Stay ConnectedBen Olson and Nathan Fox started the Thinking LSAT Podcast to become better LSAT teachers and have some fun. Please 1) subscribe, 2) rate and review, and 3) send us questions: help@thinkinglsat.com. Don’t pay for law school!
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Copyright: © Nathan Fox and Ben Olson
The LSAT is a test of reasoning skills. But the best lawyers often go beyond reason—they set unreasonable goals and work unreasonable hours to attain them. If you have dreams of attending a top law school, you should embrace a similar level of commitment. This week, Ben and Nathan discuss how your work ethic impacts your success on the LSAT, in law school, and throughout your legal career. Later, the guys share tips for managing test anxiety. They critique a misguided approach to studying Logic Games. And they contemplate the biggest risks that the world faces in 2024.
1:41 - What’s My LSAT Potential? - Don’t limit yourself to a “reasonable” score increase. Your LSAT potential comes down to how hard you’re willing to work.
19:15 - Test Anxiety - The guys discuss strategies for overcoming test-day nerves and treating the official test like an ordinary practice test.
29:21 - Overconfident and Underprepared - Listener Erica was surprised by how much she struggled with the Logic Games on the January LSAT. Ben and Nathan find an obvious flaw in Erica’s study routine: too much reading and not enough real practice.
36:36 - Survey Flaws - Nathan and Ben discuss the results of a survey about the top global risks in 2024. The guys list some of the most common survey flaws that appear on the LSAT.
1:00:36 - Worlds - Nathan quotes the No Stupid Questions podcast to describe LSAT Demon’s worlds-first approach to Logic Games: “mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive.”
1:13:50 - Optional Essays - Ben and Nathan explain why “optional” essays should be treated as mandatory if you want your application to shine.
1:16:24 - First-Gen Students - Listener Madison asks whether first-generation students have any advantage in law school admissions.
1:18:22 - LSAT Writing - Nathan and Ben break down how to approach the LSAT Writing section.
1:23:35 - Words of the Week - The guys aren’t being cantankerous, they’re just trying to galvanize you.
Jonea Gordon left her job as a lawyer and quadrupled her salary. She’s now a data privacy expert who has worked with some of the biggest tech companies in the world on issues like artificial intelligence and augmented reality. Jonea joins Ben to share the story of her career, offer advice on networking and negotiation, and explain why her experience as a litigator remains invaluable to her work in tech.
1:56 - Expectations vs. Reality in Legal Practice - Jonea recounts her path to legal practice and her discovery that litigation wasn’t right for her.
23:44 - From Law to Tech - Jonea prefers her work in data privacy to the toil of legal practice. But she doesn’t regret becoming an attorney. Jonea describes how the skills she honed as a litigator remain crucial to her work in tech.
33:51 - Networking - Jonea shares simple networking techniques that she used to advance and transform her career.
44:38 - Negotiation - Jonea encourages listeners to overcome their fear of negotiation and to advocate for themselves. As her career shows, good things happen to those who ask for what they want.
53:32 - Connect with Jonea - Jonea invites listeners to connect with her on her website or on social media @joneagordon_esq.
54:58 - LSAT Experimental Sections - Nathan and Ben discuss why test takers are unlikely to see Logic Games on future experimental sections.
1:07:34 - Words of the Week - Here’s some avuncular advice: beware of anomie in the legal profession.
Many applicants face a dilemma at this point in the admissions cycle: Do they settle for a mediocre LSAT score and uninspiring scholarship offers? Or do they retake the LSAT and reapply next year? To Ben and Nathan, the choice is clear. There’s too much upside and too little downside not to take the long-term approach. Later, the guys explain why common sense trumps formal logic on the LSAT. They speculate that the LSAT will soon increase in difficulty. And they discuss the proper use of law school rankings.
1:45 - How to Start Studying - After a five-year break from the LSAT, listener Ellen asks how to restart her studies. Nathan and Ben answer simply: begin with one question.
5:26 - Retake and Reapply - Listener Dale believes that he can improve upon his official 166, but he fears that his parents won't support his decision to retake and reapply next cycle. Ben and Nathan recommend patience. The beginning of your legal career is too important to rush.
16:22 - Formal Logic - The guys assure listener Alexis that the LSAT requires no knowledge of formal logic. It just takes common sense. For more, watch LSAT Demon Daily, Ep. 384: Formal Logic.
23:31 - No Gimmicks - An LSAT Demon student seeks time-saving strategies based on trends in correct-answer distribution for certain question types. The problem? Those trends don’t exist.
