Analytical Section - Logic Games

ANALYTICAL SECTION: LOGIC GAMES
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ANALYTICAL SECTION:
LOGIC GAMES
This section is broken into 7 parts
I. INTRODUCTION
II. STRUCTURE OF A LOGIC GAME
III. GENERAL STRATEGY FOR WORKING LOGIC GAMES
IV. GAME TYPE 1: ORDERING GAMES
V. GAME TYPE 2: CHARACTERISTIC GAMES
VI. GAME TYPE 3: GROUPING GAMES
VII. GAME TYPE 4: NETWORKING GAMES
VIII. GAME TYPE 5: NON-LINEAR SPATIAL GAMES
I. INTRODUCTION
The Analytical Section may at first seem like the most difficult of the three parts of the GRE , if only
because the material in this section is usually the least familiar to students. Unlike the math and verbal
sections, most people preparing for the GRE have never before been tested for their ability to solve the
types of problems found in this section. Further, most of the skills and strategies you will need to score well
on the analytical section are probably not anything that you would have learned in your college courses.
That being said, the problems in the analytical portion of the exam are probably the easiest on which to
improve once you learn some basic strategies.
The previous chapter detailed tactics for answering one type of question found in the analytical section,
the critical reasoning questions which require analysis of an argument. This chapter will address the other
type of question found in this section, the logic games. In the sixty-minute analytical section, there are
usually 3-6 logic games, each game consisting of anywhere from three to eight questions. Thus, each
game of multiple questions counts a lot towards your score on this section.
The first portion of this chapter will present an overview of the structure of logic games, and teach you
how to approach game problems by critically reading the information in the problem and concisely and
accurately summarizing the rules according to formal logic. Learning how to read precisely, and training
yourself to know what inferences you can make from the information given without making invalid
assumptions, are instrumental skills needed to do well on these problems. The next portion of the chapter
will describe the four main types of games, and detail how to systematically solve these problems through
the effective use of diagrams. Through learning the skills of critical reading, precise rule summary, and
accurate and informative diagramming, you will be able to solve any of the logic games you encounter on
the GRE .
II. STRUCTURE OF A LOGIC GAME
Logic games are comprised of three parts: the initial scenario or set-up of the game, the list of conditions
or rules that apply to the game, and then the set of questions.
The scenario describes the basic situation or task that needs to be solved. For example, the task might
be to figure out the order of people standing in a line for a concert, or to schedule meetings for a group of
people with various times of availability, or to divide a large group into smaller groups, such as teams or
committees. The scenario will also introduce the subjects, or elements, that you will be asked to relate.
The scenario is immediately followed by the conditions, or rules of the game. These rules describe
relationships among the elements introduced in the scenario. For example: Maria will go to the picnic only if
her cousin Leo does not attend, or each basketball team's roster of five players must include at least two
women players, or plaid pants can be worn on Tuesdays or Fridays, but not both days. There may be
anywhere from three to six specific conditions for each game, and each one begins on a separate line of
text. The information provided by the conditions may describe a fixed relationship: in a line of seven people,
Lucas is the fourth person; or the condition may describe a variable relationship: in designing a vegetable
garden, the carrots must be planted within two rows of the peas. A variable condition, by definition, can be
satisfied with multiple arrangements.
The scenario and the conditions will remain on the screen for all of the questions pertaining to that game
(however, you do see only one of the questions at a time). There are three types of questions in logic
games. The first type is the most basic, and asks you to reach a conclusion about how the task can be
solved based on the information given to you in the original scenario and the conditions. The second type
of question provides an additional condition to be considered in figuring out how to solve the task. The third
type of question is one that alters or negates either some part of the original scenario or one of the
conditions. The critical thing to remember about the latter two types of questions is that the new or altered
condition presented in these kinds of questions pertains ONLY to the specific question in which the new
information is provided. The information from one question is NOT applicable to subsequent ones; each
question must be considered independently. Only the information from the scenario and original conditions
can be applied universally to each question within the game (unless specifically modified as in the third type
of questions).
III. GENERAL STRATEGY FOR WORKING LOGIC GAMES
The latter portion of this chapter will describe the four most common game types, along with specific
strategies and diagramming techniques for solving each type. However, to start out, we will begin by
summarizing the basic strategy that you can apply to any logic game, and then we will look at each of these
steps in some detail, as we work through a sample game using this basic strategy.
Summary of general strategy:
1. Read the scenario carefully.
2. Read each condition carefully.
3. Rewrite each condition on your scrap paper in symbolic form.
4. Check over what you have written to see if there is any additional information about relationships
that can be deduced after considering the conditions together.
5. Construct a diagram to incorporate all of the information in a general picture.
6. Read the question; if any new information is provided, summarize that condition as well and add
that to the existing diagram.
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7. Use the diagram to answer the question.
Now that we have summarized the general strategy, let's look at each of these steps in greater detail.

What is the task that you are being asked to solve? (Later in this chapter, you will also learn to
distinguish between different types of game problems in order to apply game-specific strategies.) What
kinds of questions do we expect will be asked for this particular game?

You must pay particular attention to what each condition states directly, as well as consider what the
condition may imply. It is critical that you pay attention to keywords that describe or limit relationships. Key
words may position elements of a puzzle either in a fixed position, such as by stating that the acrobats are
the fourth circus act to perform, or in a variable way, such as by stating that Bob will play chess after Julia.
Other key words to note are: all, some, none, always, and, or, may, might, never, sometimes, only,
preceding, following, immediately, at least, exactly, must be, cannot be, or if…then. Pay close attention to
whether the condition is a requirement, such as: A group must contain three members; a prohibition: No
group may contain three members; an allowance: A group may contain from three to five members, or a
conditional: If any group contains three members, then no other group may contain five members.
These words must be read and considered literally and precisely, without making any invalid assumptions.
For example, if we are told that six people are sitting in the front row of a movie theater, and Shondelle is
sitting to the right of Linda, we must not assume that Shondelle is sitting next to Linda on her right, only that
she is somewhere to the right of Linda, and there might be others seated in between them.

One of the major difficulties people have with logic games is keeping track of so many conditions. This
may be an even greater challenge now that the GRE is a computer-based, rather than a paper-based
exam. Because of the time constraints, you are not able to keep rereading through all the conditions. It is
critical that you become proficient at learning to rewrite the conditions onto your scrap paper in abbreviated,
symbolic form and to do this in a way that preserves the accuracy of the information provided.
There is no single way to go about symbolizing statements, and you should experiment with different
techniques as you work through the sample exams. Here are some techniques that we find helpful:
Write down a complete roster of the elements or subjects of the game. Although the scenario will clearly
identify the elements of the game (people, events, times, objects, etc.), the individual conditions will not
necessarily describe all of the elements. Because of this, it can be easy to lose track of how many elements
there are unless you create a roster. A good technique is to use capital letters in place of the names of the
elements, each letter chosen being the first letter of the word. (Luckily, on the GRE the names of the
elements almost always start with different letters of the alphabet.) For example, if the game is to plan a
daily course schedule of six classes: art, biology, chemistry, economics, history, and sociology, the roster
can be represented as
CLASSES: A, B, C, E, H, S
Next, rewrite each condition onto your scrap paper, starting with any information present in the scenario,
incorporating symbols to represent relationships. Mathematical symbols can be useful for this, such as <, >,
=, etc. If we are told that in a group of six children whose ages range from 5 to 10, Maria and Alex are
younger than Irina, we can summarize this as M, A < I. In this case, we are using the less than symbol to

represent the relative ages of the children; Maria and Alex are younger than Irina has become M, A < I. It is
also useful to note that we could also break this into two separate statements, M < I and A < I. Of course,
whenever we are told of a greater than or less than relationship, we automatically know something about
the reverse of that relationship. That is, not only do we know that M < I, and A < I, but we also know I > M
and I > A. Likewise, we can utilize the < and > symbols if we are sorting the elements of a game according
to any another criteria, such as by size, height, or mass. For example, of seven cities, Detroit and Chicago
have a greater population than Orlando, becomes D, C > O.
What other kinds of symbols are needed? One important concept often appearing in conditions is a limit
that excludes an element from a certain position, such as:
Of five people meeting at a restaurant for lunch, Lucinda cannot be the first person to arrive.
In this case, we want to symbolize that Lucinda is not first. We could write this as L ¹ 1. Another common
way to write this is L ^ 1, with the ^ representing "not". Or you could simply write L not 1.
Another important concept that needs to be represented symbolically is a space, or unknown. You might
be told that two people are seated between Marco and Elena. This could be represented as M _ _ E, or M
sp. sp. E, where sp. represents space. Keep in mind that for an example like this, where we are told how
many people are between two other people, this only tells us about the spacing between M and E, and it
does not tell us anything about who, Marco or Elena, is on the left or the right (or further in front or back).
Therefore, we could also represent this information as E _ _ M.
This is an important concept to keep in mind when interpreting the conditions of the logic games. Do
not assume that because Marco's name is first that this implies anything about the order. Always interpret
the conditions of logic games strictly and literally.
Keep in mind that you can also choose to devise your own symbols. Just make sure that whatever symbols
you choose are meaningful to you.
Another type of condition that you will need to be able to symbolize for game problems is the if…then
condition. If…then conditions provide provisional information about the relationships between the elements
of a game.
The following is an example of an if…then condition:
Of ten kids who are auditioning, five kids must be selected to sing the national anthem at the start of the
baseball game.
If Luis is selected, then Antonio cannot be selected.
What does this condition mean? Obviously, we know that if Luis is selected to sing, Antonio is not selected.
We can write this as: if L, then not A. (Or: if L, then ^ A.)
Are there other conclusions that we can draw from this information? Yes, we also know that if Antonio is
selected to sing, Luis must not have been selected.
We can write this as: if A, then not L. (Or: if A, then ^L.)
Being able to come up with this second conclusion from a logical statement (called the contrapositive) is

an extremely useful skill that you should work on when summarizing the conditions for a game problem.
Now, think about what happens if Luis is not selected. Does the condition tell us what happens to Antonio
in this case? Will he be selected? We don't know. Likewise, if Antonio is not selected, we do not know
whether or not Luis will be selected. The condition's requirement is that Luis and Antonio cannot both be
selected to sing the national anthem, though it does not say anything about whether either of them must be
selected to sing. You must pay particular attention to what you can infer from an if…then condition, and not
make any invalid assumptions. Another factor to keep in mind when faced with if…then conditions is that
they may provide additional information in combination with other conditions.
Let's look at a game problem and try to use the above guidelines to symbolize the information:
The owner of a pizza parlor is planning the work schedule for his six employees, Edgar, Reuben,
Teresa, Jan, Nina, and Morris.
At least two and not more than four employees must work each shift.
Edgar and Reuben cannot work together.
Morris will only work if Jan is also working.
Teresa and Reuben can work together only if Morris is working also.
If Jan is working, then either Morris or Reuben must be working.
Okay, let's start by identifying what the central task is. In this case, we are being asked to make a work
schedule for six employees.
The next step is to make the roster of the elements of the game. In this case, the elements we are asked to
arrange are the six employees, so our roster will look something like this:
Employees: E, R, T, J, N, M
Note: It is critical to make the roster rather than just skipping ahead to summarize the conditions. Often, as
in this case, one or more of the elements of the game will not be mentioned in the conditions (Nina is not
mentioned in the conditions). By creating a roster, you will ensure that you won't lose track of all the
elements.
Now we can proceed by summarizing the information provided in the conditions:
The first statement tells us that at least two and not more than four employees must work each day. We
can write this in an abbreviated form as:
# of emp. = 2, 3, or 4.
The second statement tells us that Edgar and Reuben cannot work together. We can summarize this as:
If E, then no R; if R, then no E.
The third statement tells us that Morris will only work if Jan is also working. We can summarize this as:
If M, then J.

