Episode Archives

This episode kicks off with the guys reviewing a personal statement. Then, they evaluate a Pearls vs. Turds and reminisce about the old days of in-person LSAT classes. They end this episode by attempting a Logical Reasoning question from PrepTest 73.

The guys discuss what Nathan calls the fundamental paradox of the LSAT on this week’s episode. They also evaluate a submission for Pearls vs. Turds, tackle another logical reasoning question from PrepTest 73, and answer a variety of questions from the listener mailbag.

Nathan and Ben offer up a template to help organize your personal statement. The guys also answer another Logical Reasoning question from PrepTest 73, take a look at an article about law school debt, answer questions from the listener mailbag, and discuss the perils of mixing alcohol with LSAT prep.

Today’s show features an interview with Nathan Lowry of Service to School, a national nonprofit organization that provides guidance and resources to veterans applying for law school. Ben and Nathan also discuss a new Excuse of the Week and dig into the listener mailbag.

Ben and Nathan consider whether all the questions on LSAT Reading Comprehension are “Must Be Trues,” answer lots of questions from the listener mailbag, and meet Ben’s biggest fan—Copper, the Golden Retriever.

In this week's episode, Ben and Nathan dig through the listener mailbag, uncovering an Excuse of the Week, stress over multiple LSAC snafus, and an update from a former listener who took some—but not all—of their advice when applying to law school. They answer questions about reading comprehension, personal statements, and when to start prepping for the LSAT. They also tackle a Paradox question from PrepTest 73.

Nathan and Ben debate a hypothetical legal entanglement amidst answering listener questions. They also read listener mail about negotiating a full ride to Berkeley, choosing which law school you should pay for (hint: none of them), how to prep in a retake situation, whether to ask for accommodations (probably), and much more.

In an action-packed show, the guys hit all the bases: pearls vs. turds, excuse of the week, the latest news from the law-school universe, law school admissions success stories, and advice for 1L hopefuls.

Nathan and Ben serve up some tough love to a bunch of students trying to decide where to attend in the fall. Plus, the guys hear an excuse of the week and pick apart another LR question from prep test 65.

The guys weigh some LSAT wisdom from a particularly misguided guidance counselor, they hear an excuse of the week from a surprisingly self-aware student, they help a “non-traditional” candidate with an addendum, and they hear some success stories about students heading to law school for free.

n today’s show, Ben and Nathan talk to Harvard Law grad and college admissions consultant, Sydney Montgomery, about ethics and law school admissions. Plus, the guys answer another LR question from prep test 65, they answer a question about scholarships for older candidates, check-in on changes to the U.S. News rankings, and hear a story of an LSAC fee waiver denial that got reversed.

Nathan and Ben sit down with immigration attorney, Nicole Black, to talk about the realities of immigration law. Plus, the guys chomp thru another LR question from PT 65, they weigh some advice from Reddit and answer a bunch of listener mail.

In what may be some kind of record, the guys dig thru their overflowing mailbag and answer a bunch of listener emails, plus they find time to hear an Excuse of the Week, play a round of Pearls vs. Turds, and answer an LR question from prep test 65.

Ben and Nathan are joined by Henry Carras, a 3L at GW who is preparing to go into the JAG (Judge Advocate General’s) Corps. The guys also take a look at an excuse of the week, and get into another LR question from prep test 65.

In this episode, the guys take a look at some advice that they agree every person studying for the LSAT should keep in mind. Nathan and Ben also hear from folks who aren’t feeling so surefooted on their paths to law school—if they’re struggling with RC, does that mean they’re going to suck at law school?

Nathan and Ben hear from a student who’s considering a retake at 174, they advise a listener who fears they’re too old to go to law school, and they hear from a student who’s got a handful of full-ride offers.

The guys field a question about how much one can expect to improve on the LSAT after studying for a few months, they hear an LSAT Demon success story, they consider some advice for improving reading comprehension, and they burn through another LR question from prep test 65.

Friend of the show and law school expert, Ann Levine, joins Nathan and Ben to answer some of your burning late-in-the-cycle admissions questions. The squad tackles questions about negotiating scholarships, picking a school with an international program, what’s appropriate for a diversity statement vs. a personal statement, and whether it’s too late to apply to a T-14 school.

Nathan and Ben field some questions from folks who got shook by the January test. The guys also help someone who’s caught in a morass of LSAC GPA finagling, they offer some negotiation advice to a student who’s been accepted to their no. 1 school, and they help an ultra-marathoner decide how to work his accomplishment into a personal statement.

Today the guys hear from a high-scorer who had an unfortunate Proctor U mishap, they weigh some advice about being a big fish in a small pond (will it be a pearl or a turd?!), they take a look at a claim that COVID may be causing some law schools to lose their accreditation.

