Thinking LSAT

The updated rankings for law schools have dropped! Ben and Nathan discuss the changes, the schools that refused to participate, and what applicants should actually focus on when choosing a law school to attend.

Also in this episode

- Law school marketing emails wishing students good luck on the LSAT

- Whether to drop a class and graduate late to preserve their GPA

- Another Personal Statement Gong Show contestant

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0:00 USNews 2026 Rankings26:17 #thirstylawschools

30:05 Test D Question – English Rule

43:50 Implicit Assumptions

53:00 Pearls v. Turds

1:00:03 Should I Upgrade Demon Plans?

1:05:19 Dropping Courses

1:11:46 Personal Statement Gong Show

1:38:38 Word of the week – throes

Ben and Nathan react to two stories: California pushing to require AI training in law schools, and Oklahoma's surprisingly hands-off approach to AI in the courtroom. They discuss AI’s growing role in the legal field and why Oklahoma’s simple rule, use it however you want, just own every word, might be the smartest policy.

Also in this episode

- A viewer performing differently between timed sections and practice tests

- Whether you can predict future competitive cycles

- Why the University of Alabama has such a high GPA median

Study with our Free Plan⁠

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0:00 AI in Law School and the Legal Profession

6:20 How to Get Faster

20:00 Test D Question – Moving Truck

38:52 Incongruence Between Sections and PTs

44:54 Will My GPA Hold Me Down?

54:22 What’s the Deal with the University of Alabama?

1:05:36 Word of the Week – quotidian

A listener asks how to negotiate scholarships, especially when schools claim they don’t negotiate. Ben and Nathan advise always asking for more and using competing offers as leverage.  But, they stress the importance of being ready to walk away from an offer that doesn’t meet your needs.

Also in this episode

- Handling burnout from LSAT studying 

- A logical reasoning question about a mushroom allergy

- Whether job prestige helps in law school admissions

Study with our Free Plan⁠

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0:00 Burn Out. Need Advice.

17:43 How to Negotiate

50:45 Test D Question –- Mushroom Allergy

1:00:36 Studying Abroad

1:15:28 Pearls v. Turds

1:21:28 Job Prestige

1:26:43 Losing Study Progress

1:36:38 Word of the week – gravamen

A listener asks whether they should include their experience as a professional poker player in their application materials. Ben and Nathan advise that they should. Pursuing something at a professional level demonstrates a meaningful commitment and a proven ability.

Also in this episode:

- A law school with an endless amount of fees

- Whether you should attend an online law program

- When conditional scholarships become predatory 

Study with our Free Plan⁠

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Watch Episode 551 on YouTube

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0:00 William & Mary’s Law School Fees

13:38 Attending an Online Law School

23:06 Predicting Role Questions

33:23 Working as a Professional Gambler

48:20 LSAC Guided Plus Program

1:03:22 Accepting a Conditional Scholarship

1:19:08 Ohio Northern’s Summer Program

1:33:10 Word of the week — effusive

A listener asks whether they should quit their job to focus on LSAT study and law school applications. Ben and Nathan explain that there’s only so much productive studying you can do in a day and recommend keeping the job.

Also in this episode:

- Ben and Nathan poke fun at a New York Times article on homeownership with a clear flaw

- How to break out of a stuck practice test range

- Whether it makes sense to enroll with plans to transfer after 1L

Study with our Free Plan⁠

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Get caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library

0:00 Randomly Doing Bad

9:05 New York Times Newsletter Flaw

12:20 Stuck in the Low 160s

21:04 Asking for More Money

37:43 Quitting Job to Study for the LSAT

50:48 Misleading Rankings

1:01:38 Transferring After 1L

1:09:57 Personal Statement Gong Show

1:33:13 Word of the week — ascetic

Nathan and Ben react to WashU offering a new institutional loan to help students cover tuition beyond federal loan limits. They argue that chasing a prestigious name isn't worth it if you have to borrow heavily to get there.

Also in this episode:

- Ben and Nathan roast a poorly written Wall Street Journal headline

- Whether highlighting and note-taking actually helps on the LSAT

- An engineering grad considers switching to law

Study with our Free Plan⁠

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0:00 Wall Street Journal Headline 

3:29 Extremely Confused

14:34 Loan from WashU

25:27 Highlighting on the LSAT

27:20 Test D Question — Nonprofit Leaders

38:05 Career Change as an Engineer

50:07 A Few More Points on Your GPA

57:26 January Score Hold

1:09:51 Word of the week — suzerain

A listener asks about alleged changes to Logical Reasoning that an LSAT YouTuber has reported. Ben and Nathan push back, maintaining that the test hasn’t meaningfully changed and that the so-called “new” question types have been around for years.

Also in this episode:

- A listener successfully secures a GPA change on their transcript.

- Whether to use a letter of recommendation from a university president

- What’s going on at Vanderbilt Law

Study with our Free Plan⁠

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Watch Episode 548 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 Conditional Scholarships 

11:00 Getting GPA Changed

16:35 Letter of Recommendation from the President

22:22 New Demon Plans

28:04 Tips from Departing Demons

37:50 RC Speed

47:15 Updated LR Questions?

1:01:48 What’s the Deal with Vanderbilt

1:25:34 Word of the Week — diminution

LSAC announces that upcoming LSAT administrations will return primarily to in-person testing. Ben and Nathan discuss the shift away from remote testing and what it means for test takers.

Also in this episode:

- How to approach a final LSAT attempt

- Cooley Law offers a scholarship for attending a meet and greet with the dean

- How much time to spend studying each day

Study with our Free Plan⁠

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Watch Episode 547 on YouTube

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

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Reagan writes in after following Ben and Nathan’s advice from a previous episode to retake the LSAT and reapply. She shares her success story, including multiple full-ride offers and additional stipends.

Also in this episode:

- How an older applicant can best prepare.

- A student gets waitlisted…for the waitlist.

- The guys react to Nathan’s nephew’s argumentative essay.

Study with our Free Plan⁠

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Watch Episode 546 on YouTube

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

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0:00 Older Applicant 

8:43 Waitlist for a Waitlist

18:19 Retake & Reapply Results

31:42 Test D Question — Room for Dessert

48:42 Tips from Departing Demons

54:02 Accommodation Solicitation

57:04 Reaching Out for a Grade Change

1:07:35 Argumentative Essay on Meat Pizza

1:18:53 Word of the Week — paucity

Ben and Nathan react to Harvard considering A+ grades in response to grade inflation. They discuss how grading practices have changed and what could meaningfully change the system. 

Also in this episode

- Demon students share their January LSAT results

- How to choose between a regional school and a top-ranked school

- A listener asks about attending a non-ABA accredited law school

New York Times Articles by Mark Arsenault

Study with our Free Plan⁠

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Watch Episode 545 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 Harvard Adding A+ Grading

11:07 January Score Release

21:35 Attending a Regional School

27:38 Improving Accuracy

42:44 Test D Question — Vor

58:57 Pearls v. Turds

1:05:35 140s Jail

1:13:55 Non-ABA Law School

1:23:20 Too Late to Apply?

1:31:13 Thank You Email

1:36:36 Word of the Week — chiaroscuro