Also: If ^J, then ^M.
(Can we write this as if J, then M? No. Jan can work without Morris working, but Morris can only work if Jan
is working. Knowing the difference between the validity of these two statements is absolutely critical to
solving logic games.)
The next statement tells us that Teresa and Reuben can work together only if Morris is working also. We
can summarize this as:
T and R only if M.
(Do we know if T can work with M if R is not working? Can M work with R if T is not working? We cannot
answer these questions from this condition alone. Only that T and R can only work together is M is also
working.)
The final statement tells us that if Jan is working, then either Morris or Reuben must be working. We can
summarize this condition as:
If J, then M or R.
What other information can we derive from this? Again, you can write the contrapositive of this statement:
If ^M and ^R then ^J.
Let's look at the summary we have created thus far:
num. of emp. = 2, 3, or 4
If E, then no R, if R, then no E
If M, then J, if ^J, then ^M
T and R only if M
If J, then M or R, if ^M and ^R then ^J
By working at the practice games and learning how to precisely and accurately summarize the information
given to you in the conditions, you will be well on your way to solving the logic games.
Once you have summarized each of the conditions individually, you should consider them together.
Look for conditions that share an element. These will be the conditions that may be able to be combined. If
we put these conditions together, we can see if any new information is provided. Let's again consider the
game of employees at the pizza parlor:
The owner of a pizza parlor is planning the work schedule for the week for his six employees, Edgar,
Reuben, Teresa, Jan, Nina, and Morris.

At least two and not more than four employees must work each shift.
Edgar and Reuben cannot work together.
Morris will only work if Jan is also working.
Teresa and Reuben can work together only if Morris is working also.
If Jan is working, then either Morris or Reuben must be working.
Let's look at the summary we created for this game:
num. of emp. = 2, 3, or 4
If E, then no R, if R, then no E
If M, then J, if ^J, then ^M
T and R only if M
If J, then M or R, if ^M and ^R then ^J
Are any of these conditions able to be combined to give us more information? Well, if we start with the
rule about E and R, and then look for other rules about E, we don't find any. We do, however, find a couple
of conditions about R. We know that T and R can only work together if M is working, therefore if T and R
were working, then M must be working, and E could not also be working. Let's look at the next conditions, If
M, then J, and T and R only if M. This tells us that if M, T, and R are working, then J must also be working.
So, by combining information from the conditions we have already summarized, we can get even more
information about the relationships between the elements of the game.

In order to answer the questions, you will need to be able to visualize the relationships between the
various elements as defined by the conditions of the game. Diagrams are often the most effective way to
organize all of the information presented to you in the scenario and conditions, and the diagram you create
will enable you to quickly answer each question for the game. In the latter section of this chapter, we will
discuss specific diagramming strategies for each of the major game types, but at this point we would like to
give some general suggestions about the creation and use of diagrams.
If you are following this general strategy, you will not start creating the diagram until you have read
through the scenario and the conditions so you are sure of what kind of game problem you are being asked
to solve. Once you know what kind of game you are working on, you will have a better idea in mind of what
kind of diagram will be most useful to solve the questions of the game. Also, keep in mind that some
games, such as ones with many variable conditions and few fixed conditions, may not lend themselves to
construction of a diagram until you have read the questions. If there are too many variables, and you think
that the diagram will not helpful, wait until you have read the question and then decide. Indeed, some game
questions can be answered directly from the summary of information that you create from the scenario and
conditions.
Let's look at an example game for which a diagram is needed:
Sprinters from seven different countries are competing in the final of the 100 meter dash. Each country,
Austria, Spain, Canada, Germany, Russia, the United States, and Morocco, has exactly one sprinter in the
race. Participants have been assigned to lanes 1 through 8, with lane 1 on the inside (left) of the track, and
lane 8 on the outside (right) on the track. One lane is left empty.
The sprinter from the United States is to the right of the sprinter from Canada.
The sprinter from Austria is in lane 2.
The sprinter from Morocco has the sprinter from Spain on one side of her, and the empty lane on her other
side.

There is exactly one lane between the sprinters from Canada and Austria.
After reading through the scenario and the conditions, we can summarize first the roster of elements and
then each of the conditions. You might come up with something like this:
sprinters: A, S, C, G, R, U, M
Lanes 1-8, one empty

C < U, U > C
A=2
S M empty or empty M S
C _ A or A _ C
As soon as we read the scenario, we can see that this is an ordering game, in which we are asked to place
elements in a line, from left to right. We can represent this graphically as:
Lanes:
Note: think about what the scenario is describing and then decide what kind of diagram would be most
useful to represent the relationships among the different elements. If we need to place businesses on the
floor of an office building, we would draw lines stacked vertically to represent the different floors. If we were
asked to arrange people seated around a circular table, we would draw a circle.
Now, let's begin to fill in the information from our summary onto the diagram. You should always start
with the conditions that are concrete, fixed. In this case, we know that A = 2, so we can place that sprinter
in that lane.
What other conditions can we place on the diagram? Do we have any other conditions that are fixed?
Well, the last condition tells us that there is exactly one lane between the sprinters from Austria and
Canada. This sounds like a variable condition, and it is, until you combine it with the fact that we already
know that the Austrian sprinter is in lane 2. If there is one lane between A and C, then C must be in lane 4.
Note: If the condition had told us that A was in lane 3 instead of 2, we would not be able to place C with
certainty. Instead, we would have to place C as being in either lane 1 or lane 5. Only because there is no
lane that is two lanes from A on the left are we able to know that the sprinter from C must be on the right of
A, in lane 4. Adding this new piece of information to our diagram, we now have something like this:

Now let's look at what other conditions we may be able to place on the diagram. We know that C < U,
which would place U in either lanes 5, 6, 7, or 8. That might be helpful at some point, but we would just
have to fill in the U with a little question mark for each of those lanes. Let's see if any of the other conditions
can narrow down the possibilities further. We know that we must have S M empty or empty M S. This is a
variable condition, however, if we look at our diagram and think about where we can place this set of three
lanes, we can see that there are only two places where these lanes will fit, centered at lane 6 or centered at
lane 7. Remember that we do not know the order of the three, whether it is S M empty or empty M S.
Therefore, we have four possibilities:
At this point, it is easy to see that even though we have four possible arrangements, we can fit the U into
each of these four diagrams into only two positions, either lane 8 or lane 5, in accordance with the condition
that U is to the right of C. We now have a lot of information organized into a clear diagram that lets us
easily see the possibilities.
Keep in mind that the basic strategy for making diagrams should be to place all the fixed conditions on
the diagram first, then see if any of the variable conditions can be mapped. If there are multiple placement
possibilities, it may be useful to draw out more than one diagram. However, if there are a large number of
variable conditions, it may be better not to try to place all the possibilities on the diagram right away.
Instead get the basic framework of the diagram down, and then go to the questions. Remember that
questions will often add an additional condition, or modify one of the original conditions, and you can then
place these new conditions on your diagram, but be careful to make sure you redraw the diagram with only
the original conditions for the next question and do not carry over any of the additional information that was
specific for only that question.
More detailed information on creating diagrams will be found in the latter portion of this chapter describing
each of the four major game types.
As we told you earlier, there are three kinds of questions. The first kind is answerable with only the
information given in the scenario and the original set of conditions, the second provides a new condition,
which must be considered when solving the question, and the third modifies or removes one of the original
conditions. For these second two classes of questions, you need to summarize the new condition, and then
add that information to your diagram.
Let's look at a sample question for the game we just set up:
Sprinters from seven different countries are competing in the final of the 100 meter-dash. Each country,
Austria, Spain, Canada, Germany, Russia, the United States, and Morocco, has exactly one sprinter in the
race. Participants have been assigned to lanes 1 through 8, with lane 1 on the inside (left) of the track, and
lane 8 being on the outside (right) on the track. One lane is left empty.
The sprinter from the United States is to the right of the sprinter from Canada.
The sprinter from Austria is in lane 2.
The sprinter from Morocco has the sprinter from Spain on one side of her, and the empty lane on her other
side.
There is exactly one lane between the sprinters from Canada and Austria.
1. If the sprinter from the United States is in the lane immediately next to the sprinter from Spain, what is

the fewest number of sprinters that can be between the U.S. sprinter and the sprinter from Austria?
A. Zero
B. One
C. Two
D. Three
E. Four
First, let's look again at our set of four diagrams:
We now have a new condition stating that the U.S. sprinter is in the lane immediately next to that of the
sprinter from Spain. This can be summarized as US or SU. If we look at our four diagrams, we see that only
the first and the fourth placements will allow the U to be immediately next to the S. We can now modify our
diagrams (only the first and fourth, since the other two placements will not allow the new condition to be
met) as follows:

It is critical that you read the question carefully. Pay very close attention to determine exactly what the
question is asking. Even if you have followed the basic strategy up to this point, it is easy to misread the
question and get the wrong answer. A question might ask which one of the following choices cannot be
true, or which choice must always be true. These types of questions take a relatively long time since you
need to then check each answer choice against your diagram to see which ones are possible, which are
not possible, and which must be true.

