Desperate Schools, Desperate Measures (Ep. 244)
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Just as you were recovering from the whiplash that was the announcement of the May LSAT-Flex, LSAC decided to drop another surprise. 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.
As always, if you like the show and you want to get more from the Thinking LSAT community, check out the links below. You can connect with other folks studying for the LSAT, and get more useful resources from Nathan and Ben.
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Important Dates
5.13.2020 – It’s time to schedule your LSAT-Flex for June
5.18.2020 – This is the week of the May LSAT-Flex
6.05.2020 – May LSAT-Flex scores are released
6.08.2020 – Get out the sunblock, it’s the first LSAT of the summer!
6.14-15. 2020 – The likely dates for the June LSAT-Flex
6.30.2020 – School’s out for summer! The June LSAT-Flex scores are released
6:50 – LSAT-Flex Encore!
The new coronavirus continues to put its mark on the law school game, y’all. The June LSAT is now also an LSAT-Flex. What does that mean? If you are registered for the June test, you will automatically be enrolled to take an online-only LSAT. The online version of the test is only three sections and is remotely proctored. You can opt-out of this test, but honestly, you should take it if you’re signed up for it. Three sections are easier than five. Here’s the important info:
- You can opt-out of the June LSAT and receive a coupon to take the test any time from July 2020 through April 2021
- You can schedule your June LSAT-Flex starting 5/13/2020, at 12 P. M. EST
- June LSAT-Flex will be administered on 6/14/2020 or 6/15/2020
- June LSAT-Flex scores will be released on 6/30/2020
14:06 – Pearls vs. Turds
It’s your (sometimes) weekly segment of Pearls vs. Turds! This is the part of the show where Nathan and Ben consider some “found” LSAT advice—as in found online, in the ether, in an LSAT prep class—and deem it a pearl or a turd of wisdom. So what’s the wisdom-du-jour? This time, it comes from one of Ben’s videos. A student gleans some logic-game guidance from Ben, who points out that when you have multiple “floaters” or interchangeable variables in a game, that what applies to one, applies to all. So if you have some flexible variables, and one of them is an incorrect answer, the same is true for the other “floaters.” This is absolutely a pearl of wisdom, and the guys discuss the strategy in detail. Warning, though, this strategy is best leveraged by high-scoring students.
21:52 – Re: “Predicting” The Answer
Danielle points out that the guys often talk about predicting the correct answer before getting to the question. She wants to know if this strategy applies at all times. Nathan and Ben offer up a resounding “hell yeah.” If there’s an inference to be made? Make it. That’s what lawyers get up to.
35:17 – Parallel Reasoning S.O.S.
Patrick is facing fearsome seas when it comes to parallel reasoning. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t get the better of them. The only thing that helps is looking for trigger language that he uses to identify similarities between arguments. Ben and Nathan dive into a discussion about how they each approach parallel reasoning questions.
44:09 – Desperate Schools, Desperate Measures, Pt. 2
As the admissions cycle drags on in the time of corona, law schools everywhere are feeling the burn. Fewer applicants are making timely decisions. Many are deferring a year, in hopes of actually attending a college campus. And schools are looking into their crystal balls, proverbial sweat on their proverbial brows, and anticipating a meager application cycle in the fall as well. As they say, the jig is up. Colleges are reaching out to students and extending seat-deposit deadlines, offering more scholarship money, and leaving negotiations very open-ended. The guys read a few emails between law schools and an applicant to illustrate.