Thinking Lsat

Three totally awesome tips for improving your Reading Comprehension score. Plus law school and admissions talk with Valparaiso University law professor Zachary Calo.

We start with a discussion of what a bad strategy it is to read the question stem first. (If you're a Blueprint instructor, we'd love to hear your case otherwise.) Then we go deep with LawSchoolExpert.com's Ann Levine on whether to retake the LSAT, how to explain it if you do, and a range of other law school applications issues.

In this episode, Ben and I analyze UVA professor Alex Johnson's "African-Americans, Law Schools and the LSAT," a surprisingly candid look behind the scenes of the LSAT and law school admissions. Why do average scores of African Americans and Latinos trail the general population by such a wide margin? What does this mean for their admissions chances? Is there anything we can do to bridge this gap? Ben and I announce our search for one student of color who we can coach toward the September 2014 LSAT. Please email us if you're interested!

We start with a discussion about the value of skepticism while taking the LSAT, then look at one applicant's decision for the fall of 2014. UC Davis? UNLV? William and Mary? Or reject all offers and reapply next cycle?

Our guest is Larkin Robson, owner of 180 Degrees LSAT in Brooklyn, New York. Topics include how to prepare for an unusually difficult logic game, good reasons vs. bad reasons to go to law school, how to negotiate law school scholarships, and a dip into the ethics of paid LSAT prep.

Ben and I mildly disagree on whether to bring a watch to test day, then vehemently agree that you should almost never cancel your LSAT score. On the issue of why the test is scaled, not curved, we're equally clueless.  Plus, news from the June 2014 LSAT.

Tips, tricks, and pitfalls for June 2014 LSAT test day. What to do in the last few days of prep. On the issue of "what to do if the logic games start out rocky," Nathan and Ben offer partially conflicting advice for Gemma Donofrio, a 170-scorer looking to squeeze out those last few points. Thanks, Gemma, for being such an awesome guest.

Our maiden voyage. Ben and Nathan introduce themselves, then brave the waters of the LSAT's fearsome new "Replace a Rule" logic games question. Unplanned strategy detours include game selection and game skipping, scoresheet bubbling technique, and drilling specific question types vs. hammering out 35-minute mixed sections. Welcome aboard.