Thinking Lsat

The guys have been going against the law-school-game grain for so long that Ben is starting to dream about it. After recounting his dream, in which he and Nathan go undercover to the DOJ, the guys jump into a veritable grab bag of LSAT inquiries. They take a look at some news from overseas that LSAT-Flex will not be offered outside of the U.S. They offer some advice about how to manage your time during Logic Games. They weigh some advice about random guessing. And they rip a personal statement to shreds. Plus, Nathan and Ben hear from someone who decided not to go to law school and they read about UC Hastings’s lawsuit with San Francisco. Read more on our website!

Just as you were recovering from the whiplash that was the announcement of the May LSAT-Flex, LSAC decided to drop another surprise. June LSAT is going the way of the Flex, too! Ben and Nathan talk about the change and give you all the details you need to know if you were registered for the June test. The guys also discuss an advanced strategy for LG, they double down on the importance of predicting answer choices in LR, and they offer up their thinking about parallel reasoning questions. Plus, we get a look at how law schools are getting desperate during a slow admissions cycle. Read more on our website!

As the pandemic drags on, Nathan, Ben, and all y’all studying for the LSAT are getting used to a new normal. Social distancing. Remote classes. And trying to improve LR during a global health crisis. The guys field questions from folks studying in this brave new world. How do you prepare for the test if you’re an essential worker? What do you do if you can’t focus on ordering games because the world is going to hell? And what should you do if you’re just starting on your LSAT journey? Plus, the guys hear from students who are getting cold feet about going to law school, and others who are getting great promo codes in these fraught times. Read more on our website!

LSAC made some wild changes in the past few weeks. The April LSAT is cancelled, and a new test, LSAT-Flex, is being made available to April LSAT registrants. Nathan and Ben give you everything you need to know (so far) about the unprecedented LSAT-Flex. Plus, the guys take a look at some law schools that are getting a little antsy about incoming 1Ls and offering extra discounts to secure their classes. The guys also talk about why Chipotle sucks, gap years, consider a tip for when you’re in the last few minutes of a section, and hear from a student who ultimately decided against law school. Read more on our website!

The guys sit down with Columbia 3L and podcast host, Doreen Benyamin, to talk about what law school is actually like. Benyamin dishes the dirt on what matters in your 1L year, and let’s all y’all know what she wishes she knew before going to law school. Plus, Nathan and Ben help a listener think about how to incorporate their sports career into a personal statement, they consider some advice about how to recreate testing conditions at home, they read a letter from UC Hastings Dean Faigman, and they weigh in on a hypothetical decision between two law schools. Read more on our website!

Since the new coronavirus has ushered us all indoors, almost all learning is happening online—that includes getting prepped for the LSAT. In this episode, the guys give you the low down on the latest addition to their online LSAT prep platform: LSAT Demon Live. Plus, Nathan and Ben field a bunch of questions from students wondering how to handle the fact that the spring tests are being cancelled. The answer? Maybe just keep doing the same thing you’ve been doing all along. Read more on our website!

There’s no getting around it. A global pandemic has upended everyday life for almost everyone—including 1L hopefuls and lawyers-to-be. Ben and Nathan field questions about anxiety and uncertainty around the LSAT and law school in the context of the coronavirus pandemic and a looming recession. They share how to prepare for the June LSAT if you feel like the test-prep rug has been pulled out from under yer feet. They discuss the benefits of not going to law school right now. And they offer some food for thought to prospective students who are suddenly faced with going to law school during a recession. Plus, Ben and Nathan talk about meditation and consider what their next careers would be if the LSAT is forever cancelled. Read more on our website!

Going to law school ain’t cheap. That’s why the Thinking LSAT rebuttable presumption is “don’t pay for law school.” But what about the other costs? Rent, food, transportation. These things can set you back a pretty penny. Nathan and Ben field some questions about to understand scholarship info on ABA 509 reports and how to ask schools for more money to cover expenses beyond tuition. Plus, the guys talk augmented writing tools, how much time to spend on RC passages vs. questions, what’s going on with smaller classes at Wake Forest, and an LSAT Writing #fail. Read more on our website!

Life and the law school admissions game are a lot different than they were just last week. In this bonus episode, the guys discuss how the coronavirus is impacting their lives, their businesses, and the LSAT. Nathan and Ben share how they’re moving their classes online, they offer an update about their upcoming joint class in NYC (spoiler alert: it’s now available for anyone online), and they dish the dirt on what’s happening with the March LSAT and beyond. Plus, they wildly speculate about the economic implications of the pandemic and talk about how law schools are responding. Read more on our website!

When you’re applying to law school, you gotta put the winningest sh*t upfront. That means your absolute best LSAT score, sweet references, and a personal statement chock full of dating-profile-worthy facts about who you are and what you’ve achieved. The guys hear from a 3L about how Bar prep is a lot like LSAT prep. They offer advice to someone who fears their score (and test-taking ability) is improving too slowly. They take a look at the wild swings in the US News law school rankings outside of the top 20 and help a 2020 1L-to-be decide where to attend. And the guys take a look at a personal statement that would have law school admissions peeps swiping left. Plus, updates on LSAC practice-test licensing and news about how the coronavirus is affecting law schools and the LSAT world. Read more on our website!

