The 7Sage Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Everyone Has a 170. Now What? Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

Score inflation has everyone comparing themselves to higher and higher medians. Does it actually hurt your chances? In this episode, our team of LSAT and admissions experts breaks down what rising scores mean for your application and why comparison is the wrong move.

You'll also hear:

Why weaken questions get harder as your score climbs, and how to spot the alternative explanations the LSAT loves to hide in answer choices
Why studying 8 to 10 hours in one day a week stalls your progress, and what to do instead
Reading comp advice for staying on top of structure, author position, and tone
How to handle an imperfect past in your personal statement without hurting your application
What to know about a public interest career path, and whether school prestige matters

Plus what we're reading, where to find us on the conference tour, and a few LSAT games worth playing.

Want to be featured on the podcast? Submit your story at r/7SageLSAT. Everyone we feature gets free LSAT and admissions resources.

September Score Release Live Extravaganza Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

September score release day is stressful, so we went live to answer your questions in real time. Alex, Bailey, Ethan, and Shamala work through pre-recorded questions and chat questions from students who just got their scores. We cover: Whether to retake after a score that came in under your PT average Why retaking a 176 usually isn't worth it, and why a 170 against NYU or Columbia medians usually is How to decide whether to apply this cycle or wait a year How Canadian law school admissions differ from the US, including McGill's timeline Whether November or January is too late to apply How to trust your PT scores and keep your confidence up after a bad score release day How many PTs to take before test day Why a 3.4 GPA changes the retake math, and what to do instead If your score wasn't what you hoped for, you're in good company. Take a breath, get an ice cream cone, and keep going.

Is Your PT Score Fraudulent? Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

Going to an LSAC forum this fall? Learn what actually makes a good impression (hint: don't ask anything that's already on the school's website) and how to turn a quick conversation into gold for your "Why X" essay.

Then meet Sebastian, a Navy sailor with his sights on Vanderbilt and a practice test high he admits is "very fraudulent." Bailey explains why a fluky score shouldn't mess with your head (your PTs are a thermometer, not a thermostat) and breaks down the LSAT strategies you need as you get started: the major Logical Reasoning question families, why you should always spot the gap before reading the answer choices, how to approach Reading Comp, and a simple pattern for cracking must be false questions. We also cover how to translate military experience for admissions readers, why "I want to clerk" isn't a reason to go to law school, and why applying can feel like a fresh start.

Plus: LRAP basics, why loving frogs might help you get into Texas, and exactly how big your name should be on your resume.

Waiting on your September score? Join our live episode this Wednesday, 5 to 6 p.m.

We Ranked LSAT Study Advice Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

Ever wondered whether "Legally Blonde made me want this" is actually the worst personal statement topic you could pick? Ethan and Pauline blind rank five of them, and the results might surprise you. Bailey does the same with LSAT advice and immediately regrets locking in her top slot.

Then we meet a paralegal plateauing in the low 160s with her sights on Columbia. Bailey pulls up her analytics live, finds the two tags holding her back, and builds the exact drill she'd run to fix them. Alex breaks down her study routine and where five hours a day starts working against you.

On the admissions side, she asks whether her personal statement should be about the family cleaning business she grew up working in. Ethan and Pauline explain why the answer is no, where that story actually belongs, and how splitting it across two essays turns a strong application into a standout one. Plus: what to do about a resume gap you created to study for the LSAT.

Special Episode: Do Not Miss These Law School Events! Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

LSAC's law school forums put you in one room with close to 180 schools, a table of practicing lawyers, financial aid experts who will actually answer your specific questions, and a few hundred other people in exactly your position. Most applicants have no idea what to expect walking in, so Alex sat down with Kyle McMcEntee, Senior Director of Prelaw Engagement at LSAC, to map out the whole day: what's in the main hall, what's outside it, which sessions are worth your time, and the new pop culture lawyer exhibit debuting this year.

Kyle also gets blunt about how to behave at the school tables. Don't hand out your resume. Don't lead with your numbers. Ask the questions you genuinely can't answer from a website, and don't treat a friendly conversation like an admissions interview.

7Sage will be at every domestic forum this season, plus a run of campus law fairs. Come find the booth, spin the wheel, grab some merch, and say hi if you listen to the show.

Forum dates: Toronto 9/28, Houston 10/3, Atlanta 10/9, Digital 10/13, New York 10/16 and 10/17, Chicago 10/24, London 10/29, Los Angeles 11/7, Boston 11/14, Digital 11/18, Digital 2/4.

Full details at lsac.org/law-school-forums.

The Assumption Rule Everyone Gets Backwards Sep 14, 2026

Show notes

You know the difference between a necessary and a sufficient condition. So why do necessary and sufficient assumption questions still feel like a coin flip?

Bailey breaks down the mix up at the root of it, plus the negation test done properly, what "not all" actually means, and why a too strong answer is never a reason to eliminate on sufficient assumption. Ethan attempts his first ever LR question on air.

Then there is Mia. Big score, strong GPA, and career goals running from the White House to immigration law. Pauline and Ethan explain why that reads as an undergrad application, and why the strongest profile in the room can still get waved off for another year.

Some Right Answers Aren't Worth It Sep 07, 2026

Show notes

Stephanie keeps switching right answers to wrong ones, and her blind review score is eleven points higher because of it. Then we pull up her analytics and find something worse: five minutes on one question she got right, and three or four questions she never reached because of it.

Plus the “never pick a strongly worded answer” myth, how to tell a knowledge problem from a timing problem, and non-traditional resume advice from Ethan and Pauline.

The LSAT is Hard, Actually Aug 31, 2026

Show notes

Cory is scoring in the low 160s, aiming for mid 170s, and about to leave for six months backpacking Europe. He wants to know how to hold his focus when people are shuffling around the testing center. Bailey answers with box breathing, the anxiety page that talks your brain down, and the untimed to timed drill that turns understanding into points under pressure. Then the conversation turns to the application: what admissions officers do with your writing sample now that they've started reading it, whether to submit early or wait two more months for a better score, and Ethan on what is actually happening to your file after you hit send. It involves contract readers, software nobody wants to name, and about a million dollars in scholarship money to move a median one point.

Special Episode: August Score Release Aug 26, 2026

Show notes

August scores are out, and the number on the screen does not tell you what to do next. Alex, Ethan, Kevin, and Bailey break down how to decide whether to retake, how schools actually read a score history, and why a pending score can stall your application at every school you send it to. You'll also get the honest version of the cancel question, the case for keeping takes in reserve, and what to fix in your studying if you're going again in the fall.

If today went your way, congratulations. If it didn't, you're in far more common company than you think.

Why a 180 Can Backfire in Law Admissions (& More) Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

You've been told a 180 must be better than a 175. It isn't, and the reason has less to do with math than with what an admissions officer thinks when they see it. Ethan explains why retaking a 174 is a mistake and what schools actually spend to move their median by one point. Plus Pauline on her first week at Yale, advice for first gen students, and whether reading The Economist will do anything for your RC score.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected