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
If you want to help others, you need to take care of yourself first. On today’s episode, Ben and Nathan advise a listener to focus on helping herself before becoming a non-profit family law attorney. Doing so will ultimately put her in a better position to help others. The guys give another listener tips on how to ease test-day anxiety. They discuss the benefits of taking a gap year—or several—before law school. Plus, they talk about part-time lawyering and the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. Finally, they share a thoughtful note from LSAT Demon tutor and rising 3L Matt, who will be graduating from law school without a penny of debt.
As always, if you like the show and want to get more from the Thinking LSAT community, check out the links below. You can connect with other folks studying for the LSAT and get more useful resources from Nathan and Ben.
5:15 - Test Day Anxiety
17:32 - Summer Associate Season
20:23 - When Should I Apply?
28:13 - GPA and Admissions Questions
49:26 - Part-Time Lawyer
1:00:13 - Graduating from Law School Debt Free
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June LSAT scores have been released, and lots of Demon students are riding high. Today on the show, Ben and Nathan share a bucketload of inspiring LSAT success stories submitted by listeners. Then, they comment on a former Demon student’s admissions cycle recap. They discuss Columbia’s decision not to participate in the U.S. News law school rankings. They wrap up the show with a discussion of LSAT prep timelines and answer some law school admission questions.
As always, if you like the show and want to get more from the Thinking LSAT community, check out the links below. You can connect with other folks studying for the LSAT and get more useful resources from Nathan and Ben.
4:34 - Words of Encouragement
12:32 - A 25-Point Increase
15:22 - The Real Deal
16:40 - Get Greedy
18:55 - Making LSAT Prep Fun
25:52 - A Life-Changing Score Improvement
29:17 - Up 21 Points and Counting
30:04 - Cycle Recap
41:41 - Columbia's School Ranking
46:30 - A Rapid Score Increase
56:55 - LSAT Timeline
1:07:44 - Law School Admissions Questions
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Admissions season is almost here, and listener questions are rolling in. On this week’s episode, Ben and Nathan advise a student on whether to make her battle with cancer the topic of her law school personal statement. But first, they evaluate a listener’s Reading Comprehension tip as a pearl or turd. They share their thoughts on online education and consider the pros and cons of attending a non-ABA law school. Plus, they answer questions about LSAT study schedules, testing accommodations, letters of recommendation, and more!
As always, if you like the show and want to get more from the Thinking LSAT community, check out the links below. You can connect with other folks studying for the LSAT and get more useful resources from Nathan and Ben.
5:05 - Testing Accommodations
10:26 - Pearls vs. Turds
14:56 - Book Recommendations and Lies
19:15 - Non-ABA Law Schools
23:00 - Raising Practice Test Scores
27:38 - Letters of Recommendation
31:23 - Skipping the Bar Exam
34:50 - Online Law School
40:25 - Don’t Let Your Obstacles Define You
45:40 - Study Schedule Advice
52:48 - Changing Careers
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If you want to master the LSAT the easy way, ditch the dogma and let the Demon be your guide. On this week’s episode, the guys welcome questions from new listeners and provide a full explanation of the Demon’s approach to the LSAT. But first, a Demon student who is legally blind describes how he learned to tackle Logic Games without the use of visual diagrams. Ben and Nathan then offer two listeners advice on whether and how to write GPA addendums. They discuss the proper way to review Reading Comprehension sections. And finally, they veto a listener’s suggested study schedule and recommend an alternative plan.
As always, if you like the show and want to get more from the Thinking LSAT community, check out the links below. You can connect with other folks studying for the LSAT and get more useful resources from Nathan and Ben.
2:42 - A Legally Blind Perspective on Logic Games
22:34 - A Super Splitter
26:39 - Some General LSAT Advice
29:57 - Reviewing Reading Comprehension
35:40 - The Demon Way
46:13 - GPA Addendum
50:46 - Study Schedule
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Love ’em or hate ’em, LSAT logic games—as we know them—are not long for this world. While the future of the games is uncertain, some June test takers were given a sneak peak at possible changes to come. Nathan and Ben discuss the lawsuit that prompted redevelopment of the LSAT’s Analytical Reasoning section and reminisce about the old days of paper testing. The guys then debunk an LSAT myth in another episode of Pearls vs. Turds. They share a helpful tip from a TED talk. And to wrap up, they answer listener questions about grad GPAs, résumés, and diagnostic tests.
As always, if you like the show and want to get more from the Thinking LSAT community, check out the links below. You can connect with other folks studying for the LSAT and get more useful resources from Nathan and Ben.
08:11 - Are the Logic Games Changing?
