What are logic games, and what do they look like?
The term is used in this article refers to a particular type of question appearing on the LSAT. So-called Logic-game questions are officially termed analytical reasoning questions on the exam. These questions are designed to measure a person’s ability to understand a system of relationships and to draw conclusions about those relationships. On the LSAT, analytical reasoning questions appear in groups. Each group presents a distinct logic puzzle or game which includes three elements: (1) the premise, (2) the conditions, and (3) the questions.

What is the premise?
The premise is a brief introductory paragraph establishing the setting for the game, identifying the subjects involved, and describing generally how the subjects are related to one another. The number of subjects in a game generally ranges from four to ten (five to eight is typical).
For example: An amusement park roller coaster includes five cars, numbered 1 through 5 from front to back. Each car accommodates up to two riders, seated side by side. Six people—Tom, Gwen, Laurie, Mark, Paul and Jack—are riding the coaster at the same time.

The Conditions: The premise is followed by a series of rules or conditions which impose specific restrictions upon the relationships among the subjects. A logic game may include as few as two or as many as ten conditions, although the number of conditions typically ranges from four to six (the example below pertains to the preceding premise and includes four conditions).
Example: Laurie is sharing a car.  Mark is not sharing a car and is seated immediately behind an empty car.
Tom is not sharing a car with either Gwen or Paul.
Gwen is riding in either the third or fourth car.

The questions: The conditions are followed by a series of questions about the relationships defined by those conditions. The questions call for deductive analysis. As in math problems, one and only one response can be proven beyond any doubt to be the correct one. The number of questions per game ranges from four to eight, although six or seven questions is generally most common. You must consider each question separately from the other questions. But, be careful, DO NOT carry over information provided in any particular question to other questions. The four questions that follow pertain to the premise and conditions above.  The answers and analysis to the following questions appear at the bottom of this article. 

Sample Questions:
1. Which of the following groups of riders could occupy the second car?
    (A) Laurie only

    (B) Tom and Gwen 

    (C) Laurie and Mark

    (D) Jack and Tom

    (E) Jack, Gwen, and Paul

2. If Gwen is riding immediately behind Laurie's car and immediately ahead of Tom's car, all of the following must be true EXCEPT:

    (A) Gwen is riding in the fourth car.

    (B) Paul is riding in the third car.

    (C) Tom is riding in the fifth car.

    (D) Laurie is riding in the third car. 

    (E) The first car is empty.

3. Which one of the following statements CANNOT be true?

    (A) Neither Tom nor Gwen is sharing a car with another rider.

    (B) Neither Mark nor Jack is sharing a car with another rider.

    (C) Tom is sharing a car, and Jack is sharing a car.

    (D) Gwen is sharing a car, and Paul is sharing a car.

    (E) Tom is sharing a car, and Gwen is sharing a car.

4. If Paul is riding in the second car, how many different combinations of riders are possible for the third car?

    (A) one

    (B) two

    (C) three

    (D) four

    (E) five

5. Assume that a seventh rider is riding with Jack in the first car, but that all other rules remain unchanged. Which of the following is a complete and accurate list of the riders who might be riding in the fifth car?

    (A) Mark

    (B) Gwen, Paul

    (C) Tom, Laurie, Paul

    (D) Tom, Laurie, Mark

    (E) Mark, Gwen, Paul, Tom, Laurie

How many logic game questions appear on the LSAT, and what is the format? On the LSAT, one of the four scored 35-minute sections of the exam consists entirely of logic games. This 35-minute "Analytical Reasoning" section contains four logic games, each of which includes five to eight questions (six questions is most common). The total number of questions in a 35-minute section is either 23 or 24 (usually 24). Do not confuse analytical reasoning questions with logical reasoning questions. The former involve logic puzzles or games, while the latter involve analyzing arguments that are generally inductive rather than deductive in nature.

Do I need to know formal logic for the analytical reasoning (logic games) portion of the exam?

Logic games—even the simpler ones—are not easy. Don't panic; you simply need to develop certain skills. This does not mean, however, that you need to enroll in a formal college-level logic course before taking the exam. Much of what you would learn in such a course—particularly the terminology and symbols used in formal logic—is of little or no practical use in handling LSAT logic games.

What is the key to success in handling LSAT logic games? There are really three keys to scoring your best in Analytical Reasoning. First, learn to recognize logic game patterns. The test-makers design logic games to fit into certain basic molds. The primary difference between these molds involves the nature of the relationship among the game's subjects. The basic categories you will see on the LSAT will generally be:

Selection: You select subjects from among a pool;Linear sequencing: You line up the subjects in sequence;

Attribute: You assign characteristics—or attributes—to each subject;

Grouping: You divide the subjects into groups;

Logical: You determine cause-and-effect relationships among the subjects;Non-linear spatial: You determine how the subjects are arranged spatially.

Each type of game calls for its own distinct approach, so it’s crucial that you know which type you are up against when you see it on the exam! You need to learn to devise a master diagram, or template, for each type of game. Without drawing effective diagrams to visualize the relationships defined by the rules of a game, you’re unlikely to have much success in responding to the questions. Diagramming a logic game is a bit of an art form. An effective diagram will help you to think clearly and to respond to the questions quickly and confidently. An ineffective diagram will result in confusion, wasted time, and poor test results.

Practice, practice, practice! Unlike other portions of the LSAT, logic games bear little resemblance to any other academic experience. The more you practice, however, the more familiar and comfortable you’ll become with this unique test format.Is it useful to identify different question types (as opposed to game types) for the purpose of developing different strategies or approaches? In a word, no. This is not to say that you can’t define distinct question types.

