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The clock shouldn’t affect you on the LSAT—but you still need to practice ignoring it. This week, Ben and Nathan advise a student to use timed sections to learn how to take the test like the clock doesn’t exist. Then, the guys explain how to approach the LSAT in an intuitive way.
Later, Ben and Nathan encourage a student to try to get high school dual enrollment courses removed from their transcript, and they investigate Baylor University School of Law.
0:30 - It Sure Feels Like Timing Is the Issue - A student scored a 170 on an untimed diagnostic test. The guys encourage him to complete timed sections in practice to learn to ignore the clock while keeping the accuracy high.
11:30 - You Play Like You Practice - Ben and Nathan encourage students to play like you practice. Read for understanding and learn to do the LSAT intuitively. Diagramming is only going to get in your way.
20:25 - Feeling vs. Performance - One listener expresses disappointment in her February score after feeling confident at the end of the test. Nathan and Ben suggest that a score in her practice test range shouldn’t be surprising.
30:40 - Dealing with High School Dual Enrollment Courses - Gabe has a few grades from high school dual enrollment courses dragging down his GPA. The guys encourage him to make his best effort to get those credits removed from his transcript. If he’s unsuccessful, a one-sentence addendum highlighting his college grades could be beneficial.
40:10 - The Cost of the LSAT and Law School Applications -Nathan and Ben shed light on the cost of the LSAT and law school applications.
57:55 - What’s the Deal with Baylor University School of Law? - Benjamin wants to know if Baylor University School of Law is worth the cost.
1:32:39 - Word of the Week - Were it possible to identify and zap all of that fraud in real time—an extremely tall order—it would still not get Mr. Musk close to his ultra-abstemious targets.
If you don’t have a burning passion to do the work of a lawyer, don’t go to law school. This week, Ben and Nathan caution a listener who is considering giving up a successful career to attend law school.
Later, the guys emphasize the importance of accuracy when studying for the LSAT. And they encourage students not to write an addendum about an LSAT score increase.
0:48 - Will My GPA Overshadow My Career Accomplishments? - A non-traditional student considering a career change is concerned that his GPA will hold him back. Ben and Nathan caution him to carefully consider whether law school is the right move.
7:00 - Practice Test Scores Drop - Ben and Nathan assure a listener that their “drop” in practice test scores isn’t a concern as long as their accuracy continues to climb.
9:14 - Letters of Recommendation - A student was asked by their professor to compose a few paragraphs to serve as the basis for a letter of recommendation. The guys encourage them to use Chat GPT to generate ideas.
13:51 - Score Increase Addendum - A dean at the University of Michigan law school encouraged (21:42) students to write addendums to explain LSAT score increases. Ben and Nathan discuss the harm that can come with writing unnecessary addendums, and what you should write if you must.
20:54 - What’s the Deal with William and Mary Law School? - William and Mary made news issuing erroneous acceptance letters, including to some students who had previously been denied admission. The guys then take a deep dive into the school’s real cost, fees, and outcomes.
46:42 - Word of the Week - While some species of apes have learned elements of human communication, philosophical thought is unique to humans.
Don’t Throw Away Your (Five) Shots (Ep. 494)
You have five attempts at the official test. Should you use all of them? This week, Ben and Nathan encourage students to plan on taking the test five times, but not to waste their official attempts by signing up before they’re ready.
Later, they discuss a student’s question about requesting a sixth LSAT attempt, and they caution applicants not to make excuses when writing appeals. The guys also advise a listener about character and fitness requirements. And they review how students should and should not use AI on their law school applications.
0:35 - April LSAT Sign Ups - Registrations for the April LSAT close on February 27.
3:50 - Am I Ready for April? - Ben and Nathan advise a listener to prioritize accuracy when evaluating readiness for the April exam. But they also encourage students to take the pressure off any one test by planning to use all of their five official attempts.
16:29 - Reading like Ben and Nathan - A departing Demon says that they felt as if Ben and Nathan were in their head, helping them spot bad arguments when taking the official LSAT. The guys explain why attacking each argument leads to success on the LSAT and beyond.
19:45 - Sixth Attempt Appeal - Ben and Nathan encourage a listener to shoot for a sixth attempt, but discourage them from making excuses for poor performance. And they expand that advice to all application materials.
28:47 - Character and Fitness - Ben and Nathan provide direction for character and fitness questions. They advise a student to reach out to law schools they’re considering and the state bar to determine if they would be permitted to practice law before going any further in their application process.