Now when we go back to the sample question, it asks for the fewest number of sprinters that can be
between the U.S. sprinter and the sprinter from Austria. If we look at our diagrams, beginning with the first
one, there are five lanes in between the U and the A, though one of these (lane 5) is empty, so this would
make four sprinters. If we look at the second diagram, where U is in lane 5, we see that there are only two
sprinters in between them. Therefore the correct answer is choice C, two. Now, one thing that you need to
be careful of is to not look at that second diagram and think that just because we have not assigned a
sprinter to lane 3, there might not be a sprinter in that lane. If we consult the roster we created, we see that
we still have not accounted for the two sprinters from Germany and Russia, and though we know that the
two of them are in lanes 1 and 3, we do not know which sprinter is in which lane. The critical point here is to
remember to consult the roster in order to remind yourself of all the elements in the game, especially the
ones that are not yet fixed into a position in the diagram.
Again, here is the summary of the general strategy to use when approaching logic games:
Continue to:
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V. GAME TYPE 1: ORDERING GAMES
(note: press shift-refresh if any images do not come through)
Review of 5 Main Game Types
1. Ordering
2. Characteristic
3. Grouping
4. Network
5. Non-Linear Spatial Games
Ordering games might be the easiest of the four main game types, which is good for you since they are
also the most common type of game found on the GRE. Ordering games require you to organize the
elements or subjects of the game into either a spatial or sequential order. We will begin this section by
describing the types of ordering games that you might encounter on the GRE. We will then apply the basic
game solving strategy that we outlined in the first part of this chapter to an ordering game. We will create a
diagram on which we will summarize the given information from the game and use the diagrams to solve
some game problems.
Spatial Ordering
There are a few different ways in which logic games may require you to arrange the elements of the
game spatially. A problem might require you to arrange subjects linearly, from front to back, up to down, or
from left to right. Imagine a group of people standing in line for the theater. Who is second from last in line?
How many people are behind Tamas but in front of Christina? Or perhaps you will be asked the order of
several books on a shelf. Is the art book next to the gardening book or the photography book? How many
books can be to the left of the philosophy book if the drama criticism is not at either end of the shelf? In
addition to linear games, there may also be games that require a novel spatial arrangement, such as the
seating arrangement for a dinner party of seven people at a round table.
Sequential ordering
Games can also require you to arrange the elements of the game temporally, that is, in a time
sequence. For example, imagine that seven people need to give speeches at the council meeting. If
Barbara needs to give her speech after Charles gives his, but before Miriam gives hers, what is the fewest
number of people that must follow Barbara?
Ordering by characteristic
The final basic type of ordering game is one that requires you to arrange the elements of the game
according to some other characteristic. Now, there is a separate type of game called characteristic/attribute
games (and a separate section describing these games later in this chapter), but we are talking about a
different kind of problems here. These kind of problems, although involving a characteristic, are actually
ordering games in that they ask you to order elements based on some characteristic for which there is an
obvious sequence or order. An example of this kind of question would be if you are asked to arrange a
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group of boys by height, from shortest to tallest, or to create a list of countries arranged from smallest to
largest landmass.
Solving
Although on the surface these three game subtypes may seem different, they can be solved similarly.
What they all have in common is the relatively straightforward nature of the relationships between the
game's elements and the simple diagram that is needed to represent these relationships.
Like the other games you will encounter on the GRE, we will start by applying the step-by-step method
we outlined for you in the last section. Then, we will create a diagram on which we will summarize the given
information.
Let's start with a relatively easy game:
Sample Game One
At a state fair, the prize-winning cows of six different breeds, Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Jersey,
Holstein, and Simmental, are to be displayed in the central stock pavilion. There are six stalls numbered 1
to 6 from left to right. Each cow will be housed in its own stall.
The Jersey is not in either the leftmost or rightmost stall.
There are exactly two cows between the Holstein and the Simmental.
The Brown Swiss and Jersey are next to each other.
The Guernsey is in stall three.
Okay, after we have read through the game set-up and the conditions, let's start by making a roster. In this
case, the elements are the six different cows.
Roster: A, B, G, J, H, S
Next, we need to summarize the conditions of the game. It is very important to do this carefully! The precise
reading of the game conditions and the translation of these conditions into concise, symbolic statements
are absolutely critical skills required for a good score on the analytical section. To demonstrate, we will go
through each condition and its translation into concise, symbolic form.
The first statement tells us that the Jersey is not in either the leftmost or rightmost stall. This can be
translated into:
J ? 1, J ? 6
There are exactly two cows between the Holstein and Simmental can be written as:
H _ _ S or S _ _ H (the dashes represent additional cows)
Why do we write two statements? We do not yet know which cow, the Holstein or the Simmental is closest
to the left. We only know their positions relative to each other, not their exact locations. When you have a
flexible statement like this, you should always write out both possibilities.
The next statement tells us that the Brown Swiss and Jersey are next to each other. We can represent this
as:
BJ or JB
The statement that the Guernsey is in stall three can be represented as:
G=3
Once we have summarized the rules, let's think about what kind of diagram would be most helpful. What
sort of problem are we being asked to solve? This is a linear ordering game, as we are being asked to
arrange these six cows from left to right. This situation can best be represented by six dashes, one for each
stall.
Now, let's fill in the information that follows from the rules, starting with the fixed condition, G = 3.
What other information can we add to our diagram? Well, we are told that J cannot be in 1 or 6, so we
could add that informatino also, in the form of ^J in stalls 1 and 6.
Now, remember we told you that often you are able to garner additional information by considering
conditions together. You are also often able to make deductions when trying to fit the conditions to the
diagram. We know that H _ _ S or S _ _ H. If we look at our diagram, how many ways can we fit this
condition into the available open stalls? If we put H in stall 1, then S would have to be in stall 4 (or S in stall
1 and H in stall 4). We can represent the idea that either H or S can be in stall 1 and the other in stall 4 as
in the following diagram.
This would leave only stalls 5 and 6 open for the two cows that need to be next to each other, the Brown
Swiss and Jersey. Since we also know that the Jersey cannot be in stall 6, we can place these cows with
certainty in the following diagram.
Is there any other way we can fit the H _ _ S or S _ _ H condition into the diagram? Stall 3 is already taken,
but stalls 2 and 5 would be the correct distance apart. Let's see what happens if we try to fit the H and S
cows into spaces 2 and 5.
Now when we try to fit the next condition, BJ or JB, we see that there are not two adjacent spaces
available. Therefore, we can eliminate this diagram.
Now that we have the diagram, let's look at a sample question.
1. If the Ayrshire cow is next to the Simmental cow, which of the following cannot be true:
(A) The Jersey cow is next to the Holstein.

(B) The Guernsey is next to the Ayrshire.
(C) The Ayrshire cow is in stall two.
(D) The Simmental cow is in stall four.
(E) The Holstein is in stall four.
To solve this, let's look again at our diagram.
We are told in this question that the Ayrshire cow is next to the Simmental cow. Acording to our diagram,
the only stall available for this cow is stall 2. If we place the Ayrshire cow in stall 2, then in order to meed
the new condition that the Ayrshire cow is next to the Simmental cow, we must place the Simmental cow in
stall 1, which makes the Holstein in stall 4. Now our diagram looks like this:
Now that our diagram is completely filled in, the question is easy to answer. Since it is asking which
statement cannot be tru, we must go through each one and check it against our diagram. Is the Jerset cow
next to the Holstein? Yes. Is the Guernsey next to the Ayrshire? Yes. Is the Ayrshire cow in stall two? Yes,.
Is the Simmental cow in stall four? No, it is in stall one. This statement is not true, and therefore the correct
answer. To be sure, we can check the last choice, is the Holstein in stall four? Yes.
Now, will we always be able to fill in all of the blanks in our diagram? Of course not. In fact, the more
complicated the game, the fewer fixed elements there will be. What this means is that often you will require
multiple diagrams, or diagrams that have multiple options for certain positions.
Let's try another ordering game, this one a little more complicated:
Sample Game Two
Veebee's department store occupies five of the six floors in a building. On the remaining floor is a
restaurant. The floors are numbered one through six, with the first floor at the bottom and the sixth at the
top. Veebee's has four departments: housewares, kids, furniture and clothing. Each department occupies a
separate floor except the clothing department, which occupies two adjacent floors.
The kids department cannot be located on a floor immediately above or immediately below a floor occupied
by the clothing department.
The housewares department is either on the floor immediately above or immediately below the furniture
department.
We can see immediately that this ordering game has fewer conditions than the last one. Does fewer
conditions mean the game is more simple? No, instead it often means that there will be more possibilities to
be worked through for each question.
First let's create the roster, in this case the different departments.
Roster: H, K, F, C1, C2, R.
Note that in this case, one of the elements (clothing) takes up two spaces (two floors). To help us
remember that when designing our diagram, we can call these C1 and C2.
What kind of diagram should we use? This is a linear ordering game, but this time instead of arranging the
elements from left to right, we need to arrange them vertically, like the floors of a building. (It is always a
good idea to make your diagrams as representative as possible of the type of arrangement you are asked
to make, that is to say, draw a horizontal line if you are arranging things in a line, draw a vertical line if
arranging things on top of each other, etc. )
Now, let's create a vertical set of six lines to represent the floors, and to the right of this diagram, we can
represent the conditions. We are not able to put the conditions onto the actual diagram at this point,
because we do not have enough information. When we are given more information in the questions, we will
then fit the conditions into the diagram, but for now, we will start with this:
Let's try the questions.
Question One:
If the clothing department occupies the third floor, and the restaurant is not on the second floor, which of
the following must be true?
(A) The kids department is on the sixth floor.

(B) The fourth floor is occupied by the clothing department.
(C) Furniture and housewares are on the top two floors.
(D) The kids department is on the first floor.
(E) The restaurant is on the fifth floor.
Okay, in this question we are given more information to help us to create our diagram. If the clothing
department is on the third floor, what else do we know? Well, the clothing department occupies two
adjacent floors, so that means either the second or fourth floor must also be clothing. Since we do not know
which is correct, we must explore both possibilities. We are also told the restaurant is not on the second
floor. Let's try to represent this information with two diagrams.
Now we have two diagrams that include the information from the question. We have additional information
to consider, however. We know that the housewares and furniture departments are on adjacent floors. How
can we fit this into our two diagrams? When we try to place these two floors on the first diagram, we can
see that there are two possibilities for these two departments: the fourth and fifth floors or the fifth and sixth
floors. For the second diagram, there is only one possible location of the two floors, so the end result is
three diagrams (two derived from the first, one from the second). (Note: remember that we do not know if
housewares or furniture is located on the higher floor, thus if we wanted to, we could draw the two possible
arrangements for each, instead of H/F and F/H as we have depicted. This would give us six diagrams! A
good rule of thumb is to approach the question with the simplest diagram (or diagrams) and then see if you
can answer the question. If not, you may want to draw out the other possibilities.)
Now let's try to answer the question by going through each of the answer choices. ChoiceA states that the
kids department must be on the sixth floor. First look at the first diagram. There are two unassigned floors,
the first and the sixth. The first one we have already noted cannot be the kids department, so the sixth must
have the kids department. What about the second diagram? There is no space available for the kids
department! So we can eliminate this diagram as a possible arrangement. Let's look at the third diagram. In
this one, the only unassigned floors are the fifth and the sixth, and the fifth we have already labeled as not
able to be occupied by the kids department. Therefore for this arrangement also, the kids department is
located on the sixth floor, so this is the correct answer.
To be sure, let's also go through the other choices. Choice B states that the fourth floor is occupied by the
clothing department. If we look at our diagrams, in the first one, this is not true, the clothing departments
are on the third and second floors. It is true for our third diagram, but since we are asked for which
condition must be true, we can eliminate choice B.
Choice C states that furniture and housewares must be on the top two floors. We can see from our
diagrams that this cannot be true, instead, the kids department must be on the top floor. Choice D says that
the kids department is on the first floor. We have already established that the kids department is on the
sixth, so we can eliminate this one. Choice E places the restaurant on the fifth floor. While this would work
for our third diagram, it does not work for the first diagram, therefore this choice too can be eliminated.
Let's try another question for the same game.
Question Two:
Which of the following, from first to sixth, represents a possible arrangement of the departments and
restaurant?
(A) Furniture, housewares, restaurant, kids, clothing, clothing

(B) Furniture, kids, housewares, restaurant, clothing, clothing
(C) Clothing, clothing, furniture, housewares, kids, restaurant
(D) Restaurant, clothing, housewares, furniture, kids, clothing
(E) Restaurant, clothing, clothing,, furniture, kids, housewares
To answer this question, which diagrams do we use? It is very important to remember when starting a
new question to not necessarily use the last diagram you made. Remember that we added to our diagrams
the additional conditions that were given in the question itself, rather than in the initial set-up or the original
list of conditions. These do not carry over to the next question. Instead, go back to the original diagram.
Are there additional conditions we can use to fill in more information? No. We must rely only on the
information we already have. Let's work through the answer choices considering the three rules we have:
the two clothing floors are adjacent, housewares and furniture are adjacent, kids not immediately below or
above a clothing floor. Choice A violates the rule about the kids department. Choice B violates the condition
that the furniture and housewares departments should be on adjacent floors. Choice C seems to be valid,
but let's make sure by checking the last two choices as well. Choice D violates the two clothing floors being
adjacent, and choice E violates the housewares and furniture rule. Therefore choice C is the correct answer.
Summary of Strategy for Ordering games
The basic strategy outlined in the first section of this chapter should be followed for ordering games.
Once you have read the premise of the game and the conditions, create the roster and symbolize the
conditions. Then, figure out what kind of diagram is necessary to best represent the arrangement of
elements in the game and draw this. Write the conditions for the game to the side. Next, any conditions that
are fixed can be put into the diagram. Look over the conditions again to see if any new information can be
deduced when considered together with your diagram. Next, proceed to the question and add any new
information to your diagram. If there are more than one possible arrangement, draw the different variations
out. Finally, read through the answer choices, compare them to your diagram, and answer the question!
Continue to:
IF PAGE DOES NOT PROPERLY SHOW GRAPHICS, PRESS "RELOAD" or "REFRESH"
1. Ordering
2. Characteristic
3. Grouping
4. Network
This next game type that we will examine are called characteristic or attribute games. As the name
implies, these games require you to assign attributes or characteristics to each element of the game. In a
later section, we will describe grouping games, which involve grouping together two or more elements of a
game based on a shared characteristic. Characteristic games differ, however, in that you are assigning
characteristic to the separate elements, and not grouping the elements together in any way. This may
sound a bit confusing at first, so why don't we instead look at an example of a characteristic game.
Sample Game
Priscilla has a small store where she sells upholstered furniture. She sells armchairs, couches,
loveseats, futons, and recliners covered in several different fabrics: floral, plaid, vertically striped, solid, or
mixed. She wants to display examples of her work in the storefront window. Because the window is quite
small, only one piece of furniture can be displayed at a time. She plans to display a different item of
furniture for each of the next five months. Also, each of the five items of furniture will be covered in a
different fabric. Priscilla plans her display according to the following conditions:
The couch must be displayed before the futon.
The loveseat can only be displayed after the recliner.
The plaid item of furniture must be displayed before the one covered in mixed fabric.
The vertically striped piece of furniture must be displayed in the third month.
The futon must be covered in floral fabric.
Solving
The first step is to sort out what problem we are being asked to solve. In this case, we are asked to assign
five different items of furniture to five different months with five different fabrics. This is actually a very
typical example of characteristic games: we are asked to make a schedule of some sort taking into
consideration at least two different characteristics. (In this problem the two characteristics are items of
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furniture and fabrics.)
Earlier, we had mentioned that it is important to create a roster of the elements of a game. For
characteristic games, however, the elements may be more straightforward, such as the months of the
week, Monday through Friday, or the numbers one through seven, etc. For this game the elements are five
months, which we can simply number as one through five. The different characteristics, however, may
benefit from being abbreviated as we usually do in creating our rosters. In this case, we have a list of
possibilities for each of the two characteristics:
Furniture = armchair, couch, loveseat, futon, and recliner