For example, if you analyze the five sample questions in the roller-coaster game, you might define three categories:

•    Questions like #1 and #3, which require you to draw conclusions based only on the original conditions

•    Questions like #2 and #4, which add one or more restrictions to those imposed by the original conditions (this is the most common type of question)

•    Questions like #5, which alter either the basic premise or one of the original conditions (this is the least common type of question)

However, these three question types do NOT call for distinct strategies. You’ll lead yourself astray be looking for tricks and shortcuts that depend on pigeon-holing questions. Is there any pattern in difficulty level among games within an exam section? The logic games appearing in a particular exam section vary considerably in difficulty level. More challenging games tend to appear later than easier ones, although you may find the second or third game to be more troublesome than the last game. It is generally safe to say, however, that the first game will not be your most difficult one.

How much time should I allot for any one logic game? The amount of time that you should devote to a particular logic game depends upon several factors. Some games are more complex than others and thus are inherently more time consuming. If you're working very efficiently, you might be able to handle a simple game in as little as 5 or 6 minutes. However, most test-takers require at least 7 or 8 minutes for even the simplest of games. Complex games may realistically call for as much as a 10-minute investment of your time. Do not devote more than 10 minutes to any one logic game, unless you're attempting fewer than all of the games in the section (see the discussion below). A slow pace is generally inefficient, even for challenging games.

Should I attempt all of the logic games in a section, or should I skip one? Logic games are easier for some test-takers than for others. You may find that you’ll achieve an optimal score by skipping one of the games in a section and devoting the entire time to the remaining games. Do the questions in a game appear in ascending order of difficulty? If so, should I consider skipping later (more difficult) questions?

The first one or two questions in a game are usually somewhat simpler than the others. Earlier questions generally involve the more basic and obvious relationships established by the rules of the game. These questions typically focus on just one or two of the rules, without requiring more than one or two deductive steps. Otherwise, the questions do not necessarily appear in ascending order of difficulty. While the final one or two questions are typically more complex than the others, you should be ready for them and may actually find them easier than earlier ones simply because you have already played the game for a while and have become familiar and comfortable with it.

There is no single question type that is inherently so much more difficult or time consuming than others that you would benefit by skipping every question of that type. What if I have only one or two minutes to attempt a game? Perhaps your pace has been too slow and only a few minutes remain for your final game. In this event, you need to decide quickly which two or three questions of the final game to attempt. Bear in mind that some of the questions (most likely the earlier ones) might be answerable without reading the premise or all of the rules. A quick glance at the question stem, along with a quick reading of the rule relating to the question, might suffice to respond to that question (or at least to narrow down the answer choices an take a reasoned guess).

ANSWERS TO SAMPLE QUESTIONS ABOVE

Answer to Question 1: The correct response to Question 1 is (D). As is typical for the first question in a game, you don't need a diagram to handle this one. Each answer choice other than (D) violates the premise or one of the rules. (A) violates the rule that Laurie is sharing a car. (B) violates the rule that Gwen is riding in either the third or fourth car; (B) also violates the rule that Tom is not sharing a car with Gwen (although either rule violation suffices to eliminate this answer choice). (C) violates the rule that Mark is not sharing a car. (E) violates the premise that each car can accommodate up to two riders.

Answer to Question 2: The correct response to Question 2 is (B). Consider the question stem in light of our two templates. You can eliminate scenario #1. Why? In scenario #1, Laurie, Gwen, and Tom would occupy the second, third, and fourth cars, respectively. But this arrangement would not accommodate Mark seated alone immediately behind an empty car (as required by one of the game's rules). So scenario #2 is the only one that applies to this question. Given the additional information in the question stem, Laurie must occupy the third car while Tom occupies the fifth car. Accordingly, Mark must occupy the second car, and the first car must be empty.

Answer to Question 3: The correct response to Question 3 is (A). This question focuses on the additional information inferable from the conditions. So if you've done Step 4, you've already done the work needed to answer this question, and you won't need your diagram to handle it. Only Mark and one other rider are each seated alone. (Otherwise, given one empty seat and a per-seat capacity of two riders, the coaster could not accommodate all six riders.) Thus, Tom and Gwen cannot both be seated alone.

Answer to Question 4: The correct response to Question 4 is (C). Question 4, like Question 2, provides additional information that allows you to eliminate one of the two templates. In Question 4, however, it's scenario #2 that you can eliminate. If Paul and Gwen were to occupy the second and fourth cars, respectively, Mark could not sit alone immediately behind an empty car (as required by one of the game's rules). Focusing, then, on scenario #1 (Gwen occupies the third car), given that Paul occupies the second car, Mark must occupy the fifth car, and the fourth car must be empty. Considering the four remaining riders, the rules expressly prohibit Tom from riding with Gwen (in the third car). Accordingly, Gwen must occupy the third car either alone or with Laurie or Jack. Thus, one of exactly three combinations of riders could be riding in the third car: Gwen only, Gwen and Laurie, or Gwen and Jack.

Answer to Question 5: The correct response to Question 5 is (D). Notice that Question 5 alters the original premise slightly. (This is unusual; you might see two or three questions like this on the entire exam—at the most.) Consider our two basic alternative scenarios. In scenario #1 (Gwen in the third car), given that Jack and the seventh rider (indicated by # below) occupy the first car, Mark must occupy the fifth car alone.Next, consider scenario #2 (Gwen in the fourth car). Given that Jack and the seventh rider (indicated by # below) occupy the first car, Mark must occupy the third car (while the second car is empty). Since Tom cannot share a car with Gwen, Tom must occupy the fifth car. Since Tom cannot share a car with Paul, Paul must share the fourth car with Gwen. Accordingly, Laurie must share the fifth car with Tom.