31:40 - Will the LSAT Get Harder? - Nathan and Ben suspect that the LSAT may soon become more difficult—but not because the Logic Games are going away.
38:05 - Law School Rankings - Ben and Nathan suggest that applicants use law school rankings to help build a list of target schools, not to decide which school to attend.
49:00 - Success Story - A proud dad thanks the LSAT Demon team for helping his family save $250,000.
53:23 - Don’t Go to Law School Unless… - The guys congratulate LSAT Demon student Alex for deciding not to go to law school.
58:44 - Words of the Week - Those who recoil from new words may find their antipathy to vocabulary inimical to the inauguration of a legal career.
Happy New Year! Nathan and Ben kick off 2024 with New Year’s resolutions for LSAT students. The guys also discuss whether nontraditional applicants face a disadvantage in law school admissions. They endorse a slow-and-steady approach to Reading Comprehension. And they assess the LSAT timelines of listeners who may miss out on Logic Games.
1:02 - New Year’s Resolutions - The guys propose some New Year’s resolutions for LSAT students.
14:28 - Nontraditional Applicants - “Nontraditional” applicants aren’t disadvantaged in law school admissions. Law schools often prefer students with work experience.
23:11 - Test Schedule - Listener Timothy wants to take the LSAT before the Logic Games go away, but his practice test scores fall short of what he needs for the T14. Ben and Nathan urge Timothy not to rush his timeline.
28:59 - Pearls vs. Turds - Listener Sneha was told to attempt only the first three passages in Reading Comprehension. Can ignoring the final passage lead to better scores in RC?
44:08 - Conservatives in Law School - An anonymous listener worries that they’ll be treated differently in law school because of their conservative political views. But law schools aren’t as liberal as people think.
54:24 - Accommodations
Listener Jackson was granted extra time for the LSAT. But with the accommodation has come an unexpected challenge: a temptation to overthink certain questions. Nathan and Ben counsel Jackson to ease up on his perfectionism and to practice gratitude for his LSAT achievements.
1:00:15 - Letters of Recommendation - Nathan and Ben help listener Finn decide who to ask for a professional letter of recommendation.
1:04:05 - LG or No LG? - Logic Games is currently Susan’s weakest section—should she wait to take the LSAT without games? Ben and Nathan encourage Susan not to give up on LG.
1:08:51 - Words of the Week - Eschew unnecessarily redundant tautologies.
Ben and Nathan address a listener’s concerns about his stagnant test scores, providing guidance for improvement. Also on the show, the guys share insights on how to inform impatient family members about the reality of law school admissions. They express support for online law school. And they discuss the decades-long trend of undergraduate GPA inflation.
2:02 - Family Pressure - An anonymous listener is patiently pursuing a 170+ LSAT score, but their parents are hounding them to apply this cycle. Nathan and Ben suggest LSAT Demon Parent’s Night among other ways to educate family members about the law school admissions game.
6:04 - An Hour a Day - After improving his score by 20 points, listener Nate feels that he has reached a plateau. Ben and Nathan challenge Nate to remain consistent in his study schedule and to prioritize reviewing his mistakes.
18:55 - Online Law School - Nathan and Ben are proponents of online education—including online law school. They advise applicants to do their due diligence in selecting a school that’s right for their career goals.
25:13 - Sufficient Assumptions - The guys explain how to reliably predict answers to Sufficient Assumption questions in Logical Reasoning.
31:11 - RC Timing - Improving in Reading Comprehension isn’t a matter of timing, it’s a matter of understanding. Ben and Nathan urge a student to slow down and focus on accuracy.
34:40 - Grade Inflation - Law schools’ GPA medians ticked upward during the pandemic. Will they come back down? The guys review a recent New York Times article on undergraduate grade inflation and find no reason to expect that the trend will change.
42:41 - Applying Broadly - Nathan and Ben advise listener Brad on how to build a broad list of target schools with help from the LSAT Demon Scholarship Estimator.
46:13 - Vocabulary Corner - Be rapacious for a better LSAT score.
Feared by some, loathed by others, “yield protection” remains a steadfast reality in law school admissions. This week, Nathan and Ben discuss why law schools justifiably use yield-protecting strategies in admissions. The guys also share the story of a listener who successfully petitioned their college to expunge a semester of failing grades. They compare law schools’ debt-to-income ratios for recent graduates. And they offer practical tips to a student seeking ways to avoid underperformance on test day.
