Crazy Ben’s Fat-free University of Law (FU Law) (Ep. 101)

00:00 – Introduction—Nathan is BACK stateside. But his traveling days are long from over. He’s been bouncing around the west coast since his return and accruing copious frequent-flyer benefits. So if you see him on a Southwest flight, make sure you get him to buy you a drink.

02:13 – The LSAC is conducting ANOTHER field test for the Digital LSAT. The guys tell you where you can apply to take the tablet-based test, and discuss the pros and cons of taking time out of your busy schedule to be LSAC’s guinea pig. Despite having to travel to some… rather odd testing locations, the biggest upside to taking the Digital LSAT may be that your next LSAT test fee is on LSAC.

12:14 – Prep season is upon us! Ben and Nathan both have courses starting soon and throughout the fall. If you’re considering taking the LSAT in the coming year, you can achieve better results, and get the score you’re capable of with a prep course… just sayin…

13:13 – The show has received another donation of $44! The guys discuss how they spend their respective shares, and here’s something that may not be surprising: Nate and Ben spend their “fun” money in wildly different ways.

14:50 – On July 15th, the New York Times published an article called The Lawyer, The Addict that explores the pervasiveness of drug and alcohol abuse in the legal profession in the wake of a prominent attorney’s death. The guys discuss the article and share their own thoughts on how law school changed them. They also consider how law-school culture is likely to contribute to destructive behaviors. Finally, upon concluding that law school is, of course, a major scam, Ben hatches a plan for Crazy Ben’s 1-Year Law School (or FU) to provide a quality law-school education. And, hey. It may not be accredited. But it’s a law school that might actually work.

38:26 – PIT rankings update! Listeners Christina and Kris have helped the guys compile the formal Pearl in the Turd rankings. PIT rankings look at the perceived value of law schools as listed by U.S. News versus their actual value as defined by Above The Law. The method results in a list of schools that may be considered overvalued or undervalued. Ben takes a look at the list’s top Pearls, while Nathan reveals the top Turds.

47:01 – Email 1—[Redacted] asks if it’s worth it to make the trek from NYC to DC to attend an LSAC forum in the near future. The guys discuss the (very few) merits of attending an event like this, especially before having an LSAT score in-hand. Pro-tip: if you have an opportunity to network with decision makers at law school, do so, but not at the expense of your LSAT score.

56:25 – Email 2—Jack writes in with an anecdote about his use of pencils on recent LSAT tests. On his first test, he brought five pencils, and scored a 162. On a following test, he brought four times as many pencils so he could stay sharp during the test. Was this idea a pearl, or a turd? Listen to find out. Plus, the guys discuss pencils as an offering in the forthcoming Thinking LSAT mercantile.

01:00:35 – Email 3—Peter is back! After scoring exceptionally well (160s) on a half-assed practice test, Peter followed the guys’ advice from the podcast, and also took a tutoring session with Ben. He went on to score a 170 (go, Peter!). Now he’s wondering if he should aim even higher and take another test in the fall. The guys discuss.

01:16:01 – Email 4—Anonymous writes in with a thank-you shout out to the guys slash humble brag. After listening to the podcast, anonymous carried Thinking LSAT advice around on a note card, which they brought to, and discarded just before, taking the LSAT. Following Nathan’s guidelines with RC and LR, anonymous nabbed a 178 (congrats, anon). The guys discuss the warm and fuzzies they get from the feedback.

01:19:37 – Email 5—Jasmine wants to know if she’ll be able to take Nathan’s and Ben’s online courses in China. The guys don’t know, but a good way to check is to take a look at the many free resources they offer through their websites. If the free content works, the paid courses should work, too. She also asks about the best way to improve her English vocabulary, and wonders if her dream of getting into a top-14 school is attainable given her mid 140s starting score. Nate and Ben weigh in with some good news.

01:26:53 – Email 6—Tyler is studying for his 4th LSAT take, and has been following Nate’s advice of working on 35-minute sections. Is he making a mistake by not practicing on full-length tests? The guys debate their slightly opposing stances, but ultimately agree that no matter how you study, dedicating time to review your mistakes is where it’s at.

01:34:52 – Email 7—Long time listener Courtney is concerned about her “splitter” status. She has an extraordinary GPA, but is “only” scoring in the 160s on her most recent practice tests. Nervous that her target law schools will judge her for this apparent disparity, she asks Nate and Ben how she can improve in the area of her greatest weakness…RC. The guys discuss the idea of a “splitter” and do a deep dive on how to tackle reading comprehension. Hint: just read it. Carefully.

The September 2017 LSAT isn’t getting any further away. You might want to jumpstart your prep with Ben’s 100-Hour Online LSAT Course or Nathan’s Fox LSAT On Demand. At the very least, you should watch Ben’s free LSAT lesson and do Nathan’s free online LSAT course.

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