The guys open Episode 78 by discussing the need to submit a diversity statement with a law school application. Both agree it can be a valuable addition but caution applicants to beware of wasting the admissions officer’s time. (1:28)

Nathan admits he has a drinking problem; the problem being his need to discuss the LSAT while drinking. The good news is he left a note for his sober self to discuss an important issue on the show today! After noticing students’ tendency to misunderstand the question type “the argument proceeds by…” he and Ben clarify what the question is actually asking you to identify. (4:51)

Drew’s email shares his lofty goal of a score in the 170s on the February LSAT. He feels his accuracy is on target, only missing about two per section, but is worried about his pace being too slow to finish all the sections. Ben encourages Drew to deeply review the questions he’s getting wrong to identify what idea he is missing. Nathan agrees and counsels Drew to ignore the clock and focus only on accuracy, as that is what will increase speed and lead to higher scores. (8:50)

Subscribe to the Thinking LSAT Podcast to join our mailing list and be instantly notified when a new episode is released. Hurry and do so before we fill the site with all those lucrative pillow advertisements Ben has lined up! (30:00)

Ferris Bueller admits he didn’t like going to classes so he focused on working and  extracurricular activities (presumably parades) instead. Now he wants to know if he should include an addendum with his application to explain his 3.0 GPA to admissions. Ben suggests Ferris use his resume to show his busy schedule and Nathan thinks he should write the addendum but to not be so honest about his disinterest in school. Ben and Nathan both recommend that Ferris focus the issue entirely on his need to work to support himself and not the extracurriculars he enjoyed. (31:37)

Omar worked hard to receive good grades in undergrad but one devastating semester is dragging his overall GPA down. An addendum to explain that outlier is perfect for this situation and we discuss striking the right tone in the addendum. (37:00)

The final email is from Alec and asks how to avoid “overthinking” in the Reading Comp section. Nathan is appalled at the idea of overthinking on the LSAT and encourages all test takers to leave their brains on for the entire test. (42:00)

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