LSAT Logic Games: How to Answer "If" Conditional Questions

The majority of questions in every LSAT Logic Games section are conditional questions — they add a temporary new fact ("if X is placed in slot 3…") and ask what must, could, or cannot be true given that fact plus all the original rules.

These questions are the core of Logic Games. They test whether you can combine a new condition with the game's established rules to derive valid inferences quickly and accurately. Students who handle them efficiently can score well on Logic Games even without fully pre-solving the game during setup.

The key word is "if." It signals that the new condition is for this question only — it does not carry over to other questions in the section.

Step 1: Add the new condition to your diagram. Write it in a fresh diagram or clearly label it as question-specific. Do not alter your master setup.

Step 2: Trigger all applicable rules. Ask: does this new condition activate any existing rule? Chain through: if the new condition triggers rule A, and rule A's result triggers rule B, follow the chain all the way through. This is where most of the points are — in the derived consequences of the new condition, not in the condition itself.

Step 3: Read off the answer. Depending on the question type (must be true, could be true, cannot be true), find the answer that matches your fully updated diagram.

Must be true: the answer is something that holds in every valid arrangement given the new condition. If you can construct even one valid arrangement where it does not hold, it is not must-be-true.

Could be true: the answer is something that holds in at least one valid arrangement. To verify, construct a single valid arrangement that includes it.

Cannot be true / must be false: the answer violates the rules no matter how you arrange the other elements. Verify by showing that including this element leads to a contradiction with the rules.

The method is the same in all three cases: derive what the new condition forces, then evaluate the answer choices against that constrained space.

Setup: Five people — F, G, H, J, K — are each assigned exactly one of three teams: Red, Blue, or Green. Rules: (1) If F is on Red, G is on Blue. (2) If H is on Green, K is on Green. (3) J is not on the same team as K.

Question: If F is on Red, which of the following must be true?

Step 1: Add F → Red.

Step 2: Trigger rules. Rule 1 fires: G → Blue. Now ask: does G → Blue trigger anything? Not directly. But we have F on Red and G on Blue. H, J, K are unassigned. Rule 3 says J ≠ K's team. Rule 2 waits for H's placement.

Derived: G is definitely on Blue. That is forced by the new condition.

Must be true answer: "G is on Blue." This follows necessarily in every valid arrangement given F on Red.

Could be true answer: "H is on Green." This is possible (K could also go on Green if rule 2 is respected, and J on Red or Blue to satisfy rule 3). Not forced, but allowed.

Cannot be true: "G is on Red." G must be on Blue, so G cannot be on Red.

Verbloom's Logic Games interface lets you test scenario placements visually, which makes the chain-triggering step faster to execute.

Conditional questions are worth exactly as much as any other question — one point each. Do not spend disproportionate time on a single conditional question when there are easier points available elsewhere.

For most conditional questions, the answer falls out after one or two rule-trigger chains. If you are working through four or five chains and still cannot determine the answer, consider moving on and returning with fresh eyes.

The students who are fastest at Logic Games are not faster readers — they are faster at recognizing which rules trigger from a given condition. That speed comes from familiarity with the game's rule set, built during the initial setup phase before you begin answering questions.

Pre-solving the game during setup — identifying forced placements, limited possibilities, and any templates that fall out of the rules — is what makes conditional questions fast. The "if" question rewards the work you did before reading the questions.