Thinking LSAT

Ben reads and recommends Alexander Hamilton. The biography by Ron Chernow inspired the recent musical phenomenon and Ben thinks it could also be an inspiration for aspiring lawyers. (5:30)

Dreaming of a job in Big Law? If so, fire up your laptop and follow along as a recent law school grad offers advice on scoring a job at a Top 30 firm like she did. First, check out the NALP Directory to find the legal employer you might be interested in. Look at the employment summaries for specific law schools according to reports from the American Bar Association. Check out two articles, here and here, that describe Big Law salaries and the high expectations that can go along with that fat paycheck. Finally, study the bimodal distribution of starting salaries for lawyers by graduation year. (6:30)

Nathan takes Ben back to middle school when he explains the difference between Mean, Median, and Mode. In other words, this is the part where you might want to break for a snack until the math is over. (37:30)

Ben performs a dramatic reading of an email from Michelle, a loyal listener who compares the Blueprint prep course she took in 2012 to what she’s learned from the Thinking LSAT podcast. Since listening, she has made some strategic changes that have improved her practice scores. No Michelle, thank YOU. (51:08)

Kirk is struggling with Logic Games and asks where his study time is best spent leading up to test day (58:05), and Travis wants help getting through the wordy answer choices in Reading Comprehension. (1:07:30)

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The recent release of The 10 Actual, Official LSAT Prep Tests 42-51 by the LSAC has Nathan and Ben all in a tizzy. While Nathan grumbles about the price, title, and layout, Ben is busy taking credit for willing the book into existence. (2:19)

This week, Ben’s Book Corner features Make It Stick- The Science of Successful Learning. The book identifies the study and learning techniques that are most effective for understanding and retaining new information. Check out Make It Stick to see if your own strategies could be improved. A word of warning: be careful not to confuse it with the similarly titled but very different Made to Stickor Stick It. (8:00)

Are you preparing for the LSAT and looking for even more study opportunities? Do you have eyes, ears, and…well that’s all you need, actually. Yes, you say? Perfect! Ben is looking for volunteers to review and rate videos from his LSAT prep class and you can contact him to sign up. (23:45)

Listener mail came pouring in this week, covering a variety of LSAT and law school topics, and we work through it to get our inbox back to zero. Kyle proposes, and Ben tries out, a new strategy for Reading Comp questions (46:56), Shiva is panicked about missing the September LSAT she planned to take (59:29), Basic Laurenjenna asks if Logic Games are harder on recent tests (1:07:50), and Boba Fett wants to know if a recommendation from 2015 can be used for a 2017 application (1:26:40).

Episode 69 concludes with a challenge from Ben to the Thinking LSAT listeners. Don’t worry, it doesn’t involve giving up your cell phone or juice fasts or anything. (1:53:56)

Got questions you want us to answer in a future podcast? Send us an email! Follow us at @thinkinglsat and tweet us a question!

Ben jumps right into Episode 68 by introducing listeners to LSAT India and their catchy tagline, “All you need is reason.” Nathan wants to check out this version of the 2009 test  but reminds us that here in America, the LSAT motto is more like “All you need is money.”  (1:28)

We discuss a study that looks at the impact of texting and email on human IQ. Spoiler alert: it’s bad. Constant texting/emailing decreases the user’s IQ by an average of 10 points, definitely a problem when you are preparing for the LSAT. Get tips from the guys on how to disconnect and use those extra brain cells to raise your test score. (19:50)

Ben has an issue with the Powerscore Logical Reasoning Bible’s explanation of the Correlation-Causation flaw. Nathan agrees that properly understanding this flaw is paramount to LSAT success, so we discuss it in detail to clarify. (25:51)

A letter from listener Wasabi Potato Chips* asks for advice on how much to prep before attempting her third LSAT. Hear the guys’ response to WPC and their thoughts on the third attempt in general. (43:15) *not her real name…but hopefully a real flavor of potato chip

