NOTE: Map games are extremely rare on the LSAT. Please consider skipping this section.
A map game requires the arrangement of the game’s elements on a plane according to their relative compass directions (north, south, west, and east). These games, like the circular games we just looked at, are similar to the linear spatial arrangement games we’ve already studied. Like those, we are ordering elements according to their relative positions. The complication is that there are two criteria for ordering: a north-south component and an east-west component. These two ordering processes must be considered simultaneously, which is why these problems are challenging.
Summary of strategy for map games
- Create a roster.
- Map games require the arrangement of elements onto a plane according to their relative compass directions. Create a quadrant with north at the top, south at the bottom, west to the left, and east to the right.
- Determine which element to select as your central element – it should be the element for which you have the most information. Place the central element at the center of your quadrant map.
- Next, place the other elements on the map for which the relationship to the central element is known. Be extremely careful to differentiate between terms such as “further north” and “directly north.”
- Place on the map any additional elements whose relationship to at least one other element is known. Indicate this relationship with an arrow.
- Read the question and add any additional information to the map. When choosing an answer, be sure that you can draw a map that reflects the most information.
Let’s begin by working through a sample game.