Episode Archives

On Episode 500 of Thinking LSAT, Ben and Nathan tackle the most pervasive myths surrounding the LSAT, law school, and the legal profession.

Back by popular demand, Ben and Nathan kick off the return of Thinking LSAT’s personal statement review segment with a listener's personal statement that had strong subject material. But the statement quickly strays into the weeds, and Ben and Nathan “ring the gong.”

Law school tuition is designed to exploit the students willing to pay full price, even though very few actually do.

The clock shouldn’t affect you on the LSAT—but you still need to practice ignoring it.

If you don’t have a burning passion to do the work of a lawyer, don’t go to law school.

This week, Ben and Nathan encourage students to plan on taking the test five times, but not to waste their official attempts by signing up before they’re ready.

Nathan and Ben weigh in on the reports from some test-takers that the February LSAT featured more LG-style questions in Logical Reasoning.

Nathan and Ben outline their plan of attack in Logical Reasoning.

Nathan and Ben discuss how to predict answers and what to do when your prediction doesn’t appear in the answer choices.

Nathan and Ben examine a low-ranked law school that reduces roughly two-thirds of its conditional scholarships every year.

Nathan and Ben criticize the obfuscation of scholarship data in ABA 509 reports.

Ben and Nathan highlight the importance of timed practice and how to manage negative emotions from practice test scores.

Ben and Nathan criticize schools that mislead pre-law students about their law-school prospects.

Ben and Nathan insist that any downsides to retaking the LSAT are negligible, while the upsides can be life-changing.

Nathan and Ben dig into newly released admissions data and discuss the impact of the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ban.

Ben and Nathan urge listeners to read like lawyers: every word matters.

Some law schools might soon bypass the ABA’s admission test requirement, allowing them to admit more students without LSAT scores.

Ben and Nathan examine the admissions statistics and bar passage rate at Cooley Law School.

Nathan and Ben urge listeners to stop overthinking their study schedules and to start doing LSAT questions.

Nathan and Ben demonstrate a three-step process for objecting to an argument that confuses correlation for causation.

The only reliable way to get faster on the LSAT is by slowing down and solving one question at a time.

Nathan and Ben imagine a kinder world where everyone pays the same price for law school.

Ben and Nathan discuss why those who conquer the LSAT don’t settle for fifty-fifty guesses.

Ben and Nathan outline their flexible approach to prediction.

Nathan and Ben discuss how LSAT prep goes hand-in-hand with law school prep.

Ben and Erik discuss why positive self-talk is vital to your relationship with the LSAT.

The guys encourage listeners to drop their note-taking crutches and to engage with the LSAT on a more immediate level.

You can solve any Logical Reasoning question without diagramming by reading carefully and engaging your common sense.

Nathan and Ben advise a discouraged student to ease up on the gas pedal and take it one question at a time.

The guys celebrate listeners’ successes on the August LSAT.

LSAT growth comes from thoroughly reviewing your mistakes. But what does a thorough review look like?

Nathan and Ben shine a light on a shady scholarship practice.

Nathan and Ben examine the root cause of underperformance on the LSAT: too much concern for the clock and not enough focus on understanding.

Ben and Nathan discuss the new format for LSAT Writing and critique a practice essay submitted by an LSAT Demon student.

Recent law school graduates have benefited from a hot hiring market, but there are signs that the market might be cooling off.

Nathan and Ben encourage LSAT students to pursue the upside of their score range by taking the test multiple times.

Ben and Nathan break down two critical skills that form the foundation of LSAT mastery.

Nathan and Ben critique a listener’s personal statement through the eyes of harried admissions officers.

Nathan and Ben discuss the number one reason why some people underperform on test day.

Nathan and Ben discuss why a no-nonsense mindset is vital to LSAT success.

Clearbrief CEO Jackie Schafer joins Ben for a conversation about what aspiring lawyers should know about the future of AI in legal tech.

Nathan and Ben advocate a less-is-more approach to LSAT study, centered on carefully reviewing one mistake at a time.

Nathan and Ben share the highlights from a recent study on law school application timing. TL;DR? “Applications submitted earlier enjoy a considerable advantage relative to later applications.”

Why do you want to become a lawyer? If you’re chasing prestige, then you might want to reconsider.

Ben and Nathan are joined again by Rachel Gezerseh, trial attorney and the author of The Law Career Playbook.

LSAT scores are on the rise. Ben and Nathan weigh in on what’s driving this trend and whether LSAC might make the test more difficult in response.

1L strategy coach Angela Vorpahl returns to Thinking LSAT to discuss five common but misguided pieces of advice for incoming law students.

Ben and producer Erik team up to offer guidance on overcoming a score plateau.

Ben and Nathan chat with Nick Hafen, the Head of Legal Technology Education at BYU Law.

Nathan and Ben discover a law school whose outlandish scholarship numbers seem to defy business sense.

Ben and Nathan discuss the latest round of student loan forgiveness, which treats the symptoms of high education costs but won’t fix the problem.

Nathan and Ben advise listeners to treat test week like any other week of unhurried LSAT prep.