37:17 - AI and Law School Applications - The guys circle back to a discussion from Thinking LSAT Episode 452 about the use of AI and law school applications. They read and evaluate several AI policies from law schools.
51:50 - Word of the Week - I am crestfallen that this incident undermined the degree of professionalism we seek to uphold.
Nathan and Ben weigh in on the reports from some test-takers that the February LSAT featured more LG-style questions in Logical Reasoning. The guys also advise listeners on how to bounce back from a disappointing LSAT score. They caution applicants not to overshare in their law school applications. And they consider the importance of the LSAT Writing sample.
0:52 - New LSAT Dates - LSAC just announced test dates for the 2025–2026 LSAT cycle.
2:37 - January LSAT Scores - As January test-takers navigate the highs and lows of score release, Ben and Nathan encourage anyone who was disappointed with their score to keep studying and to treat their next official test like any other practice test.
13:33 - Is LR the New LG? - Some February test-takers have reported an increase in Logical Reasoning questions that “require” diagramming. Nathan and Ben suspect that these claims are more fiction than fact. You don’t need to diagram in LR.
28:30 - Oversharing on Applications - The guys share some common red flags in law school applications that people unwittingly raise by oversharing.
39:25 - Process of Elimination - Ben and Nathan explain when it’s okay to pick an answer via process of elimination.
42:55 - LSAT Writing - How important is LSAT Writing? Nathan and Ben discuss how law schools might consider—or ignore—these writing samples.
46:59 - Word of the Week - Bad LSAT prep stultifies students’ progress.
You don’t conquer the LSAT with fifty-fifty guesses. You do it by carefully solving each question. This week, Nathan and Ben outline their plan of attack in Logical Reasoning, counsel a student who’s feeling unmotivated to study, and identify a common cause of score plateaus.
1:33 - Staying Motivated -An anonymous listener struggles to stay motivated for LSAT study. Nathan and Ben recommend prioritizing quality over quantity and pursuing activities outside of LSAT prep.
7:45 - Don’t Apply Late -Law schools’ application deadlines shouldn’t be on your radar. To maximize your chances, apply early and broadly.
16:45 - Attack Each Argument -The vast majority of arguments in Logical Reasoning are bad. Excellence in LR comes from attacking each argument and finding flaws.
32:31 - Gap-Year Employment -Any work experience can be good work experience. Law schools won’t look down on you for putting a retail job on your résumé.
36:10 - Timed Sections vs. Practice Tests -Do your scores from individual timed sections accurately reflect how you’d perform on the official test?
38:49 - Score Plateau -The guys diagnose the cause of listener Daniel’s score plateau: poor accuracy. They instruct Daniel to slow down and practice getting questions right.
44:16 - Thirsty Law Schools -The University of Tulsa College of Law is offering unsolicited full-ride scholarships to students with LSAT scores at or above 160.
53:55 - Word of the Week -Law students must master thepunctilio of legal writing.
The best LSAT students frequently predict the correct answer. But what do you do if your prediction isn’t there? This week, Nathan and Ben revisit their adaptable approach to prediction. The guys also share test-week advice for a February LSAT taker. They weigh in on binding early deferral programs. And they examine a law school in turmoil.
1:30 - February LSAT Advice - Listener Max looks for test-week advice to help him crush the February LSAT—but Ben and Nathan don’t believe in last-minute tips and tricks. They urge Max not to take the LSAT until he’s happy with his practice test scores.
7:09 - Predictions and Question Types - Nathan and Ben discuss how to predict answers and what to do when your prediction doesn’t appear in the answer choices. Their approach is similar across question types.
24:39 - Learn from Your Mistakes - You don’t need to look for big lessons in every mistake.Your review should always address these two questions: (1) Why is the right answer right? (2) Why is the wrong answer wrong?
31:50 - Columbia LEAD Program - Ben and Nathan strongly discourage students from applying to binding early deferral programs like Columbia Law’s LEAD Fellowship.
38:22 - What’s the Deal with…? - Of all law schools in 2024, Penn State Law in University Park suffered the sharpest decline in their students’ LSAT scores. The guys investigate.
1:12:29 - Word of the Week - Other LSAT prep companies offer agglomerations of terrible tips and tricks.
Always read the fine print on your scholarship offers. This week, Nathan and Ben examine a low-ranked law school that reduces roughly two-thirds of its conditional scholarships every year. The guys also discuss the competitiveness of this year’s application cycle. They dismiss the idea that the LSAT is harder than it used to be. And they weigh the importance of law school rankings in deciding which school to attend.
