Thinking Lsat

It’s natural for new students to wonder how much time they will have to spend preparing for the LSAT. The simple answer—as long as it takes—isn’t all that satisfying. But the reality is that some people may need a lot more or less time than others need. On this week’s episode, Ben and Nathan review an article that advises a more concrete timeline and compare it to their own advice. They also respond to listener questions about résumés and personal statements, share some helpful tips from a rising 2L, and explain how to overcome a “score plateau.” Read more on our website!

Conclusions that are stated without sufficient evidence invite skepticism. To succeed on the LSAT, you need to be able to spot unwarranted conclusions and poke holes in weak arguments. On your personal statement, you’re the one making the argument. You want to demonstrate to the reader that you’re an ideal candidate for their law school. The best way to prove your case is to present indisputable evidence. State the facts, and allow the reader to draw their own conclusions about how great you are. On this week’s episode, Ben and Nathan review a fraternity treasurer’s personal statement that weighs a bit too heavily on conclusions. They offer constructive criticism that anyone writing a personal statement can learn from. The guys also break down an LSAT Conclusion question from PrepTest 73, and Nathan stumps Ben with a brainteaser. Read more on our website!

If you’re not already predicting the answer to every Sufficient Assumption question on the LSAT, you’re wasting time and leaving easy points on the table. Nathan and Ben explain why these questions are so predictable and how you can learn to master them. Today’s action-packed episode also includes updates on the August LSAT, Pearls vs. Turds, a discussion about law schools paying students to defer enrollment, and a question about whether you should care more about a school’s overall ranking or their ranking in a specialty program. Read more on our website!

The LSAT is a test of skill, not of knowledge. It’s an intense mental exercise that requires months of training to achieve optimal performance. For this reason, strategies that are useful to athletes can often be adapted and effectively employed by LSAT students. This week’s episode features a trove of fitness-inspired LSAT advice and analogies. The guys also tackle a logical reasoning question and break down one of the LSAT’s most common flaws, evaluate back-to-back submissions in a Pearls vs. Turds double segment, and dig through the listener mailbag. Read more on our website!

Nathan and Ben have reviewed hundreds of personal statements from law school hopefuls. Their goal is always to provide students with constructive criticism. In most cases, the first step to construction is demolition. After a lengthy discussion of Dre’s personal statement, their recommendation to her is clear: Start over. Or, better yet, reconsider applying to law school. It sounds like art is her real passion. The guys also hear another frustrating ProctorU story following the June LSAT and discuss whether it’s worth cancelling or complaining. They share some updates on the international LSAT. And car-guy Jake (from episode 300) checks in. Read more on our website!

This week’s internationally-focused episode features listener mail from students in Nigeria and Canada. Ben and Nathan share their thoughts on international students not having as many chances to take the LSAT. And they discuss whether their “don’t pay for law school” advice applies outside of the United States. They also break down another logical reasoning question from PrepTest 73, contemplate the agony of working 100 hours a week in big law, and shed light on the Demon’s new rating system. Be sure to listen to the end for a surprise announcement! Read more on our website!

The June LSAT is right around the corner. What should you do on the day before the official test? On today’s episode, the guys reevaluate their long-standing advice to take the day off. They also review a personal statement from a listener who missed the mark in attempting to follow Nathan’s template. The Pearls vs. Turds scoreboard is updated after Ben and Nathan analyze a tip about guessing. And finally, Nathan explains why he’s yelling at the LSAT—and why you should yell at it, too. Read more on our website!

The 300th episode kicks off with one of the best first drafts of a personal statement we’ve ever had on the show—after Ben and Nathan chop off the final paragraph, that is. Then, the guys evaluate a Pearls vs. Turds candidate about writing addenda to explain score increases (spoiler: don’t do it). They also reminisce about the old days of in-person LSAT classes and, finally, attack another Logical Reasoning question from PrepTest 73. Read more on our website!

“How do I get faster?” LSAT teachers hear some version of this question every day. And Nathan and Ben’s answer will always be the same: Slow down and focus on accuracy. Speed comes naturally with time and practice—you can’t force it. The guys discuss what Nathan calls the fundamental paradox of the LSAT on this week’s episode. They also evaluate a submission for Pearls vs. Turds, tackle another logical reasoning question from PrepTest 73, and answer a variety of questions from the listener mailbag. Read more on our website!

It’s the start of personal statement season for students who are applying to law school this fall. If you’re struggling to organize your story or don’t know where to begin, Nathan and Ben offer up an easy-to-follow strategy. Break it down into three basic parts: I am. I did. I do. The guys also answer another Logical Reasoning question from PrepTest 73, take a look at an article about law school debt, answer questions from the listener mailbag, and discuss the perils of mixing alcohol with LSAT prep. Read more on our website!

Today’s show features an interview with Nathan Lowry of Service to School, a national nonprofit organization that provides guidance and resources to veterans applying for law school. Ben and Nathan also discuss a new Excuse of the Week and dig into the listener mailbag. Some common themes reappear: Don’t rush into law school. Take your time. Get the best LSAT score you can get. Go to the best law school that offers you a full scholarship. Read more on our website! 