The guys hear from a listener who’s been waitlisted and answer a few questions about how to let school’s know they’re still your top choice.

In this episode, the guys hear a tale of woe from the 2020 application cycle, they field some questions about whether someone else can submit your application for you in 2021, and they offer advice for someone is looking for a job ahead of attending law school in 2022. Plus, the guys consider some advice about LG setups, they get the insider scoop from a current 1L, and they slice and dice an LR question from prep test 65.

The guys pick up where they left off last episode and kick things off with an LSAT LR question from practice test 65. They discuss the importance of reading comprehension skills even while unpacking an LR argument.

Nathan and Ben do their best to bring clarity to this confused 1L. Plus Nathan advocates for doing more inquiring and less note taking, the guys hear about a life-changing 20-point improvement, and they offer up a PSA about talking and LSAT-ing.

The guys consider the link between the LSAT and nutrition, they hear from a happy Demon subscriber who’s headed to Georgetown Law fuh FREE, and they chop up a listener’s personal statement.

Nathan and Ben are joined by NBLSA National Director and Chair, Rachel Barnes to discuss how NBLSA is articulating and promoting the educational, professional, political, and social needs and goals of Black law students.

They guys take a look at some personal statement advice from Nebraska Law, Ben tackles a brain teaser, Nathan touts the benefits of video games, and the guys slice and dice an LR question from prep test 65. Plus, you’ll hear from a student who’s not paying for law school in 2021.

oday on the show the guys take a look at some alternative careers in law. Plus, Ben and Nathan assess an “ancient cramming technique,” they hear from a student who tracked their score from 160 to 174 with interesting results, and they offer advice to two listeners who are feeling downright stuck on their LSAT journey.

The guys break down what an ideal LSAT and law school application journey looks like—which starts as much as two years before starting school. Nathan and Ben also hear some solid advice from a pre-law advisor, they discuss why you don’t need to make the LSAT your life, they advise a listener on whether to write a “why you” letter to their law schools of choice.

The guys review a lengthy diversity statement. Nathan and Ben also consider some advice about LG questions, they offer some “tips” on how to improve your LR and RC performance, they help a student narrow down where to apply to law school,

Ben and Nathan talk about the effectiveness of a JD MBA, they consider whether an MA certificate program will help your chances of getting into a good law school, they weigh some advice about personal statements from a pre-law advisor, and they offer advice to someone who just jumped from the 130s to the 150s. Plus, the guys answer LR question 11 from prep test 65.

The guys talk about what to do in the days leading up to taking the LSAT-Flex, they talk “technical cancellations,” they assess some Instagram LSAT wisdom, offer advice to a splitter, and answer an LR question from practice test 65.

The guys consider the relationship between GPA and scholarships, they offer advice to someone who’s just starting their LSAT prep journey, they hear from someone who’s seen a bump in their score after studying with the Demon, and they critique a listener’s personal statement.

The guys sit down with law school admissions expert Ann Levine to talk about how this cycle may be the most competitive ever.

Nathan and Ben offer some advice to a student who’s taking the test as a non-native English speaker, they hear from a student who wants to know about scholarship opportunities for folks with low GPAs, and they dive into a listener’s personal statement.

The guys discuss LSAC’s new digital forum, they discuss the value of studying with “old” LSAT practice tests vs. new ones, they weigh some advice from a listener, and they critique a personal statement.

Nathan and Ben are joined by LSAT Demon tutor, Jackson, to discuss a brand-new feature of the platform—a scholarship estimator.

Nathan and Ben hear from a bunch of folks who have received or had trouble getting their scores back from LSAC. The guys also offer up some thoughts about strengthening your reading comprehension skills, and they hear a big list of mostly terrible advice.

The guys discuss the mechanics of strengthen and weaken questions, they talk about how to handle questions that use “unless,” and they straight up answer a must be true question from practice test 65.

The guys weigh some advice about practicing under tighter time constraints, they hear about financial aid for part-time programs, and they take a look at a listener’s personal statement.

Nathan and Ben answer questions about LG strategy, LR strategy, whether or not to write a GPA addendum, and whether a part-time program will set you up for a successful career in the law.

The guys hear some success stories from LSAT Demon users, they offer some mind-expanding advice about logic games, and they review a listener’s personal statement.

The guys jump into the latest news from LSAC and talk about the upcoming August and October LSAT-Flex administrations and tackle another LR question from prep test 65.

Ben sits down with a former student, circuit-court clerk, and recent Georgetown Law School grad, Michael Bongiorno for a wide-ranging interview. Michael shares what his law school experience was like and talks about studying for the Bar in the midst of a pandemic.