0:35 - A Competitive Cycle - Nathan and Ben check the numbers for this highly competitive application cycle. They speculate about what might be causing the upward trend in applicants and LSAT scores.
19:05 - Is the LSAT Getting Harder? - After every LSAT, some test-takers complain that their official LSAT was more difficult than their practice tests. They’re imagining it. The LSAT is as difficult as it’s ever been: not very.
24:28 - Ask of the Week - The guys highlight Elizabeth’s insightful Ask Button explanation about unrepresentative samples.
42:38 - Law School Rankings - How much should you care about law school rankings? It depends. Ben and Nathan urge listener Kenley to factor the cost of attendance into their decision.
51:20 - What’s the Deal with…? - Nathan and Ben look into California Western School of Law, a low-ranked school that doles out dubious scholarships or, as the guys call them, “scammerships.”
1:42:59 - Word of the Week - Students dread the panopticon of remote LSAT proctoring.
The law school application cycle is far from over, but some disappointed applicants are starting to wonder: “What did I do wrong?” This week, Nathan and Ben point out some potential red flags that may have hurt one listener’s applications. The guys also explain how to develop speed on the LSAT, caution applicants against oversharing in optional essays, and bemoan the confusing state of ABA 509 reports.
1:22 - Tips from a Departing Demon - LSAT Demon student James writes: “Don't give up! Fight like you’re the third monkey on the ramp to the Ark and it’s starting to rain!”
3:16 - Disappointing Cycle - An anonymous listener wasn’t offered the scholarships they expected. Ben and Nathan try to figure out what went wrong.
20:44 - Slow Down to Speed Up - The guys assure listener Adriana that speed will come naturally if she sticks with her accuracy-first approach.
25:56 - Optional Essay - An anonymous listener considers emailing law schools a diversity statement to belatedly add to their applications. Ben and Nathan oppose this plan.
30:02 - What’s the Deal with…? - The guys investigate another law school that’s been climbing the rankings in recent years: the University of Georgia School of Law.
1:00:36 - ABA 509 Scholarship Confusion - Nathan and Ben criticize the obfuscation of scholarship data in ABA 509 reports.
1:09:14 - Word of the Week - Straightforward 509 reports are the desideratum.
Drilling is great, but you need to do timed sections too. This week, Ben and Nathan highlight the importance of timed practice and explain how to manage negative emotions from practice test scores. The guys also discuss letters of recommendation, reading speed in RC, and online law schools.
1:05 - 175 or Bust? - Listener Andria is committed to pursuing a 99th percentile LSAT score. Nathan and Ben applaud Andria’s zeal but question her insistence on attending a top-ranked law school.
10:57 - Letters of Recommendation - Older applicants may struggle to obtain academic letters of recommendation. Can they get by with letters from professional acquaintances?
19:58 - RC Pacing and Stress - Listener Maya is stressed about spending too much time on the first passage in RC. Ben and Nathan implore Maya to ignore the clock and to stop trying to finish sections.
31:40 - Timed Section Fear - Many LSAT students avoid taking timed sections. Nathan and Ben discuss why you should treat timed sections as opportunities for growth—and not as IQ tests.
45:07 - Note-Taking in Review - Ben and Nathan discourage note-taking when reviewing mistakes.
51:11 - Desperate Law Schools - The guys read some holiday-themed messages sent by law schools that are desperate for applications and seat deposits.
1:17:06 - Online and Hybrid Law Schools - Nathan and Ben support Abbie’s interest in online and hybrid law school—as long as the price is right.
1:22:39 - Word of the Week - Lawyers are often accused of solipsism.
Can you trust your pre-law advisor? Not necessarily. This week Ben and Nathan criticize schools that mislead pre-law students about their law-school prospects. The guys also share simple tactics for ignoring the clock on the LSAT, and they calm a listener who’s frustrated by their progress in Reading Comprehension.
1:28 - Fighting Bad Habits - Ben and Nathan share some tips for regaining your composure when you catch yourself rushing on timed practice. Here’s a simple one: breathe.
7:37 - RC Blues - Listener De’Andre wants to improve faster in Reading Comprehension. Nathan and Ben instruct De’Andre to stop looking for shortcuts and to work on understanding one sentence at a time.
17:24 - What’s the Deal with…? - The guys pass judgment on the University of Kansas School of Law.
1:06:09 - 3+3 Program - An anonymous listener declines some unhelpful guidance from their prelaw advisor.
1:12:22 - Word of the Week - We accept as an axiom that the LSAT makes perfect sense.
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