In this episode, Ben Parker kicks off with an update on law school admissions data, revealing a massive 31.6% surge in applicants and what that means for 2026’s “worst cycle ever.” He explains why higher applicant volume paired with fewer applications per person creates a uniquely competitive cycle and warns listeners to apply broadly—or better yet, wait until next year. Ben also discusses which undergraduate majors tend to score highest and lowest on the LSAT (based on LSAC data), why correlation doesn’t equal causation, and why he rejects the idea that philosophy or logic-heavy majors inherently make you better at the LSAT.

From there, he dives into deeper reflections on LSAT performance, effort, and self-deception. He calls out the myth of “bad test takers,” arguing most low scorers simply don’t put in consistent effort or lack reading discipline. Ben explores how reading comprehension, not logic, drives success, and goes so far as to say that people scoring below 150 are often “functionally illiterate”—not as an insult, but as a wake-up call to the skills that law school actually demands. He introduces his company’s upcoming LSAT guarantee program, explains how it will only reward students who genuinely do the work, and critiques “toxic positivity” in modern LSAT culture for shielding students from the truth about effort and accountability.

Later, Ben discusses why last-minute LSAT tutoring rarely works, the importance of giving yourself multiple test attempts, and LSAT score variance (the real “test day drop” myth). He explains why Hey Future Lawyer is now focusing marketing toward next-cycle students rather than November testers. He then answers a Reddit question about whether different LSATs vary in difficulty, debunking that idea by explaining LSAC’s scaling system and how “harder” or “easier” sections balance out.

The episode closes with two meaty segments: first, Ben reads an in-depth listener email about student loan reform and the political implications of the new federal loan limits—offering a nuanced breakdown of how the changes might pressure bottom-tier law schools and reshape the industry. Finally, he critiques a listener’s personal statement, analyzing line by line what works, what doesn’t, and why real-life action is far more persuasive than abstract reflection. His ultimate message: results matter more than rhetoric—both in essays and in life.

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