Rising 2L, Sarah Ashworth (Ep. 248)
School’s out for summer. And that means 1Ls are now officially 2Ls—and many of them just bypass/fail grades, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Friend of the show and Thinking LSAT ex-producer, Sarah Ashworth, drops by to discuss her 1L experience with Nathan and Ben. Sarah shares how her first year of law school met her expectations and what she’s looking forward to as she heads into her 2L year. Then she sticks around to discuss LSAC news and LSAT advice with the guys. They 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.
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
6.1.2020 – It’s the (extended) registration deadline for the July LSAT-Flex
6.05.2020 – May LSAT-Flex scores are released (tentative)
6.14-15.2020 – The likely dates for the June LSAT-Flex
6.30.2020 – The June LSAT-Flex scores are released
7.12.2020 – The week of the July LSAT-Flex
7.30.2020 – Fingers crossed! July LSAT-Flex scores are released
3:55 – Interview with 2L Sarah A.
Longtime listeners may know former producer and friend of the show, Sarah Ashworth. Sarah joins Nathan and Ben to talk about her experiences during her 1L year. The guys ask Sarah about how law school has matched her expectations, what she digs and didn’t dig about her 1L year, and how she felt about her second semester becoming pass/fail.
34:27 – News From LSAC
The guys share breaking news from LSAC about testing over the summer. The July LSAT will now be administered remotely as an LSAT-Flex, and the registration deadline for the test has been extended to 6/1/2020. There’s also big news for international students. While the paper-and-pencil test scheduled for June 27-28 is cancelled, aspiring lawyers outside the U.S. will be able to take the LSAT-Flex the week of July 12. Sarah and the guys talk about the rollout of the LSAT-Flex and discuss the chief complaints from students who have sat for the test thus far. They also consider the financial implications for LSAC, considering the organization is keeping testing and application fees static during this time.
53:08 – Stuck in the 160s
Nicole is banging her head against the proverbial wall. She’s consistently scoring in the high 160s, but has only broken into the low 170s a couple of times. And her goal is the ultra-elite 174+. That’s what y’all call settin’ yer sights high. And why the hell not!? You gotta go for your absolute best score. Try as she may, Nicole still sees 3-5 errors in RC and LR sections respectively. She asks the crew how she can switch up her prep routine to eek out those extra points. The team agrees that Nicole’s asking the wrong question. It’s not about your routine, it’s about taking a closer look at the “why” of your errors. The pro tip? Don’t just understand what you got wrong. Understand why you chose the wrong answer, understand why the wrong answer is wrong, understand why the correct answer is correct, and go the extra mile to understand why you didn’t pick the correct answer in the moment.
1:03:21 – Character and Fitness Addendum
Anon is a bit stressed out. They earned a “physical control charge” involving alcohol and a running vehicle. Now they’re wondering how they should disclose this information to law school. Anon shares a character and fitness addendum with Nathan and Ben and asks them for their critique and their advice. Anon also wants to know how this may affect them down the line when it comes to the Bar’s Character and Fitness Test. The guys recommend calling the state Bar association and asking them directly.
1:16:47 - PT 65, LG 3: Setup + Q12
Sarah and Ben sit back while Nathan does a lil’ whiteboarding to set up and create worlds for the third logic game in practice test 65. The three discuss how they would approach the game, and once they’ve considered all of the rules—they tackle question #12.