Fabric = floral, plaid, vertically striped, solid, and mixed
Let's just write these over in abbreviated form using only the first letter for each word:
Furniture = A, C, L, F, R
Fabric = f, p, v, s, m
Notice that we have used upper case letters for one list and lower case letters for the other. This will help to
keep the two characteristics separate. This sounds simple at this point, but it is very easy to get caught up
in trying to solve a game and forgetting what the individual letters represent. (You then might end up with
trying to schedule things like a futon recliner or a floral plaid, instead of a floral futon and plaid recliner!
Now that we have converting the lists to a more abbreviated form, what next? While there is not a single
diagramming approach that works well for all characteristic games, these game problems are usually best
solved with a matrix. A matrix can be thought of as a kind of chart that we create with the game's elements
in columns and the characteristics in rows (or vice versa, either direction will work). Again, this is easier to
show, than to describe. So, what would the matrix look like for the above sample game?
We can start by listing the game elements in a row across the top, and then list the characteristics along
the left side, and then draw lines horizontally and vertically to form a grid like this:
Now, what information can we place in our matrix? As with all of our game diagramming, let's start with the
fixed conditions. We have one easy one, the first condition. In this case, we know that the vertically striped
piece of furniture must be displayed in the third month so we can put our vertically striped symbol (v) into
the second row under column 3 (for the third month).
Can we put anything else into our matrix right away? Well, the first two conditions tell us that the couch
must be displayed before the futon, and the recliner before the loveseat. That means that neither the futon
nor the loveseat can possibly be displayed in the first month, since the couch and recliner have not yet
been displayed. So we can fill these into the matrix also, as ^F and ^L for not futon and not loveseat.
Now, you might think that these are the only two pieces of information in these two conditions, but is
there anything else that we can conclude from these statements?
Well, if we just turn around the logic a bit, we will realize that if the couch needs to be shown before the
futon, and the recliner before the loveseat, the couch and recliner cannot be the pieces of furniture
displayed in the last month. (If the couch were displayed in month five, the futon would not have been able
to be displayed.)
We can add these two pieces of information to the matrix also, in the top box of the last column as ^C
and ^R. Further, we still have the original statement that the couch precedes the futon and the recliner
precedes the loveseat. To be sure we do not forget this important information, we will write these
symbolically to the side of our matrix as C < F and R < L.
Can we do anything with the condition stating that the plaid piece of furniture needs to be displayed
before the mixed one?
Yes, using the same reasoning we applied in thinking about the last two conditions, we can conclude
that the mixed piece of furniture cannot be displayed in the first month, and the plaid cannot be displayed in
the last month. Again, we represent this as ^m for not mixed and ^p for not plaid. Additionally, we will write
this to the side of the matrix as p < m. Now we are left with one condition, that the futon will be floral. If we
knew in which month the futon was to be displayed, we could of course fill that into the matrix along with
the fabric, but we don't know yet. If we look at our matrix, we see that the futon cannot be displayed in the
first month, so we can also conclude that the material of fabric for that first month cannot be floral. So now
we fill in that second row, first month box with ^f for not floral. Are there any other conclusions we can add
to our matrix before we look at the questions? Well, if we look over our matrix, we can see that we already
know that the piece of furniture displayed in the third month is striped. If it is striped, we know it can't be the
futon (which must be floral), so we can add a ~F to the top box of month 3. Great!
Now, don't be discouraged if it seems like we still don't know much about which piece of furniture (and
in what fabric!) will be displayed in which month. We have a lot of information about which pieces cannot be
displayed in certain months, and that information will be very helpful to us. One other thing to note about
the way in which information has been put into the matrix is that it is a good idea to put "not conditions" (like
no futon or ^F for example in the top left box) to the top of the individual boxes, and to put "fixed
conditions" (like striped or v for the third month) in the center part of the box. Visually, this will help you to
further differentiate between the conclusive assignment of a characteristic and a statement that just limits
the assignment of a characteristic. (For example, a conclusive assignment would be: The dog is brown. A
statement that is non-conclusive and only a limit of an assignment would be: The dog is not white. In this
case, the dog could be gray, black, brown, spotted, etc.)
For this game, all of the conditions have now been used in some form and filled into the matrix, and all
additional information has been written to the side. It will not always be the case that at least part of every
condition will be able to be added in some form to the matrix. For example, if we were told that the armchair
was not the piece of furniture covered in solid fabric, where would we put that in the matrix? Because it is
not related to any of the other conditions or able to be related to any of the boxes of the matrix that we have
already filled in, we have no place to put this information in the context of the matrix and would instead
write it to the side for later use. So, if you complete your matrix and there are conditions that you are not
able to translate into an appropriate box on the matrix, translate this condition symbolically and write it
immediately to the right side of the matrix. In that way there will be less chance that you will forget about
this additional information later, when you might actually need it to answer a question. Once you have
convinced yourself that you have extracted all possible information from the conditions and either added it
to the matrix or represented it to the side, it is time to look at the questions.
Let's now look at some sample questions and then work through how to best solve them with the help of
our matrix.
Question One:
Which of the following items of furniture could be displayed in the first month?
(A) floral futon

(B) vertically striped recliner
(C) mixed armchair
(D) floral loveseat
(E) plaid couch
To solve this, let's look at what we have already written under the first month column. We have a ^F, ^L, ^f,
and ^m. Now let's look through the answer choices. Choice A is not correct because the futon cannot be
displayed. Just looking at the first column, we cannot rule out Choice B, so let's come back to that one.
Choice C is not correct because we know that we cannot have the mixed fabric. Choice D is not correct
because we cannot have the loveseat in the first month. Choice E, the plaid couch sounds reasonable, as
there is nothing in our first column to indicate that this is not a possibility. So now we have narrowed it down
to two choices, B and E. Let's now consider the rest of our matrix. Is there any other box filled in that has to
do with recliners or futons? Just that the futon cannot be in the third month and the recliner cannot be in the
last month, so those conditions do not help us figure out what can happen in the first month. What about
the conditions of vertically striped or plaid? Are there any other conditions filled in to distinguish between
those possibilities? Yes, we know that the vertically striped piece of furniture will be displayed in the third
month, therefore we can eliminate Choice B as a possibility. Choice E is the correct answer.
Now, from this example you should have learned one more important thing about the effective use of the
matrix. Once you have put all the conditions into the matrix, and summarized any additional ones to the
side, you should always look over the matrix and see if there are any additional conclusions that you can
make if you just consider each box of the matrix in relation to the other boxes. For example, we had already
filled in the fabric box for the third month as vertically striped (v). What does this tell us about the fabrics in
all the months? They can't be vertically striped! Thus, at that point (still before reading the question!) we
should have gone through the fabric row and filled in ^v (for not vertically striped) for each other month. Our
new, improved matrix looks like this:
Using this new matrix, let's try some more questions.
Question Two:
Which of the following could be the items of furniture displayed in the five months, from one to five,
respectively:
(A) couch, recliner, armchair, futon, loveseat

(B) recliner, futon, couch, loveseat, armchair
(C) recliner, couch, futon, loveseat, armchair
(D) couch, futon, loveseat, armchair, recliner
(E) couch, loveseat, recliner, futon, armchair
This is relatively straightforward to answer, using the matrix we have created. Choice A seems to work, but
let's check the other choices. Choice B is incorrect because the futon can only be displayed after the couch
has been displayed. Choice C is incorrect because the futon cannot be displayed in the third month
because the futon must be floral and the piece of furniture being displayed in the third month is vertically
striped. Choices D and E are incorrect because the loveseat cannot precede the recliner. Therefore choice
A is the correct answer.
Question Three:
If the loveseat is displayed in an earlier month than the striped piece of furniture, which of the following
must be true:
(A) The loveseat must be displayed in the first month.
(B) The futon must be displayed in the fourth month.

(C) The recliner must be displayed in the first month.
(D) The piece of furniture covered in solid fabric must be displayed in the fifth month.
(E) The armchair must be displayed in the third month.
First, let's see if we can add the new piece of information from the question to our matrix. What do we know
about when the striped piece of furniture must be displayed? It must be shown in the third month. Therefore
the loveseat must be displayed before that, which would be either the first or second months. Now let's look
at those boxes. In the box for the first month, we have the ^L symbol for not loveseat. Since this possibility
is eliminated, the loveseat must be displayed in month 2, so we can now add this piece of information to
our matrix. (Remember! Any additional information you add that is derived from a question and not from the
initial premise or conditions, must not be carried over to the next question.)
It is critical to remember that whenever you add any piece of information to a box in the matrix, evaluate
whether or not it has any impact on any of the other boxes. Now that we have put L in the column for month
two, what implication does this have on month one? If we look at the conditions we have written to the side
of the matrix, we remember that the couch must precede the loveseat. If the loveseat will be shown in the
second month, we can conclude that the couch must precede the loveseat.
Now we can go to the question and work through the answer choices one at a time. Choice A is obviously
not correct, since we have just deduced that the loveseat must be displayed in the second month. The
futon in the fourth month? Certainly possible, but must it be in the fourth month? Let's wait on that one.
Choice C, the recliner in the first month- well, we just figured out that this must be true! Choice C is the
correct answer. What is the best strategy if you don't immediately see the right answer? When you are
asked whether or not statements must be true, the easiest way to check this is to try to find another
arrangement. Is it necessary to have the futon in fourth month? Well, see if you can come up with a viable
arrangement with the futon being displayed in the fifth month. Does it work? Yes. You will find that the other
three possibilities B, D, and E, (not A, since we ruled it out as not being possible) are only that, possibilities,
and not mandatory "must" statements.
Summary of Characteristic Game Strategy
Let's summarize the strategy we have used to solve this game:
First, figure out what problem we are being asked to solve. What are the elements of the game? What are
the characteristics you are being asked to assign to these elements?
If you need a roster of the elements, create that next. (Remember, often you will not need a roster of
elements for this kind of game.) Next, convert the lists of options for the characteristics to a more
abbreviated form. You may use upper case letters for one list and lower case letters for another. What
happens if there are three (or more) characteristics? It is still a good idea to have the abbreviations for each
list look different. Say we are asked to assign houses (colored red, yellow, and white) and professions
(lawyer, teacher, carpenter) and favorite activities (gardening, sewing, and baking) to three people. One
possibility is the use of subscripts, such as is shown for these lists:
Houses = Rh, Yh, Wh
Professions = Lp, Tp, Cp
Activities = Ga, Sa, Ba
Next, create a matrix by listing the game elements in a row across the top, and then listing the
characteristics along the left side, and drawing lines in the form of a grid.
Start to add information to your matrix, starting with the fixed conditions. When you write information in the
boxes, place "not conditions" (like ^F) to the top of the individual boxes, and place "fixed conditions" (like v)
in the center part of the box.
Summarize any conditions that cannot be put onto the matrix to the right.
Look over the matrix and see if there are any additional conclusions that you can make if you consider each
box of the matrix in relation to the other boxes, or if you consider the conditions summarized at the side
with respect to any of the boxes in the matrix.
Read the question. If there are additional conditions within the question, add them to the matrix or to the
side. (Of course, you will be sure to remember that you will not carry these new conditions over to the next
question!)
Answer the question by using the matrix to evaluate each possibility.
Continue to:
1. Ordering
2. Characteristic
3. Grouping
4. Network
Grouping games are another common type of game found on the GRE. Unlike ordering
games, which require you to organize the elements or subjects of the game into either a
spatial or sequential order, grouping games require you to divide the elements of a game into
two or more groups. Often, you will be asked to separate the elements into groups based on
a characteristic, and it is for this reason that these games are similar to the characteristic
games that we described earlier. However, you will see as we work through the sample
games in this section that these games are distinct from characteristic games in that rather
than assigning or matching characteristics to single elements, we are instead grouping
elements that share characteristics. The distinction between these two types of games in
what you are being asked to do, as well as the different strategy required for solving these
problems, will become apparent once we start working through a few of these games.
We will begin this section with a typical grouping game like those that you might encounter
on the exam. We will then show how to tackle this problem by applying the basic game
solving strategy that we outlined in the first part of this chapter as we create a diagram on
which we will summarize the given information from the game. Finally, we will then work
through an additional sample game by applying the strategy to successfully answer the
questions.
Sample Grouping Game One
Ten freshmen students, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, and U, arrive at Egghead University for

their first term of college. They are told that they have been assigned to one of three
dormitories: Genius Hall, Intellectual Center, or Brainy Building. At least three of the ten
students are assigned to each dormitory.
M, P, and U are all assigned to separate dormitories.