2:26 - Word of the Week - Avoid zoonotic diseases like the plague.
5:24 - Appeals - Persistence pays off. Ben and Nathan hear from a listener who convinced their community college to withdraw a semester of failing grades. They also discuss another listener’s successful appeal to LSAC for a fee waiver. The conversation then shifts to considering the chances of an international student procuring an extra test attempt.
18:48 - Debt-to-Income Ratio - In a recent blog post, a Notre Dame law professor compares the median debt-to-income ratios of recent graduates from different law schools. Nathan and Ben explain why the numbers are even more alarming than they first appear.
30:38 - Yield Protection - Ben and Nathan react to—and mostly agree with—Dean Z’s explanation of yield protection. Every facet of the admissions process is part of a negotiation over how much you’ll pay for law school.
56:26 - Scoring Below PTs - LSAT Demon student Katie scored significantly lower than her practice test average on her official test. The guys describe some common causes of underperformance on test day, and they instruct Katie to treat the official LSAT like any other practice test. This topic is featured in LSAT Demon Daily, Ep. 690: Don’t Let Test Anxiety Become an Excuse.
1:02:21 - Senior Year Grades - Yes, K-JDs have to maintain good grades in their senior year of undergrad.
1:05:52 - LOR Timeline - Listener Pat plans to apply to law school in 2025. Nathan and Ben agree that getting a head start on requesting letters of recommendation is a wise move.
Another one bites the dust. Ben and Nathan bid adieu to Golden Gate University School of Law, which will end its JD program in May. Unfortunately, eliminating one law school doesn’t fix the problem of having too many law schools. Also on the show, the guys simplify Reading Comprehension for an overthinker. They counsel some downcast listeners on how to bounce back from a disappointing LSAT. And they weigh the admissions value of work experience versus GPA.
4:07 - Word of the Week - The guys look up a melange of words.
7:08 - Goodbye, Golden Gate - Ben and Nathan react to the news that Golden Gate University will soon discontinue its JD program.
22:40 - Stop Overthinking RC - Nathan and Ben condense Reading Comprehension down to two essential questions: What did the passage say? What’s the author’s main point? The guys instruct a listener to forget question types in RC and treat them all as Must Be Trues.
38:27 - Recovering from a Low Score - Listeners seek guidance on how to bounce back from a disappointing LSAT. The guys discuss a key to overcoming test anxiety.
50:06 - Scholarship Estimator - Listener Shane is perplexed by his results in the LSAT Demon Scholarship Estimator. Ben and Nathan dig into the numbers and assess Shane’s scholarship chances.
54:02 - Work Experience vs. GPA - Listener Donald hopes that his extensive work experience in academia will offset his low undergraduate GPA. Nathan and Ben prepare Donald to apply broadly and to walk away from bad offers.
1:01:09 - Low Score Fears - The guys assure a worried student that law schools really only care about your highest LSAT score.
1:03:27 - Retake a 173? - Listener Alexander is ready to declare victory over the LSAT with a 173, but Nathan and Ben see no downside to retaking. They push Alexander to get greedy.
1:09:35 - Shoutout - LSAT Demon student Kayla thanks Demon teacher Beth for helping her improve her LSAT score by over 25 points. Listen to Beth’s own LSAT success story on LSAT Demon Daily, Ep. 321.
Law school is famously time-consuming. Many students consider quitting their jobs and relying on student loans for living expenses. In this week’s episode, Ben and Nathan discuss the feasibility of working while attending law school. The guys also help listeners decide when to register for the LSAT, and they shed light on the surprising similarities among differently ranked law schools.
1:10 - Word of the Week - Mistrust law schools’ machinations.
6:33 - Split Strategy - Nathan and Ben support listener Jackson’s “split strategy” to target official test dates in both the current and next cycle. The guys are confident that Jackson can shore up his performance in Logic Games by the February LSAT.
10:10 - Abandon LG? - LSAT Demon student Alexis has a weakness in Logic Games. Should she abandon LG and focus on preparing for the August 2024 LSAT? In any case, the guys counsel Alexis not to rush into the 2024 application cycle.
15:45 - Working While in Law School - Roughly 85% of part-time students and 40% of full-time students work while attending law school, according to the Law School Survey for Student Engagement. Nathan and Ben believe that law students should have no problem balancing work and school if they set priorities and practice good time management.
