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