L, N, and T are all assigned to the same dormitory.
Both O and R are assigned to Intellectual Center.
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First, what are we being asked to do here? Out of a group of ten students, we need to
separate them into three groups based on the dormitory in which they will live. Once we have
read through the premise of the game, realized it is a grouping game, and identified the task
we are asked to solve, the next step in our game strategy is to create the roster. In this case,
the roster of elements is the list of students.
Roster: L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, and U
For grouping games, you may want to create a second list of the groups into which you will
be dividing the elements. In this case, the groups are the three buildings: Genius Hall,
Intellectual Center, or Brainy Building.
Groups: Genius, Intellectual, Brainy (g, i, and b)
Notice that we represent the group names with lower case letters, rather than the capital
letters we used to represent the students. It's always a good idea to make your abbreviations
for the roster of elements and the abbreviations for the groups look different so you don't run
the risk of mixing them up during the process of solving the game.
Okay, according to our game-solving strategy, our next step is to symbolize the conditions. In
this case, one of the conditions is actually contained within the premise of the game: we are
told that at least three students are assigned to each of the three dormitories. What additional
information can we deduce from that statement? Well, if there are ten students, and at least
three will be in each dorm, that would give us three students in three dorms, for a total of nine
students. Since we have ten students, not nine, we can conclude that one of the dormitories
will have four students, and the other two will have three students each. We don't know yet
which of the three dormitories has four students, and which two have three, but for now we
can summarize this simply as 3-3-4.
The next condition (the first in the list of conditions following the premise) tells us that M, P,
and U are all assigned to separate dormitories. This means that if M is in a dorm, then neither
P nor U can be in that same dorm. (This applies to the others as well, that is, if P is in a dorm,
then M and U are not in that dorm, etc.) We can use the same symbol we used earlier to
indicate "not", the ^ symbol, and represent this condition as:
If M ^P, if P ^M
If M ^U, if U ^M
If P ^U, if U ^P.
As you can see, that one sentence condition has given us a lot of information. We know that
these three students are assigned to the three different dormitories. How else could we
represent this condition symbolically? Rather than writing three lines, a shorter way might be
to just use the ? symbol. In this case we can use it to represent the fact that if one of the
students is assigned to a dorm, the others cannot also be assigned to that dorm:
M?U?P
The next condition tells us that students L, N, and T are all assigned to the same dormitory.
Using the opposite symbol from that which we used for the previous condition, we can
represent this as:
L=N=T
Again, what other information can we deduce from this condition? Since we know that two of
the dormitories will have three students and one will have four, we know that either only these
three students will live in one dormitory, or one additional student could also be assigned to
the same dormitory and that this dormitory would then be the one that has four students.
Now, let's think about the previous condition. We know that students M, U, and P all live in
separate dorms (M ? U ? P). That means that one of them, though we don't yet know which
one, will be assigned to the same dorm as L, N, and T. Therefore, we can modify our
condition to represent this new information:
4 = L, N, T and (M, U, or P)
The third condition tells us that both O and R are assigned to Intellectual Center. We can
represent this condition as:
i = O and R
Now, let's create a diagram to help us think about the problem. What kind of diagram will best
represent the arrangement of elements in the game? Unlike ordering games or network
games, we don't need a complicated diagram. We only need to represent our three groups
and we can just use three boxes for this. (Note: in this diagram the groups are labeled with
their full names for clarity, but on the actual exam, you will probably want to use the
abbreviations in order to save time.) Within each group box, we will put three horizontal lines
for the three elements we will place in those groups. (Remember that one of the three dorms
has four students. Since we don't know yet which one, we can represent that underneath
each of the four group boxes with a horizontal line and a question mark. ) Like our other
games, we will write the conditions for the game to the side.
Now that we have our diagram, let's look at the conditions we have written at the side and
see which ones can be transferred into the diagram. As before, let's start with the conditions
that are fixed. Starting with the last condition, we see that O and R will be in group i
(Intellectual), so let us write O and R in two of the lines in the Intellectual group.
If we look at the second to last condition we have written to the side, 4 = L, N, T and (M, U, or
P), we remember that L, N, T and one other student are in the dorm that has four students.
Because we already have O and R in the Intellectual dorm, there is not enough space left in
that dorm. Therefore, we know that the Intellectual dorm does not have four people in it, so
we can eliminate the ? line from underneath this group. Further, if we look at our second
condition which states that M, U, and P must be in separate groups, we know that one of
these students must be the third one in the Intellectual group. We can represent this
possibility as M / U/ P on that third line, symbolizing that one of these must be in this group.
The next step is to look over the conditions again to see if any new information can be
deduced when considered together with your diagram. We know that L, N, T and either M, U,
and P make up the dorm that has four of the students, but we don't know yet if these four are
in the Genius or Brainy dorms. It seems as though this is all the information we can fill in so
far.
Next, let's proceed to some sample questions.
Question One
If M and Q are assigned to the same dorm, which of the following cannot be true?
(A) O and U are in the same dorm.

(B) R and P are in the same dorm.
(C) Q and S are in the same dorm.
(D) U and L are in the same dorm.
(E) M and T are in the same dorm.
After reading the question, the first step is to determine what additional information is
provided by the question itself. In this case, we are told that M and Q are assigned to the
same dorm. If we look at our diagram, M and Q could fit into either the Genius or the Brainy
dorms. If we look at the answer choices, we see that we are not going to be asked which
students are in specific dorms, only which students are assigned to the same dorm. So, let's
arbitrarily insert M and Q into the Genius dorm to start. Once we have placed M into the
Genius dorm, then we can remove it from being a possibility in the Intellectual dorm. We can
also add the possibility of U or P into the Brainy dorm as well.
Now that we have added the new information provided by the question to our diagram, let's
review the conditions we have on the right of the diagram and see if we can deduce anything
further about how to place the students in the groups. Again, let's look at the requirement that
L, N, and P are in the group of four students. Is there room in the Genius dorm for four
students? No. Therefore, we must place the set of L, N, and T into the Brainy dorm, and also
move into that dorm the fourth space, which would be held by U or P.
With this additional information on our diagram, let's now look at the answer choices.
Remember that we are asked to figure out which of the following choices cannot be true. For
choice A, can O and U be in the same dorm? Looking at our diagram, we see that O is in
Intellectual. Can U be in this group? Yes, we have it listed as a possibility for the third spot.
For choice B, can R and P be in the same dorm? Again, R is in the Intellectual group, and P
is listed as a possibility. For choice C, can Q and S be in the same dorm? Well, we've placed
Q into the Genius dorm. Can S fill that empty spot? If we look through the conditions, we
don't see any restrictions on where S can be. So that too seems like a possibility. (And
remember, we are looking for the choice that is not possible.) For choice D, can U and L be in
the same dorm? U is listed as a possibility for the Brainy dorm, which is where we have
placed L, so this too is a possible arrangement. For choice E, can M and T be in the same
dorm? We have placed M in the Genius, and T in Brainy. This is not a possibility, so choice E
is the correct answer. (Note: we arbitrarily placed M and Q into the Genius dorm. In this case,
it doesn't matter because both the Genius dorm and the Brainy dorm have the same set-up,
that is, they can either have three or four students. If you are not sure about this, work
through the problem again with M and Q in the Brainy dorm instead.)
Let's try a second question for the same game. What do we need to remember before
utilizing our same diagram to answer the next question? Any information that was given by
the previous question must not be carried over to the next question. Only information from
the original premise and conditions can be applied to each question.
Question Two
Which of the following must be true for the group of ten students?
(A) Exactly three students are assigned to Genius Hall.