48:44 - Don’t Rush Your Retakes - Listener Angela has already taken the LSAT three times, scoring 141 each time. Ben and Nathan urge Angela not to retake until she’s happy with her practice test scores.
53:36 - Legal Research - The guys advise listener Natalie not to put much stock in the “research interests” of law school faculties. They also press Natalie to reconsider whether her career goals demand a JD.
57:45 - Undergrad Prestige - Undergrad prestige is a soft factor in law school admissions. It may matter a little on the margins, but it’s nowhere near as impactful as an applicant’s LSAT score and GPA.
Lawyers are gladiators of the English language. Words are their weapons. So if you’re entering the arena of legal practice, you’d better hone your vocabulary. This week, Ben and Nathan encourage listeners to keep a dictionary handy and to embrace a growth mindset when it comes to their English proficiency. Later, the guys roast some of the internet’s most bizarre LSAT advice. They probe the motives of WashU’s “redacted review.” And they consider the benefits of taking a gap year before law school.
0:00 - January LSAT Registration - The January LSAT registration deadline is upon us. Ben and Nathan explain why November test takers should plan to retake in January.
8:32 - Vocabulary - Nathan and Ben explain how to approach unfamiliar words on the LSAT.
21:44 - Word of the Week - Ben and Nathan upbraid LSAT students who don’t make efforts to expand their vocabulary.
27:08 - Pearls vs. Turds - Nathan and Ben are flummoxed by a blog post that advises LSAT students to align their LSAT prep with their future law school specializations.
45:56 - Score Increase Addendum - Some law schools require applicants to write addendums addressing significant LSAT score increases. Nathan and Ben recommend a one-sentence response.
52:12 - WashU “Redacted Review” - Washington University School of Law allows applicants to redact their LSAT or GPA on their applications. What’s the catch? The redacted info is still considered when awarding scholarships. Ben and Nathan view “redacted review” as just another tactic to solicit applications.
1:10:45 - Scholarship Estimator - Year after year, law schools play the same old scholarship game. The LSAT Demon Scholarship Estimator helps applicants play along.
1:17:29 - Gap Years - Should you take a gap year? Probably. Nathan and Ben discuss how taking an extra year to increase your LSAT score can transform you as a law school applicant.
1:24:28 - Shoutouts - LSAT Demon student Tanya thanks teachers Ala and Brandon for helping her on her LSAT journey.
LSAT students have a limited-time opportunity to conquer Logic Games before they’re gone for good. This week, Nathan and Ben share insights on strategically planning your official LSAT attempts in anticipation of the upcoming changes. The guys also clarify what counts as an “assumption” in Logical Reasoning. They advocate a low-key approach to communicating with admissions offices. And they premiere a new “Word of the Week” segment.
3:51 - January LSAT Registration - Ben and Nathan give listener Jason their conditional approval to register for the January LSAT despite Jason’s inconsistency in Logical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension. The next four LSAT administrations are golden opportunities for students who have mastered Logic Games.
7:08 - LSAT Swagger - Listener Brennan hesitates to register for an official test despite scoring as high as 177 on practice tests. Nathan and Ben encourage Brennan to show some well-earned LSAT swagger and to stop giving the test too much respect.
13:44 - January LSAT Study Plan - Whether you’re taking the LSAT in a month or in a year, your study plan should remain the same.
22:16 - Assumptions - Nathan and Ben clear up a common misunderstanding about LSAT Logical Reasoning: An “assumption” doesn’t have to be unstated. It’s simply something that the author accepts as true without question.
27:36 - Application Timeline - Ben and Nathan advise listener Madeline to take some pressure off her January LSAT by planning to apply next cycle.
34:00 - Application on Hold - Listener Dylan’s application to Fordham University was recently put on hold. Nathan and Ben counsel Dylan to shift his focus to schools that demonstrate their interest through scholarships offers.
38:53 - Letters of Continued Interest - Ben and Nathan share some advice on how to communicate with law school admissions offices. You don’t need to hire a high-priced consultant to help you draft your emails. Just be brief, polite, and genuine.
46:48 - Retake a 175? - Canadian applicant Alex considers retaking the LSAT after scoring an official 175. The guys see no downside but little upside.
51:46 - Law Schools for JAG - An anonymous applicant seeks advice on how to pick a law school if cost and ranking aren’t a concern. Nathan and Ben highlight the value of attending a law school where you’ll stand out among your peers.
59:02 - Word of the Week - The guys kick off a new weekly segment in which they plumb the meanings of interesting words.
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