Micah McCreary joins Ben and Nathan to share insights about the current admissions cycle, emphasizing the importance of a well-crafted diversity statement.

The guys break down the events leading to LSAT Demon’s ban on Reddit.

Ben and Nathan probe the history of LSAT accommodations and question the fairness of the current system.

The guys detail LSAT Demon’s shadow ban on the r/LSAT subreddit.

The LSAT becomes easy when you do it the Demon way.

Nathan and Ben explore the habits and traits of those who excel at the highest levels on the LSAT.

Money is not a good reason to become a lawyer.

The guys answer a much-asked question: “Why did you name it LSAT Demon?”

Nathan is joined by Maya Russell, chair of the Pre-Law Advisor National Council, for an insightful discussion of the law school admissions process.

Nathan and Ben beseech listeners of all ages to examine their motivations for pursuing law school.

Ben and Nathan discuss how your work ethic impacts your success on the LSAT, in law school, and throughout your legal career.

Jonea Gordon left her job as a lawyer and quadrupled her salary. She’s now a data privacy expert who has worked with some of the biggest tech companies in the world on issues like artificial intelligence and augmented reality.

Many applicants face a dilemma at this point in the admissions cycle: Do they settle for a mediocre LSAT score and uninspiring scholarship offers? Or do they retake the LSAT and reapply next year?

Happy New Year! Nathan and Ben kick off 2024 with New Year’s resolutions for LSAT students.

Ben and Nathan address a listener’s concerns about his stagnant test scores, providing guidance for improvement.

Nathan and Ben discuss why law schools justifiably use yield-protecting strategies in admissions.

Ben and Nathan bid adieu to Golden Gate University School of Law, which will end its JD program in May.

Ben and Nathan discuss the feasibility of working while attending law school.

Lawyers are gladiators of the English language. Words are their weapons. So if you’re entering the arena of legal practice, you’d better hone your vocabulary.

Nathan and Ben share insights on strategically planning your official LSAT attempts in anticipation of the Logic Games going away.

The best-prepared test takers don’t hide from their fears—they plan for them.

First-generation college students face significant disadvantages in law school.

Logic Games will soon be on their way out, and many LSAT students are now grappling with the decision of whether to study them.

The era of LSAT logic games is coming to a close.

Law schools thirsty for applicants may tell you that people rarely improve their LSAT score by more than a few points. This week, Ben and Nathan unpack the motivation behind this pernicious myth.

The guys prompt over-committed listeners to reconsider their priorities and to make time for the LSAT.

Ben and Nathan examine a tactic that an admissions offices may use to gauge an applicants’ interest in their law schools.

Judge Douglas R. M. Nazarian joins Ben and Nathan to share his journey to the bench and to pull back the curtain on the work of an appellate court judge.

Kate Bridal and Josey Hoff, hosts of The Legal Burnouts podcast, join Ben and Nathan to discuss why burnout is such a common problem for legal professionals.

Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAPs) are often touted as silver bullets of student loan debt relief for low-earning public interest lawyers. But LRAPs are riddled with conditions that may leave some students with far bigger student loan bills than expected.

Ben and Nathan are joined by Aliza Shatzman, founder of the Legal Accountability Project.

With the deadline to register for the October LSAT only days away, Nathan and Ben share some advice to students who are on the fence about registering.

Ross Guberman joins Ben and Nathan to discuss law school, legal writing, and the evolving role of AI in the legal profession.

Sydney Montgomery returns to Thinking LSAT to share her insights into what the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action means for applicants of color.

Ben and Nathan are joined by lawyer, writer, and content creator Cece Xie.

LSAT Demon teacher Chris Murphy joins Nathan to help listeners maximize their potential in RC.

The guys warn listeners of the perils of LR diagrams and demonstrate a commonsense alternative.

LSAC’s Kyle McEntee rejoins the pod to share info about LSAC’s resources for law school applicants.

Ben and Nathan give a crash course on how to approach "except" questions on the LSAT.

Understanding the difference between necessary and sufficient is necessary—but not sufficient—for success on the LSAT.

Ben and Nathan respond to Ask Button questions from students who struggled to distinguish conclusions from premises.

LSAT Demon teacher Matt DuMont takes a break from bar prep to join Ben and Nathan for a deep dive into his law school experience.

Nathan and Ben are joined by Angela Vorpahl to discuss what new law students should (and shouldn’t) do to build the skills they’ll need throughout law school.

On this week’s pod, Ben and Nathan encourage a time-conscious student to slow down and focus on understanding what they read, not how quickly they read it.

LSAT Demon teacher and Logic Games guru Matt DuMont joins Ben to share some LG wisdom.

Ben is joined by TLP producer Erik to discuss the new rankings and how they might affect prospective law students.

LSAT Demon’s social media lead, Ashley joins Nathan and Ben to share frequently asked questions from internet strangers on our social media.

On this week’s episode, Ben and Nathan break down a challenging Reasoning question from PrepTest 65 by linking abstract terms in the answer choices to specifics from the passage.