Finally, we work through another Reading Comprehension passage from the June 2007 test. This time we explain Passage 2 from Section 4, a comparative reading type of question. Download the test yourself and play along as we go. (1:02:00)

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Josh planned to retake the LSAT but then received a recommendation from his pre-law advisor not to do so; now Josh is confused about what he should do. We give him our own recommendation and decide that a retake is almost always a good idea. (10:07)

Tamra knows she is retaking the LSAT in September but is worried her score will be received too late to be considered at her top choice school by their early decision deadline. We compare the pros and cons of Tamra sending an application before her September scores are ready, then discuss how early the law school application truly needs to be sent in at all. (15:00)

FarmBoy has a 142 on his first practice test, ADD, and, we can only hope, an impressive collection of overalls. He emails to ask whether reading the question stem before the passage is always a bad idea or if, as he suspects, he might be an exception to this rule. (20:00)

Brett, a US Merchant Marine who alternates a month at home with a month at sea, is having an understandably hard time scheduling his LSAT. His current options are to take the test a month from now or a year from now, and we make our best recommendation by looking at his current practice scores. (30:28)

We continue Section 3 from the June 2007 LSAT, completely working through Logical Reasoning Questions #3 and #4. Download the free test here and try the questions, then listen in for our explanation. (42:30)

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We open Episode 66 with some book recommendations; Ben is enjoying Chaos Monkeys by Antonio García Martínez and Nathan just finished Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Reading these could expand your mind and your vocabulary; at the very least, they will be more interesting than reading The Economist. (2:40)

Mike, a dedicated listener and student of Nathan’s, writes in to discuss his personal battle with the LSAT. Mike was the picture of LSAT prep perfection- he completed 35 full practice tests, improved his diet and fitness routine, and even listened to every episode of Thinking LSAT… twice. All signs pointed to Mike acing the June 6th test, and then disaster struck. Listen to Mike’s heartbreaking tale, and hear our advice on how he can put that day behind him and move forward to success. (17:42)

We begin Section 3 of Logic Games from the June 2007 LSAT, completely working through Questions #1 and #2. Download the free test here and try the questions, then listen in for our explanation. (48:04)

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…JK. Episode 65 is no less safe for work than any other episode of Thinking LSAT. We do appreciate hearing about all of you that seem to be listening to this podcast at the office instead of, say, writing invoices or reading memos or playing Pokemon Go.

We begin this episode by sharing a news item that features an uncharacteristically generous new refund policy from the LSAC. The wording of said policy is, however, very characteristically convoluted. Check out the fine print here while we admire the LSAC’s commitment to obscurity. (4:50)

Brian, a listener who recently earned a very impressive 171 on the LSAT, vows to never set eyes upon the test again. We hear you, Brian. He asks us to speculate on his chances of admittance to a top law school with his awesome 171 and a 2.9 GPA. Nathan refuses to play fortune teller and instead directs all such queries to the LSAT/GPA Calculator. Try this tool for yourself to see the chances of getting into the law school of your dreams. (10:55)

A lengthy email from Rachel covers a plethora of LSAT and law school related questions and we cover as much ground as we can in response. Included in her letter are queries about studying old LSATs, using a free app to prepare, whether or not she should study in a distracting environment, and if her understanding of sufficient vs. necessary conditions is correct; unfortunately, Rachel, it isn’t. We set her straight on these conditions and offer free resources to help even more, including Nathan’s blog posts on sufficient and necessary. (23:48)

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'Tis the time for our noble listeners to decide whether or not they are satisfied with their June LSAT scores. Zach wonders if it is worth risking a lower retake score after earning a 172 on the test. ‘Appreciative Student’ was surprised to receive an official score that was 5-6 points higher than their highest practice test score, and asks if it would be a good idea to try for an even higher result in September. (6:50)

We discuss a recent NY Times article, An Expensive Law Degree, and No Place to Use It. The article addresses the situation that some attendees of lower-tiered law schools find themselves in upon graduation: crushing debt, low bar passage rates, and a bleak employment outlook. We talk about these issues and what you can do to avoid a similar fate. (18:25)

