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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This student's practice LSAT score is stuck in the mid 140s, despite the fact she has been studying for quite some time using several different prep materials. She wants to reach the 150s. Should she take the October LSAT or wait until December? This student has been studying consistently for the LSAT and scoring in the mid 160s. But as the October test approaches, his score is slipping down to the 150s. What should he do? Jack asks how he can improve his speed completing Logic Games. Should students worry about the LSAT writing sample? (Listen to Episode 34 for more information on the writing sample.) Are law school early decision programs worth pursuing? Nathan will be living part time in Los Angeles, and is now accepting appointments for private LSAT tutoring in Southern California. You can book an appointment online for in-person or Skype tutoring sessions. We also tackle Logic Games question 1 (Section 1) from the June 2007 LSAT. Take a listen and let us know what you think. And don’t forget to sign up for our email newsletter. Everyone who signs up will receive updates and sample chapters of the upcoming Logic Games Playbook! Sign up and we’ll be in touch!
Mika talks about applying for LSAT accommodations for persons with disabilities, and what the LSAC decided in her case. She discusses the process of submitting more than 100 pages of documentation, and her request to take four LSAT sections, additional time to answer the sections, the use of noise-cancelling headphones, and an isolated testing environment. We answer questions from Benny who is pursuing his MBA and wants to attend law school. He asks whether a graduate degree will help his chances of admission to a law school such as Georgetown. He also asks if law schools will consider his graduate GPA more or less than the undergraduate GPA. We clarify an answer Ann Levine recently gave about how the LSAC computes your GPA when you retake a college course and receive a higher grade. Ann refers to the LSAC's policies related to transcript summarization webpage for further clarification. We also tackle Logical Reasoning question 9 (Section 2) from the June 2007 LSAT. Take a listen and let us know what you think. And don’t forget to sign up for our email newsletter. Everyone who signs up will receive updates and sample chapters of the upcoming Logic Games Playbook! Sign up and we’ll be in touch!
Student Loan Expert Heather Jarvis addresses the following topics: What are need-based versus merit-based scholarships? How does tuition discounting work? How should students ask for more scholarship money? Tips for borrowing and reducing living expenses in law school. Should you borrow money from an IRA investment account or take out student loans to pay for law school? We also answer the following questions from listeners: Melissa is a 34-years-old mother who is considering law school. She asks about a LSAT prep strategy and whether to take a practice LSAT as her first step. Eric asks about "must be true" questions and when to diagram Logical Reasoning questions. Take a listen and let us know what you think. And don’t forget to sign up for our email newsletter. Everyone who signs up will receive updates and sample chapters of the upcoming Logic Games Playbook! Sign up and we’ll be in touch!
Ann Levine, Law School Expert, shares advice and answers questions about law school admission. What do law school admissions committees do with LSAT score bands? How does the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) compute your GPA when you retake a college course and then receive a higher grade? How does LSAC handle transcripts when you're involved in a dual degree program? What are the first things you should do to prepare for law school? Brittany asks if you can submit a letter of recommendation from a high school teacher. When you're asked to supply bullet points for your own letter of recommendation, what information should you give your recommender? How do you decide on a personal statement topic when you have several life experiences to share? Kirk has a bachelor's of music degree in trombone performance. He asks how law school admissions committees will view his degree in music, and should he ask for letters of recommendation from his music professors? He also asks about study abroad programs in law school. Should you submit your law school application now or wait until after taking the October LSAT? Be sure to check out Ann's new Law School Expert scholarship program. After our conversation with Ann, we tackle Logical Reasoning questions 7 and 8 (Section 2) from the June 2007 LSAT. Don’t forget to try out the LSAT tracker. This lets you track your progress and discover what you need to work on. Take a listen and let us know what you think. And don’t forget to sign up for our email newsletter. Everyone who signs up will receive updates and sample chapters of the upcoming Logic Games Playbook! Sign up and we’ll be in touch!
Andrew asks if he has enough time to study for the December 2015 LSAT or should he wait until the February 2016 test. He also asks if he will be at a disadvantage if he takes a later LSAT because more people will be sitting for the exam. Kayle is doing well on her practice LSAT tests (scores of 169 and 172). When studying, she asks if she should: a) concentrate primarily on the number of questions missed; b) consider the overall score; or c) ignore everything and focus on learning from her mistakes? Dennis is concerned about a college class that has negatively impacted his GPA. He is currently retaking the class. Should he apply to law school as soon as his LSAT score is available, or wait until the semester is finished so he can report the better grade and higher GPA? We also tackle Logical Reasoning questions 5 and 6 (Section 2) from the June 2007 LSAT. Don't forget to try out the LSAT tracker. This lets you track your progress and discover what you need to work on. Lastly, Heather Jarvis, student loan expert, will be a guest on an upcoming episode. If you have a question for Heather, email us by Sept. 1. Take a listen and let us know what you think. And don’t forget to sign up for our email newsletter. Everyone who signs up will receive updates and sample chapters of the upcoming Logic Games Playbook! Sign up and we’ll be in touch!