43:12 - Pearls vs. Turds
46:47 - A Tip for Getting Straight A’s
52:51 - Building Your Law School Résumé
1:06:08 - Diagnostic Test
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Before embarking on a career as an attorney, it’s important to understand what lawyers actually do. Lawyers work long hours hitting the books, doing research, presenting cases, and writing briefs. In a way, lawyers are professional students. Today on the show, Ben and Nathan advise listeners who don’t love school to think carefully about whether lawyering is the right path for them. The guys also review a Pearls vs. Turds submission about creating your own logic games. They share their opinions on JD-MBA programs. And they wrap up the show by sharing their own law school experiences and laughing at a recruitment email sent by a law school.
As always, if you like the show and want to get more from the Thinking LSAT community, check out the links below. You can connect with other folks studying for the LSAT and get more useful resources from Nathan and Ben.
7:19 - Pearls vs. Turds
15:29 - LSAT Demon
51:11 - JD-MBAs and the GI Bill
1:03:25 - Becoming a Prosecutor
1:09:10 - Applying in June?
1:18:06 - Ben’s and Nathan’s Law School Experiences
1:29:36 - Letters of Recommendation
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To improve your LSAT score, you must learn from your mistakes. Take a practice test, and the LSAT will show you exactly what you need to work on—the questions that you got wrong. Review each missed question until you fully understand it and can avoid making the same mistake again. On today’s episode, the Ben and Nathan explain why focusing on individual questions is the key to progress. Analyzing patterns or journaling about wrong answers is generally a waste of time.
The guys also crush another Logical Reasoning question from PrepTest 73, offer guidance to a listener who is on a quest to score 180, and share an inspiring email from a Demon student who postponed law school to push for a better LSAT score. Plus, Demon teachers and rising 3L’s Matt and Becca discuss how the LSAT prepares you for law school.
As always, if you like the show and want to get more from the Thinking LSAT community, check out the links below. You can connect with other folks studying for the LSAT and get more useful resources from Nathan and Ben.
04:51 - Test 73, Section 4, Question 13
21:32 - Don’t Shoot for 180
44:10 - Scholarship Estimator
51:42 - Breaking 150 and Beyond
59:36 - Does the LSAT Prepare You for Law School?
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As hybrid-online law programs make their way into the eye of the ABA, Ben and Nathan toy with the idea of creating their own law school. But first, the guys take another dive into the listener mailbag and answer questions about application addenda. Should you write an addendum to explain an LSAT score increase? What about a GPA addendum to explain poor grades? The guys answer these questions and more. Plus, they revisit last week’s discussion about law school scholarships and share a promising email from an international student.
As always, if you like the show and want to get more from the Thinking LSAT community, check out the links below. You can connect with other folks studying for the LSAT and get more useful resources from Nathan and Ben.
5:00 Does LSAC Flag Score Increases?
15:30 Scholarships for International Students
26:20 GPA Addenda
40:51 If Ben and Nathan Started a Law School
1:02:44 LSAC Transcript Requirements
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The LSAT is first and foremost a test of English reading comprehension. Strong English reading and reasoning skills are essential because lawyers in the United States are gladiators of the English language. While the LSAT is learnable for everyone, non-native English speakers may face more of an uphill battle. Today on the show, Nathan and Ben offer advice to an international student who describes his lack of proficiency in English as a barrier to achieving his desired LSAT score. In keeping with the international theme, the guys answer another listener’s questions about law school scholarships for international applicants. They also discuss whether an applicant ought to write an addendum explaining an F on their transcript. But first, the guys revisit their analysis of the index formulas discussed in previous episodes.
As always, if you like the show and want to get more from the Thinking LSAT community, check out the links below. You can connect with other folks studying for the LSAT and get more useful resources from Nathan and Ben.
5:45 - Weight of LSAT vs. GPA in Admissions Formulas
43:17 - Prepping for the LSAT as an International Student
55:55 - Applying to Law School as an International Student
1:01:19 - An Addendum for an F?
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Law schools love the LSAT. Most weigh it far more heavily than any other application component—and with good reason: The LSAT is the single most accurate predictor of law school success. The ABA has recently announced a recommendation to allow “test optional” policies for law school admission. Ben and Nathan share their thoughts and explain why the LSAT isn’t going anywhere. Then, the guys pick apart a Pearls vs. Turds candidate and hear from a listener who successfully appealed LSAC’s three-tests-per-cycle rule. They wrap up with a Supported question from PrepTest 73.
Be sure to check out LSAT Demon’s free class with Rachel Gezerseh, author of The Law Career Playbook. The class will be held on May 21 at 1:00 pm EDT. All you need is a Demon Free account to join. Go to lsat.link/rachel for more details and to register.
As always, if you like the show and want to get more from the Thinking LSAT community, check out the links below. You can connect with other folks studying for the LSAT and get more useful resources from Nathan and Ben.
8:02 - Is the ABA Eliminating the LSAT?
34:56 - Pearls vs Turds
41:40 - Test Taking Limits
46:57 - Test 73, Section 4, Question 12
Read more on our website!
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