Listen in as the guys interview Aaron Taylor of AccessLex.

The guys answer listener questions about aiming for accuracy, how slow is too slow when approaching LR arguments, and whether or not to take a gap year.

Listen in as Ben and Nathan interview Kyle McEntee of Law School Transparency. When this episode originally aired, Law School Transparency was not yet an LSAC entity. Learn about their recent merger in Ep. 342.

The guys dish the latest in LSAC news and answer some of your LSAT questions. Nathan and Ben take a look at a last-minute ploy from John Marshall Law School ahead of the fall semester, they hear a horror story about registering for the LSAT Flex, and they hear some advice about prepping for the Flex. Plus, the guys answer an LR question from practice test 65.

Nathan and Ben answer some important questions around when and if you should re-take the test, and they read through a rock-solid personal statement that helped earn a bunch of full-ride scholarships. Plus, the guys discuss LGBTQQIA+ diversity statements, tackle an LR question from practice test 65, and more.

The guys talk about converting your LSAT-Flex scores, they hear from a student whose LSAC fee-waiver request was denied, and they answer an LR question from practice test 65.

Nathan and Ben discuss how a global pandemic is affecting admissions cycles, they tackle an LR question from prep test 65, and they answer a question about when to start prepping for the LSAT.

The guys talk about the benefits of showing up week after week and some of the challenges they faced in creating the show and their businesses along the way.

The guys judge a listener’s strategy for when they’re down to the wire in an RC section, they answer an LR question from practice test 65, and more.

The guys cover what to do if you’re stuck in a particular score range, how to handle Character and Fitness inquiries, and they join forces like a gd LSAT Voltron to unlock LG 3 from practice test 65.

Nathan and Ben offer up some advice about Rule Substitution questions in the Logic Games and talk about how you can get those RC passages to stick.

The guys interview veteran bar-prep tutor Daniel Schweitzer to get the low-down on the bar exam, what to expect, and how to prepare. Plus, the guys share the origin story of Thinking LSAT and consider a list of flaws you’ll find in LR sections.

The guys offer some advice about how to manage your time during Logic Games. They weigh some advice about random guessing. And they rip a personal statement to shreds.

The June LSAT is going the way of the Flex, too! Ben and Nathan talk about the change and give you all the details you need to know if you were registered for the June test. The guys also discuss an advanced strategy for LG, they double down on the importance of predicting answer choices in LR, and they offer up their thinking about parallel reasoning questions. Plus, we get a look at how law schools are getting desperate during a slow admissions cycle.

The guys hear from students who are getting cold feet about going to law school, and others who are getting great promo codes in these fraught times.

The guys take a look at some law schools that are getting a little antsy about incoming 1Ls and offering extra discounts to secure their classes.

The guys sit down with Columbia 3L and podcast host, Doreen Benyamin, to talk about what law school is actually like.

In this episode, the guys give you the low down on the latest addition to their online LSAT prep platform: LSAT Demon Live.

Ben and Nathan field questions about anxiety and uncertainty around the LSAT and law school in the context of the coronavirus pandemic and a looming recession.

Nathan and Ben field some questions about to understand scholarship info on ABA 509 reports and how to ask schools for more money to cover expenses beyond tuition.

The guys discuss how the coronavirus is impacting their lives, their businesses, and the LSAT.

The guys hear from a 3L about how Bar prep is a lot like LSAT prep.

Nathan and Ben hear from folks who are just beginning their LSAT prep and want advice about their LR pacing or feel like they’re spotting some trends about RC difficulty.

Nathan and Ben offer advice about when and how to guess when you’re running out of time. They share their thoughts on how to study for the test—do you spend time on your weakest sections, or do you take a more balanced approach? And they help a long-time listener who’s in the throes of law-school-acceptance negotiations.

Ben and Nathan discuss the importance of understanding LR question types, they talk about how to approach LG sections, they offer some advice on what to do if you experience your score plateauing, they consider just how religious “religious” law schools are, and much more.

Nathan and Ben take a look at how schools calculate your LSAC GPA. They answer questions about how to approach “hybrid” games, whether being a paralegal will look good to admissions staffers, and how students in different score ranges think differently about the test.

The guys take a look at some absurd and absurdly amusing desperate moves from law schools in 2020.

The guys offer up a definitive list of LR question types, what they mean, and how you should think about answering them.

Nathan and Ben talk to professor Vera about issues facing minority law students and answer listener-submitted questions.

The guys talk about the first reports back from the January LSAT—and it sounds like the test was (drumroll, please) easy. as. pie. They also hear a few heart-warming stories from listeners about LSAC test-center fails and law-school-scholarship wins.

