Do you do GAMES out of order or the way they're presented?

[Commie Panda]

Hey,
Was wondering what people do. I think it'd obv make sense to play to your strengths and finish up the games you think would be easiest first in a section. My only problem is:
a) it takes too much time to look through all the games considering I'm slow at games anyway.
b) I tend not to be able to judge which ones are gonna be easy and which hard. I just did the June '05 test and I did Game 3 last and hence couldn't complete it (had to guess on 3 questions). Turns out this was the second easiest game for me, yet it seemed intimidating because it almost seemed like a mapping game at first. (easy linear of course).

I know my strength is linear games, yet in order to get a true sense of how I'd do on a particular game I have to read through the rules, the setup, and all the questions...

What do you games masters out there do?

[chastenedaspirations]

Games 1 and 4 are generally the easiest and very rarely the hardest. I would recommend always doing them first. It shouldn't be that difficult to ascertain whether game 2 or game 3 will be more difficult after a quick glance. You don't have to read the entire stimulus; just look at the rules. Linear and sequencing games are the easiest for most people. Do those. If it's between a grouping and a pattern/mapping game, pick the one with which you generally feel more comfortable.

[Julie Fern]

data show that games are arranged in progressive order of difficulty.

[Commie Panda]

Games 1 and 4 are generally the easiest and very rarely the hardest. I would recommend always doing them first. It shouldn't be that difficult to ascertain whether game 2 or game 3 will be more difficult after a quick glance. You don't have to read the entire stimulus; just look at the rules. Linear and sequencing games are the easiest for most people. Do those. If it's between a grouping and a pattern/mapping game, pick the one with which you generally feel more comfortable.

Thanks. Yeah, the only problem is some games appear to be easy from the rules but without the stimulus I don't know what specific type of game it is (advanced linear, basic linear, grouping-linear combo, etc). Also, many times the games appear to be very easy from the information provided but the questions are tough, and vice versa. I guess it's an ability that I have to pick up--that of being able to ascertain difficulty of games. And hopefully I'll get better over time.

Julie, thanks for your insight. Unfortunately, that doesn't necessarily seem to be the trend that I've experienced. Then again, "difficulty' could be a somewhat subjective term when it comes to games.

[Mr Shears]

I just do them straight through.  If I let myself think about it without worrying about time, I find them all to be pretty straightforward.  Though, I have found that games 1 and 4 are the easiest in the tests I've taken so far.  The last test I took, game 3 was the hardest one; the others were fairly similar in difficulty.

[soco]

I always did them in order.  However, on October I paused for a minute or two trying to figure out how to set up the voltage game.  So I skipped something for the first time and went back after doing the last game.  The games section worked out well, I missed one question on the voltage game because I answered a question on instinct rather than spending 2 seconds to make a hypo. 

[Just_So_Lovely]

Well, I am about to take the October lsat and I have been scoring pretty well on the practice tests.

in regard to the game section, I personally find it a waste of time to try to figure out which is easiest.  You can lose entirely too much time trying to figure it out.  I go in order and if something is too difficult, I move on.

[soco]

Well, I am about to take the October lsat and I have been scoring pretty well on the practice tests.

in regard to the game section, I personally find it a waste of time to try to figure out which is easiest.  You can lose entirely too much time trying to figure it out.  I go in order and if something is too difficult, I move on.

It is definitely a waste of time. 

If you get stuck on a game, don't waste 10 minutes, cut your losses at 5 and move on. 

[Mr Shears]

Likewise.  I was just making a note about which games I remember being the hardest.  My entire strategy is based upon relaxing and taking my time, so if I waste 10 minutes figuring out which one is the easiet, I have to rush and get PWNED in the process.

[chastenedaspirations]

Well, I am about to take the October lsat and I have been scoring pretty well on the practice tests.

in regard to the game section, I personally find it a waste of time to try to figure out which is easiest.  You can lose entirely too much time trying to figure it out.  I go in order and if something is too difficult, I move on.

I've taken pretty much every practice test available. Games 1 and 4 are ALMOST ALWAYS the easiest. Why bother doing them in order if this has been shown to be the case? I agree that taking five minutes to distinguish the relative level of difficulty of game 2 from game 3 is a waste of time, but it should only take 20 seconds, and if one has trouble finishing all the games in time, that's 15 seconds well spent.

CommiePanda, you'll never be able to know with absolute certainty whether one game will be more difficult than another after a quick glance, but you'll be able to generate an educated guess, which is usually more successful than a random one. At a certain point, you should be able to distinguish the type of game from the rules alone. Keep practicing and good luck.