Advanced linear problems SOS

[fmihalic1477]

Hi all,

I have been avoiding Advanced Linear Games my entire prep up until this point and now my worst nightmares have become reality.

I am taking the September LSAT and am scoring perfect on almost all basic linear, grouping, and sequencing games. However today when I opened the AL chapter, all of my confidence left. I more or less understand the diagrams but sometimes even the game pieces were unclear. I read the chapter once and upon reading the scenario of the first problem, I was left in a pensive state. So I read it again. Did problem 1, all correct but it took more than 20 minutes. So I read again and got almost nothing out of that. Now I'm not really sure of what to do. I have Game Type Training I and II but I don't want to use all of those games up before I really know what I'm doing. Also, I looked at them and I couldn't fathom being able to conquer those.

Is this common? Surely part of it is psychological but I can't stop thinking about the idea of a triple or quadruple variable set. All of my inference-making savvy has just gone out the window. I've been trying to dominate just the set-ups all day and make inferences which inherently help with the questions and have made what feels like no progress. I've watched about 2/3 hours worth of tutorials also. Again, I don't want to use up all up my valuable practice games just trying to learn to make a strong set up and infer.

What can I do? I implore the help of anyone who is able.

[Adam Tyson]

Take a deep breath, fmihalic1477, and remind yourself that you have over 4 months before you sit for the test. That's plenty of time to get the breakthrough "ah-ha" moment you will need in order to start mastering the advanced linear games. There is nothing about them that is fundamentally different than the types you have already conquered, so you have all the tools at hand to do the job and you just need to get some more practice to become adept at applying them to this slightly more complicated task.

In most advanced linear games, the key is to find rules that connect the different rows of variables to each other. If you are ordering 7 runners finishing a race, some of whom are male and some of whom are female, and two females finish before R, then you can set up a block with two Fs before (and in a row above) R, and you can infer that R finishes neither first nor second, right? Make that a visual block, like filling in a calendar, rather than a word puzzle of just FF R.

In selecting the base, pick the variable that has inherent order to it. Usually that's just numbers, like 1-7, but it could be days of the week, months of the year, floors of a building, etc. Then set up rows for each distinct variable set - one for the runners, one for the genders, etc.

This isn't a nightmare scenario, it's just a bump in the road. Don't overthink it or blow it out of proportion. You have time, and we will help you get there. Try another game, without worrying about time, and come back here to share with us what you did and how it worked out. We'll give you some feedback to help you improve your process, and you'll get better, and then better, and then better.

Looking forward to seeing you back here soon to talk about some specific games. See you then, and meanwhile remain calm and carry on.