TMI in the PIT of the Shark Tank (Ep. 100)

00:00:00 – Introduction—The results are in from the June 2017 LSAT, and Nate and Ben discuss how their students fared.

00:02:07 – Holy shit. The guys have made it to episode 100. Did you ever think that would happen? They didn’t necessarily. Nate and Ben talk about what it’s been like to host Thinking LSAT and to answer emails with an untouchable response rate.

00:10:28 – First email is from Jordan! With a less-than-stellar (but rising) GPA, Jordan is going into his senior year with hopes of nabbing a high LSAT score. His unorthodox self-prep has resulted in scores in the mid 160s. Wanting to swing for the fences in September, he asks the guys if it’s worth it to take an online class, and whether he even has enough time to digest an online course given the short timeline to test day. Nate and Ben talk about why not all hope is lost for Jordan with his current GPA, and about how online courses can benefit high-scoring peeps like Jordan even more than traditional classroom environments.

00:23:55 – Email 2—Julie writes in with complaints of being stuck scoring 165-169—she just can’t seem to break into the 170s. While the rest of the LSAT-taking world weeps uncontrollably with scores sub 160, Ben and Nate cover some additional self-prep techniques that may help. And, of course, there’s always private LSAT tutoring. Did the guys mention they offer private LSAT tutoring? They offer private tutoring!

00:31:06 – For a brief moment, Ben has to break away to wrangle an escaped pet. This leads to a discussion on the joys of dog ownership, which, naturally, turns into an aside on the logic games in PrepTest 81 (the most recent test, y’all). The conversation rounds off with Ben’s (pretty funny) impressions of the freewheeling LSAC intelligentsia.

00:35:53 – Email 3—Utah Mark (that’s Mark from Utah) is getting married in August (congrats, Mark!) Going into the June LSAT, Mark improved his practice test scores from the mid 150s to 164. He asks Nate and Ben for advice: should he also take the September LSAT, or, given his marriage plans, would it be better to wait until December? The guys opine.

00:42:08 – Email 4—Julie is noticing some odd “patterns” in the questions she’s getting wrong in her LSAT practice. The guys talk about common misperceptions that form when trying to overanalyze what you got wrong on a given test. Plus, Ben makes an analogy to ABC’s Shark Tank to try and explain how he and Nate deliver feedback.  

00:56:19 – Email 5—Peter is in the unusual position of being right where he wants to be in his practice tests. The only problem is that the next text is several months away. He asks the guys the best way to stay sharp and maintain his current scores over that period of time. Nate and Ben make a few recommendations, but also, let’s face it, Pete, you can always try to shoot for a few more points…

00:59:25 – Email 6—Adam-ten-pencils writes in admitting that he was totally that guy who over-prepped for test day. While listening to Episode 97: Last minute advice for the June 2017 LSAT on the way into the test, Adam realized he had way overdone it on pencil preparedness. Nate and Ben praise him for doubling down and owning his newly earned reputation.

01:02:03 – Email 7—Sam asks about the importance of geographic location and law-school ranking when applying to law school. The guys cover a range of considerations from quality of life, to employment opportunities, and more. They even come up with an all-new way to rank law schools! The PIT list, or Pearl-in-the-Turdrankings.

01:17:05 – Email 8—[Redacted] writes in with the horrifying tale of their near-death experience. They ask about the lengths to which they should describe the story in their personal statement when applying to law school. Both Ben and Nate chime in with their thoughts about how to deliver an impactful personal statement without venturing into TMI territory.