Lumosity

[jaf51200]

I was wondering if you guys thought whether or not Lumosity, the brain train website, is beneficial for L.G games or a waste of time? The site claims the ability to improve memory, attention, flexibility, and problem solving abilities.

Here's a link: http://www.lumosity.com

Thanks!

[mrexplorer22]

I have no experience with luminosity. I would approach it this way: the best way to improve your performance in long-distance running is to run long distances. To a certain extent, you can include cross-training as part of your regimen to complement or even improve on certain areas of weakness, like 'endurance'. However, your best option will always be to invest time in the activity itself. The only way to make substantial progress in logic games is to focus on logic games. Furthermore, I think you're already refining the aforementioned critical thinking skills and abilities by practicing for the entire LSAT package. For example, there is a very high degree of overlap and synergy between analytical reasoning, logic games, and even reading comprehension.

If your LSAT date is over 5-6 months away, then by all means, try out luminosity if other LSAT-takers recommend the service. The major difficulty has to do with time constraints; you're already preoccupied with school, work, your law school application, and studying for the LSAT itself. If you're in school and planning to write the LSAT in either December 2013 or February 2014, I recommend focusing every extra ounce of time on logic games-related exercises (and any other area you need to improve on).

[christine.defenbaugh]

Interesting question Alexander93!

I think a lot of what mrexplorer22 says is on target here. The only thing I know that Lumosity is guaranteed to make you better at is....Lumosity. But will it help your performance in logic games?

On a certain level, anything that increases your mental acuity will, at least indirectly, improve your performance on logic games. But that applies to just about anything in the world that stretches your brain a bit! The more similar the activity is to logic games, the more likely it is that the skills you are building will be directly applicable.

This is one reason I often recommend that my students get a sudoku book, or a sudoku app on their phones. The process of placing the numbers around the grid is somewhere in the same mental ballpark of how we have to arrange elements in logic games, so it's an appropriate muscle-builder. So, is Lumosity similar? That's something I'd actually challenge you to answer for yourself. Some of their games may be a bit similar, and some may be completely different.

Regardless of how similar they are, I would never recommend doing a tangential activity like this over the actual practice and review of real LSAT games. So, the question then is "what would you do if you weren't playing Lumosity?" If you're considering playing it instead of Candy Crush during your morning bus ride, then hey, it can't hurt!

But if this would actually take up time that you would otherwise be spending working out and going over actual logic games, then that's not a good tradeoff.

Does that help answer your question?