Many students feel the need to apply to law school as soon as possible without reaching their potential on the LSAT. But good things come to those who wait. Nathan and Ben chat with former Demon student Jon-Yin Chong, who started his LSAT journey in 2019 and, after over a year of prep and five attempts at the official test, scored a life-changing score of 178. By postponing his law school applications, he also availed himself of several opportunities that led to his current position at Harvard Law School’s Federal Tax Clinic, which he discusses on today’s episode. Plus, Ben and Nathan consider whether all the questions on LSAT Reading Comprehension are “Must Be Trues,” answer lots of questions from the listener mailbag, and meet Ben’s biggest fan—Copper, the Golden Retriever. Read more on our website!

In this week's episode, Ben and Nathan dig through the listener mailbag, uncovering an Excuse of the Week, stress over multiple LSAC snafus, and an update from a former listener who took some—but not all—of their advice when applying to law school. They answer questions about reading comprehension, personal statements, and when to start prepping for the LSAT. They also tackle a Paradox question from PrepTest 73. Read more on our website!

If you’re gonna go into a courtroom—as a defendant—you’re gonna want the most ruthless and savvy law warrior on your side. But how far would you want them to go in advocating for you? Nathan and Ben debate a hypothetical legal entanglement amidst answering listener questions. They also read listener mail about negotiating a full ride to Berkeley, choosing which law school you should pay for (hint: none of them), how to prep in a retake situation, whether to ask for accommodations (probably), and much more. The guys also try to get to the bottom of LSAC’s recent bombshell announcement that the dates of the LSAT testing year have changed, leaving a bunch of test-takers in a lurch. Read more on our website!

In an action-packed show, the guys hit all the bases: pearls vs. turds, excuse of the week, the latest news from the law-school universe, law school admissions success stories, advice for 1L hopefuls. The works. Nathan and Ben take a look at how Khan Academy teaches LG compared to building worlds. They talk about Georgetown slipping from the top 14. They try to decipher LSAC’s new policy on how many times you can take the LSAT. They offer some advice to someone who’s hoping to attend Harvard with a 3.2 GPA, and they consider whether it’s too late to consider applying in the 2021-2022 cycle. Plus the dive deep into the murky bowels of Florida Coastal School of Law, which is facing closure after the government declared it would stop loaning money to students planning to attend. Read more on our website!

It’s getting later in the law school admissions cycle, and more and more offers are rolling in. Now students are faced with some tough decisions. But instead of playing the game the Thinking LSAT way, students are panicking. They’re worried about getting to school right away instead of starting their career in law the right way—(near) debt free, and with the best opportunities ahead of them. Instead, folks tend to get tunnel vision and reduce their range of possibilities. Nathan and Ben serve up some tough love to a bunch of students trying to decide where to attend in the fall. Plus, the guys hear an excuse of the week and pick apart another LR question from prep test 65. Read more on our website!

The Thinking LSAT mailbag is filled to the brim, so the guys sit down for a bonus episode of answering questions from our dear listeners. They weigh some LSAT wisdom from a particularly misguided guidance counselor, they hear an excuse of the week from a surprisingly self-aware student, they help a “non-traditional” candidate with an addendum (and chronic sleep apnea), and they hear some success stories about students heading to law school for free. Plus, they offer some advice to a college sophomore who wants to know how to start prepping for the LSAT early—because they’re positively, definitely, for sure, dead set on a career in the law. Read more on our website!

Since the 2019 college admissions bribery scandal, college admissions professionals have been under a new level of scrutiny. On today’s show, Ben and Nathan talk to Harvard Law grad and college admissions consultant, Sydney Montgomery, about ethics and law school admissions. They also talk to Sydney about how equity-seeking groups can find community and support as they are preparing for law school and when they get to campus. Plus, the guys answer another LR question from prep test 65, they answer a question about scholarships for older candidates, check-in on changes to the U.S. News rankings, and hear a story of an LSAC fee waiver denial that got reversed. Read more on our website!

Many lawyers-to-be have their eyes on the good stuff. They want to do the world-saving, altruistic work that will make communities stronger and peoples’ lives better. And immigration law is a popular focus for these folks who want to help asylees and other groups. But what is immigration law really like? Nathan and Ben sit down with immigration attorney, Nicole Black, to talk about the realities of immigration law. They discuss what cases generally look like, what happens when cases get lost, and what the day-to-day practice is like for an immigration attorney. Plus, the guys chomp thru another LR question from PT 65, they weigh some advice from Reddit and answer a bunch of listener mail. Read more on our website!

In what may be some kind of record, the guys dig thru their overflowing mailbag and answer a bunch of listener emails, plus they find time to hear an Excuse of the Week, play a round of Pearls vs. Turds, and answer an LR question from prep test 65. It is an action-packed episode where the guys answer questions about career changes from being a calligrapher to becoming a lawyer, from opting out of law school to become a social worker, whether law schools offer accommodations for students with learning differences, and what to do about being waitlisted in an ultra-competitive cycle, and a bunch more. Read more on our website!