Thinking LSAT

Big law firms are extending offers to first-year law students before Christmas, pushing the recruiting timeline earlier than ever. Ben and Nathan break down what's driving the frenzy, whether it echoes the pre-2008 hiring bubble, and what it means for applicants counting on those $235K Big Law salaries.

Also in this episode:

- LSAC postpones removing dual-enrollment credits from applicants’ UGPAs

- Advice from Demon students who crushed the LSAT

- Early decision scholarships from Wake Forest Law and Emory Law

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0:00 Update on LSAC GPA Policy

14:28 Test D Question — Broken car

23:54 Always Choosing Next Best Answer

34:00 Law Firm Hiring Frenzy

45:59 Tips from Departing Demons

49:39 Early Decision Scholarship from Wake Forest Law

57:49 Early Decision Email from Emory Law

1:09:12 Word of the Week — imprecations

1:12:08 Email of the week

Law schools are releasing LSAT and GPA medians for their incoming first-year classes, and the number of schools with a 170+ median has risen sharply since 2016. Ben and Nathan break down why this is happening, and why it means schools are handing out generous scholarships to applicants with high medians. Their advice: use this to your advantage.

Also in this episode:

- Should you apply early with a below-target LSAT score, or wait until the next cycle?

- Switching to Demon after grinding through 1,800+ questions on another platform

- How often should you take full-length practice tests if you're still early in your prep

Study with our Free Plan⁠

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Watch Episode 573 on YouTube

Check out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segments

Get caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library

0:00 Apply early or wait until the next cycle?

7:48 LSAT & GPA Medians of First-Year Classes

24:58 Thoughts from a Departed Demon

29:21 Demon is now on Android

31:50 Test D Question — Supergroups

39:35 Switching to the Demon After 1,800 Questions

51:45 How Often to Take Full PTs

58:52 Codeswitching LR and RC

1:03:16 Word of the week — calumniator

1:05:50 Email of the week

LSAC has released its annual LSAT percentile table, showing how  score distributions have changed over the past three testing cycles. Ben and Nathan explain that while more test takers are earning higher scores, small changes in percentiles matter far less than the score improvement students can make. 

Also in this episode:

- The difference between necessary vs. sufficient questions

- Why applying early without your best score will hurt your application

- A tip from a student in the LSAT Demon Discord 

​You’re Never Early with a Bad Score, Thinking LSAT (Ep. 521)

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0:00 Test D Question — Agamemnon's pride

10:31 Necessary vs. Sufficient Assumption

24:05 LSAT Percentile Changes

30:16 Applying Early or with the Best LSAT Score

38:24 Pearls v. Turds

51:07 Tips from Departing Demons

59:34 Attending a Regional Law School

1:12:39 Word of the week — casuistry

1:18:38 Email of the week

LSAC has changed how it calculates an applicant's undergraduate GPA: college courses taken during high school will no longer count toward the UGPA. Ben and Nathan discuss how this could benefit many applicants and how students can get their UGPA updated.

Also in this episode:

- A viewer who is applying to law school for the third time

- Washington cancelling their bar exam after technical difficulties

- The next contestant on the Personal Statement Gong Show

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Watch Episode 571 on YouTube

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Get caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library

0:00 LSAC UGPA Change

4:14 Avoiding Strike Three on Law Applications

11:24 Washington Cancelled Bar Exam

18:32 Test D Question — Linguistic anthropologist 

32:58 Exit Survey on Demon Explanations

38:55 Ask Button Secret Feature

42:18 Personal Statement Gong Show

59:32 Word of the week — logomachy

A listener asks whether drilling one question type until they've "mastered" it beats mixed practice. Ben and Nathan explain why focusing on  a single type creates a false sense of progress. They argue that mixed practice better prepares students for the unpredictability of the real LSAT.

Also in this episode:

- A law school asks waitlisted applicants to take a “situational judgment” test

- Which test a student with only two attempts left should register for

- How to reapply after being dismissed from law school

Study with our Free Plan⁠

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0:00 Drilling Method

8:47 Tips on Predicting

22:11 Waitlist Games

41:13 Test D Question — Planet Y

58:50 When to Register

1:04:32 UC Law SF Alumni Email

1:09:12 Reapplying After Law School Dismissal

1:23:14 Word of the week — intransigent

Dan Currell returns to unpack a decade of major shifts in legal education and hiring. Nathan and Dan discuss employment outcomes for recent law graduates and the unusually frothy market in law firm hiring. 