How you prepare for (and how you perform on) the LSAT will affect every step in your law school game—from admissions, to your law school career, passing the bar exam, and on to your legal career. You’re laying the groundwork now for the rest of your lawyerly life, and today’s show proves it out. Nathan and Ben hear from folks who are just beginning their LSAT prep and want advice about their LR pacing or feel like they’re spotting some trends about RC difficulty. They hear from folks looking toward their 1L year and have questions about diversity statements, how to parse ABA 509 reports, and what to do if you’re on the waitlist. And they hear from a former listener and current 1L about how their law career is starting to take shape. Plus Ben and Nathan talk about Ben’s health, the future of medicine, and they announce their upcoming live class in NYC. Read more on our website!

The LSAT is sometimes like the doctor’s office. Someone is giving you data and telling you their opinion, and it could all very well be a load of horse sh*t. That’s why you have to approach the LSAT (and life) with serious critical thinking skills. After Ben shares some new learnings about cholesterol and health, the guys dive into an episode full of tips. Nathan and Ben offer advice about when and how to guess when you’re running out of time. They share their thoughts on how to study for the test—do you spend time on your weakest sections, or do you take a more balanced approach? And they help a long-time listener who’s in the throes of law-school-acceptance negotiations. Read more on our website!

Nathan’s just getting back in the saddle after vacationing up and down the California and Oregon coasts; Ben’s getting back in the saddle after weathering a winter cold. And after discussing the benefits of making traditions with your friends, the guys jump into a veritable grab bag of LSAT questions from all y’all law school hopefuls out there. Ben and Nathan discuss the importance of understanding LR question types, they talk about how to approach LG sections, they offer some advice on what to do if you experience your score plateauing, they consider just how religious “religious” law schools are, and much more. Read more on our website!

It’s way late in the admissions cycle, and folks are starting to think about applying in the fall. So, naturally, folks are starting to get the 2020 law school itch. They want to know how to make it easy on themselves to nab a great score and get into a great school. Here’s the deal, tho. There is no easy path. You gotta dig in and do the work to achieve your best LSAT score. Nathan and Ben take a look at how schools calculate your LSAC GPA. They answer questions about how to approach “hybrid” games, whether being a paralegal will look good to admissions staffers, and how students in different score ranges think differently about the test. Plus, Nathan talks Oscar picks, the guys talk non-traditional students, and they hear from the newest UC Hastings student. Read more on our website!

Between singing deans, framed “you’re special” awards, and flexible JD programs to fit your schedule, law schools are working overtime to earn your attention and attract your dollars. But as savvy law school hopefuls, y’all know when to call BS. The guys take a look at some absurd and absurdly amusing desperate moves from law schools in 2020. Nathan and Ben also consider some listener wisdom about how to break down an RC passage, they help a student decide how to incorporate her STEM background into her application package, and they critique a listener’s personal statement. Read more on our website!

With all the LSAT question-type buzz words floating around, it can be tough to keep them straight. The guys offer up a definitive list of LR question types, what they mean, and how you should think about answering them. They also take a look at a recent LSAC-hosted event, offer some advice about when and how to use the LSAT Demon, help someone decide if part-time law school is worthwhile, and try to offer some encouraging words to a listener with an “abysmal” cold diagnostic. Plus, Ben and Nathan consider how the old pipes in Nathan’s house may be affecting his health. Read more on our website!

In 2018, Paulina Vera created an online community to engage and support Latinas who were heading to law school, in law school, or working in the law. Since Hermanas In The Law has grown to a thriving community of over 10,000 #Lawtinas. Nathan and Ben talk to professor Vera about issues facing minority law students and answer listener-submitted questions. Nathan and Ben also cover the recent test-date announcement from LSAC, they take a look at a scholarship offer from Suffolk Law, and they hear about a pearl of wisdom that helped give an RC boost to a law school hopeful. Plus, the guys talk about whether Ben’s feeling peckish on his new caveman diet. Read more on our website!

The winter winds are sweeping across the land. The January LSAT is behind us all. Now it’s time to wrap yourself in a blanket, sit in your rocker by the fire, and hear the latest in all things LSAT from Nathan and Ben. The guys talk about the first reports back from the January LSAT—and it sounds like the test was (drumroll, please) easy. as. pie. They also hear a few heart-warming stories from listeners about LSAC test-center fails and law-school-scholarship wins. Plus, Nathan and Ben consider a new reading comp “memory method,” they make some recommendations about taking consecutive tests, they clear up some confusion about their own personal statement advice, and offer some thoughts about law school financial aid. And as a little winter treat for you at the end? The guys read a very new year’s email update from our old friend Dean Faigman of UC Hastings. Read more on our website!

Nathan and Ben sit down with Ben Barton, JD—professor of law at the University of Tennessee Knoxville—to discuss his new book, Fixing Law Schools: From Collapse to the Trump Bump and Beyond. Tune in for a sweeping conversation about the state of law schools and law-school admissions practices today, over the past decade, and the past century. The guys discuss predatory admissions behaviors, what to consider when applying to law school, how to set yourself up for your best legal career, and, of course, how to not pay for law school. Read more on our website!

The LSAT journey is tough. Tons of studying, months of hard work, and an often stress-ridden day of testing. And that’s just the start! The application process is just as crazy. And what’s it all for?! The guys sit down with a 1L student who’s halfway through her first year. She dishes the dirt on what law school is really like and what you can expect in your first semesters. Nathan and Ben also take a look at some advice about personal statements, and help a few test-preppers grapple with questions about whether and when to take the LSAT. Read more on our website, and follow us on social media.