When preparing for the LSAT, it’s not uncommon to study long and hard. There are only so many official LSAT practice tests and there’s a chance you will eventually run out. So, what do you do if you run out of Logic Games questions and still want to raise your score? With no new questions, you may worry about getting rusty and your score deteriorating. This situation comes up more frequently than you may think! Let’s get into some tips on what to do to say fresh and continue improving your score.
Take Breaks
As I’ve discussed elsewhere, don’t forget to take a break from studying. If you’ve spent enough time studying that you’ve gone through every LSAT Logic Game, then you need to make sure that you’ve taken a few weeks off at one or more points along the way.
Make a List
Compile a list of all LSAT Logic Games (see here for a list of every LSAT in that has been released by LSAC), and check to make sure you have done them all. There are over 80 LSATs available from LSAC, and so sometimes students discover that they thought they had completed every game but in fact they had not.
Teach Them
If there are Logic Games that you have not completed yet, don’t rush out and do those first. Instead, hold on to those until the LSAT approaches. In the meantime, start redoing every LSAT Logic Game multiple times (3, 5, 7 times—however many times it takes), practicing with each under timed conditions. Yes, you will have seen these games previously, but the goal here isn’t to simply do the games and get them all correct (although I hope you do get them all correct). The goal is to actually completely learn how the game really operates. So, in this sense, I want you to approach each game as if you had to teach it to a class afterwards.
Approaching Logic Games in this fashion tends to force students to think about the games both more abstractly and in more detail, and to connect pieces of each game to other games they have seen before. This makes them stronger at games in general because they can see the big picture more easily. And, of course, there is no better proof that you know something well than if you can teach it to someone else. So, if you can, find a study partner and take turns explaining different games to each other. That will help order your approach mentally, and also reveal the areas where you do not have a perfectly clear understanding.
Work on Drills
Working on complete LSAT games is obviously useful, but don’t forget that there are plenty of drills available to help improve particular games-related skills. For example, the LSAT Logic Games Bible Workbook contains many drills that are designed to help isolate specific game skills.
When re-doing the games, don’t worry about the fact that your scores and times may seem artificially improved. The goal is to learn more about the fundamental nature of games–what really makes them tick. The typical LSAT Logic Game is so complex that you will learn new things about the game even after you have practiced it two, three, or four times!
Questions about practicing with LSAT Logic Games? Please post them in the comments section below.