Diagramming Solutions for PrepTest 73

Utilizing methods taught in The LSAT Trainer.

Game 1

Step 1

Per the given scenario, we can write out the five elements to be placed - R, S, T, V, and W, and we can lay out the five positions to be filled in order.

Step 2

Per the second rule, we can create two frames, one with T before both R and S, and the other with T after both R and S.

Step 3

Per the third rule, we can further split each frame into two, one with W before both R and T, and one with W after both R and T.

Step 4

Per the first rule, we can notate in each frame that V must follow S.

Game 2

Step 1

Per the given scenario, we can write out the five elements to be placed - L, M, X, Y, and Z, and lay out the positions to be filled in the Gold room (G) and the Rose room ( R ), solid line positions for 1 pm and 2 pm, and a dashed line for 3 pm, indicating that 3 pm will be in one room or the other, but not both.

Step 2

Per the first rule, notate that M must come before L, and that they must be in the same room.

Step 3

Per the second rule, notate that neither X or Y can come before Z.

Step 4

Per the third rule, notate conditionally that if L is assigned to G, both X and Z must be assigned to R, as well as the contrapositive.

Game 3

Step 1

Per the given scenario, we can write out the five elements to be placed - F, G, I, M, and S - and we can lay out the assignments for the Trents (T), the Williamses (W), and the Yadells (Y). We can indicate that each of them will have at least one assignment for sure, and up to three total.

Step 2

Per the first rule, we can infer and notate that Y can have at most, and thus exactly, one assignment, and W must have at least two assignments.

Step 3

Per the second rule, we can notate that F cannot be grouped with either I or M.

Step 4

Per the third rule, we can notate that either S is assigned to T or I is assigned to Y.

Step 5

We can mark that G is not restricted by any of the rules.

Game 4

Step 1

Per the given scenario, we can write out the five elements to be placed - L, P, R, S and T, and lay out the positions to be assigned in three groups, for bouquets 1, 2, and 3. Each bouquet has 5 slots for up to five assignments, with one slot guaranteed to be filled.

Step 2

Per the second rule, we can notate that the second and third groups have exactly two elements in common.

Step 3

Per the first rule, we can notate that the first and third groups have no elements in common.

Step 4

Per the third rule, we can place S into the third group. We can also infer, per this and the first rule, that S cannot be in group 1.

Step 5

Per the fourth rule, we can notate that if a group has L, it must also have R, as well as the contrapositive.

Step 6

Per the fourth rule, we can also notate that L and S cannot be in a group together. We can also infer, per this rule and the third, that the third group cannot have L.

Step 7

Per the fifth rule, we can notate that if a group has T, it must also have P, as well as the contrapositive.

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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