Catch Thinking LSAT's interview with Professor and author, Ben Barton.

The guys sit down with a 1L student who’s halfway through her first year. Nathan and Ben also take a look at some advice about personal statements and help a few test-preppers grapple with questions about whether and when to take the LSAT.

Ben and Nathan answer questions about offer negotiations, scholarships, and parsing ABA 509 report information.

Nathan and Ben talk about how you can ace an interview with a virtual assistant, should you have one; they offer up some advice on fielding parallel flaw questions and talk about whether or not you can appeal your LSAC GPA with LSAC in hopes of getting some more impressive numbers. Plus, the guys read a personal statement, and give a PSA about conditional scholarships.

The guys give you the skinny on top-down vs. bottom-up questions, offer up some advice on when to make worlds during the Logic Games, and read an article about law school students and debt

Wondering about the difference between Necessary Assumption and Necessary Condition questions? Ben comes correct with some LSAT guru wisdom for your noggin. Plus, the guys learn about a helpful corner of the ABA disclosures website, some features of LSAT Writing, and they take a look at a heady personal statement.

The guys review both a diversity statement and a personal statement. They also offer tips on LG, RC, LR, and law school admissions.

Buckle up and get ready for a PSA about LSAT accommodations, news about the LSAT Writing sample, and law school application tips from Yale. Plus, the guys get artistic with some poetry, a personal statement from “LA’s Youngest DJ,” and more.

Nathan and Ben answer questions about every step on your journey to a law degree.

The guys hear a sad tale of a career-ending LSAT conversation, they answer a question about reapplying to law school when you realize you’re at the wrong one, they take a renewed look at ABA 509 reports, and they weigh in on whether or not to put a response in the “ethnicity” section of your law school application.

Nathan and Ben are joined by Ann Levine to talk about how your day-of performance won’t always be like your best practices.

Nathan warns Ben of the dangers of the cold season, the guys offer some advice about big drops in your score, they take a look at a personal statement, and Ben confronts Nathan with some damning evidence that he may be working for the enemy.

The guys cover the latest LSAT news, plus they answer some of your questions about the LSAT Demon, LSAT burnout, and more!

The guys take a look at a bunch of insider wisdom from Stanford and UC Berkeley staff, and they offer their own advice about law school personal statements, diversity statements, and letters of recommendation.

Ben and Nathan talk about how to shift your thinking around LR and RC questions, they uncover evidence of paper tests being offered for the October LSAT, they consider some advice overheard at the September LSAT, they look at how one disgraced law school is goosing their Bar-passage rates, and more.

The guys get a PSA from a listener, they offer some advice about GPA addendums for splitters, they consider intermediary conclusions vs. “regular” conclusions, and they take a look at a surprisingly great personal statement.

Nathan and Ben answer questions about reading comp and whether you should attend a law school prep course. They also take a look at an email from Maine Law and a listener-submitted personal statement.

The guys talk about LR flaw questions, they try to help a confused listener out of an LG fog, shedding some clarity on conditional-ordering games. They also talk conjunctions on personal statements, online degrees, and whether you should waive the right to review your letters of rec.

The guys read through an announcement from LSAC about the October LSAT, they weigh in on a test strategy from a listener, they help a correspondent decide whether to apply early or wait for a better score, and they slice and dice a law-school hopeful’s personal statement.

The guys get a follow-up about a recent writing sample fail. They consider whether you need to warm-up like an athlete before approaching a section. They take a look at an LG question type. And they burn through another LR question from prep test 71.

The guys take a look at a few law-school emails to see how these universities are pitching prospective students. Plus, the Nathan and Ben review a personal statement, and look at some questionable advice about timing yourself during LG sections.

The guys discuss reports of LSAT testing center shortages and how LSAC may be dealing with the challenges “going digital,” like suddenly needing to manage thousands of devices. Plus, they answer your burning questions about writing samples, testing timing, and they share a love story from someone who decided to opt-out of going to law school.

The guys give some digital LSAT updates, take a look at some pretty wild claims from PowerScore (about their own book series), they read a diversity statement from a listener, and unravel another LR question.

Nathan and Ben tackle two new LR questions from the December 2013 LSAT and take you on every step of their thought process as they do so. Plus, a listener writes in with a perhaps pearl of wisdom about exercising before the LSAT, and the guys shred a personal statement.

The guys talk about LSAT accommodations gone wild, approaching games from multiple angles, and they answer another LR question from the December 2013 LSAT.

The guys take a look at an email from a friend of the show, Dean Faigman, and check in on a listener’s personal statement.