Here's what we talk about in this week’s Thinking LSAT podcast: Andrew asks what we think his chances are of admission to the University of Iowa College of Law. He scored a 155 on the LSAT without any preparation (and is now scoring much higher), and is retaking the test in October. He will have a compelling personal statement, and has impressive extracurricular and leadership activities. He also has a potential letter of recommendation from an attorney. Carmen will apply to law school next fall. She graduated from California State University, Chico with a bachelor's degree in history and a 3.0 GPA. She also works as a paralegal. She asks if we have tips for studying the LSAT on her own while working full time. She also wonders if there are grants and scholarships available for her first-choice of Lewis & Clark Law School, given her GPA and potential LSAT score. In addition, will her experience as a paralegal help her gain admission? Danny disagrees with our approach of not reading the question stem first in the Logical Reasoning section. We talk about Danny's approach versus our recommendations. We also get an update from Andre who took our suggestion to slow down and analyze Reading Comprehension passages. Here's the link to the LSAT tracker we mention during the show. This lets you track your progress and discover what you need to work on. Take a listen and let us know what you think. And don’t forget to sign up for our email newsletter. Everyone who signs up will receive updates and sample chapters of the upcoming Logic Games Playbook! Sign up and we’ll be in touch!
In this week’s podcast, we answer the following LSAT questions and whether to select a law school based on bar exam passage rates: Mike asks how to address “uncommon word usages" on the LSAT. For example, the word "obtain" appears frequently. What other words should LSAT test-takers look for? Matt is taking the October LSAT. He slowed down his approach to answering Logical Reasoning questions, which has significantly improved his accuracy. When should he increase his speed to answer more questions while still maintaining accuracy? Nathan's student was admitted to Golden Gate University School of Law (46% bar passage rate) and University of La Verne College of Law (67% bar passage rate). Should he select a law school based on bar exam passage rates or the cost of tuition? Bram just started studying for the LSAT. He asks about a strategy for answering different sections, recommendations for a LSAT class in Atlanta, and whether he should break Logic Games questions into "sub-games" or "worlds." Take a listen and let us know what you think. And don’t forget to sign up for our email newsletter. Everyone who signs up will receive updates and sample chapters of the upcoming Logic Games Playbook! Sign up and we’ll be in touch!
In this week’s podcast, we answer the following questions about retaking the LSAT: Dylan has a 3.5 GPA and scored a 163 on the LSAT, yet he got as high as 167 on practice tests. Should he apply to law school early through rolling admission, or retake the LSAT in hopes of a higher score? Lauren scored a 170 on the June LSAT. She is considering retaking the test in October because she scored as high as 174 on practice tests, but doesn't want to burn herself out. Should she retake the LSAT? Andre scored a 155 on his first attempt at the LSAT. After taking a prep course and doing numerous practice rounds, his practice scores ranged from 161-169. Yet when Andre retook the LSAT, he only got a 157. Why did his score decrease and what should he do before retaking the LSAT? Beth is taking the October LSAT. She's working full time and can't afford a prep class. After using the Princeton Review and Kaplan LSAT test prep books, Beth was so stressed about timing that she neglected to work on study techniques. As a result, her score went down. What LSAT study strategy do we recommend for Beth? Take a listen and let us know what you think. And don’t forget to sign up for our email newsletter. Everyone who signs up will receive updates and sample chapters of the upcoming Logic Games Playbook! Sign up and we’ll be in touch!
In this week’s podcast, we answer the following LSAT and law school questions from students across the country: Alex asks if he needs to score a 170 on the LSAT and whether it matters what law school he attends if he plans to practice law in the medical marijuana field. Jordan asks how to improve his mental stamina while taking full LSAT practice tests, and tips for answering Reading Comprehension main point questions. Michael wants help answering necessary assumption questions. Christopher asks why we suggest taking timed practice LSAT tests as early as possible. Courtney seeks some advice on obtaining letters of recommendation when you are not particularly close with college professors. Take a listen and let us know what you think. And don’t forget to sign up for our email newsletter. Everyone who signs up will receive a sample chapter of the Logic Games Playbook! Sign up and we’ll be in touch!
In this week’s podcast, we talk about the June 2015 LSAT and answer a listener's question about when and how he should study for the LSAT. Here's a look at the topics we cover: June 2015 LSAT anomolies and test center mistakes, including proctors forgetting to give 5-minute warnings and one that gave the warning too soon; a test that started one hour late because students were still registering; and a proctor that gave an extra two minutes to complete a Reading Comprehension section. The difficulty level of the June 2015 LSAT, especially with respect to the Logic Games sections. Should you cancel your LSAT score if you think you preformed poorly? Listener Kyle asks when he should start studying for the LSAT and what materials he should use. Take a listen and let us know what you think. And don’t forget to sign up for our email newsletter. Everyone who signs up will receive a sample chapter of the Thinking LSAT Logic Games Playbook! Sign up and we’ll be in touch!
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