(B) Exactly three students are assigned to Intellectual Center.
(C) Exactly three students are assigned to Brainy Building.
(D) Exactly four students are assigned to Genius Hall.
(E) Exactly four students are assigned to Intellectual Center.
We know that two of the dormitories will have three students and one will have four. Do we
know anything about which of the three dormitories could have four and which must have
only three? Let's look at our diagram again. (Remember, we need to look at our original
diagram, not the one that we made for the last question that contained additional information.)
We are asked about how many students can be assigned to each dorm. As we've drawn it,
the group of four students could be in either Genius Hall or the Brainy Building, not in
Intellectual Center. Choice B, that exactly three students are assigned to Intellectual Center,
is the correct choice. Choices A, C, and D are all possible arrangements that satisfy our
conditions, but we are asked which choice must be correct, not what is merely possible.
Choice E is not correct, since we know that only three students are assigned to Intellectual
Center.
Let's try one more question for this game.
Question Three
If U is assigned to the same dorm as S, how many distinct groups of students could be
assigned to Genius Hall?
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 4
(E) 5
These particular types of questions are quite common in the games section, and can be time-
consuming because we are asked to figure out how many possibilities will satisfy a given
arrangement. Let's start with what we know. In the question, we are told that U and S are in
the same dorm. Now, we know that they can't be in Intellectual Center, since we don't have
enough spaces available to fit two students in, only space enough for one additional one
besides O and R. Therefore, U and S must be in either Genius Hall or in Brainy Building.
Since we don't know which, we need to draw out both possibilities. We will label these
possibilities A and B, for locating them in Genius Hall or Brainy Building.
Let's look at our conditions again. We know we have the block of four to fit into a group. Can
the group of four students be in the same dorm as U and S? No. Let's then put the group of
four into the other building. Remember, we need to do this for both possible arrangements, A
and B. When we do this, we see that we have one blank remaining, which will can fill in with
the one remaining student, Q.
So, we are asked how many distinct groups of students could be assigned to Genius Hall. In
possibility A, where S, Q, and U are assigned to this dorm, there is only that one set. In
possibility B, which we have assigned to L, N, T and either M or P, there are two possibilities
(L, N, T, and M or L, N, T, and P). Therefore, we have a total of three possible arrangements
of students in Genius Hall, so the correct choice is C.
Before we work through another sample game, let's review the basic strategy for solving
grouping games.
Grouping Game Strategy
· Read through the premise of the game and identify the task you are asked to solve.
· Create the roster of elements you are asked to place into groups.
· You may also want to create a second list of the groups into which you will be dividing the
elements.
· Symbolize the conditions.
· Create a diagram that will best represent the multiple groups into which we will arrange the
elements of the game. Within each group, represent the number of elements that can be
possibly placed in that group.
· Like the strategy we use for other games, write the conditions for the game to the side of the
diagram.
· Look at the conditions that are written at the side and see which ones can be transferred
into the diagram. Always start with the conditions that are fixed.
· Once you have transferred the information from the conditions to the diagram, look over the
conditions again to see if any new information can be deduced when considered together
with your diagram.
· Read the question.
· Determine what additional information (if any) is provided by the question itself.
· Add that new information provided by the question to the diagram, and again review the
conditions on the right of the diagram and see if you can make any more deductions about
elements that can be put into a group on the diagram.
· Solve the question by consulting your diagram. If necessary, check each possibility against
your diagram.
· When you proceed to the next question, remember that any information that was given by
the previous question must not be carried over to the next question.
Let's try another sample game (a little more difficult) and try to work through it implementing
this strategy.
Sample Grouping Game Two
In the front window of Peter's Pet Palace, there are three cages- cage one, cage two, and
cage three- that contain a total of seven cats. Each cat is a different color: brown, black,
white, gray, tabby, calico, or orange.
The gray cat and the tabby cat are not in the same cage.
The black cat is in cage three only if the white cat is also in cage three.
Each cage contains a different number of cats.
The orange cat is in cage 2.
There is at least one cat in each cage.
Okay, once we have read the premise, we can see that this is a grouping game. What are the
groups? What are the elements we are asked to arrange into these groups? The groups are
the three cages that contain the cats. The cats are the elements we need to arrange. Unlike
the previous game, the elements are not identical. Rather than ten students, we have seven
cats of varying colors.
Our roster might look like this:
Roster: Br, Bl, W, G, T, C, O
Note that we had two colors starting with B, so we just used Br and Bl to help us differentiate
between those two cats.
Groups: (cages) 1, 2, and 3
Next, let's symbolize the conditions. The gray cat and the tabby cat are in different cages can
be summarized as:
If G, ^T or if T, ^G.
We can also write this as G ? T.
The second condition tells us that the black cat is in cage three only if the white cat is also in
cage three. We can write this as:
3: if B, then W
The next condition tells us that that each cage contains a different number of cats. This can
be represented as:
1?2?3
We are told that the orange cat is in cage 2. This is simply represented as:
2: O
Finally, we are told that there is at least one cat in each cage. We can write this as:
1, 2, 3 ? 0
What else does this statement tell us? Well, if there are three cages, each containing one cat,
and we have seven cats all together, then the maximum possible number of cats in any one
cage would be five. (Since one cat would be in each of the other cages.)
Let's draw a diagram to help us think about the problem.
Is there any information that we can extract from the conditions and put onto the diagram?
Let's start with the fixed conditions. We can put at least one line in each cage, since we know
there is at least one cat in each one. We can also place the orange cat (O) in cage 2.
Can we place with certainty any information from the other conditions? We could also include
the statement about the cats that might be in cage 3 (3: if B, then W). Though since we don't
know yet where any cats (other than the orange one) are, let's wait on this one until we've
read the question.
Question One
If cage 1 contains only the brown cat, then which of the following may be true?
(A) Cage 2 contains only the orange, black, and calico cats.
(B) Cage 3 contains only the black, white, and calico cats.
(C) Cage 2 contains only the tabby, calico, gray, and orange cats.
(D) The black and white cats are the only two cats in cage 3.
(E) The gray cat is in the same cage as the white cat.
After reading the question, the first step is to determine whether or not there is any additional
information provided by the question. In this case, we are told that cage 1 contains only the
brown cat, so we can add that to our diagram. Next we want to consider the original
conditions and determine whether or not in combination with our new information, we can
move anything else to our diagram. In this case, we know that there are a different number of
cats in each cage. Since there is only one cat is cage 1, we know that there must be at least
two in both cages 2 and 3. Since there are seven cats total, we also know that we need to
place six cats into cages 2 and 3. It cannot be exactly three cats in each cage or that would
violate the rule of there being a different number of cats in each cage. We can make a note of
that at the bottom of groups 2 and 3.
Now let's work through the answer choices, keeping in mind that we are being asked for
which arrangement may be true. Choices A and B cannot be correct since they place only
three cats in either cage 2 or 3, and we just concluded that it is impossible to have only three
cats in these cages since that would violate the 1 ? 2 ? 3 rule. Choice C does not violate the
same rule, though when we look over our conditions, we see that it violates the G ? T rule, so
we can eliminate this option. Choice D puts only the black and white cats in cage 3. We know
that the black cat can only be in this cage if the white cat is present, which is the other part of
this answer choice. What happens if we add these two cats into our diagram in cage 3? Keep
in mind that only the brown one is in cage 1, we already have the orange one in cage two,
and we still need to fit the other three cats into a cage, and the only one available is two.
When we do this, we can see that this arrangement will violate the G ? T rule, so this is not a
possibility. Choice E is the only one left, but let's check it to make sure. The gray cat is in the
same cage as the white one. Is this possible? Let's try placing the two cats into cage three.
We know we need to have the tabby in another cage from the gray cat, so we must put the
tabby in cage two. The other cats can be in either cage as long as we can figure out an
arrangement that places a different number of cats in each cage. Here is one possibility,
though there are several:
Let's try a second question for this same problem.
Question Two
If the black cat and the tabby are two of the cats in cage three, then which of the following
must be false?
(A) The gray cat and the calico are the only two cats in cage one.
(B) The calico and the brown cat are also in cage three.
(C) There are two cats in cage two.
(D) Besides the black and tabby cats, there are two more cats in cage three.
(E) The orange cat and the gray cat are in the same cage.
After reading the question, let's add the new information to our diagram. Remember, we will
go back to our original diagram, not the one on which we added information specific to the
last question.
We know that if the black cat is in cage three, then the white cat must also be in cage three,
so we can add that information to our diagram.
Now let's work through the answer choices with the help of our diagram, keeping in mind that
we are looking for the choice that must be false. Starting with choice A, can we place the
gray and calico cats in cage one? Well, if we have two cats there, we need to have five cats
total in cages two and three. We already know where four of those are (the black, tabby, and
white cats are in cage three, and the orange cat is in cage two), so we would just need to
place the brown cat. Can we place the brown cat in cage two? No, that would put two cats in
both cages one and two, violating the 1 ? 2 ? 3 rule. Can we put it in cage three? Yes, so this
choice is acceptable. Choice B puts the calico and the brown cat in cage three. If we add
these two cats to the three we have already placed in cage three, that would give us five cats
there, leaving only two for cages 1 and 2, again violating the 1 ? 2 ? 3 rule. This choice must
be false, which is what we are looking for. Let's look at the other answer choices, though, just
to convince ourselves. Choice C places two cats in cage two. That would be the orange cat,
plus one other. Can we still place the remaining cats and satisfy the other conditions? Yes,
here is one such arrangement.
Choice D puts a total of four cats in cage four. Is this possible? Yes, the last example actually
satisfies this condition too. Choice E requires the orange and gray cats to be in the same
cage, and we can easily see that this is a possible arrangement. Therefore, the one choice
that must be false is choice B.
Summary
Hopefully these sample problems have helped to illustrate how to create diagrams to enable
you to solve grouping games. As with the other game types, by applying the strategy, and
utilizing your diagram, you will effectively and quickly be able to solve these games.
Again, here is the strategy for working through grouping games:
❍ Read through the premise of the game and identify the task you are asked to solve.
❍ Create the roster of elements you are asked to place into groups.
❍ You may also want to create a second list of the groups into which you will be dividing the
elements.
❍ Symbolize the conditions.
❍ Create a diagram that will best represent the multiple groups into which we will arrange the
elements of the game. Within each group, represent the number of elements that can be
possibly placed in that group.
❍ Like the strategy we use for other games, write the conditions for the game to the side of the
diagram.
❍ Look at the conditions that are written at the side and see which ones can be transferred into
the diagram. Always start with the conditions that are fixed.
❍ Once you have transferred the information from the conditions to the diagram, look over the
conditions again to see if any new information can be deduced when considered together
with your diagram.
❍ Read the question.
❍ Determine what additional information (if any) is provided by the question itself.
❍ Add that new information provided by the question to the diagram, and again review the
conditions on the right of the diagram and see if you can make any more deductions about
elements that can be put into a group on the diagram.
❍ Solve the question by consulting your diagram. If necessary, check each possibility against
your diagram.
❍ When you proceed to the next question, remember that any information that was given by the
previous question must not be carried over to the next question.
Continue to:
1. Ordering
2. Characteristic
3. Grouping
4. Network
What are network games? These games involve the spatial connections between
elements. These problems could involve any elements that form a network, or a series of
pathways. Like computers linked in a network, the elements of network games are
connected. For example, you could imagine networks that represent various roads
connecting several cities, or perhaps the flow of information between a group of office
workers, or a series of electric bulbs linked in a circuit. Your task in solving these games is to
determine the nature of these connections between elements.
Basic Structure of Network Games
Like the other games we have looked at, the elements will usually be presented in the
initial premise, or set-up of the game. The conditions will then describe the connections
between the elements. It is these connections, or the relationships between the elements that
are important for network games. These conditions might tell you that the connection
between two elements is bi-directional (two-way) or unidirectional (one-way). A condition
might tell you that two elements are not connected directly, in which case a pathway might
require multiple steps to get from one element to another. Other elements could be dead
ends, that is, once you have connected to them, you cannot move through the network to
reach another element. We will see examples of these different kinds of conditions as we
work through the sample games.
How to Solve Network Games
The one advantage of network games is that once you have created the network flow
diagram describing the elements and the relationships between the elements, the questions
themselves are usually quite straightforward. Usually all the answers can be quickly
determined by simply reading what you have drawn. The network flow diagram is therefore
critical for these games. However, you must learn to create effective flow diagrams, which is
what we will show you here. These games commonly have many more conditions than the
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other types of games, and unless you are able to do some preliminary sorting of information,
it is easy to create a network diagram that is too complicated and impossible to use. Again,
by learning how to translate the conditions of the game accurately and represent them
graphically in a precise way, you will become well-equipped in the skills required to solve
these problems.
As with other games, start with a roster of the elements. If the elements are simply letters,
such as X, Y, and Z, then you can just use those letters as the elements. If the premise gives
longer names, such as four towns called Fayestown, Gainesville, Huron, and Indica, simply
abbreviate the names to the first letter of each word (F, G, H, I). Creating the roster is
especially critical if some of the elements are not specifically mentioned in the conditions. By
writing out the roster for each game, you won't accidentally forget one or more of the
elements when trying to answer the questions.
Once the roster has been created, create a diagram in which the elements are arranged
circularly. Next, read through the conditions and represent them symbolically on this diagram.
Let's start with some basic guidelines for how to effectively represent this information. Since
we are dealing with connections, we will rely heavily on the use of arrows. Pay close attention
to the directionality of connections. Is the connection one-way? Use a line with an arrow
pointing in the direction of the flow. Is the connection two-way? Have arrows pointing in both
directions between the two elements. How will we represent the elements themselves? A
simple strategy is just to use the letters you have assigned in the roster. For example, let's
look at a sample game with a simple premise and only two sentences describing the
conditions.
Sample Game One
Five cities- A, B, C, D, and E - are connected by a series of roads. At most, one road
connects any two cities. All cities are connected to at least one other city. All of the roads
connecting these five cities are either one-way or two-way roads as follows (assume that the
roads described are the only roads connecting these cities):
The roads between A and C, A and D, and B and D are all two-way roads.
The roads from A to B, C to E, and E to A are all one-way roads.
How can we represent this information? First of all, we will need to represent the cities. In
this case, the roster consists of A, B, C, D, and E, and we will use these letters. How do we
know how to arrange the cities? We don't know anything about the positioning of the cities
with relation to each other, but we don't need to. For this problem, we are only interested in
the connections between the cities, not their actual locations. Therefore, we can arrange
them any way we want. What you will find, however, is that the best way to arrange the
elements in a network game is in a circular form, with the elements spaced evenly. The
reason for this is so we have room in the center of the diagram, or the space between the
elements, in which we will put the information about the connections. For this game, let's use
lines to represent the roads that connect the elements (in this case, the five cities) and use
arrows to represent the directionality. Your flow chart might look something like this.
Once you have summarized all of the information from the conditions, review the initial
premise to make sure that your diagram does not violate any of the conditions outlined there.
Also, be sure that any additional information provided within the premise has been included
in your diagram. In this case, we can double-check that in our diagram, each city is
connected to at least one other city, and that there is at most one road between any two
cities. This diagram meets all of those criteria.
Now, let's try to answer some questions for this sample game.
Question One
(1) Which city has the greatest number of direct road connections to the other cities?
(A) City A
(B) City B
(C) City C
(D) City D
(E) City E
This question asks about direct connections. Another way to think about this question would
be, which city has the greatest number of roads connecting it to other cities? Let's look at our
diagram, and start with city A. From city A, roads lead to B, C, D, and a road enters from E.
Since we have only five cities, and city A has four connections, this is likely to be the right
answer! But let's first go through the other answer choices first so we can be sure. City B can
be reached from A, but from B, one must travel to D. These are fewer connections than A, so
we can eliminate this possibility. City C is connected to A and D by a two-way road, and a
one-way road that leads to E, for three direct connections. This is still fewer than the four
connections of A. City D also has three connections, and city E has only two, and both one-
way. Therefore, A is the correct answer.
Let's try another question.
Question Two
(2) What is a complete list of the cities from which a traveler could not drive directly to city B?
(A) City C only

