Dreaming LSAT (Ep. 245)
The guys have been going against the law-school-game grain for so long that Ben is starting to dream about it. After recounting his dream, in which he and Nathan go undercover to the DOJ, the guys jump into a veritable grab bag of LSAT inquiries. They take a look at some news from overseas that LSAT-Flex will not be offered outside of the U.S. They 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. Plus, Nathan and Ben hear from someone who decided not to go to law school and they read about UC Hastings’s lawsuit with San Francisco.
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.
Personal Statement Review Package
Instagram (upcoming events)
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
6:11 – No LSAT-Flex Overseas
S. is studying for the LSAT across the pond. She was all set to take the March LSAT when you-know-what hit, and the test was cancelled. Unfortunately, S. didn’t receive any notifications to schedule an LSAT-Flex. For now, it doesn’t appear that LSAC is offering LSAT-Flex to overseas students, but the guys haven’t a clue why. A pro tip? Call LSAC to figure out what the hell is up. A call can be more effective than an email in cases like these.
10:48 – Pearls vs. Turds
We’ve heard it before, dear listeners. Anon is writing in to urge folks not to randomly guess on questions. Historical data seems to suggest that guessing “D” will give you a *slight* edge – like a 1% edge across the whole test. But it was a turd before and it’s a turd yet again. You can’t tell the future by looking in the rearview mirror, y’all, and your precious headspace is better lent to solving problems instead of trying to remember gimmicky strategies.
17:21 – Moving To The Questions In Games
Leslie’s frustrated. Try as she may, she can’t nail the games. She reads and reads and re-reads the rules of each game and usually answers the questions accurately, but at the cost of time. Her “slow” method gives her 100% accuracy on the first two games, but she only makes it part of the way through the third game. She has a hunch that she’s spending too much time making worlds and obsessing over the rules, and she wants to know when *should* she be moving to the questions. The guys suggest that Leslie is doing all the right things—get the questions right and continue to practice. Speed will come. But they also offer up some advice, and they recommend watching their videos on Logic Games and following along step by step to see if insights arise.
32:34 – On Not Going To Law School
Do you know what sounds more exciting than being a lawyer? Being an air traffic controller. At least to M. it does. After working his way to a 167 on the test, M. decided being a lawyer probably wasn’t for him, thanks, in part, to the Thinking LSAT team. Instead, M. explored the world of possibilities and landed on something that sounded fun and exciting to him—with decent pay, to boot! The guys applaud M. and recommend a similar course of action for all y’all dear listeners. Don’t sell yourselves short. There’s a big world of things to do out there. Don’t be a lawyer unless!
Ben’s book recommendations:
Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning
39:40 – Suing San Francisco
Buckle up, dear listeners. Because Dean Faigman is at it again. The dean of Nathan’s alma mater has taken issue with sanitary conditions in UC Hastings’s native Tenderloin neighborhood of San Fran. To use his words, it’s a “blight” on the city! While it doesn’t make for an enchanting description of a college campus, it’s how he and several other organizations are describing the neighborhood while they sue the city. Nathan and Ben read through the email announcing the lawsuit and discuss implications for incoming students.
45:08 – Z’s Personal Statement
Z. writes in and asks the guys to skewer her personal statement, and the guys oblige.