Also in this episode:

- What's fueling the surge in law school application

- The mounting pressure students face once enrolled

- Grade inflation at the undergraduate level

Employment Outcomes Since 2016

Hiring by Firm Size Since 2016

Law School Applications by Year

Mean UGPA for First-Year Class

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Watch Episode 569 on YouTube

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0:00 Introduction

5:21 Enthusiasm or Fear: What's Driving Applicants?

16:26 Employment Outcomes for Recent Law Graduates

25:53 The Frothy Market in Law Firm Hiring

34:24 The Super-Star Effect

42:25 Removal of Logic Games

49:09 The Rise in Law School Applications

59:06 Pressure on Students

1:04:30 Take-Home LSAT Change

1:12:55 Grade Inflation

The Demon team discovered that LSAC removed a Reading Comprehension feature in its updated interface. The test will no longer highlight referenced text in the passage. Ben and Nathan talk about this change and what it means for students.

Also in this episode:

- Chicago Law Releases Update on AI Strategy

- Whether to pursue a master’s degree before law school

- The next Personal Statement Gong Show contestant

University of Chicago Law Policy

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0:00 No More Blue Highlighting on RC

14:12 On the Parallel Reasoning Ledge

25:58 Chicago Law Banning Phones and Laptops

36:19 Tips from Departing Demons

40:12 Test D Question — Athleisure

48:17 Pursuing Master’s Before Law School

55:24 Personal Statement Gong Show

1:19:48 Word of the week — recalcitrant

A student pushes back on the Demon's advice against diagramming on the LSAT. Nathan and Ben respond with why their intuitive approach helps students answer questions faster and more accurately.

Also in this episode:

- A viewer follows up on their score hold

- A judge's advice on sharing personal struggles in a personal statement

- Whether being a KJD hurts your application

Study with our Free Plan⁠

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Watch Episode 567 on YouTube

Check out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segments

Get caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library

0:00 Prematurely Registered for the LSAT

17:10 Accusation of Cheating

41:08 Pearls v. Turds

44:40 Confused with LSAT Demon

49:57 Test D Question — Evil Oil Barons

1:04:13 Sharing Struggles in Personal Statement

1:16:16 KJD Tax

1:25:29 Word of the week — auspicious

A viewer writes with disappointment about an underperformance on their last two LSAT administrations. Ben and Nathan remind her that scores naturally fluctuate,  and that if you've been scoring high, the answer is almost always to be registered for the next test.

Also in this episode:

- A viewer who underperformed on their June LSAT administration

- An update from a former Demon student after their first year of law school

- How a splitter can boost their law school application

Study with our Free Plan⁠

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Watch Episode 566 on YouTube

Check out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segments

Get caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library

0:00 June Score Release

8:30 Underperforming on the LSAT

17:16 SCOTUS Writing Jargon 

19:50 Wake Forest Law Deferral for Increased Scholarship

45:47 Test D Question — State senate election

55:20 Demon Alum 1L Update

1:06:10 How to Boost Application

1:21:25 Word of the week — proprioception

The 2026 “Above the Law” law school rankings just dropped. Unlike US News, Above the Law only ranks 50 schools and weighs employment outcomes almost exclusively. The result? Some schools rank much higher than expected while others fall despite their prestige.

Also in this episode:

- Advice on pass/fail courses from an academic advisor

- The Department of Education lowers loan rates for borrowers

- What to do in your last five minutes on RC

Study with our Free Plan⁠

⁠Download our iOS app⁠

Watch Episode 565 on YouTube

Check out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segments

Get caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library

0:00 Above the Law Rankings

16:17 Pass/Fail Advice from Academic Advisor

20:35 Department of Education Lowers Student Loan Rates

33:31 Test D Question — Vocabulary

48:30 LSAT Retake Advice from Dean Z

1:02:53 Last 5 Minutes of Reading Comprehension

1:09:39 Word of the week — abrogate