(B) City D only
(C) Cities C and D only
(D) Cities C and E only
(E) Cities C, D, and E only
Again, this question is straightforward with the help of our network diagram. From city C, city
B cannot be reached directly. This is definitely one of the cities, but we do not yet know
whether or not this is a complete list, so let's first go through the other answer choices. From
D, there is a two-way road to city B, so choice B is not correct. Likewise, we can eliminate
choices C and E since they too contain city D as one of the cities. If we check choice D,
which is cities C and E, we see that in fact both C and E are cities from which a person could
not travel directly to city B. Therefore choice D is the correct answer.
Let's try another game, one that is a little more complicated, to get more practice in creating
network diagrams.
Sample Game Two
In celebration of a very profitable year, the board of directors of an international corporation

decides to hold a special meeting in Basel, Switzerland to honor the company's top six
executives, Mr. Andrews, Mr. Das, Ms. Farmer, Mr. Gaal, Ms. Petrucci, and Ms. Win.
Mr. Andrews speaks English and German.

Mr. Das speaks Hindi and French.
Ms. Farmer speaks German and Russian.
Mr. Gaal speaks Russian and English.
Ms. Petrucci speaks French and English.
Ms. Win speaks Russian and Hindi.
Okay, once we have read through the game, we can see that the elements are the six
executives. What are the connections between the elements? These will be languages, or
the ability to communicate with each other. As before, our first step is to create the roster.
Since we are given names, let's simply use the first letter for each name.
Roster = A, D, F, G, P, W
Now, let's arrange these six elements into a circular pattern. Between the elements, in the
center of the circle, is where the connections will be placed.
Now, how will we represent the connections? In this case, we can simply use lines to
connect people with a shared language. (We don't need to use arrows, because by definition,
sharing a language means that each person can speak it to the other.) Let's now translate the
information given by the conditions into drawn connections between our six elements. Where
do we start? A good strategy is just to start with one person, and go through each of his
languages, and see what other person (or persons) also speaks those languages. Let's start
with Mr. Andrews (A). He speaks both English and German. Who else speaks English? Mr.
Gaal and Ms. Win (G and W) both speak English. So we can draw connections from A to
both G and W. What other connection can we draw? Well, at this point, we could also draw in
the connection between G and W, since we've just noted that the two of them speak English.
At this point, just placing as many of the conditions onto the diagram as possible should be
your main strategy. After you have gone through all the conditions and translated them to
your diagram, you can then go back over the conditions to make sure you have not either
missed or duplicated any of them. Back to Mr. Andrews, we know that he also speaks
German. Who else speaks German? Ms. Farmer (F), so let's draw a line connecting A and F.
The diagram now looks like this:
Now, if you look at the diagram, can you tell who is speaking what language? Do F and P
speak the same language since they both are connected to A? No, they don't, and it's
important to remember that just because two elements each connect to another element, it
does not mean that those two elements necessarily have any connection at all between
them. This would be an invalid assumption. One way to avoid this confusion would be to label
the connections in some way that describes them, such as shown in the following diagram.
The problem with doing this, however, is that by writing words on our connections, it
greatly increases our chances of making our figure too complicated. Keep in mind that we
have only placed on our diagram the connections between one of our elements with the
others. We still have conditions describing the other five elements! A better solution is just to
keep in mind that you must accurately translate each condition, and never assume any other
connections beyond that which is provided in the conditions.
Do we need to know who speaks which language? At this point (since we haven't seen
the questions), we don't know. In the interest of simplicity, let's assume we don't need to
know the languages at this point. If a question comes up which requires knowing this
information, we can always add it to the diagram we have created.
Okay, now let's try to place the other connections onto our diagram, working though each
element in the order in which they appear in the conditions. Once you have translated each
condition, read through the conditions one more time to be sure that you have not missed
any connections between elements and that all of the connections you have drawn are
accurate.
The diagram for this game should now look like this:
You may have noticed, as you work your way through the conditions, you find that some
you have already placed on the diagram as a result of them being two-way connections.
When this happens, it just serves as another way for you to double-check the relationship
between the elements.
Now that we have the network diagram, let's try some questions.
Question One
(1) If Mr. Das and Mr. Gaal wish to converse, which of the following represents a complete
list of the people who could serve as an interpreter?
(A) Mr. Andrews only

(B) Ms. Petrucci only
(C) Ms. Win only
(D) Ms. Petrucci and Ms. Win only
(E) Mr. Andrews, Ms. Petrucci, and Ms. Win only
Solution
How do we solve this? We can see from our diagram that Mr. Das and Mr. Gaal do not share
a language, that is, we have drawn no line connecting them. An interpreter would be
someone who can speak the same language as Mr. Das and also speak the same language
as Mr. Gaal. In the scheme of our network diagram, what would this look like? Simply, we are
looking for an element that is connected to D and connected to G. Let's work through the
answer choices. Choice A is Mr. Andrews. According to our diagram, A is connected to G,
though not to D, so this cannot be the correct answer. Choice B is Ms. Petrucci. In our
diagram, P is connected to both D and G, so this is definitely a correct answer. We are asked
for the complete list, however, so we must continue to work through the answer choices.
Choice C is Ms. Win. We can eliminate this choice immediately on the basis of it not including
Ms. Petrucci. Choice D is Ms. Petrucci and Ms. Win. If we consult our diagram, indeed Ms.
Win is connected to both D and G. Choice E adds Mr. Andrews to the list, but we have
already eliminated him as a possible interpreter. Therefore choice D is the correct answer.
Let's try a second question.
Question Two
(2) Besides Ms. Win, who can converse with Ms. Farmer without an interpreter?
(A) Mr. Andrews and Ms. Petrucci

(B) Mr. Gaal and Mr. Das
(C) Mr. Gaal and Mr. Andrews
(D) Mr. Gaal and Ms. Petrucci
(E) Mr. Das and Ms. Petrucci
Again, this question is relatively easy with the use of our network diagram. We are asked who
can converse with Ms. Farmer without an interpreter. In the context of our network diagram,
this question is asking to which other elements, other than W, is element F directly
connected. By looking at our diagram, we see that F is connected to A, W, and G. Therefore
the correct answer is choice C, Mr. Gaal and Mr. Andrews (G and A on our diagram). If we
look at the other choices, we can compare them to our diagram and see that these are
incorrect.
Question Three
(3) Which of the following pairs of people cannot converse without an interpreter?
(A) Mr. Andrews and Ms. Petrucci

(B) Mr. Das and Ms. Win
(C) Mr. Gaal and Ms. Petrucci
(D) Ms. Farmer and Mr. Das
(E) Mr. Andrews and Ms. Farmer
Again, we only need to consult our network diagram to answer this question. We are looking
for two elements that are not connected with a line. Starting with choice A, we see that A and
P are connected on our diagram, so this cannot be the correct answer. Choice B, D and W
are also connected, so we can eliminate this choice. Choice C, also, G and P are connected
and thus not the correct answer. Choice D seems to be the exception, as D and F are not
connected on our diagram. To be sure, let's check choice E. We see that A and F are
connected, so choice D represents the only pair of people (of the choices given) that cannot
converse without an interpreter.
Let's do one final question for this game, which is structurally different from the ones we have
just solved, though is a reasonable question for this kind of game.
Question Four
(4) Of the five languages spoken by the six executives, which are the two most common?
(A) English and German

(B) English and Hindi
(C) French and Russian
(D) Russian and German
(E) Russian and English
Solution
As you remember, we have not included anything about which languages are spoken by
which people on our diagram. Can we solve this question from our diagram? Unfortunately,
no. We basically need to determine how many people speak each of the languages. The best
way to do this is make a small table in which each column represents a language, and
underneath, we can list the people that speak each of those languages. Then we can simply
count how many people are in each column. The table would look something like this.
From this, it is easy to see that English and Russian are the most commonly spoken
languages. Therefore, choice E is correct.
Let's try one final game to illustrate the best way to solve network games. Unlike the previous
games, here we also show you the first question, like it would be on the actual exam.
Sample Game Three
In a group of five friends- P, Q, R, S, and T- rumors are passed according to the following
conditions.
P passes rumors to R, S, and T, but nobody from the group passes rumors to P.
Rumors can pass from R to S, but not from S to R.
Rumors can pass in either direction between S and T.
Rumors can pass in either direction between Q and R.
Rumors can pass from Q to S, but not from S to Q.
Question One
(1) Which of the following is a complete list of the people to whom a rumor can be passed
directly from Q?
(A) R
(B) S
(C) R, S
(D) P, R, S
(E) R, S, T
Okay, let's start by creating our network diagram. What are the elements? In this case, the
elements are the five people, P, Q, R, S and T. What are the connections? The connections
between the people are the way in which rumors can be passed. (This falls into the flow of
information category of network problems.) What type of graphical representation will we
need for these connections, lines or arrows? For this problem, there is directionality of
connections (some are one-way, some are two-way), so we must use arrows to illustrate the
direction of the flow of information.
Your network diagram might look something like this:
Like the other diagrams, we have arranged the elements circularly to illustrate the
connections between them in the middle of the circle. We have used arrows, some pointing in
two directions, others in only one direction, to indicate the direction of the flow of information.
Now let's tackle the question. We are asked for the complete list of the people to whom a
rumor can be passed directly from Q. By consulting our diagram, we see that a rumor from Q
can go directly only to R and to S, choice C.
Question Two
(2) To which person in the group can any other person pass a rumor directly?
(A) P
(B) Q
(C) R
(D) S
(E) T
Consulting our diagram, we need to look for the element that is connected to all other
elements (with the arrows pointing at that same element). We can see that the only element
that satisfies this condition is S.
Question Three
(3) A rumor that begins with R and reaches T must have been told to which of the other
friends:
(A) P
(B) Q
(C) S
(D) Q and S
(E) P and S
Again, let's consult our diagram. If we start with R, the rumor cannot be passed directly to T,
but instead must be passed to either S or Q. If it is passed to S, then it can be passed directly
from there to T. If R first passed to Q, then it must be passed to S, and then to T. In both
scenarios, S is required. Since we are asked which friend must have been told, choice C is
the correct answer. Now, if we were asked which group members the rumor might have been
passed to, the answer would be S and Q.
Summary of Strategy for Network Games
Hopefully these three sample games have helped to illustrate the different kinds of network
games that you might see on the exam. The critical skill needed to successfully work through
these games is to be able to draw an effective and accurate network diagram. Look over the
examples of network diagrams presented here, and use these as guidelines in creating your
own.
To review the basic strategy:
❍ As with other games, start with a roster of the elements.

