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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Studying for the LSAT can be hard work. And when you feel like your practice test results are all over the place, even after weeks or months of work, it doesn’t make it any easier. Nathan and Ben get it, and today they dive into the question of interpreting—or not interpreting—your LSAT scores. Plus, you’ll hear more about financial aid incentives from our old friends at Concordia University School of Law in Boise, ID. And the guys set up Logic Game no. 3 from the June 2007 LSAT. As always, if you like the show and you 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. Thinking LSAT Facebook Group Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/thinkinglsat/) (upcoming events) LSAT Demon (https://thinkinglsat.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fe329bfb10b040201eca3e434&id=94a715faa8&e=0a4528cbc6) Strategy Prep (https://thinkinglsat.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fe329bfb10b040201eca3e434&id=7119a5d445&e=0a4528cbc6) Fox LSAT (http://www.foxlsat.com/) Personal Statement Review Package (https://thinkinglsat.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fe329bfb10b040201eca3e434&id=9219f16936&e=0a4528cbc6) Important Dates. 6/3 – It’s the June 2019 LSAT 6/4 – The last day to register for the July 2019 LSAT 6/27 – June LSAT scores will be released via email 7/15 – It’s the July LSAT! Otherwise known as “the digital transformation.” Make sure you register for this test. It might be $100, which kinda sucks, but it’s basically a low-risk shot at the test. You can see what the digital LSAT is all about, and when your score comes back, you can take a look and decide whether or not to cancel. If you do cancel, it’ll still show up as a cancel on your score history. But you’ll be able to know exactly what score you’re cancelling, and how you faired on an official test day. 4:47 – LSAT FUNdamental: Understanding your LSAT Scores You sit down, you ready your pencil, you dial up 35 minutes on your phone’s timer, and you get ready for your first ever crack at the LSAT: the cold diagnostic. Maybe you’re curious. Maybe you’re relaxed. Maybe you’re anxious about what the test has in store for you. No matter how you feel, this is the start of your LSAT journey. It could be weeks or months or even years of study, practice tests and official tests before you nail the 120-180 score that will propel you into your 1L semester. For many law-students-to-be, this is an arduous path full of elated highs and disappointing setbacks that can make you wonder: am I even making any f*cking progress on this thing? Nathan and Ben set out to set the record straight about the range of practice test scores you’ll experience during your LSAT study in today’s LSAT FUNdamental. Here are some key takeaways: * Your 120-180 is an imprecise measure of your progress as you prepare for the LSAT. * Making progress has LESS to do with your score, and more to do with WHICH questions you got wrong and WHY you got them wrong. If you feel like you’re beginning to understand the test at a deeper level, you’re on the right track. * Don’t obsess over your score. It will get in the way to your overall progress. * The LSAT scale is just sixty points: 120-180. If after a month you move from a 140 to a 144, that’s great. In fact, moving the needle one point per week is a massive improvement. And a sustained two points a week is more or less unheard of.
5:48 – Bad Reviews At long last, the guys pry open the lid of iTunes, hack through the stacks of glowing 5-star reviews, and check out the dank and sad corner of 1-star, 2-star, and 3-star reviews.
Put on your slippers and pull up your favorite comfortable chair, dear listeners, because you’re in for a treat. Ben and Nathan take advantage of the calm before the summer LSATs to do story-time theater. They read, or rather laugh their way through their own personal statements from when they applied to law school. Plus you’ll hear some advice about Ben’s “Murph” and how it could apply to your LSAT study. News Flash Mark it, friends. June 4, 2019 is the last day to register for the July LSAT. And Nathan and Ben take some time to put folks’ fears at bay. The guys talk about how this LSAT will be the same, if not better than any LSAT you’ve ever attempted. No precious seconds bubbling in an answer. Just tap a piece of glass. No accidentally erasing a correct answer and forgetting where the fuck you are. Just tap to change your answer. It’s gonna be sweet. And the best part? You can still bring a pencil and scrap paper to the test to do any writing that you like. The digital LSAT has tons of upside. The guys tell you all of the reasons why you should absolutely register for and take the July test. 5:24 – LSAT Demon Updates Ben and co. have been hard at work, finalizing some new features for the Demon. Most notable amongst them is the full-test feature. Soon you’ll be able to smash out a complete timed test right in the Demon. The guys are hoping to roll this out to the preview site this week, so stay tuned! Meanwhile, Nathan’s been loading the Demon with a ton of new written explanations for questions throughout. If you’re working on a passage or a question you just don’t understand or can’t seem to get right, hit the “help” button in the platform to request an explanation from Nathan or Ben. 8:08 – The Murph While y’all are hard at work cramming for the LSAT, Ben’s preparing for his own personal Everest. It’s “the Murph.” An insane cross fit workout that Ben’s going to attempt in May. Ben polled folks for advice on how to prepare and get through the famous workout, and listener Frankie wrote in with some pro advice. Frankie recommends that throughout the workout, if you feel the need to stop, stop. Then count to three—one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, etc.—and get back into the workout. Frankie recommends not to stop for longer than that. Of course, Nathan pipes in with thoughts on how this gem advice can be applied to LSAT study. 11:00 – Pearls vs. Turds In today’s Pearls vs. Turds, a listener offers this advice for test takers with accommodations. He says that even if you have accommodated testing (like time and a half) you should still practice at a 35-minute pace. He found that if he practiced at 70 minutes, he kind of lost focus throughout the section and became comfortable with that amount of time. As a result he had pacing and accuracy issues even with extended time. However, when he bumped his practice back to 35-minute sections, the renewed sense of urgency throughout helped him stay sharp and engaged. After practicing this way, he found that he fared better on practice tests with accommodated timing. So is this something you should try at home if you get accommodations? Ben says this can bake in bad habits, and Nathan agrees—you should practice how you’re gonna play. The guys almost throw this in the Turd pile, but deem it a Tie considering this seemed to work for this listener. 21:16 – The Guys’ Personal Statements The stars of the show today aren’t visiting guests or listener questions. Nope. It’s a pair of personal statements.
March LSAT scores are rolling in and the phones are ringing off the hook. Nathan and Ben are starting to hear tales of triumph for some test takers and bitter complaints from others.
None. Some. Most. All… When you smash these words together in conditional reasoning statements, things can get tricky, fast. The guys walk through advanced conditional reasoning.
Today the guys have a wide-ranging conversation with Thinking LSAT team member, Demon contributor, and LSAT tutor Max Youngquist about his LSAT journey.
Nathan and Ben have been crazy busy leading up to the March 2019 LSAT, but they each take a brief pause from their wild schedules to drop some sweet pearls of wisdom.
They may be fresh back from red-eye flights and late-night ragers, but they’re also fresh back and fired up from a weekend in Vegas.
It’s a little less than two weeks until the Spring 2019 LSAT and the guys talk LSAT FUNdamentals for the final weeks of your test prep.
On this episode the guys go live on Instagram to answer your burning LSAT questions.
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