Last but not least, we debut the inaugural Reading Comprehension explanation on the Thinking LSAT Podcast. We carefully read, comprehend, and discuss Passage #1 from the June 2007 test. Download the test yourself and play along as we go. (32:20)

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Ben recommends Grit by Angela Duckworth, a book that could help with your LSAT prep and studying mindset. In that same vein, he mentions episode 202 of the podcast “The Art of Manliness,” which discusses the effort and commitment required to achieve a goal. (5:27)

Next, a barrage of emails (3 can be a barrage, right??) from listeners who want to thank Thinking LSAT for helping them achieve their LSAT goals. Mike channeled Nathan’s zen to overcome test day stress (13:43), Jeff realized LSAT success was more than a matter of innate ability (18:10), and Taylor used the podcast for hands-free studying while hiking in Spain (34:40). We also answer Taylor’s questions about how to improve her score in Reading Comprehension.

At long last, we answer the final question in Section 2 of the June 2007 LSAT! Question #25 is a Logical Reasoning problem that demands an explanation of facts that don’t seem to line up. Download the free June 2007 test and play along as we solve the puzzle and wrap up this section. (52:58)

Are you looking for an LSAT prep class in the Los Angeles area? Nathan has an upcoming Fox test prep class in LA with room for more students! Reach out to him for more information on the course and registration for the class. (1:07)

Got questions you want us to answer in a future podcast? Send us an email! Follow us at @thinkinglsat and tweet us a question!

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Did you take the June LSAT? Are you freaking out about your performance?? If you answered yes, we encourage you to slow down, take a deep breath, and refrain from any drastic decisions about canceling your score. (4:05)

“Overwhelmed Dad” in South Texas emails a series of questions regarding his potential career shift from high school history teacher to lawyer. Worried about his ability to balance work, law school, and a newborn baby, Overwhelmed wants to know what advice we can share to help him be successful in his endeavor. (5:45)

“Anxious and Anonymous” writes in to admit he disregarded our [totally awesome] advice and read LSAT forums even after receiving a great offer letter from his top choice law school. Now questioning whether he set his sights high enough, Anxious is considering turning down this offer and starting the application process over next year. (36:20)

We work through two Logical Reasoning questions from the June 2007 Official LSAT. Question #23 is a Sufficient Assumption problem that uses big, heady abstractions to confuse test-takers and Question #24 tests how well you understood the question and predicted an answer. To play along at home, pause at 46:20 for #23 and at 1:06 for Question #24.

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Episode 61 features an interview with Seth Harding, a 15 year old college senior who is preparing to take the LSAT. Seth is planning to take the test on June 6th and hopes to raise his current practice score of 148 to an Ivy-league competitive score within the next 3 weeks. Will we convince Seth to postpone his test date, as his goal is extremely ambitious, if not impossible? Will he convince a skeptical Nathan that he’ll be mentally and emotionally prepared to start law school at only 16 years old? Will Seth appreciate any of Ben’s spot-on Doogie Howser jokes? Listen in to find out the answers to these questions and more. (0:55)

Nathan discusses some recent advice his prep class received from law school admissions expert Ann Levine, including the optimal time to apply to law school and when applying “early” is no longer considered early. (35:10)

We dole out some tough love to Henry, a law school hopeful who emailed Nathan asking for tips on how to raise his LSAT score from an untimed 160-165 to  a 175-180. We definitively conclude that any score must be from a timed practice test to convey real information on one’s performance on the test. (42:30)

We work through Question #22 in section 2 of the June 2007 LSAT, a Logical Reasoning problem that asks you to find the answer that Must Be True. Download the free test here and try the question, then listen in for our explanation. (53:15)

Got questions you want us to answer in a future podcast? Send us an email! Follow us at @thinkinglsat and tweet us a question!

Take a listen and let us know what you think.