❍ Once the roster has been created, create a diagram in which the elements are arranged
circularly. Next, read through the conditions and represent them symbolically on this network
diagram.
❍ Read through the premise and conditions again to be sure you have translated all the
information onto your diagram.
❍ Read the question and solve by consulting the network diagram.
VIII. GAME TYPE 5: NON-LINEAR SPATIAL GAMES >>
1. Ordering
2. Characteristic
3. Grouping
4. Network
5. Non Linear Spatial
Non-linear spatial arrangement games
In the first section of this guide about solving specific game types, we described the
strategy for solving problems requiring the arrangement of the game's elements in linear
fashion, either from up to down or, more typically, from left to right. In this section, we will
describe how to solve games that require you to define the spatial relationships between
elements that are arranged in a non-linear fashion, that is, not in a straight line.
What kind of spatial arrangements might you be asked to determine? Elements may be
arranged circularly, like the arrangement of people sitting at a round table. Or, you might be
asked to arrange elements according to their positions on a map, by the compass directions,
north, south, west, and east.
What type of strategy is used to work through these kinds of games? Like the strategy for
linear sequencing games, you will need to create a diagram on which you will place the
available information. The best diagram will be one that accurately represents the premise of
the game, whether it is the circular arrangement of elements or the arrangement of points on
a plane, such as a map. In this section, we will begin by looking at a game requiring the
circular arrangement of elements. Through the creation of an effective diagram, we will work
through sample questions and conclude with an overall strategy for working through these
games. Next, we will look at map games, showing how to create a diagram that allows the
straightforward solving of these types of games, again concluding with a summary of strategy.
Circular Games
Again, the best diagram for each game is one that represents the game's premise. For
example, if you are asked to determine the seating arrangement around a table, you will use
a circle as the basis of your diagram. Since we are arranging seats around the table, this
could be represented in multiple ways, such as single points on the circle, or lines
representing the individual chairs. A better way is to draw spokes, or lines off the circle. This
helps in interpreting the relationships between elements, especially when you are given
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conditions that describe elements as being directly across from one another. It becomes
much easier to see the spatial relationships if you use spokes.
Let's look at a sample problem and try to set up a useful diagram.
Game One
Seven friends- Antonia, Ben, Carlos, Denise, Eduardo, Felicity, and Gavin- go to a restaurant
for dinner. They are seated at a round table with eight chairs, evenly spaced. Each chair is
directly across the table from exactly one other chair, one of which remains empty.
Felicity is sitting between Denise and Carlos.
Eduardo is sitting directly across from Denise.
Gavin is sitting directly across from Felicity.
First, we must create a roster of the game elements. In this case, the roster is the list of
seven friends, which we can represent as A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Now, what type of diagram
is required? Obviously, we need a circle to represent the table. Additionally, we are told that
there are eight chairs, evenly spaced. (Although we must keep in mind when solving the
problem that only seven of these chairs will be occupied.) We will represent these as spokes
coming off the central circle. Your initial diagram should look like this:
The next step is to summarize the given conditions, which we can write to the side of our
diagram. The first statement, Felicity is between Denise and Carlos can be written as DFC or
CFD, since we do not know the exact placement of Denise and Carlos with respect to Felicity
(who is on her left and who is on her right) we only know that one is on either side. The
second statement, Eduardo is directly across from Denise, can be written as E?D, where the
arrow indicates that the two elements, E and D, are across from each other. The final
condition, that Gavin is across from Felicity, can similarly be represented as G?F.
Now, unlike linear arrangements, in a circular arrangement there is no definite starting or

ending place. In this example of eight chairs around a table, a chair that is one place away
from another chair counting in one direction is also seven places away from that same chair if
you are counting in the opposite direction. Because of this ambiguity, it is especially critical to
approach these problems systematically.
Where should we start in placing the information from the conditions onto our diagram? A
good guiding rule is to look for the element whose placement we know the most about. In this
case, we know two pieces of information about Felicity's position at the table, so we can use
her as our starting point. Let's start with the last condition first, that she is seated across from
Gavin. Do we know anything about exactly which seat either of them or in? No, we only know
their relative positions. (Again, this is the critical difference between non-linear spatial games
and their linear counterparts. The non-linear games rely much more on relative placements,
rather than positioning an element into precise, certain locations.) Therefore, we can place
Felicity and Gavin into any two of the positions in our diagram, as long as they are positioned
directly across from each other.
We also know that Denise and Carlos are on either side of Felicity, though we do not know
who is seated to her right and who is seated to her left. Therefore, we should create two
diagrams, reflecting these two possible arrangements.
Now that we have these two possibilities, let's look at the remaining condition, E?D. Since we
have D positioned on both of our diagrams, we can position E accordingly.
Now let's tackle some sample questions for this game.
Question One
(1) If Ben is sitting next to Antonia, which of the following must be true?
(A) Ben and Denise sit on either side of Antonia.

(B) Ben is sitting directly across from Carlos.
(C) Felicity and Gavin are on either side of Carlos.
(D) Antonia and Denise are on either side of Ben.
(E) Eduardo and Carlos sit on either side of the empty chair.
We are given an additional condition in the question: Ben and Antonia are sitting next to each
other. We can summarize this as BA or AB. Let's add this to our list of conditions (for this
problem only). In looking at our two diagrams, what can we deduce immediately about where
Ben and Antonia must be sitting? Well, according to our diagrams, there are only two open
seats that would allow Ben and Antonia to be sitting next to each other. However, since we
cannot know who is on which side, that is, whether Ben is to the right of Antonia or vice
versa, we could place the two of them into either of the two open positions, creating two
arrangements for each of our diagrams, for a total of four arrangements. Rather than creating
two additional schemes, however, it may be more useful to simply add this information as A/B
and B/A for the two seats. These terms represent the possibility that either A or B is sitting in
one position and either B or A is in the second position.
Now that we have this information placed onto our diagram, let's work through each answer
choice one at a time, remembering that we are looking for the condition that must be true.
Choice A places Antonia between Ben and Denise. Is this possible? Yes. Since we are
looking for the condition that must be true, however, we must also see if we could arrange
the elements in an alternate way. Here are two possibilities, the left diagram allowing the
positioning described in choice A, and the right diagram showing an arrangement in which
this condition is not met:
Therefore, we can eliminate choice A.
In choice B, Ben is across from Carlos. Is this possible? Yes. Can we come up with an
arrangement in which this condition is not met? Again, yes. We can see these two
possibilities by looking at the previous diagrams, so we can eliminate choice B. In choice C,
Carlos is between Felicity and Gavin. Is this possible? In looking at our diagram, we can see
that this cannot work, Felicity and Gavin are directly across from each other; there are three
seats in between them. In choice D, Ben is between Antonia and Denise. Again, by looking at
the previous set of possible diagrams, we can see that this is a possible arrangement, though
not the only arrangement we could construct. Therefore, we can eliminate choice D. In choice
E, we are told that the empty chair is between Eduardo and Carlos. Is this possible? Can we
place all the elements onto the diagram and have the empty chair between Eduardo and
Carlos? Yes. Is it necessary to have this placement? In this case, the answer is yes. You can
see this by looking at the above two diagrams. (It remains true if you place A and B together
onto the original alternative diagram we created, as well.) Therefore, choice E is the correct
answer because this arrangement must always be true.
Let's try another question for this same game.
Question Two
(2) If Antonia is sitting across from the empty chair, which of the following cannot be true?
(A) Antonia is sitting next to Carlos.

(B) Eduardo is across from Denise.
(C) Carlos is sitting between Felicity and Antonia.
(D) Gavin is sitting next to Antonia.
(E) Gavin is sitting next to Eduardo.
For this question, we are given the additional condition that Antonia is sitting across from the
empty chair. We can represent this as A? emp. In looking at our two diagrams, we can see
immediately that this condition can only be placed onto our diagrams into certain of the
positions, since we need pairs of seats that do not already have someone assigned to them.
Again, we can represent the possibilities as A/emp and emp/A to represent the idea that
either element can be in either place on our diagram.
We are asked to determine which of the answer choices are not possible arrangements.
Again, let's work through each individual answer choice, determining whether each is
possible within the confines of our diagrams. For choice A, can Antonia be next to Carlos?
Yes, we can see that this is possible from either of the two diagrams. For choice B, can
Eduardo be across from Denise? Yes, this is actually one of the original, required conditions.
For choice C, can Carlos be between Felicity and Antonia? Yes, this condition can be met
with either of the two diagrams. For choice D, can Gavin be next to Antonia? According to our
diagram, this is not a possibility. If we were to place Antonia next to Gavin, either to his left or
his right, she would then be across from Carlos, instead of being across from the empty chair.
Therefore, this arrangement is not possible. To be sure, let's check choice E, which states
that Gavin is sitting next to Eduardo. Since we know that Eduardo is across from Denise, we
have already placed him onto the diagram into the seat to Gavin's left or right. Therefore, this
condition is possible (and mandatory). Choice D is the only one that cannot be true.
Summary of strategies for solving circle games
· Create the roster of elements.
· Once you have determined that you are working on a circle game, draw a circle for the
diagram and represent the individual positions with lines, or spokes off that circle.
· Summarize the rules and write them to the side of your diagram.
· In determining which elements to place onto the circle first, begin with the element for which
you have the most information. If you can determine elements that are across from each
other, start by placing those onto your circle. Elements that can be placed in multiple
positions can be represented either by alternative diagrams or simply use the same diagram
and represent the either/or possibility with a symbol, such as A/B to represent that either A or
B could be in that position.
· Read the question. Summarize symbolically any new information given to you. Try to place
that new information onto the diagram. Determine whether the question is asking for a
specific fixed arrangement (such as "who is sitting across from Howard?"), or a possible
position, such as whether or not Louis could be to the left of Sam. Be sure to read carefully,
and know whether you are being asked to look for the arrangement that is possible, the
arrangement that is required or necessary, or the arrangement that is not possible.
Continue to Part B of Non Linear Spatial Games >>
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Analytical Section - Logic Games

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Analytical Section - Logic Games

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ANALYTICAL SECTION: LOGIC GAMES

II. STRUCTURE OF A LOGIC GAME

III. GENERAL STRATEGY FOR WORKING LOGIC GAMES

Summary of general strategy:

1. Read the scenario carefully.

2. Read each condition carefully.

3. Rewrite each condition on your scrap paper in symbolic form.

5. Construct a diagram to incorporate all of the information in a general picture.

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7. Use the diagram to answer the question.

1. Read the scenario carefully.

2. Read each condition carefully.

3. Rewrite each condition on your scrap paper in symbolic form.

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The following is an example of an if…then condition:

If Luis is selected, then Antonio cannot be selected.

We can write this as: if L, then not A. (Or: if L, then ^ A.)

We can write this as: if A, then not L. (Or: if A, then ^L.)

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Now we can proceed by summarizing the information provided in the conditions:

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Also: If ^J, then ^M.

If ^M and ^R then ^J.

Let's look at the summary we have created thus far:

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Let's look at the summary we created for this game:

5. Construct a diagram to incorporate all of the information in a general picture.

Let's look at an example game for which a diagram is needed:

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Lanes 1-8, one empty

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First, let's look again at our set of four diagrams:

7. Use the diagram to answer the question.

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1. Read the scenario carefully.

2. Read each condition carefully.

3. Rewrite each condition on your scrap paper in symbolic form.

5. Construct a diagram to incorporate all of the information in a general picture.

7. Use the diagram to answer the question.

IV. GAME TYPE 1: ORDERING GAMES

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(note: press shift-refresh if any images do not come through)

Review of 5 Main Game Types

IV. GAME TYPE 1: ORDERING GAMES

Let's start with a relatively easy game:

Sample Game One

The Jersey is not in either the leftmost or rightmost stall.

The Brown Swiss and Jersey are next to each other.

The Guernsey is in stall three.

H _ _ S or S _ _ H (the dashes represent additional cows)

Now that we have the diagram, let's look at a sample question.

(A) The Jersey cow is next to the Holstein.

To solve this, let's look again at our diagram.

Sample Game Two

Roster: H, K, F, C1, C2, R.

Let's try the questions.

(A) The kids department is on the sixth floor.

Let's try another question for the same game.

(A) Furniture, housewares, restaurant, kids, clothing, clothing

Summary of Strategy for Ordering games

V. GAME TYPE 2: CHARACTERISTIC GAMES

IF PAGE DOES NOT PROPERLY SHOW GRAPHICS, PRESS "RELOAD" or "REFRESH"